Adding To a Concrete Slab

Jim starts the show with email questions about adding an addition to a concrete slab and how to go about removing load baring columns. He also talks to callers about replacing floors, the difference in foundation repair, not so good stone veneer work, turning a roof into a ceiling, and more. Jim continues in the second hour with more callers with home improvement questions. Merry Christmas to all!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is probably gonna sound a littlestrange to you. Texas Home Improvement is
on the air with your host,Jim Dutton. Exactly what I need to
know. You always give me theway to go, great observation. You
got to be on the radio.Well, this might be the answer to
my pros. And I'm really gladI could talk to you. You have
the smartest guy, and I meanthe tall Jim. Now with all your

(00:23):
home improvement questions. That's seven onethree two one two five eight seven four.
That's seven one three, two onetwo five eight seven four. Texas
Home Improvement brought to you by USServices Plumbing, Foundation, Repair and air
Conditioning, Texas Remodel Team, Windows, the official window company of Texas Home
Improvement. American Standards, Comfort theway you like it, Jane's Hardy Sighting

(00:45):
the best sighting on the planet.USA Insulation Wall, phone insulation for existing
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(01:07):
Party Plank specialist and now broadcasting livefrom the Dutton Ranch. Here's Jim dot
Hey. Welcome to Texas Home Improvements, your total home improvement source. I'm
Jim Dutt't here to help you outany home improvement question you have, pick

(01:29):
up the phone, give me acall, and let's talk about it.
Now. It's just you and megoing to be talking. And it doesn't
matter. If you know you're worriedabout what a contractor is doing, thinking
about a project, got something thatyou're actually in the middle of and need
some help with, doesn't matter.That's what I'm here to help you out
with any home improvement question you have. Seven to one three two one two
five eight seven four. That's sevenone three, two one two five eight

(01:56):
seven four. And of course don'tforget about our websit site, thipro dot
com. It's there as a resourceto help you out twenty four to seven,
So anytime you have a question andI'm not available, you can start
there. There's all kinds of questionsand answers on the site. There's videos,
there's copies of the TV shows toask Jim button where you can send

(02:17):
in an email question, copies ofour newsletter, which is truck full of
helpful information, even a place tosign up for the newsletter. It's all
at t hipro dot com. Butit's Saturday afternoon. We're live, We're
here to take calls, and I'vegot all open lines right now. So

(02:38):
if you've got a question, thisis a great time to call seven one
three two one two five eight sevenfour. That's seven one three two one
two five eight seven four, andI'll see what I can do to help
you out here on Texas Home Improvement. I think we'll go ahead and address
some of the emails that came mein. You know, I made some

(03:05):
comments last weekend about San Antonio intheir permit department, and I got an
email question here from somebody actually inSan Antonio. I need your advice on
adding an addition to my concrete slab. My house foundation has previously been repaired,
initially with a press concrete and cablelock system and then with a hybrid

(03:28):
steel concrete cable lock system. Iappeers both interior and exterior throughout my home.
What is the best way to attacha new slab to the old slab
for a room edition, Considering thatthe old slab is peered, how should
this slab be constructed to ensure thatit does not move separately from the existing

(03:53):
home. I'm on the north sideof San Antonio by two eighty one and
sixteen oh four. All right,Well, the way I do it and
the way I explain to people todo it. If you look at your
foundation, you know most beams aregoing to be eighteen to twenty four inches
deep around the perimeter. Well,your addition has to have a beam all

(04:18):
the way around it, just likethe house does. And what I typically
want to do is go blow deeperthan that existing house beam with a beam
right next to the house where theaddition is going to be. It needs
to be ten to twelve inches wide, go down six to eight inches below

(04:41):
the bottom of the existing grade beam, and then I notch back underneath six
to eight inches as well. Sowhen I pour concrete, I'm basically going
to encapsulate half that beam in concretefor my new foundation. I'm gonna pour
the whole foundation, an't that newbeam and everything all at once. To

(05:05):
take it a step further, Iwant to drill holes into the existing foundation
for rebar to go into it.So basically every six twelve to sixteen inches.
I'm gonna drill a hole, andI'm gonna angle it, one coming
down from the top, one comingup from the bottom, So I'm angling
up and down all the way across. Now you bend the rebar so it

(05:28):
goes straight into your new foundation.But the reason for the holes being bent
up and down so that it can'tjust walk away. And by doing all
that, you've basically tied the newbeam to the old beam. So as
anything moves, it's going to moveas a unit. And I do that

(05:49):
whether the place has been peered ornot, and I have not had problems
with it. I did the firstplace I did that on was way back
in the oh probably around nineteen ninety, I guess, And I put tile

(06:10):
over that joint. That's something youjust typically can't do, is a tile
over an expansion joint where an additionties together, it typically is going to
crack. Monitored it for eight yearsand it never got a not even a
hairline crack in it. I haven'tbeen in there to look at it since
then, but I got no reasonto believe it wouldn't stay that way because

(06:32):
they were locked together tight. Andlike I said, if you do that,
you don't have to worry about it. Secondary thing, no wire mesh
use number three rebar on twelve inchcenters on the new foundation. And of
course when you dig your perimeter beamson it, keep them at least as

(06:53):
deep as the existing No shallower thaneighteen inches. Normally, I like to
go deeper than that. I builta metal building one time. I put
thirty six inch beams around the perimeterof it and thirty two inch cross beams.
That made a very stiff foundation,and that's really what you want it

(07:17):
to do, so that it movesas a unit. But by tying it
two together that way you keep themfrom moving. Now here's another secondary thing,
as you've got to be careful wheretrees are, because if you've got
to take a tree out or severa bunch of the roots in order to

(07:39):
put this new slab in, thatsoil is going to tend to expand and
it can tip that edition up alittle bit. So you do have to
take some of that into account aswell. But as far as how to
tie them together, that's how Iwould recommend tying an old slab and a
new slab together. Got a questionseven one three two one two, five

(08:03):
eight seven four. That's seven onethree two one two five eight seven four.
And I'll see what I can doto help you out here on Texas
home improvement again seven one three twoone two five eight seven four. Kathy
in georgetownsends in an email question,I need foundation repair for daughter's home in

(08:30):
Temple, Texas. Who do yourecommend? Well? Do West goes to
Temple, Texas? So you cangive us a call the number seven one
three four seven three seven one fivesix, and we'd be more than happy
to go take a look at itfor her. So, uh, that
will take care of that. Oneagain seven one three two one two five

(08:54):
eight seven four. Any home improvementquestion you have, pick up the phone,
give me a call and we cantalk about it. I got all
open mines right now. And Rudolfosends in a question. We have two
load bearing columns, or we havebeen told they are load bearing that separate

(09:16):
the kitchen and the living area.My wife wants to make it more a
kitchen and the living area open space. Is it expensive to remove the columns
and secure this from any danger?Well, you have to define expensive because

(09:37):
to some people five hundred dollars isexpensive to other people, five thousand is
not. So it's a relative termas far as is it expensive. The
bigger question is can it be done? And the answer is yes, it
can be done. It's a matterof what has to be done to do
it. In many cases, youcan go up into the attic and run

