Birders flock to High Island each spring for the migration, yet the rest of the year is quiet. The town rests on a salt dome rising 38 feet, the highest ground along the Gulf Coast from Mobile to the Yucatan, on the Bolivar Peninsula.
What turns up in High Island homes, and how that affects a Thermador repair in this area.
A post office opened in 1897, after Martin Dunman had settled the spot in 1845. In the 1930s oil turned up in the surrounding marshes, and about 200 flowing wells eventually ringed the dome. A count in 2014 put the community at around 300 residents, so the street grid is small.
High Island lies at the east end of the Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District. The district changed its supply in 2004: where groundwater wells once did the job, it now buys treated surface water produced near Winnie by the Lower Neches Valley Authority.
Elevation puts many homes at more distance from the tide than houses in the beach towns do, though Gulf moisture and salt still arrive. Trees near the bird sanctuaries shed pollen and leaves that settle on outdoor condensers and refrigerator grilles.
Practical equipment is the norm: a regular refrigerator, a 24-inch dishwasher and a standard range. A freezer set aside for hunting and fishing season is common, and newer kitchens give us Thermador cooking and built-in refrigeration to service.
The crossing of Highways 87 and 124 is where High Island sits, nearer to Winnie than to Galveston. We normally drive in from I-10 rather than ride the ferry, schedule in advance and pair the trip with other Bolivar Peninsula stops.
In migration season, the Houston Audubon sanctuaries at Smith Oaks and Louis Smith draw crowds and curbside space disappears. If you live close, let us know and we will time our arrival. Where trees surround the house, sweep leaves and pollen away from the lower grille of every refrigerator and freezer, and vacuum the condenser every few months so the compressor cycles less often in summer heat. When we visit, we look at that airflow path first, then the fan, door gasket and temperature controls, and the price is written down before we start work.
It might slow the final stretch. Mention it when scheduling, and we allow extra minutes or choose another window. Pointing out where a van can park also helps.
Vacuum the condenser every few months and again before the season starts. Keep the grille free of leaves, and let air move around the cabinet. We check the fan and gasket if it runs long.
Usually I-10 to Highway 124, not the ferry from Galveston. That keeps us closer to Winnie and the rest of the eastern peninsula calls, and we group those visits when we can.
Request a visit online in about a minute or phone our coordinators. Close-in neighborhoods often see a same-day slot; the outer counties usually get the next day across Houston.