Attic Insulation & Thermostats

Jim starts with a few email questions on attic insulation and decomposed granite. He then shifts to some calls asking about attaching OSB to a metal frame, the EnergyQ radiant barrier for your attic, a product to get rid of mosquitos, pergola posts on the back patio, and more.  Jim continues in the second hour on the phone lines and looking at more of your email questions. Don’t forget the website THIpro.com!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Idiot thodaddy. Texas Home Improvement ison the air with Jim Dutton. Welcome
to Texas Home Improvement. What canI do for you? And you're from
Texas? How could you tell?You? Call Jim now with all your
home improvement questions. That's seven onethree two one two five eight seven four.

(00:20):
That's seven one three two one twofive eight seven four. Texas Home
Improvement brought to you by Ready Seal, Stain and Sealer, Sunburnt Shutters.
Where beauty meets energy efficiency, Americanstandards, Comfort the way you like it
do, West Services Foundation Repair,Plumbing and air Conditioning, Guardian roof Systems,

(00:41):
Texas Remodel Team Windows, the officialwindow installer of Texas Home Improvement.
James Hardy Sighting the best sighting onthe planet floor in the Core, Victor's
Remodeling and Construction party Plex Specialists,Rev Synthetics, Shingles by f Wave and
USA Insulation, Wall Phone Insulation forinsisting homes and now broadcasting live from the

(01:07):
Dutton Ranch. Here's Jim Hey,Welcome to Texas Home Improvements. Your total
home improvement source seven one three twoone two No excuse me, five eight
seven four. Again it's seven onethree two one two five eight seven four.

(01:29):
Any home improven question you have,feel free to pick up the phone
give me a call. I'll seewhat I can do to help you out
here on Texas Home Improvement. Ofcourse, you can always go to our
website thhipro dot com. It's thereas a resource to help you out twenty
four to seven. There's all kindsof questions and answers and videos and things
like that to help you out there, as well as our newsletter that goes

(01:51):
out every other week. There's oldcopies of it, uh copies of the
TV show. I mean, it'sjust a wealth of information. When you
go to thchi pro dot com.By the way, that's where you'll find
you asked Jim button where you cansend in email questions as well. But
I prefer to take calls and answerquestions. And since this is the star
of the show, I got allopen lines right now, so it's a

(02:15):
great time to pick up the phoneand give me a call at seven one
three two one two five eight sevenfour. With that being said, why
don't I jump into an email question? This one came from uh Doyle out
of Katie and he's looking for atticinsulation, and uh, look, if

(02:38):
you're looking for insulation, give USAInsulation a call. Uh, they would
be able to help you out withthat. You can reach them at three
four six, two nine seven,twenty eight hundred. And you know they
they do the phone insulation in thewalls, but they can help you out
with your attic insulation as well.So give them a call and they'll get

(03:00):
you taken care of. I willtell you the one thing I tell people
to avoid when it comes to insulation. You want foaming the walls, breathable
insulation in the attic. Don't behaving the whole house encapsulated with insulation.
That'll just give you problems down theroad that you just don't want to have

(03:22):
to deal with. So again ournumber seven one, three, two one,
two five eight seven four, andI'll see what I can do to
help you out here on Texas HomeImprovement. And then this one is is
I think something that comes up quiteoften and people don't think about it.
And Cindy is asking about will decomposegranite cause fence pickets to rot? I

(03:49):
had a decomposed granite and flagstone installedin my sideyard where the grass would not
grow the decomposed granted is about twoinches deep against my stain cedar fence,
pickets. Will this decomposed granite causemy fence to decay and rot? Also?
Is this a potential risk for attractingtermites? Thank you Jim Love your

(04:12):
radio show. Well, look,if there's water in that decomposed granite,
and what I mean by that is, you know you had a low spot,
you filled it in with decomposed graniteso that you don't have a mud
hole. Now you can walk acrossor but you know what, the water
is still there, and if that'ssitting on the fence, yes, it