(09:58):
a b above those ceiling choice andattached the ceiling choice to that beam that's
above them in order to hold everythingin place. And getting that beam in
there can be complicated depending on howlong it is, and that can become

(10:20):
expensive because in some cases you haveto run it through the siding and everything.
So it really just has to belooked at to see what it's going
to take to put it in.How big a beam do you need,
because that's going to have to becalculated out, And honestly, the biggest
question is going to be do youneed anything? But since it's been somebody

(10:43):
has said that it's load bearing.If it is load bearing, yes you
do need to do something. Honestly, I would start by having it designed,
probably with an engineer or architect.But uh, by doing it with

(11:03):
an engineer you'll get it to theproper size and everything where you don't have
to worry about it having an issuelater and that honestly can be a pretty
big problem. So hopefully that willhelp you out. I guess, let
me see if I can. I'mlooking for the number for an engineer to

(11:26):
refer you to. Well, you'rein you're in McKinney, Okay, up
in McKinney. There is a companythat I would tell you to give a
call to. Uh that's DFW Improvedat nine seven two two nine nine eighty

(11:46):
nine thirty nine and they'd be ableto help you out with that again her
number seven one three two one twofive eight seven four. That's seven one
three two one two five eight sevenfour. And the home improvement question you
have, pick up the phone,give me a call. Let's talk about
it here on Texas Home Improvement yourTotal Home Improvement source seven one three two

(12:11):
one two five eight seven four.You know, if you're having an air
conditioning problem, you need to callthe best. You need to call do

(12:31):
West air Conditioning. You can reachus at seven one three four seven three
seven one five six will come out, take a look at the system,
see what's going on, to thenecessary repairs and if you just need service
work done, Hey, we cantake care of that as well. When
we do a service cleaning, it'smore a tune up than anything, because

(12:52):
we're going to take the outside unitapart, clean everything, check all the
capacitors, make sure everything's operating tospecs. We're going to take a part
the fan motor inside the blower andthe clean the box and the fan blades
and all that so nothing's out ofkilter because of dust build up and weight
from that. And yes, thatcan make a difference as well as check

(13:13):
make sure that the heating system isworking the way it should again seven one
three four seven three seven one fivesix. When you want the best,
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(13:35):
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(13:56):
where we know pro When Jim DottenO Tech his Home improvement recommends a company,
he won't steer you wrong like Guardianroof Systems. Hi, Jim,
this is be thank you because afterHurricane Harvey, I had the Guardian Roofers
put on a new roof at myhouse. Oh it's just beautiful. I
recommend them to anybody. I doas well. I've used them several times.

(14:18):
If I ever have any more problems, I know where to go now
Guardian roof Systems. Click on thelink under our contractors at thhipro dot com.
Oh, let's talk about Sunburst shutters. You know, when it comes
to shutters for your home, youcan't beat Sunburst shutters. Now. I've
got those in my home. I'vehad them for a long time. And

(14:41):
that pollywood that they're made of.It gives you that rich look of fine
wood shutters without woods inherent problems,you know, the chipping, cracking,
warping, splitting, all that kindof stuff. But you know, everything
at Sunburst Shutters is designed to lastlonger, look better, and outperform all
other products on the market. Andwhen people come into my home, when
they see the sunburst shutters. Theywant it for their home, and that's

(15:05):
the reason why parents have Sunburst shuttersin multiple places. My sister has it.
I mean virtually anybody who looks atthem wants them. You will too.
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(15:28):
for Sunburst shutters. Chris, Igave you some fars to fix all my
boss's then cut it. Ours isdeceave and cash. I'll give the sash.

(15:50):
I'll give you an axe and aRandow drill bit so you will get
far in all of that time,ye year old, you can be might
ranking too. Merry Christmas from TexasHome Improvement. Here's more with Jim Dutton.

(16:18):
Ah, welcome back. Seven onethree two one two five eight seven
four Again, any home improven questionyou have, feel free to pick up
the phone give me a call.Seven one three two one two five eight
seven four. Let's head to Crosbyand Richard. This is Jim. How
can I help you? Yes,thank you for taking my call. Jim,

(16:41):
I actually have two questions, ifI can be so bold sure.
The third is I have a uhI call it a mother in law suite
at by Farm, which is justa little north pier and my dad and
I built it probably fifty years ago, and it is on blocks and it's

(17:03):
time to replace the floors. ButI notice there's a little bit of give
when I walk across the floor.I was planning on putting the vinyl snap
together flooring, and I guess opinionon that. But also I've got sixteen
inch centers. Is what would bethe best attack to stiffen that floor.

(17:23):
Can I scab on some more againstthe other sixteen inch centers or do I
add additional Well, if they're onsixteen inch centers, you shouldn't have to
add any more to stiffing it up. But what you may want to check
is to make sure that all thesupports underneath are still touching and holding tight,

(17:45):
because a lot of times that's whatwill happen is some of the supports
will get loose, and that's whatgives you the bounce. The one cautionary
I would give you is you wantto avoid adding additional columns under there because
the soil is already acclimated to theweight of those columns being there, you

(18:08):
know, the supports, yes,and if you add new ones, they're
not acclimated yet and they move itat a different rate and so it tends
to cause more issues than to helpthe issues. So typically what I what
I try to do is just shimeverything tight, you know, get it
back where all of those are snug, and that normally takes care of it.

(18:32):
If it doesn't, then you canadd in either a steel plate or
something like that that stiffens it upsome but not columns. But normally that's
as long as that building's been there, that's normally not going to be an
issue. Once you tighten everything up. Yeah, I have re leveled it

(18:52):
here about three years ago. Yes, so I feel that they're probably down
and because they have sunk down intothe ground on some yeah, I feel
that I'm probably on solid ground below. Uh. If I scabbed on additional
beams right up against it with thathelp, well, that's one way of

(19:12):
stiffing them up, yes, becausethat's you know, gives you stiffer spans
of the beams of the floor joistrather Okay, So yeah, I just
put a second beam right up againsteach one of them in some in in
a lot of cases, yeah,I mean you just you'll just have to

(19:33):
look and see where it seems tobe bouncy and and just stiffen up that
areas. All. Yeah, itdoesn't it doesn't feel like you're gonna fall
through. It just flits enough.You can feel it when you walk across
the biddles and everything in the Chinacabinet rattles. Yes, yes, sir,

(19:53):
okay, great, I'll try that. I got a second question,
ok. I recently built me ashop at retirement, and being a pe
myself, I overdesigned it to thehilt and actually had a separate pe come
in and design it and reviewed itmyself. But I had insulation placed up

(20:15):
against the ten and it's I don'tknow what type of insulation you call it,
but it's a thin it looks likealuminum. It's a radiant barrier,
yes, sir, okay. Andit's tape taped in place, and some
of the tape is already starting tofall off, is there? What's the

(20:37):
premium tape on something like that?To try to get it to if I
get a lift to go in thereand retape that well, typically what you
want to use is not the grayduct tape, but the silver tape that's
used on ductwork. Yes, sir, that's designed for the hot attic temperatures

