Prepare for the Texas Heat with a Soaker Hose

God Bless Texas for finally bringing the sun and beautiful weather!

After a historic and ruthless winter, Texans are finally able to see some warm weather. The harsh winter has left our homes in state of limbo and now is the perfect time to recover. Time for gardening, spring cleaning and setting up the soaker house one of those things that should have been used all through the winter but absolutely needs to start now.

Wait… soaker what? For new homeowners that are unfamiliar how their home’s foundation reacts during Texas’ hot weather, setting up a soaker house can prevent unwanted foundation damage during the summer. When your soil doesn't receive the moisture it needs, it contracts. When it gets wet it will expand again but not as much as it was before contracting. This constant contraction and expansion of the soil beneath our foundation slab can lead to foundation instability. One way to prevent this from happening is to install a foundation watering system. Du-West has some do it yourself watering system instructions that are effective in keeping the moisture consistent around a slab.

It's important to fight the damage that can happen when the soil around your foundation becomes dry. This system allows the water to soak deep into the soil around the slab which will allow the soil to expand and thereafter to moderate changes in soil moisture under the foundation. By doing this, you could be adding years to the life of your foundation.

Click here for instructions how to set up your soaker hose. And if you’re a visual learner, below is a video on how to set up your soaker hose. If all else fails, feel free to call the Du-West office at (800)457-2966 with comments or questions on how to maintain your foundation.


Stay cool, Texans.

Operation Finally Home

“Texas Home Improvement with Jim Dutton,” the largest Home Improvement show in the state, and Prestige Designer Homes are working together to build a home through Operation Finally Home for Army Specialist Hugo L. Gonzalez and his family.





In 2004, Spc. Hugo L. Gonzalez was the Turret Gunner on a Humvee in Iraq when a bomb exploded, hitting him with shrapnel. The injuries he sustained left him blind in his right eye and he has limited vision in his left eye. Now Spc. Gonzalez along with his wife and three children will have a home with donated products from the Texas Home Improvement sponsors, including a solar panel system that will minimize energy costs and maintenance for the Gonzalez family.

Carolee Kamesch, founder and company president of Prestige Designer Homes, has always leaned toward energy efficient construction so the company became a founding member of Green Built Texas with its inception in 2006. “We decided from the start that we were going to build the most energy efficient home possible” said Dutton, and “Carolee and the folks at Prestige Designer Homes will be perfect team partner to oversee this project”. A special ground breaking will take place this Thursday, March 10 at 2pm, at the Bridges at Preston Crossing in Gunter, Texas.

For more information, or to help Operation Finally Home, please email Brian@thipro.comBrian@thipro.com