(04:33):
could cause it to rot. Eventhough it's cedar, you know, it
still can rot as far as butif there's no water in it, you
know, the water runs off andit's just a granite touching it. I
wouldn't worry about that now as faras the termites. Kind of a similar
answer. If your wood is downinto the ground, yes, you can

(04:57):
attract termites that way. Again toor might don't really like cedar all that
much, but it can still attractthem. And you know, once you
get them into the area, thenyou could be looking at issues with your
home as well, so, uh, you want to keep it where the
fence pickets themselves are not touching thesoil, and as long as they're not

(05:18):
touching the dirt itself, you shouldbe fine. It shouldn't be attracting termites
are causing you any big problems withthat. So again, if you got
a question seven one three two onetwo five eight seven four, that's seven
one three two one two five eightseven four. And I'll see what I

(05:39):
can do to help you out.Let's see here, Brian, this is
Jim. How can I help you? Hey, Jim? Hey, you
hear me? Yes, sir,go ahead. So I am building a
grash with the office on it,metal frame buildings be okay, and then

(06:05):
siding on the outside of it.What's the best way of at touching that
OSB to the metal frame. Well, you're gonna have two ways of doing
it. One would be you canattach two by four material to the metal
frame and you know, using thesheet metal screws and such. Or you

(06:29):
can attach to plywood straight to themetal frame using the screws. If the
steel that you're using is too heavyfor the sheet metal screws, then you
have to just drill it and boltit into place. But typically you're able
to use the sheet metal screws.What about what about using a concrete nail

(06:53):
done and nails usually that's not goingto hold up too well? Okay,
got it? Okay, all right, But if you need a place to
rap, you know, and andand and test all your your theories out
on how to do it, I'dbe more than happy to let you come
build one at my house first,of course. All right, thank you,

(07:19):
sir, you have a blessed day. Alrighty you take care again.
Seven one three two one two fiveeight seven four, And I'll see what
I can do to help you outhere on Texas. Using a nail,
even even if it's one with thebarbs and stuff like that, it'll slide

(07:39):
too easily back out. You needsomething that's got some grip that's going to
hold onto that metal bit better.So that's the reason. Either self tapping,
sheet metal screws or a bolt ofsome kind to do it anyways.
Seven one three two one two fiveeight seven four. And I'll see what

(08:03):
I can do to help you outhere on Texas. Own Improvement your total
home improvement source. Jim is askingabout a fireplace he says a new home
fireplace. We're building a two storyhome and I want a fireplace that will
go approximately thirty feet up. Canpipe be used for this or does it

(08:26):
have to be firebrick? No,they have all pipes nowadays four doing fireplaces
that way. I don't know whatyou're using for a firebox yet, but
they've got everything from a single wallpipe that can go up if if it
can be kept clear of any wood, to a double wall stainless steel that

(08:52):
can go up through all the buildingmaterials. So definitely you don't have to
worry about having to use a firebrick for doing that. You can if
you want, but no, it'sdefinitely not the way it's got to be.
You said you want to go upapproximately thirty feet, and I'm kind

(09:16):
of questioning how you pick the thirtyfeet. Just make sure that you're getting
up high enough to have it whereit's got a good draw. But thirty
feet seems like that could be alittle bit high. But again, it
all depends on where it's at andthe home as well. So you know,

(09:41):
the specs are that you typically wantto be at least three feet higher
than the highest spark part of theroof within so many feet. So and
look, this is the part thata lot of times people miss. But
it doesn't have to necessarily be justa roof. If you have trees that

(10:01):
grow up, they can change thewindow and draw of a fireplace as well,
in which case you have to sometimesgo higher. So. Uh,
anyways, those are the things youneed to take a look at. But
yes, you do not need touse a fire brick in all cases.
Got a question seven one three twoone two five eight seven four. That's

(10:24):
seven one three, two one twofive eight seven four. Eric, this
is Jim. How can I helpyou? Hy? Good afternoon to Jim.
How you doing? I'm doing wonderful? How about you? Good?
Good? Good sair? I'm doingwell, doing well. I have a

(10:45):
question about air conditioner dermist that.Uh. I've just bought a hole last
year and uh the dermostats were agedand I'm trying and I replace them,
but they don't to be doing theuh, the uh, the job that

