Hammered with Bryan | Episode 3: Updating Your Home for the Holidays

Host Jackie Schmillen sits down with three members of the Bryan Companies team to talk about updating your home for the holidays. Julie, Interior Project Coordinator, shares how to get ready for guests, from small refreshes to a layout that keeps everyone comfortable. Amberle, Interior Design Expert, covers kitchen design mistakes to avoid and why cabinets belong beyond the kitchen. Co-owner Marc Bryan closes with the closeout rack and the deal of the week at the Urbandale showroom.

In This Episode

0:05 | Getting Your Home Ready for the Holidays
Family and friends are coming over, so the inside of your home gets a closer look. Julie starts every conversation with function and organization, because that’s how traffic flows through your home.

• Questions to ask first. Do you have pets? How many kids are you expecting? Do you have a coffee bar? Is there a centerpiece the gathering revolves around?
• Simple refreshes. New hardware or light fixtures, paint or wallpaper, a new countertop, window treatments, or a storage cabinet for linens. A refresh doesn’t have to cost a lot.
• Planning for guests. Decide where coats go, lay out extra rugs for wet shoes, set up the buffet so traffic keeps moving, and consider smaller-scale chairs to fit more people.
• Inspiration photos and AI images. Julie welcomes both, then compares them with your actual space and asks whether you love the exact look or what it does for the room.
• Samples and measuring. Take samples home to see them in your own light. For window treatments, the team can measure and bring sample books to you, or you can meet at the showroom.
• Every part of the project. Paint, countertops, cabinetry, hardware, lighting, and plumbing, plus organizers and new spaces like a coffee bar.

9:46 | Cabinets Beyond the Kitchen
Amberle starts with kitchens, then takes cabinets into the rest of the home.

• Fit your household. With small kids, skip white cabinets and choose finishes and countertops with more grain and movement that hide the wear.
• Plan appliances and trash first. Make sure the fridge opens fully and the dishwasher clears the stove. Odd gaps can become drawers or a pullout trash.
• What’s trending. Wood tones, greens and blues, and creamier whites.
• Cabinets all through the home. Run them into the pantry, bathrooms, and home office, and add drop zones with drawers for shoes and gear by the entry.
• Open shelving alternative. One glass-front cabinet for a few special pieces, plus cabinets run to the ceiling with crown molding to make ceilings feel taller.
• Realistic expectations. Stark white means constant wiping, and flat black faucets show hard water spots. Champagne bronze is more forgiving.

23:24 | Deals at the Showroom with Marc Bryan
Marc explains how to find a deal every time you visit the Urbandale showroom.

• The closeout rack. Just inside the front doors and always stocked with LVP and carpet, mostly overstock like a 15-foot carpet roll or 200 square feet of LVP. It’s the same quality the team uses every day. If you like one and need more, Bryan Companies can order the rest at standard price.
• The deal of the week. A rotating rack of LVP and carpet, from entry level to high end, with carpet in levels one through three. You can order any color, typically 8 to 12 per style.
• Installation. Install it yourself or have Bryan Companies do it. The team provides a free on-site estimate, and installation is typically 1 to 2 weeks out.

Featured on This Episode

• Jackie Schmillen, Host
• Julie, Interior Project Coordinator, Bryan Companies
• Amberle, Interior Design Expert, Bryan Companies
• Marc Bryan, Co-owner, Bryan Companies

Visit the Showroom
11364 Meredith Drive, Urbandale, IA
One block east of I-80/35

Get a Quote
trustbryan.com | (515) 664-8520
Follow Bryan Companies on social media.

For all your home improvements, inside and out, Trust Bryan.

Host Jackie Schmillen sits down with Interior Designer Dreanna Driggers a couple of months into life at the new Bryan Companies showroom in Urbandale. They talk about turning vacation inspiration into a design that fits your home, then focus on exteriors, from siding and roofing to gutters and color. Co-owner Troy Bryan closes the episode with an Ask Bryan segment on what to do after a storm, how roofing options stack up, and how insurance fits in.

In This Episode

0:00 | Bringing Your Inspiration HomeJackie and Dreanna discuss bringing ideas from vacation into a home. Photos from a trip are a great starting point, but the goal is to pull out colors, materials, and patterns that work in a Midwest home rather than copy a whole look. The showroom’s meeting spaces let the team build that design with you:

• A 3D walkthrough and renderings you can view on the TV, with changes added as you go

• A mood board setup with paint samples, countertops, and cabinet doors, so you can swap hardware finishes and see the difference on the spot

• A full exterior display with siding, gutter, and stone samples for matching your exterior materials

Dreanna also covers timing. Exterior work is a good fit for families back in the school routine, and interior projects can work around your day. The team starts by asking how you actually use your space. To get started, a sales rep takes measurements, a designer builds the mock-up and quote, and selection meetings follow. Budgets come up early, and there are options at every level.