(21:03):
and stuff, and that normally onthat type of material holds together with no
problem at all. Okay, Sothe true duct tape, not the word
we all call duct tape. Correct. There is a difference. Yeah,
regular duct tape that we all buyat the store, that that grace it
dries out and turns to dust.But the metallic tape that's actually used for

(21:26):
duckwork won't. Are there any brandsI need to go towards or away from,
not that I'm aware of, Okay, Okay, because I didn't want
to go to the trouble to geta hoist, you know, a scissor
lift in sure, get up thereand tape it all up to be doing
it to get in here. Yep, no, No, But yeah,
you'll get that and you stop atat a place like Johnson's Supply or something

(21:49):
where they sell air conditioning supplies andget it there and you'll get the good
stuff that way. Oh, that'sthat's a good idea, okay, instead
of just going to my box store. Yep, okay, great, take
care. Merry Christmas? All right, Merry Christmas do you? And yes,
I know I'm behind with the musicthere. But let's talk about the

(22:11):
Reva shingles from f Wave. Youknow, when it comes to your roof,
you got to ask yourself how manytimes do you want to replace it?
I was just up on my roofin Pasadena and I thought I was
okay after the tornado and the hailstormthat followed the tornado had gone through,
and it's not. It's beat upwell. On my other places I put

(22:36):
Reva shingles by f Wave and Imay have to do it there as well.
It's a tough class for shingle,and I tell you it's one of
the toughest on the market. Andthe shingle not only passes the two inch
hail test, it'll also pass thetwo inch steel ball test as well.
If you're looking for a shingle,it's going to last one that's going to
take the weather. You're looking forReva Shingles by f Wave. Uh and

(23:03):
you can go to th chipro dotcom click on the link to Revia Shingles
by f Wave to get more informationon them. But it's a great shingle
and it looks gorgeous. Get yourwife at Jackhammer. She's been wanting for

(23:26):
Christmas. She might just give yousome loving. Here's Jim Dutton and Texas
Home Improvement. Hey, welcome backto Texas Home Improvement. Seven one three,
two one two, five, eight, seven four. That's seven one
three, two, one two,five, eight and seven four. And

(23:48):
let's see, we're gonna head backto the calls. Matt. This is
Jim. How can I help you? Hey? Yes, sir, so,
I had had some companies come outand quit me some foundation repair,
so it looks like that I wasa victim of the droughts. My concrete
settled about zero point eight inches toan inch and a half only on the
front side of the house. SoI've had both companies quote me the concrete

(24:11):
pilings and then also had a companycome out and quote me steal helical.
And you know, the cost differenceis about fifty percent more for the steel
pilings. Now, I was justwondering, what is the real benefit in
our soil for that? Is therea benefit? I just want to make
sure I'm making an informed decision herebefore I pulled the trigger, okay,
and I got to make sure you'reaware I do own one of the owners

(24:33):
of do West Foundation Repair. Yes, sir, I am aware of that.
I actually had y'all were one ofthe four companies I called out.
Okay, but but I definitely wantyour opinion on it. It's already uh
well, I will tell you Ido steal helical piers as well. They
are not what you need on regularfoundations in the Houston area when you're dealing
with the black gumbo clay soils.I'm not saying they don't work. I'm

(24:56):
saying they are overpriced though, becauseyou can do the same thing with a
press pile that is far less expense, especially in Deer Park. I mean
Deer Park. Normally you're looking attwenty to thirty feet deep where they concrete
press pile. If they put ahelical in, they're typically only going to

(25:17):
go you know, twelve to fifteenfeet and it's just they work. It's
just not the right design for thatarea. Now, I typically will use
a helical when I get into othermarkets of the state, but not typically

(25:38):
in the Houston area unless I'm doinglike new construction and things like that.
Then I'll use them because it's quicker, so contractors can get on with the
rest of the building. You're notwaiting for concrete to cure and stuff.
As far as you know. Themain differences on a helical pure when they

(26:00):
screw it in the ground, they'rescrewing to a certain torque. The issue
is, though, if you godeeper, you may get into a different
torque again. It may go downagain because you get into softer soils again,
but you're dependent on the soil underthe helix. Basically, it builds
a ball of pressure on the soilit's under the helix. A concrete press

(26:26):
pile build skin friction as you're drivingit in the ground. So the deeper
you go, the more surface areathere is on the side of the pile,
the more soil there is to holdit. And that's the primary difference.
I will tell you. Typically,on a helical pier that we do,
I'm going to give either a fiveor a ten year warranty, depending

(26:48):
on the type of project is onthe concrete press pile. If it's the
ultra pile system, that's typically goingto be a lifetime warranty. So there
is a major difference in the warrantystructure as well. Okay, perfect,
that's it was a technical difference thatI really wanted to understand and really understand,
you know what that play is inthe soil. And it sounds like

(27:11):
it sounds like concrete press pile ismy way to go, and that's what
I was leaning towards. But Ijust wanted to make sure I wasn't missing
something because the calls difference and youknow, get the sales guy's approach as
well, so I wanted more ofthe engineering approach. The way to go
is to call do Wes and letus do it for you. Now,
come on, like I said,Like I said, y'all are my first
call. So so I called threethe others just to just play around and

(27:33):
understand the quoting system. Sure,I appreciate you so much, not a
problem at all, and if youdo have questions on it, feel free
to give me a call. We'lldo. Thank you so much, sir,
have a good dame you bet boand again our number seven one three,
two one two five eight seven fourand again there is a lot of
different repair techniques. I will tellyou I do the concrete press piles.

(27:56):
In fact, do wes develop theinstallation process that everybody's you. We do
drilled piers where you pour concrete inthem. We do the helical piers.
I do steal press piles as well. I mean, because there are places
and soils to use all these differentmethods. The problem so many contractors run

(28:17):
into is they try to use thesame thing everywhere because it is a pain
to get everybody trained. And Igot certain people who can do helicals,
not all my guys can. Igot people who can do press piles,
but not steel press. I mean, you have to go through the training
process, and you know, anda lot of companies just don't want to

(28:41):
deal with that, but it iswhat's needed to work in all the different
areas of Texas. Anyways, let'ssee, let's head to our next call
and let me get this set uphere quick. Here we go, Brian

(29:02):
and Hempstead. How can I helpyou? Hey, Jim, thank you
for taking my call. Jim,I've got a situation. Thank you,
sir. We've got a situation.We had a we were still living at
a custom built home about forty sixhundred square feet. The outside is probably
at least sixty stone The near twoinch you know, nice brought from a

(29:29):
stone there probably thousands of square feet, and anyway, ever since it's been
put up, I don't believe Ireally did a good job. So every
year to two years now, forthe last seven years, it's happened probably
four times, maybe five. Nowwe come home and we'll see up there
on the second floor two square footchunk of rock that has just fallen off

(29:55):
onto the shingling, and she's layingthere. And we had a back that
was totally leaking bad and it ruinedit. They had to come out and
redo everything. But this is justgoing on and on, and the builder
and I we don't set eye anymoreanyway. So, you know, I
just don't know what is there anythingI can do? Can this go on