(11:05):
I feel that they should be doing. I don't believe they're they're regulating like
they should. So what what brandof thermots that do you recommend? Without
having to go to those part thermotshoneywell, honeywell, yeah, honeywell's you

(11:28):
know make They've made thermostats forever ina day. They kind of set the
standard. But what is what isthe thermostat doing that you think it shouldn't?
Isn't doing that you think it should? Well, Uh, it's I
just don't think it's regulating the temperatureproperly. I'll replace them here, ah,

(11:50):
three three or four months ago andI'm right now of the top of
my head, I can't remember thebrand name that I got, but they
didn't. They're constantly uh changing thetemperature on the home. And I thought
that we I thought that we hadhad mhm. They gated the factory default

(12:18):
settings that they had in there.And yeah, and and and the thermost
set that I have upstairs is theact you touched the thermostet and the air
conditioner clicks on and on itself.I mean, you got so and I
did you did you wear it inyourself or did you have And I know
I'm supposed to be on a breakright now, and I'll get to the

(12:39):
break here in the second, Butdid you wire these in yourself or did
you have it done? I actuallydid it myself, and I mean,
it's pretty straightforward. But I diddo it myself, and I and maybe
I didn't connect one of the wiresas securely as I should have, but

(13:00):
yeah, I would before I wouldchange them out, I would have uh
like, when you get your unitserviced or something, have them check it
because uh, it also makes adifference on what you got for a thermostat.
In other words, a thermostat that'smade for a gas heater will not
necessarily work on all electric home.Uh. You can get weird things that

(13:22):
that will happen right right, Well, my hole is built a Haiti,
so yeah, it's a mix.I do have the gas heater and uh
burden, but it has that littlespite on the back. Go fro from
gas to electric theat you get wicked, make sure it's the gas to electric.

(13:50):
Make sure definitely probably, yeah,definitely have it looked at then before
you scrap them and and and getsome others and and I hate to do
it to you, but I dohave to take a break here, so
we'll be back with more Texas homeimprovement. Let's talk real quick about Texas
Remodel Team. Though you know TexasRemodel Team. Uh, if you're looking

(14:11):
for replacement windows, or maybe you'relooking for inclosing a covered patio in the
backyard. You know you got anice covered patio, but you're just tired
of sitting out there with the mosquitosand all that kind of stuff. You
want to and close it. Hey, Texas Remodel Teams Window Division can take
care of that for you. Theyyou know, they've been doing this forever.

(14:33):
I mean they've been part of thethe Thchi team. Texas Remodel Team
has for over ten years. Theygot a four point nine stars out of
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your home taken care of as thoughit was their own. So call Texas
Remodel Teams Window Division two eight onesix one two fifty nine ninety one.

(14:58):
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Texas Home Improvement recommends our covery,he won't steer you wrong and he recommends
Guardian roof Systems said down to LeagueCity, Hello jd Hey Jim, how

(15:43):
you doing that? Man? Idid call you last week about Chimney caps
you recommended. I called Guardian roofinge. I did call them. The technician
came out, he was on time, and man, that did it.
Kudos to Guardian. Good job forme. I really really appreciate that.
Guardian roof Systems. Click the linkunder trusted contractors at thchipro dot com.

(16:06):
All right, it's that time ofyear where we've got to start thinking about
our HVAC system and what we're gonnado for it for this summer. Well,
it all starts with a phone callto due West to Air Conditioning where
we can come out and do acomplete tune up on your system. Check
out. Make sure that you knowthe outside unit is all cleaned up.
The coils are clean, the capacitorsare good. Go inside, remove the

(16:30):
fan, remove the motor, cleanall that stuff. Make sure there's no
oil leaks. Make sure everything's lubricatedlike it should be, and make sure
the air is flowing in the coilsin the attic or in the wall unit
are clean as well. All thatis part of the tune up that air
conditioning does. Now, if youneed a new system, we can help