9:09 | Exteriors: Siding, Roofing, and GuttersWith winter on the way, Jackie and Dreanna turn to exterior projects:

• Siding. Vinyl, hardboard, stucco, brick, and stone are all on the table, and the sales team helps match the material and color to the look you want.

• Roofing. Most homeowners choose asphalt or metal. Asphalt typically lasts 20 to 30 years, and metal lasts over 40. You can also combine them, using metal on select areas of an asphalt roof for texture and contrast.

• Gutters. Gutter guards keep leaves on top and let water through, and you can include them in the same installation, so you don’t need to hire a second company.

• Getting started. Call Bryan Companies, and a sales rep will consult with you, do a site evaluation, and take measurements. A designer then creates a rendering of your actual home, and you review your options at the showroom.

In this episode’s round of “Bold or Bad,” Dreanna’s advice is that nearly any color can work. Black and white modern farmhouse is trending right now, and colored brick, shutters, or a different roof color can make it your own.

18:13 | Ask Bryan: Roofs, Storms, and InsuranceTroy Bryan joins Jackie for the Ask Bryan hot seat. The question this month is all about roofs in Iowa weather.

• Who to call first. Troy recommends calling Bryan Companies first. The team can send someone out within a day or two to inspect the roof and tarp it if needed. Insurance adjusters can take several days, and the inspection helps you decide whether a repair or a claim makes sense, since your deductible and coverage matter.

• Finding the source. If water is getting into your house, the roof is a common suspect, but the leak often comes from somewhere else. The team marks every area of damage, and an inspection can catch problems like poor flashing before they reach your ceiling.

• Repair or replace. Bryan Companies does repairs. If a roof has ten years left, repair it. If it will only make it another year, the repair usually isn’t worth it.

Have a home question? Submit it through Bryan Companies on social media, and it might be answered on the next episode.

Visit the Showroom 11364 Meredith Drive, Urbandale, IAOne block east of I-80/35

Get a Quote trustbryan.com | (515) 664-8520Follow Bryan Companies on social media.

For all your home improvements, inside and out, Trust Bryan.

Host Jackie Schmillen kicks off the first episode of Hammered with Bryan with a look at what Bryan Companies does to give back to local heroes. Interior Designer Dreanna Driggers shares the story of this year's Veteran Roofing Giveaway recipient, then walks through the new Bryan Companies showroom in Urbandale. Co-owner Troy Bryan closes out the episode with a hands-on flooring breakdown, from heated floors and luxury vinyl plank to the real differences between engineered and solid hardwood.

In This Episode

0:00 | The Veteran Roofing GiveawayNow in its third year, the Veteran Roofing Giveaway replaces the roof of a deserving veteran or active duty service member at no cost. This year's recipient is Curtis Rickers of Carroll, Iowa, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran and two-time Bronze Star recipient, nominated by his daughter. His roof was 24 years old, with curling shingles and water damage. Nominations for the next giveaway open in spring 2027. Veterans and active duty military can nominate themselves, or family and friends can nominate someone they feel needs a new roof.

4:17 | Inside the New Bryan Companies ShowroomDreanna walks through the new showroom off Meredith Drive in Urbandale. Inside, you'll find hundreds of samples for LVP, tile, carpet, and hardwood, plus full kitchen and bathroom displays, cabinets, decking, windows, and more. Samples can go home with you so you can see them in your own space. Dedicated selection rooms for window treatments, cabinets, and countertops, along with private meeting areas, give homeowners room to work through ideas with the team. Dreanna also covers the Bryan Bundle: 15% off a second qualifying project of $10,000 or more when it's contracted within one year of your first. The Bryan Bundle runs throughout October 2026.

10:13 | Flooring with Troy BryanTroy covers the flooring options homeowners ask about most:

• Heated floors. A Schluter heated floor system runs under tile or LVP, controlled from your phone. Most popular in master bathrooms, and it can be added during a remodel.

• Luxury vinyl plank (LVP). The most requested floor Bryan installs. It looks like hardwood but is more water-resistant, holds up better to kids and most pets, costs less, and installs more easily.

• Carpet. Still a top choice, with stain-resistant and pet-friendly options that clean up easily.

• Engineered hardwood. A real wood veneer over alternating layers of plywood, which helps it handle Iowa's seasonal expansion and contraction with fewer gaps.

• Solid hardwood. The highest upfront cost, but it can be sanded and refinished again and again, making it a floor for life. Troy's tip: keep your home's humidity consistent to prevent gapping.

Featured on This Episode

• Jackie Schmillen, Host

• Dreanna Driggers, Interior Designer, Bryan Companies

• Troy Bryan, Co-owner, Bryan Companies

Visit the Showroom11364 Meredith Drive, Urbandale, IAOne block east of I-80/35

Get a Quotetrustbryan.com | (515) 664-8520Follow Bryan Companies on social media.

For all your home improvements, inside and out, Trust Bryan.

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