(30:18):
forever? Or or these guys canthey just get away with us forever?
Or what? I don't Ryan,let me do this because that music means
I gotta take a quick break.I'm gonna put you on hold, okay,
and when we come back, let'stalk a little bit further and get
this address for you. Seven onethree two one two five eight seven four.
We'll be right back with more TexasHome improvement. You know, if

(30:41):
you're thinking about windows for your home, needed to call the folks at Texas
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(31:02):
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Texas Remodel Team can help you out. Also, don't forget you can
go to thchipro dot com and clickon the link for Texas Remodel Team.
When Jim's Otton of Texas Home Improvementrecommends a company, he won't steer you

(31:48):
wrong like Guardian Root Systems, HiJim, this is b thank you because
after Hurricane Harvey, I had theGuardian Roofers put on a new roof at
my house. It's beautiful. Irecommend them to anybody. I do as
well. I've used them several times. If I ever have any more problems,
I know where to go now Guardianroof Systems. Click on the link

(32:08):
under our contractors at thhipro dot com. Ah James Hardysiding. It is the
best siding on the market. Andif you're looking for a way to upgrade
the looks of your home, youneed to start with James Hardy Siding.
There is no better way to upgradethe outside appearance of your home and give

(32:29):
you some great curve appeal. Whetheryou want to go with the color plus
it has the paint on it fromthe factory, or you want to paint
it yourself. They got so manydifferent styles to choose from. Go to
thchi pro dot com and click onthe link for James Hardisiding. When Jim
Dott you know Texas Home Improvement recommendsa company, do you won't steer you
wrong. Liked West Services. Ihad your phenomenal company out regarding a foundation

(32:54):
watering system and those tired of luggingthose miserables cooses that keep getting destroyed.
It's just a nightmare. So anyway, I had Jacob out from your company,
do West and he was phenomenal.And you run a tip top organization.
He was dressed beautifully, the truckhe drove up and was perfect.

(33:16):
I mean, you just have madeyourself a wonderful company. I can't thank
you enough. I really appreciate it. Do West Services Foundation Repair Total Plumbing
and air Conditioning called seven one threefour seven three seven one five six.
That's seven one three four seven threeseven one five six online at do Dashwest

(33:37):
dot com. That's du dash Westdot com. Do West Services. The
in laws are coming for the holidays. Smile, keep your mouth shut and
don't discuss politics. And for somelast minute home improvement tips from Jim Dutton,
go online to thhi pro dot com, blog, articles, videos,

(34:01):
trusted contractors and more thhipro dot com. Here's more Texas Home Improvement with Jim
Dutton. Hey, welcome back toTexas Home Improvement. Seven one three two
one two five eight seven four.When we left we were talking with Brian

(34:23):
from him Stead and Brian you mentionedthis has been going on for about eight
years? Is that how old thehouse is? It's getting seven to eight
years now. Yeah, and it'sprobably the fourth, maybe even the fifth
time now that a week ago Ihad contacted him through text message and showed
them a picture and he said,I sent it to the stone guy,

(34:45):
and I asked him to call me. He won't call me or anything,
so I'm on my own. Buthe's willing to send the guy out here
to fix it. But you know, as many times as this has happened
over these years, is there apoint where I have to do I Do
I need an inspector or something?Should he pay for an inspection or or

(35:06):
you know, well, I guessI would put it to you this way.
There's nothing the inspector is going tosee that he can do anything about.
Yeah, because it's coming down toit's more than likely the adhesive that's
been used to put them on sure, and he can't see, you know,

(35:27):
if it was spread properly or notunless he pulls some of it off.
So while some of it is off, I guess if you wanted to
get it inspected, that would bethe time. What I would try to
do is since you are able tocontact the builders still see if he can
find out what adhesive was used,what type of mastic in order to attach

(35:52):
them. I would then contact themand let them inspect it, because typically
those adhesives are going to have acertain warranty on them for how long they
should hold up. And I guaranteeyou it's going to be longer than the
seven eight years that your house isold. That I think is where the
problem is going to come in,And it could be something as simple as,

(36:15):
oh, yeah, we had aproblem with that batch and we're having
to redo those projects now. Thefact, I guess the question I would
have is the areas that they haveredone. Has it happened again? No,
not to my knowledge, But itlooks awfully smooth where the stone fell

(36:36):
off at. You don't see thatrush like I look to it or anything
like that. It's just yeah,and that's that's I mean, it can
come down to that it wasn't appliedright and installed right. But the manufacturer
would typically have engineers that would comeout and take a look at it to
make that determination. And that's thereason that's where I would start. Nothing

(37:00):
easy, right, Oh, ifit was easy, everybody would do it.
I know, do I have timereal quick to ask you one last
thing? Go ahead? Okay,So the uh the wiring, the cabling
coming from the transform outside through theboxes on the back of the garage.

(37:22):
They the builder. We had awe have faults. Finally, after seven
years Bill and Knight boom, thingswent out, and I was like,
what's going on? But over theyears I noticed lights kind of flickering over
the island and stuff, and Ithought, man, that's weird. It's
either me am I hallucinating, orwhat's going on anyway. It finally so

(37:45):
out in the country, San BernardoElectric was kind enough to say, look,
we'll send a guy out there takea look at it. Well,
he come out and he says,well, you don't have a intro coming
from the transformer anymore. He said, I put my UH probes on there,
and he said there's nothing in there. I said, well, okay.
He said, let me go cuta water and we'll run a temporary

(38:06):
jumper. That was on one o'clockin the morning and he went to unscrew
the lug for the commons so hecould put his wire in there. And
he said, oh my god,and he grabbed a cabling that whatever it
is one too hot. I don'tknow, and he it was it was
never even tightened down. It's likethe electrical contractor got this tractor or something.

(38:27):
Never never tight down that. Hetold me. He said, oh
has this been like this? Hesays, it's not just loose old age.
He said, it's loose. They'venever even tightened it. And I'm
like, oh, it's cost usthousands of dollars. They're writing now for
bakers. Well, oh my god, this stuff. And this is a
cable that's coming into the meter boxright yeah. Sam Bernard said, we

(38:50):
don't touch that box. He goes, your builder hooked that up. They
leave the wire out there and thenwe tied into the transformer. They said.
So we're not responsible for what theydid in that box. We don't
test their looks, see if theytightened them. He said, we just
checked to make sure we have continuity. So you imagine that cable was sitting

(39:13):
there cock size, you know talksideway not hideway, but you know,
on an angle inside of that lugfor all the years and they're still operating
a home with two three hundred antboxes in it. Unbelievable, but you
know, it finally, it finallywent. But now we've I've had to
replace transformers in AC units. I'vehad an ice machine. Oh my god,

(39:37):
the things I've had to put mostlytransformers. No, yeah, because
everything's arcing and spiking. Mm hmm. So again here we go again.
This is the same builder, youknow, of course, But you know,
any recourse there just kind of like, oh, well, you know,
I eat that. I don't thinkthe guy's going on to talk to