(16:52):
you with that as well. Gotsome great financing available, whether it's repairs
or replacement. When you want thebest, you call due West. That's
seven to one three four, seventhree seven one five six again seven one
three four seven three seven one fivesix daughter five before you on your mind,

(17:25):
come you see hey, welcome backto Texas Home Improvements, your total
home improvement sour seven one three twoone two five eight seven four that's seven
one three two one two five eightseven four and head out to Cleveland and

(17:51):
Richard. How can I help youtoday? Hi? Uh? Yeah,
I just wanted to touch a basewith you. Uh. My attic is
pretty good sized attic. I havetwo story home and I don't know what
to do with it because it's stayinghot. You know, Well, into
the evening. And I don't knowif it's a lack of insulation or do

(18:18):
I need to install a ragged barrier. Uh, it's it got worse.
You know last year when we werehitting you know, over one hundred every
day, you know, and Ihad like a five hundred dollars light build.
What would you recommend on that typeof attic. I've got pubbins in

(18:41):
there, but I've got you know, you got soft offence for the air
to come in. Yeah, Andhow much insulation you have in the attic?
I've got some blown in insulation.Uh. You know the house was
built in seven, eight or seventyseven. I'm sorry, And you know,

(19:06):
I don't know if that's original ornot. You know, Okay,
you know what a lot of peopledon't realize is blown in insulation over time
will settle and it loses it's ourvalue and you end up adding more insulation
on top of it or putting aradiant barrier on top. Now, in
my own house, I went withthe radiant barrier, and I did that

(19:27):
about twenty years ago. And youknow, my electric bill for last summer,
I actually had one of the highestthat I've had. It did go
over to twenty. But normally I'mrunning around two hundred dollars for a three
thousand square foot house. Yeah,that's my house too. Yeah. Yeah,

(19:52):
So you would recommend a radiant barrier, maybe up next to the roof,
yes, sir, Yeah, no. I put it on the attic
floor on top of the insulation.I use a product called energy Q radiant
barrier, and it blocks the heatthat gets in the attic from getting into
the living space. Makes a hugedifference. And where you can really tell

(20:18):
is when you have it overneath overthe top of the pull down staircase.
You pull your staircase down, youdon't feel any heat at all coming in
the living space. You move thatradiant barrier and it's just like a gush
of hot air coming in. Soit does make a huge difference. What
was it called energy Q the letterQ okay okay, energy que yep okay.

(20:45):
Well, let's that's why I needto find out because I don't want
those big deals. I'm retired andyou know, yeah, you know you
can get budget. You can givethem a call if you want, uh
talk to Mark and the number isone eight hundred nine hundred sixty two twenty.

(21:07):
Okay, Mark, all right,yep, I will do that.
I appreciate your help. You betyou take care. Thank you, right,
and look, I put it ineverything because it does make that big
a difference. So uh take alook at it. It's also on our
website when you go to Contractors Energyand the letter Q. But yeah one

(21:32):
eight hundred nine hundred sixty two twentyBut that we're gonna take a quick break
news, traffic, weather. We'llbe back with more Texas Home Improvement seven
one three two point two five eightseven four. You know something else you
can do to your home for energysavings is window film. Now, I

(21:53):
I know you see a lot ofthese window films that are real cheap and
and flimsy and don't do a wholelot. Well, Concord window film is
what you want to be looking at. This is a professional grade window film,
not the cheap stuff you get thebox stores and on Amazon and stuff,
but truly what the professionals use.And so it comes in different tints.

(22:15):
Whether you want it to be clearas though it doesn't look like you
have anything, or you want toblock where the neighbors can't see in your
home. Concord window film has it. But the beautiful part is it blocks
the heat from coming in, justlike a radium barrier does. But it
also blocks the UV rays that aredestroying your fabric, on your furniture and

(22:36):
the floors and all that stuff.Call Concord Concord Window Film at eight eight
eight two zero six one four onethree. That's eight eight eight two zero
six one four one three, orjust go to thchipro dot com and click
on the link for Concord Window Film. Are you as honest and discipline and

