Plano South | July 2023

GUIDE

Local businesses oer home improvement tips

2023 HOME EDITION

COMPILED BY MICHAEL CROUCHLEY AND KAITLYNN HUTCHINS HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE

ASK A POOL EXPERT

Elizabeth Donald, who owns Superior Pools in Lewisville with her brother, Scott, has some tips for pool owners. The company services several areas across Dallas-Fort Worth.

There’s a bunch of regulations around ducks, so call a city ocial; try and get those out of the water as quick as possible. WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO INSTALL A POOL? Don’t sacrice the quality for more thrills, more waterfalls and water features. There’s a lot of companies out there that will build you a cheap pool, and it’ll work for a year or two, and then everything starts breaking pretty quickly. So make sure you do your research in nding a reputable pool company that has a track record of building quality pools that last for a long time. That’s one of the reasons we do well here is because there’s a lot of pool builders out there that build really bad pools, and then we have to go back and x them. Just nd a good company that has a good reputation and has positive reviews and has a backlog of pools that they’ve successfully built that are still running. WHAT FEATURESREPAIRS UPGRADES ARE POPULAR REQUESTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS? I’d say right now, the industry is denitely moving to automated controls so you can control it from your phone. One of our big suppliers we use is Pentair, and they’ve got real fancy equipment. You can do everything from your phone. With the switch of a button on your phone, you can turn your heater on while you’re at dinner and have the hot tub heated by the time you get home. There are some robot cleaners coming out where you don’t have to have a special pump for it; it just kind of gets in the water and does it sort of like a Roomba for your pool. Something we’re seeing more is the ability to cool your pool. They’re called heat pumps. It’s like an air conditioning unit for your pool.

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS FOR POOL OWNERS TO KEEP THEIR POOLS AND THEIR FILTERS CLEAN? For lters, if you have a cartridge, do lter service every six months or so. If you have a lot of dog swimming, we recommend a little bit sooner than that. For the water chemistry [you should be] keeping debris out, keeping all the chemicals balanced, chlorine in the water if you have a standard or a salt pool, keeping the salt levels up, just keeping everything within range, checking all the chemicals. A lot of people will run into issues with phosphates. They have nagging algae they can’t get rid of, they put all the chlorine in, and it won’t go away. So phosphates are a big thing that we have been seeing a lot more, denitely in the summertime and fall. Just coming out of the spring, foliage and a bunch of that debris is just like food for algae. So treat it for phosphates, and typically that takes care of it. WHAT IS ONE THING POOL OWNERS SHOULD NEVER DO WHEN IT COMES TO POOL MAINTENANCE? Probably just willy-nilly throw chemicals in, not regularly do a full checkup on the chemistry because you can run into [issues] if you don’t have enough calcium in the water, so we add calcium on a monthly basis into our pools. If you don’t have any calcium in the water, it’s pulling it from your plaster and degrading that a lot quicker. Letting ducks stay in the pool is a big one. We have one customer that owns ducks and has them in a separate pool, but they started getting into their regular pool. And they think it’s so cute and fun, but they poop all over the place, and it’s really yucky. You’re not allowed to touch the ducks, so you have to set a oat out and let them crawl out on their own.

ASK A GARDENER

Erin Hoer, Plano lead environmental education coordinator, has some tips for new gardeners and those looking to hone their green thumb even further.

irrigation. Overwatering plants and depriving their roots of much-needed oxygen is a rookie mistake. A moisture meter is an aordable $10 investment in a tool that measures what is actually happening in the soil at the root level. Checking before you water will not only keep your plants healthier but will save on your water bill. WHAT ARE SOME WAYS A SEASONED GARDENER CAN TAKE THEIR SKILLS TO THE NEXT LEVEL? Volunteer at a public garden. Schools and smaller historical museums often have teaching gardens that need maintenance year-round. Working through the seasons with plants that are new to the gardener helps to build knowledge and skills. Or join a community garden that raises and donates produce to local food pantries. There is a wealth of gardening know-how among the membership, and veteran gardeners are always generous in sharing their experience—along with their extra veggies. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST RESOURCES IN THE AREA? Every Texas gardener should know about and consult Texas A&M’s Aggie Horticulture website [http://aggie- horticulture.tamu.edu]. It addresses just about every aspect of gardening, providing eective answers from their science-based research. Texans should also get to know their county’s Master Gardener Association.

WHY SHOULD YOU START A GARDEN? Spending time outdoors is a proven stress- reliever, improves mental health and provides exercise to strengthen the body. So why not use that time to dig in the dirt and grow some owers for our homes or vegetables and herbs for our dinner table? Best of all, it gives us the opportunity to restore a bit of the ecological habitat that our urban and suburban development has taken away. When we garden, we’re not just making our community beautiful; we’re making it better. WHAT CAN ANYONE DO TO MAKE THEIR GARDEN LOOK BETTER? Regular maintenance is key to a tidy and attractive garden. Pulling weeds, appropriate watering, mulching to protect the soil and conserve water, and pruning when needed are all sustainable practices that promote good plant health and create an appealing landscape. WHAT ARE THE MOST WIDESPREAD MISTAKES THAT NEW GARDENERS MAKE? Poor plant selection and inappropriate watering are common errors that beginning gardeners make. It’s essential to know how many hours of sunlight are available in an area before selecting what will live there. Native plants are usually a great choice because, once established, they actually like the living conditions and can thrive in our hot summers. They also require minimal maintenance and Erin Hoer Lead environmental education coordinator City of Plano www.plano.gov/537/Garden-Green -in-Plano MAINTAINING YOUR HOME The National Association of Home Builders oers routine home maintenance tips for homeowners looking to maintain their homes’ value and ensure their

Elizabeth and Scott Donald Owners Superior Pool Service 301 Thomas St., Lewisville 972-221-2253 info@superiorpoolservice.com

MAIN ST.

5TH ST.

PLANO PKWY.

PURNELL ST. THOMAS ST.

PGBT TOLL

121

EXTERIOR

INTERIOR

1 Roofs should be inspected by a qualied roofer every three years, and skylights should be inspected so leaks do not develop. 2 Ensure downspouts and gutters do not get clogged with leaves and other debris. 3 Inspect siding each year to see if it needs repainting, and trim shrubs away so they do not touch the siding. 4 Check for split or cracked caulking on windows and doors annually, and replace the caulk as necessary. 5 Moving parts of garage doors need to be oiled once every three months.

6 Air lters require regular replacement, generally once every three months. 7 Regularly check security alarms and circuit breakers . Check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. 8 Clean each faucet’s aerator every three to four months. Maintain garbage disposals by running cold water through them. 9 Masonry walls can develop a white powder that can be scrubbed o with water and a sti brush. 10 Hardwood oors without polyurethane need to be waxed with a liquid or paste “spirit” wax. Use emulsion wax on vinyl.

safety. Find other useful homeownership tips at v.

SOURCE: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERSCOMMUNITY IMPACT

PLANO SOUTH EDITION • JULY 2023