(40:00):
me about it. I know he'snot. Probably, yeah, you won't.
How long ago did you find this? This happened this year? This
year, probably in the summertime orsome time it happened. Yes, yeah,
Now, on the warranties of homes, everything has a different warranty period,

(40:21):
and so yes, there may besome recourse on this particular one,
especially since this is a contractor defect. If the power company wasn't the one
who puts on the hooks it upto the hub, it would be a
contractor defect. So, uh,you actually may have a case on this

(40:42):
one. So you I would contactan actually an attorney on this one and
go from there. Okay, I'lldo that. Then I wanted to know
which way you appreciate, Jim,thank you, Bet take care. Hey,
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(41:05):
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(41:27):
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(43:17):
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Remodel Team dot com. Don't predictthe Grinch. I always mean and hearing
snowy, but I think he's actuallykind of sweet. Sweet from the Texas
Home Improvement Family to yours. MerryChristmas and a happy New Year. Here's
more with Jim Dunton on Texas HomeImprovement. Well sad, look a line

(44:29):
back, daddy, Hey, welcomeback to Texas Home Improvement. Your total
home improvement source seven one three,two one two five eight seven four.
Rick, How you doing today?Great? Thank you? How are you?
I'm doing wonderful. Sounds like you'reout on a construction site. Well,

(44:50):
no, I've just was in thecountry and I've just arrived in the
middle of Cadie a beating on atrailer hitch. Okay, how can But
I've got a two story big houseand it's got a huge attic from end
to end with lots of headroom thatI'm putting the floor in and to take

(45:13):
I want to turn that roof intoa ceiling, okay, And I'm not
you know, it's going to bea living not living, but you could
live in it just to use officeand maybe recreation and stuff. And I'm
I'm going to build a stair abovethe present stair parallel to it with the
same design to get up there.But I need to know a lot of

(45:37):
things. But how to turn thatroof bottom into a ceiling top or bottom?
I guess, well, where thewhere the roof joyst are. You
would want to put sheet rock orwood or something there so that you could
put insulation under the attic, youknow, under the plywood of the roof.

(45:59):
It's elf because that's a confined space. Now, you know, don't
have a lot of space there.I would use a phoam insulation on it.
And I'll tell you what. I'mgonna have to put you on hold
because that was the end of thathour, and we'll address this when we
come back for the first hour.For the next hour. Rather, let's
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(47:10):
sound a little strange to you.Texas Home Improvement is on the air with
your host, Jim Dot exactly whatI need to know. You always give
me the way to go, greatobservation. You got to be on the
radio. Well, this might bethe answer to my pros. And I'm
really glad I could talk to you. You're the smartest guy, I mean,

(47:31):
the tall Jim. Now with allyour home improvement questions. That's seven
one three two one two five eightseven four. That's seven one three two
one two five eight seven four.Tax's Home Improvement brought to you by US
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(47:52):
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(48:15):
property damage and Picture's remodeling and construction. Party Plank Specialists, and now broadcasting
live from the Dutton Ranch. PeersJim dot, Hey, welcome back to
Texas Home Improvement. Your Total homeImprovement source seven one three two one two

(48:37):
five eight seven four. That's sevenone three, two one two five eight
seven four Again. Any home improvementquestion you have, feel free to pick
up the phone, give me acall, and I'll see what I can
do to help you out. I'mgonna jump straight back into the calls.
Normally I do a little more onthe website and stuff. I'll do that
later because we were talking to Rickout a k Okay, Rick, I'm

(49:01):
sorry about that, but I gotlots of time for you now, Okay.
Well, bottom line is I'm goingto turn it two story house,
huge addic into space, and Ineed to know how to turn the bottom
of the roof into a ceiling forthe space. Okay. So a lot

(49:27):
of times you'll hear me talk aboutI don't want to encapsulate a whole house
with foam insulation, but in asituation like what you're going to be dealing
with, where your roof deck andyour sheet rock or final finish is going
to be on the same boards,that is ideal for foam insulation. So

(49:49):
what would use it is a it'sa spray foam that expands and fills the
cavity rather than using bat insulation,you know, fiberglass or something. And
the reason for using it is you'regoing to have limited space there. It
will probably either be two by sixor two by eight's up there, and

(50:13):
inch for inch it'll give you amuch higher r value than fiberglass or cellulose
or anything else. And so forinsulation purposes, I would put foam.
Then I would use a radiant barrier. Take a look at the energy Q
radiant barrier, and then my sheetrock or whatever I'm going to put on

(50:37):
for my finished product. And bydoing that you'll be able to control the
heat that's going to try to comein through that space up there. So
it's going to be three layers foam, Q, radiant and shet rock.

(50:59):
Correct, So I have to geta machine to put that uh sprady of
that phone. You'll for that part. You'll end up bringing a contractor in
because they won't rent that equipment out. Uh it's too it is maintenance nightmare
type equipment, and so it didthe public's not able to play with that

(51:22):
stuff. It's it's strictly contractors becauseonce you finish you gotta clean everything up,
take the guns apart, and allthis kind of stuff that unless you've
been through classes you're not able todo. Plus you got to have respirators
on and stuff like that to youto apply it. M Okay, Okay.

(51:46):
You can't cut the phone and putit in from plates that won't give
you the same our value. Uhhuh okay, okay. I have no
idea what that that's called. It'ssomething that they would come in and look

(52:07):
at it and give you a bidon before you put it in. Okay.
Let me give you a name ofsomebody that you can talk to on
that. All right? All rightfor the phone, talk to the folks
at USA Insulation, okay, andyou can reach them at well, it's

(52:36):
not on that sheet. Let meget this one out. There's no reason
to leave the existing fiberglass under thefloor. No, Well, it can
help it sound a little bit,okay. The USA insulation is three four

(52:58):
six two nine seven two eight zerozero. Okay. Now what do you
recommend for the floor deck? Welcome? Typically you're gonna want to put like
a three quarter inch plywood. Igot a lot of board, three quarter

(53:22):
inch particle board. I have lotsof it. Yeah. I I personally
won't use the particle board only becauseyou get any moisture on it, it
tends to get soft. Uh huh, yeah, a lot of it.
Okay. Uh and then yeah andthen uh for energy Q radium barrier and

(53:47):
that's something you can put on yourself. Uh. You can talk to them
at one eight hundred, nine hundredsixty two twenty. Okay, what are
you gonna put on it for flooring? Don't know, something that's nice and
cheap and you know, I don'tknow. Well, you'll have a choice

(54:15):
with with with the comments you justmade your least expensive, we're gonna either
be to put carpet down or toor to put down a laminent type floor.
You can go by flooring de Coreand get like a laminate where they
interlock and lay down. You canget vinyl or even a wood one.