(23:00):
informed as Jim Dutton? Well,why in the corn bread hell aren't you
here? He is on Texas HomeImprovements. Hey, welcome back to Texas
Home Improvements. Your total home improvementsour seven one three two point two five

(23:22):
eight seven four. Let's head outto Katie and Jerry. Welcome. How
can I help you today? Yes, sir, I'm tired of fighting mosquitos
and uh, I want to lookto get in the mosquito missing system.
And I really don't know where togo because there's a whole bunch of different

(23:44):
ones out there. But I talkedto one person. They said that actually
had a system that not only didmosquitoes but all the other you know,
insects and stuff, so you reallydidn't need any pest control. Is there
such a thing there is? Youknow that it puts out different chemicals and

(24:06):
stuff. You know, there's alsosystems out there that use natural products,
you know, so you're not havingto inhale pesticides and stuff as well.
So it kind of depends on howyou want to do it. Keep in
mind, the more pests you goafter, the more chemicals they got to
use. So I'll give you thename of two companies that you can take

(24:27):
a look at. One is MosquitoNicks and they they've got a misting system
that is great for the mosquitos aroundyour patios in different areas like that.
And then if you want to takea look at one that is more of

(24:48):
a natural type product, take alook at Cedar Side because they have a
missing system that also uses natural typeproduc so you don't have all the chemicals.
That sounds better. I like that, all right, Well that was
the question, didn't I. Yeah, they're actually out of Spring Texas.

(25:11):
If you uh, the the CedarSide stuff. Okay, well I will
look them up. Thank you verymuch. You bet you take it easy.
Well at their website. I'll justcan give that to you real quick
because it's cedar and inside is cI d e yes, sir dot com.

(25:36):
Thank you very much, you betyou take care at have a great
day, and again our number sevenone three two one two five eight seven
four and all see what I cando to help you out here on Texas
Home Improvement. Gonna head down toLeague City Mark. You're doing all right
today? Hey, I'm doing allright, thanks, mister. Got a

(26:00):
quick question for you. I ama first time homeowner and three thousand square
feet, two stories, and itseems like you need a meteorology degree to
figure out how to set two differentthermostats, especially when you've got that big
open area at the bottom and thestairwell that goes up to the top floor.
I cannot figure out if there isjust a general theory of how to

(26:22):
set these things. But of courseall the warm air is going to go
right upstairs and where the return isand where the thermostats measuring the temperature.
It just seems like it's going torun that upstairs unit all the time and
cause the bedrooms upstairs to be coolerthan they need to be, and the
downstairs is going to receive all thecold air spilling over the top. Uh.

(26:45):
Just wanted to hear your comments asto what's the theory on this.
What you nailed it on the headthat that big staircases. Yep, it's
that that's that's your kiss of death. That just takes everything straight up stairs.
So the is all the return airupstairs? Uh? No, I

(27:07):
mean there's like I said, there'sthe two units. So you've got you
know, the well, I guessthe return is. We're saying that's where
the air is being recycled back intothe system. Correct, where the filter
is? Okay, Well, thereason I was asking that that you know,
there's two ways that they do this. One is with a single unit.
That's that's a zone split system.The other is with the two units.

(27:30):
And it sounds like you've got twounits, one for upstairs, one
for downstairs. Correct. Correct?Yes, okay, in that situation,
set you downstairs one to where youcan stay comfortable during the day and then
in the evenings when you're having togo upstairs. Yes, you're gonna find
that during the day, the hotair has been kind of going upstairs.

(27:52):
In the evenings though, when thesun goes down, you're able to adjust
that thermostat to make the bedrooms comfortable. At night. When you have that
big open space that takes the airupstairs, it's difficult to balance it out
during the day. It can bedone, but you're gonna run the upstairs
one so hard that you're using alot of energy. So what you tend

(28:18):
to do is let the upstairs duringthe day warm up a little bit more
than the downstairs. Is. Nowwhere people run into a problem with that
is they've got a game room ora media room upstairs. They want to
keep that comfortable during the day.You can do it, but it's gonna
run the energy build up. Yeah, that's exactly the scenario. So you're

