October 2016 (72 )

Grand Opening 
Floor & Decor - The Colony
October 15, 2016
5651 State Hwy 121 at Spring Creek

11AM - 2PM Face Painting
12N - 2PM Dallas Cowboy Ticket Giveaway
12N - 2PM Food + Shaved Ice
$1,000,000 Dice Roll Challenge
  Fantastic pricing 
throughout the store!

As we near the end of the year many look forward to using the fireplace to create a cozy home.
Remember gas and wood burning fireplaces can become dangerous if not properly maintained. Learn more about chimney and fireplace safety from the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Their website, CSIA.org, is a great homeowner resource with an amazing amount of information (questions you didn't even know you had!), videos and links to certified chimney sweeps, inspectors and technicians in your area.

BE COZY & BE SAFE THIS WINTER!

 

Your Questions - 
Jim's Answers

Cigarette Odors
Removing the smell of cigarette smoke from you home can be very challenging. Listen as Jim talks Kay through her options.


Painting Water Stained Ceilings
Doug got the leak in the roof fixed, now it is time to paint over the stained ceiling. Jim recommends the best products for the job.

Buckling Floors
Jim has said it many times: water can be your home's worst enemy. Jim recently answered an email to help solve a moisture mystery ...

Frustrated Texas Homeowner:
I recently had my air conditioner replaced in my old house with a pier and beam foundation. I began noticing some areas in the floor had started buckling. In the last couple of months with the excessive wet weather most of the rest of my floors have started to buckle. I have had a couple of contractors come and give me some opinions on what I need to do. From what I am being told it is excessive moisture under the house that is causing this issue. The suggestions are to put down vapor barrier and install a drainage system under the house that goes to a sump pump. One suggested that I make sure all the holes are open and possibly put some crawlspace fans in. While another company suggests closing all the holes and installing a dehumidifier in the crawlspace. The estimates are between $8-10,000. Do you think either of these solutions would work?  Does my floor have any chance of laying back down if the moisture is removed?

Jim:
The floor does have a chance of laying back down if the moisture is taken care of, however it will take 6-12 months to really know. My experience tells me something besides the A/C system has changed around the house or the new A/C is not working properly.  You said this is an older house so if the floors were going to buckle it should have happened before now unless something has changed.  New flowerbeds, a neighbor or you putting in a sprinkler system or something else that has changed the water in the soil.  Even getting leaks in the sewer system can cause this to happen.  I would suggest finding the cause of the problem before fixing the floors. I suggest you first check the humidity level with the new A/C system because if it is over 65%-70% that could be the problem.  Next check if the soil under the home is dry. If it is moist it more than likely is the issue. This could mean a plumbing leak or possibly drainage issues. Recently I was at a house that was having the same problem in one room and contractors had given them similar options. Once we went under the home we found it had plumbing repairs 2 years ago and they had dug a trench and failed to backfill it so it was holding water.  In this case, backfilling the trench solved the problem for $1,000.00 instead of $8-10,000.



Thanks for listening!

Jim Dutton



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Tune into 
Texas Home Improvement this weekend!

Saturday 12N-2:00pm

Saturday 2:00-4:00pm

Saturday 2:00-3:00pm

 
 Saturday 2:00-3:00pm


Sunday 2:00-4:00pm





10th Annual CMNH Golf Classic 
October 17

The Greater Houston Ace Retailer Group invites you to attend the 10th annual CMNH Golf Classic benefitting Texas Children's Hospital of the Children's Miracle Network.

The Palmer Course
The Woodlands Country Club
Contact Sandra Williams 281-481-5858
centralacecorp@yahoo.com







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