(54:38):
And I mean those things start,uh you know, as little as less
than two bucks a square foot.Anyway, Okay, I got lots of
lambin that I took out of anotherhouse. It's it's possible you can use

(54:58):
that. Yeah, okay, okay, all right, Well I'll be calling
you back on the stairway I'm afraid. Oh yeah, you don't have a
stairway up there yet. I wasgonna do this exact same design that goes

(55:23):
from the first floor to the secondand duplicate it a parallel above from the
second to the attic. Okay,the same wall, same everything. Okay,
I'm just gonna copy what they didto get to the second floor exactly.
Yep, yeah, okay, andthen I'm gonna think about an elevator

(55:47):
for when I get old. Well, you can put in a shaft for
that ahead of time, and theelevator itself can be added later. Yeah,
yep, okay, all right,well, I appreciate it you bet

(56:07):
Rick. You take care, havea merry Christmas, y'all. Thanks.
Uh well, and you know onelast thing you typically I don't know if
you're in an area where permits arerequire, but make sure you get your
permits, and you may need somearchitectural drawings to do that, and that

(56:27):
would include how to do the staircaseand stuff as well. Again our number
seven one three, two one twofive eight seven four again seven one three,
two, one two five eight sevenfour And I'll see what I can
do to help you out here onTexas Home Improvement. Let's get ready to
head it back into the calls andHank, how can I help you today?

(56:51):
Yeah, thanks for taking a call. Jim. I've got a uh
dat age seventy house in central Texas, and I've got a problem from the
standpoint of the veneer attachment to Ithink it's a fiber backer board and what
they use, apparently the Mason's wasa cheap metal or stript metal intended attachment

(57:23):
for the veneer to the backer board, and my problem is apparently that has
failed. From the standpoint doing thepush test, I can feel the rebound.
Okay, So what do I doabout fixing that? Is there a
way to put some adhesive in therethat will re establish that connection or not?

(57:46):
No, not that I'm aware of. Now, this is not a
brick veneer. This is stone thatthey glued on. No. What it
was, as I understand from whatI've seen, is that, uh,
you know, every two or youknow, three foot they put in a
strip of oh, the brick tiesa nail. Okay, that's the brick

(58:09):
ties. And yes, the brickties can be retrofitted. It's rather extensive
to do it, but brick Mason'syou know who do restoration work, are
able to do that. A companythat you could call for that is mister
Brick and you can reach them atseven to one three eight five six,

(58:36):
eight three two nine. Okay.I'm in Central Texas, Bill County,
so I mean it's a you know, I'll do my homework on signing.
I guess I'm mister Brick in thearea. Uh, but I understand that
would require that you know, theytake out the existing brick and uh relay
it. No, they can actuallydo it now by removing a brick,

(59:01):
putting the strip in, and puttingjust the one brick back in. They
don't have to remove the whole wallanymore. Okay, Well that's a you
know, you got me on theright direction. The other question I have
is I can ask you you werethe only call I have right now.

(59:21):
I got all open lines, soplease go ahead, thank you. I've
got a problem, basically, astopped up a drain from my sink to
the primary drain line. Okay,and I've tried to do a manual snake

(59:45):
to the thing, and I've cometo the point where you know, I'm
getting you know, granular type youknow material that I think is you know,
perhaps when I had my house releveled, was a compromise of that
drain into the main drain, andI'm kind of looking at what do I

(01:00:09):
do about that? You know,if I use I think it's scheduled twenty.
You know, of the time PVCpiping that was used to you know,
get into the main drain, it'stypically schedule forty. And as far

(01:00:30):
as what you need to do isI'm assuming this is a PVC drain system.
Yeah, correct, yes, sir, Okay, So before I'd start
doing a whole bunch of work,I would have a plumber come out and
isolate to find exactly where the brakesare, and that way, you know,

(01:00:50):
if you've got to deal with morethan just one break. And yes,
it does cost a couple hundred bucksto get that done, but trust
me, it is well worth themoney to do that, because otherwise you
can be chasing a whole bunch ofstuff that could have been all handled at
once. Yeah. That's my consternationis from the standpoint that it seems,

(01:01:14):
you know, cement hard when Iget down to the area, and that's
a tie into the main of whichon the other side. I've got my
washer and dryer and all my washer, but that's working, that's open,
so I'm you know, I'm well. Sometimes even dumping greases and different things

(01:01:35):
like that down those lines, itwill solidify where it's almost cement hard,
so it may not be something fromthe contractor. Okay, well yeah,
better safe than sorry, right absolutelyyou yep, thank you, thank you.

(01:01:58):
Take care and have a merry Christmas. You two get that buck.
I got mine already, great.Take care. In fact, yes I
got an opening weekend. I gota very nice ten point buck. So
uh, I was quite happy withit. Seven one three two one two

(01:02:19):
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(01:02:44):
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(01:03:05):
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(01:03:28):
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(01:05:00):
you need new windows. If youhave the old single pane aluminum frame
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(01:06:10):
experience four seasons in two days.Merry Christmas from Texas Home Improvement. Here's
Jim Dutte. Hey, welcome backto Texas Home Improvement. Your total home
improvement source seven one three two onetwo five, eight seven four. That's
seven one three two one two fiveeight seven four. Pat, Welcome to

(01:06:36):
Texas Home Improvement. How can Ihelp you? Thank you, thanks for
taking my call. I have onequick question. I live in an old
built in sixty four in Southwest Houstonhouse and after I had a roof put
on, the attic is filthy.Is there a contractor or company that will

(01:06:59):
go into the attic and clean itup? And what's in there? Like
did you have a wood shingle roofor something? Yes, well, okay,
yes, and it's just trash nowyou know, the pieces of wood,
nail of everything. You know,there's not somebody that specifically goes in

(01:07:21):
and cleans addics, but a lotof the insulation companies do have to clean
them out sometimes when they're reinsulating.So give the folks at USA Insulation a
call and they probably have somebody whocould help out with that. Okay,

(01:07:41):
you can reach them at three foursix two seven twenty eight hundred. Okay,
thank you very much, You're welcome. You take care, congrats on
that book, okay, thank you. Merry Christmas to you as well,
and again our number seven one threetwo one two, five eight seven four.

(01:08:04):
That's seven one three, two onetwo five eight seven four. I'm
a hold off jumping in the nextcall because we're getting ready to take a
break for news, traffic, andweather. When we come back, Mark
you'll be first, Joe, you'llbe right after Mark. Here on Texas
Home Improvement, I said i'd talkabout the website here. It is thhipro
dot com. You don't hear megive out the websites of the people I

(01:08:27):
talk about much because you can findall of them when you go to t
hipro dot com, as well aslinks to you know, our newsletter and
our TV show and all the differentthings that we do. There's the ask
Jim button there and the place tosign up for the newsletter. So it's
just a wealth of information when yougo to t hipro dot com. Check

(01:08:51):
it out today, and you know, if you need to get some information
on one of the people you've heardme talk about, that's where you go
to find it. With that,we're going to take a quick break,
we'll be back with more Texas HomeImprovement. You know, so often we

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dot com. The in laws arecoming for the holidays. What's the difference

(01:10:27):
between in laws and outlaws? Outlawsare wanted. Here's more Texas Home Improvement
with Jim Dapper. Hey, welcomeback to Texas Home Improvement. Seven one
three two one two five eight sevenfour. That's seven one three two one
two five eight seven four And let'shead back to our calls. See I'm