(28:40):
saying, just comfort downstairs, letupstairs warm up during the day, so
and then at night time, letthe upstairs do a little more work than
downstairs. Yeah, and then whatends up happening is you're downstairs during the
night a lot of times will geta little bit warmer than the upstairs.
So you kind of flip flop andwhat you're doing. But you know,

(29:03):
don't let the upstairs he don't shutit off upstairs, but don't expect it
to stay the temperature that you wantdownstairs, because it's it's just not going
to do it, Okay, allright, Well we'll keep messing with it
and see what we can come upwith. Also, how about baffling.
Somebody had talked about if you hadunequal heating in your rooms, maybe you

(29:26):
could do baffles. And then Istarted thinking, well, gosh, I
wish the thermostat wouldn't measure the airtemperature right where the return is. I
wish I could almost have it measuringthe temperature from another spot, like one
of the other rooms. Oh,you can just move the thermostat. And
it sounds like a major deal todo, but it's not that major.
It definitely can be moved, andthen some of the other You can do

(29:52):
other things also to help equalize things. The baffling won't do it simply because
and that was why I asked thequestion, is that one unit or two?
If it was one unit, thenyou can redirect air by baffling.
The other thing you may want totake a look at is that energy Q
we were talking about a few minutesago, because that'll keep the heat that's

(30:15):
in the attic from getting down intothat living space and that's really what's killing
you more than the downstairs because theheat is just staying up there and coming
in from the attic, and it'sreally inexpensive to do, especially compared to
miss messing with the air conditioning system. So I'd highly recommend you take a

(30:36):
look at that, and I thinkthat'll help you more than anything, sure
will. Thanks you, bet,take care. Let's talk about sunburst shutters.
Now, there's something else you couldtake a look at doing. Because
with sunburs shutters during the day whenit's hot up there, close the shutters
up. It creates a dead airspace in those windows and doesn't let the

(30:57):
heat do to build up. Sothere's an option is you can take a
look at as well. And they'regorgeous. They're made of Pollywood, which
is guaranteed to never warped, cracked, chip or peel. In fact,
I have him in my home,I have for years, my parents have,
and we even have him up atthe Deer Lease where I was last
weekend. But if you're looking fora way to make any room of your

(31:19):
home look gorgeous and be more energyefficient, sunber shutters is it seven one,
three, four, six, twoeighty eight hundred. Give them a
call. They can set up fora design consultation to make sure you get
that perfect look and fit for yourhome again. Sunber shutters seven one three
four six two eighty eight hundred.When Jim Dutton of Texas Home Improvement recommends

(31:44):
our comedy, he won't steer youwrong and he recommends Guardian roof Systems said
down to League City, Hello jdHey Jim, how you doing that?
Man? I did call you lastweek about uh timneycaps you recommended. I
called Guardian Roofing and I did callthem. The technician came out. He
was on time, and man,that did. Kudos to Guardian. Good
job for me. I really reallyappreciate that. Guardian roof Systems. Click

(32:07):
the link under trusted contractors at thchiprodot com. Well let's talk about James
Hardy siding, the best siding onthe planet. We just had some put
on my son's house. I wentby and looked at it on Friday.
They just put it on this weekand it is gorgeous, especially the barn.
I mean it had old rotten wood. Took all that stuff off,

(32:30):
put the Hardy siding on. Lookslike a brand new building. You can
do that with your home as well. Just go to Thchipro dot com and
click on the link to James Hardysideand imagine how gorgeous your home could be.
When Jim Dott No Texas Home Improvementrecommends the company, he won't steer
you wrong. Like du West Services. I had your phenomenal company out regarding

(32:52):
a foundation watering system and those tiredof ludging those miserable so corrosis. It
keeps getting destroyed. It's just anightmare. So anyway, I had Jacob
out from your company do West andhe was phenomenal, and you run a
tip top organization. He was dressedbeautifully. The truck he drove up and

(33:15):
was perfect. I mean, youjust have made yourself a wonderful company.
I can't thank you enough. Ireally appreciate it. Do West Services Foundation
Repair, Total Plumbing and air Conditioningcalled seven one three four seven three seven
one five six. That's seven onethree four seven three seven one five six
online at do Dashwest dot com.That's du dash West dot com. Do