(01:10:56):
gonna turn something on before we dothat. There we go, and Joe,
Welcome to Texas Home Improvement hottie.I got a cracks and concrete questions,
and your your picture on your websiteis exactly what I have. But

(01:11:21):
my question and concern is that I'vegot several So those are in my driveway
and the driveway in different areas,but in between the expansion joints, I've
got a like a whole section thatseems to have sunk in tact, no

(01:11:45):
cracks, and I've had it raisedonce before. And so what I'm thinking
is I need to have y'all comeback, y'all come out and diagnose it
and figure out whether I need toy'all use a slurry, a mud slurry
and or a or a sand slurand or a phone to raise the concrete.
Do you correct? What's mhm?You know? If if it's just

(01:12:13):
down a couple of inches, thenthat's it's the foam. If you're feeling
huge voids, then sometimes it's themud pumping. Oh okay. And so
what I've had done before, itseems to have sunk, but it's all
intact. There's no cracks. Okay, So what I'm thinking, is I

(01:12:33):
need to get do some preventive maintenanceon the on the section of that of
the slab or the driveway to raiseit. And also there's a the between
the two slab of the two sections. I've got a bump when I'm running
the card out to the street orwhatever that I want to get leveled out.

(01:12:56):
But any rate, all I haveto say is what's the best way
to too And I could tell thiscosmetic cracks that actually looks like they've two
sections have sloped a little bit tothe side. So always they call your
office and come out and look atit for me or yeah, and and
it doesn't cost anything to get itlooked at. But yeah, you can

(01:13:18):
call the office. They'll they'll takecare of booking it. The number is
seven to one three four seven threeseven one six. Now how long ago
was it you're thing before? Ooh, that's been probably ten years. Okay,

(01:13:41):
So yeah, I mean, especiallyafter the drought we had this summer,
a lot of stuff has moved.But I'm betting you have some nice
trees around there that's causing a lotof it. Oh well, yes,
and that I guess that would thankyou for uh swerving off into that question
too, because I've got a giantoak tree adjacent to the sidewalk and the

(01:14:05):
driveway. They seem to be moving. All the sections of the sidewalk and
the driveway are intact with no cracks. But yes, they seem to be
I suppose, and I assumed thatwas the case of the tree. So

(01:14:25):
do y'all do trees? We doroot barriers? Oh okay, okay,
so your guy could tell me ifI need one or not? Oh?
Yes, absolutely, okay okay,And then also, so do I just
call the office and tell them whatI want and they'll send out one guy
to do both, or send twopeople out the tree guy and no,

(01:14:46):
no, I'd be one guy whocan do both. Oh excellent, excellent.
Okay. Well, I assume thatwas the case, and I don't
know, you know, I'm beinghyper about it, but it seems to
me to be better to prevent andcure. So well, yeah, realistically,
you let it go so far,then it becomes cheaper to have to

(01:15:10):
just replace the concrete, and uh, you know, you don't really want
to do that because when you startreplacing just sections, the colors don't match,
the texture doesn't match. It's justyeah. And then one of the
last questions is that does the regionor the area geology make a difference.

(01:15:32):
And I've got a a there's aretention pond nearby and they're doing work on
the Fleck Control District is doing awhole bunch of work in the area.
Does the proximity to a pond makea difference in the the the soil?

(01:15:57):
Listen? No, I mean ifyou're only say, ten fifteen feet away,
yes, but if you're you know, more than that, No,
a couple of blocks, not atall? Okay, perfect, All right,
well then that takes care of that. I'll just give you office a
call, and that's the solution.Right on the expansion joint, yes,

(01:16:19):
plastic versus wood versus car board orwhatever they yeah, you know. I
typically you got three choices. Oneis to go back with wood, one
is to go in with the expansionjoint calking, which is kind of liquid

(01:16:40):
like and it fills up and sealsup. And the other is a product
called Trimaslab. And I really likethe Trima slab because it comes in a
roll. It comes in different withthsfor different sized gaps. You roll it
out, you cut it to size, pop it into that gap and you're
done at the outfit here in Texasdown off of the Houston uh down,

(01:17:04):
Texas City. Yeah, is thatthem? Yep? Oh? Perfect?
Okay, great, well then,And I've never talked to him. I
really need to because I talk abouthim here on the show all the time.
I need to need to talk tohim about that. But uh,
I really like them products. Theyshould be paying their individuals on that.
I like, I need, Ineed some money. Christmas is coming up,

(01:17:26):
you know. There you go.No, I have used that product,
and I do like you're right abouteverything like that. And one last
thing and I'll let you go.The seal that you'll recommend for the wood.
Yeah, ready, sealing. Thatis incredible product. That is a
product. It is and I can'tsee an aphraise. I seen all my

(01:17:48):
friends and neighbors to that. Soanyway, thanks for that throw and I'll
call the office. All righty,take care and you have a merry Christmas.
Thank you you too, Bye byeand again our number seven one three
two one two five eight seven four. That's seven one three two one two
five eight seven four. Hey,let's talk real quick about sunburst shutters It's

(01:18:12):
the best selling plantation shutter in America, and for a great reason. It
insulates up to seventy percent more efficientlythan a wood shutter. But more than
that, probablywood is guaranteed not tochip, crack, warp, or split.
You're gonna get that with a woodshutter. Ain't happening, let me
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(01:18:33):
better, and outperform all other productson the market. And yes, I
do have Sunburst shutters in my home, have for years. Love it.
It is gorgeous. You can getSunburst shutters by calling seven one three eight
nine six eighty one fifty. That'sseven one three eight nine six eighty one

(01:18:54):
fifty for Sunburst shutters. When JimDutton of Texas Home Improvement recommends a company,
he I won't steer you wrong likeGuardian roof Systems. I Jim,
this is b thank you, becauseafter Hurricane Harvey I had the Guardian Roofers
put on a new roof at myhouse. Oh it's just beautiful. I
recommend them to anybody. I doas well. I've used them several times.

(01:19:16):
If I ever have any more problems, I know where to go now
Guardian Root Systems. Click on thelink under our contractors at thhipro dot com.
You know, if you're having ACproblems, man, you're thinking,
oh my goodness, what am Igonna do? You just need to call
due West air Conditioning. We'll comeout. We'll do a thorough checkover of

(01:19:41):
the system, a complete tune up. We can you know, just fix
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tune up done because that looks forthings that could be breaking in the future
to help minimize it or at leastmake you aware of it, and that
helps keep the system the way it'ssupposed to longer. You know what I'm

(01:20:02):
talking about. Let's get through thiscold season. We don't have to worry
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And right now, if you doa service agreement with due West, we're
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(01:20:27):
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(01:20:48):
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(01:21:09):
of window companies can put in newwindows, but can they make the trim
look right? Do they use highend cock to seal up the air gaps?
And do they offer multiple styles andchoices so you can get the exact
windows you need and want for yourhome. Jim Dutton, host of Texas
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mother in law have in common?They're both cold and flaky. Here's more

(01:22:19):
Texas Home Improvement with Jim dot Hey, welcome back to Texas How Improvement seven
one three two one two five eightseven four. We're head back to our
calls here and JR. How canI help you? Hey, good afternoon,

(01:22:39):
Jim. Yeah, just so Ihad a question. I'm planning of
putting up a purglar and I wasreading about this Hercules system of polycarbonate cover.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm just tryingto figure out, Uh, this
seems to be only one company inthe Houston area. Was wondering if anybody

(01:23:01):
else that does it? Uh not, off the top of my head,
I will give you the name ofanother product that I'm actually going to be
putting on my own cover here,and it's I don't know how they pronounce
it plaset p l a z it dosh dash rather polygal. Oh okay,

(01:23:34):
dash n a dot com. Canyou repeat that again? I got
that poll. It's U p la z i T dash polygal, which
is p O l y g al dash n a dot com. Hmm

(01:23:57):
okay, yeah, because this oneseems to be pretty good because it's like
eight milimeter thick. I don't know. I read about another one, but
there was kind of thinner, likesix milimeter and well, this one,
the one I'm looking at, hasdifferent thicknesses and uh, different hail ratings
and stuff. And that's the reasonI'm looking at it is because I don't

(01:24:19):
want to have to replace it justbecause I get a little bit of a
hailstorm. Uh huh okay, yeah, because I'm thinking and I'm taking and
using it because of you know,regular wood ceiling wood, you know,
wood compass, putting you know,default and then putting shingles on yep,

(01:24:43):
and you know, and I'm planningon using the sky lift system too.
I don't know, I get familiarwith that. I can't say that I
am. No. Yeah, it'sa new system that kind of you know,
Instead of attaching the pergola to thehouse, you're putting it on the
load loading wall and right to thegroups. It seems to be you know,

(01:25:09):
let's er circular better than you knowhaving it and closed down on.
Yep, yes, call a skylift. I don't know. Maybe you could
check it out too. Yeah,all right, well, thank you for
the information. You bet you takecare, have a merry Christmas, you

(01:25:31):
too, sir, And again ournumber seven one three two one two five
eight seven four. That's seven onethree two one two five eight seven.
For any home improvement question, feelfree to pick up the phone give me
a call. I'll see what Ican do to help you out here on

(01:25:53):
Texas Home Improvement. Let's head backinto our calls. Tina, how can
I help you today? Hi?I'm thinking about putting a mini split in
about a seven hundred and sixty squarefoot house just in the den and kitchen
area. But one of my friends, who's an air conditioned person, said

(01:26:15):
that he doesn't like to put thosein because it's difficult to get the parts
if something goes wrong with them.Have you heard anything like that or what
is your experience with the mini splitor can you tell me anything about them.
Absolutely. You know, I ownan air conditioning company. We put
them in all the time. Wehaven't had any issues getting parts because rarely

(01:26:36):
do you need to get parts.You know. He may be an old
school AC guy that when they firstcame out, yes there was issues,
but I mean they are so commonplacenow that it's not a problem anymore.
Okay. Do you know about whatthey would run or do you buy them

(01:26:58):
based on the square footage of thehouse, because I'm just wondering if it
will be cost effective for a rentalbut I was told that it helps with
your electric bill with air conditioned.Yes, they're very, very economical to
run as compared to a traditional ACsystem. Traditionally they do cost a little

(01:27:24):
bit more than a regular AC system, but it does depend on the size.
And for the small size that youhave, I'm thinking you're probably going
to be better off with the minisplit than you are going with the traditional
system. Okay, because it wouldjust be in two rooms a kitchen.
That's right in the area with theDean because it's a small rental property.

(01:27:47):
Yeah, up at the Deer Lease, my parents have a cabin there.
It's a two bedroom, has alittle room off of the other side of
the house, and then the mainarea which has the kitchen and dining and
living area, and we have onemini split in there and it just does
a just an amazing job for ahouse like that, the one you describe.

(01:28:12):
Do you know about what a minisplit would cost just for those rooms,
But like you said, they wouldneed to look at it, correct,
Yeah, it would have to belooked at. Okay, it's not
just the purchase of the equipment,it's what do you have to do to
install it as well? I see, Thank you so much, sir.
You're welcome, You take care,and let's see here, let's talk real

(01:28:38):
quick about Ready Seal. You know, the guy called in a minute ago
mentioned Ready Seal as far as heloves the product and recommends it to his
friends and neighbors all the time.I do too. I mean, this
is far and away the best productfor staining any outdoor wood surface, whether
it's a fence, a deck,or just a My dad likes putting it

(01:28:59):
on driftwood and it's goofproof. It'sthe simplest dut yourself project because you don't
have to worry about runs, lapsor streaks. It soaks deep down into
the wood fibers and protects it.It keeps the moisture out, and that's
what it's designed to do. Youcan find it everywhere basically that they sell
building materials, the box stores,lumberyards, hardware stores. You want to

(01:29:21):
find the store nearest to you,just go to readyseal dot com. At
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(01:30:05):
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(01:30:27):
a bunch of air infiltration. Itraises the R value, has a great
fire rating, and cancels up toeighty percent of the noise from outside as
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more comfortable, insulate the pipe soyou don't have to worry about them
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twenty eight hundred. That's three foursix two nine seven twenty eight hundred,
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(01:31:10):
Texas Remodel Teams. We've been workingwith them for four or five years now,
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(01:31:56):
click the link at thchipro dot com. The in laws are coming for the
holidays. If you're in charge oftoasting your mother in law at the dinner,
make sure you have a big enoughtoaster. Here's more Texas Home Improvement
with Jim dutt Ah. Welcome backto Texas Home Improvement, your total home

(01:32:18):
improvement source. We are basically outof time, though hey, I do
want to remind you though. Westart up again tomorrow at two o'clock right
here on seven forty k t rH. So make sure you join us
then. And in the meantime,you got questions, you go to thhipro
dot com. That's where you startwith all your projects because there's videos,

(01:32:41):
there's questions, and answers. There'slinks to the people you hear me talk
about. I mean, it's justchalked full of stuff to help you out,
as well as copies of our TVshows and things like that. But
there's also the ask Jim button whereyou can send in email questions. I
mean, you know that's it's thereis a resource. So again, if

(01:33:01):
you got questions during the week,you start at thchipro dot com. With
all that being said, one lastthing, I know it's gonna get a
little cool tonight. It is notgoing to freeze tonight. Not a reason
to get overly concerned. But evenwhen the temperatures do get down to right
at freezing or a little below,don't leave the water running. I know

(01:33:26):
people always say, oh, wegotta leave it dripping. Keep in mind
waterfalls freeze. Your little running pipecould make a big difference on being able
to put out a fire if onehappens. But it's sure as heck not
going to keep the pipe from freezing. There's better ways to handle that,
and we can talk about those anothertime here on Texas Home Improvement. Have
a wonderful weekend and we'll talk withyou next week. Before we go talking

(01:33:51):
about freezing pipes and things like that. You know, disasters do happen.
They're not all natural disasters, thoughsome are man made. You know,
a fire of mold and water pipebreaks, things like that, flooding,
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(01:34:13):
help you deal with the insurance companyand get your home built back the way
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That's why it's called a disaster.You just don't know when they're going
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