(33:40):
West Services. Springtime in Texas,wildflowers, nice temperatures, and Jim Dutton
is in a pretty good mood.Enjoy it while you can. Here's more
Texas Home Improvement with Jim Duttman.Hey, Jim Dutton's always in a good

(34:02):
mood when he's doing Texas Home improvement. Got a question seven one three,
two one two, five eight sevenfour. Let's head to Kingwood, Chris,
Welcome to Texas Home Improvement. Hey, how you doing wonderful? How
about you? Pretty good? Prettygood? I had a question about a

(34:22):
I'm thinking about making like over theback patio of my house, like a
pergola type thing, and you knowwhere Okay, obviously I'm gonna have to
add some posts, uh, tothe bottom of it. They go down
into the ground, and I,you know, always, yeah, automatically
think of like you know, somesix by stakes or something like that.

(34:44):
But I've heard that making I beamswould be just as sturdy. Have you
heard you have any info on thatusing uh you broke up on me for
just a second. They're using steelI beams or aluminum or what are we
no like like getting like a twosix by sixes and a two by four?

(35:07):
Oh, and you're talking about doingthat just for the post, yeah,
for the posts, and then youknow, I'll like put some like
seedar pieces on the outside, soit almost looks like a seedar beam.
Yeah, you won't have anything heavyenough that you need to worry about doing

(35:29):
that. Okay, Well, likelike going as the as the support post
in the ground. I was justthinking of it. It would be more
cost effective, I would think tobuy something like that than a six by
six post. Probably not by thetime you buy yeah, not by the

(35:52):
time you buy two of them.At the two by fours and everything,
I think you'd be better off tojust get the six by six posts or
even just a four by four.I mean, what are you going to
make the cover it's itself out of? Well, I'm contemplating going back and
forth from a deck that you canwalk out of on the second story,

(36:14):
or just a pergola slats. Okay, you know, be honest with you.
When I built mine, I wentpergola with the slats and for decoration
purposes. Yes, I have asix by six post out of cedar on

(36:34):
there, and you know, dependingon what you want to build everything else
out of. I like the looksof cedar and the durability of it.
You don't have to worry about ittwisting and bending and warping and all that
kind of stuff like you would witha treated post. And so that's the
reason I went with it. Ifyou put in you know, the two

(36:57):
by sixes and two by four intothat center thing, and you do it
with treated, I can guarantee youit's gonna twist and warp. And even
though you in case it with aseedar to make it look good, it's
gonna pop that stuff loose because theforce of that board inside twisting is not
gonna the seedar is not gonna beable to hold it in place the nails.

(37:21):
Okay, okay, Because I wasthinking, like a, I know,
like a you know, if I'mlooking for like a ten or twelve
foot six by six of seedar,that's not gonna be cheap. Nope.
I would think that those probably gofor at least one hundred dollars a piece
or something like that, right theydo. But you know you're probably gonna
have sixty bucks into the going theother way, plus the cover. Yeah.

(37:45):
Yeah. So if I was gonnamake it a deck and say it's,
you know, twelve by six,would you go with the sixth?
You'd probably think six by six atleast, right if it since they'll be
weight on top people. Well,yeah, the post itself would be fine
with a six by six. Thenwhat you got to be worried about is

(38:07):
what are you gonna use for youryour floor joy stuff there for that deck
to make sure that they spam.So you're probably gonna be looking at you
said at twelve by what say twelveby six? I mean six coming off
of the house, or maybe maybeabout eight coming off the house, and

(38:30):
about twelve feet wide. Okay,So as long as you're running your joyst
towards the house, you'd be ableto probably go with a two by six
two by eight with no problem.Okay, okay, Yeah, I was
thinking about just, you know,putting a ledger board across the back and

(38:51):
having them tie in there with somechoice hangers. Yep, that would do
it. Cool. Cool, WellI appreciate them, but thank you,
so you bet, Chris, Youtake care again our number seven three two
one two five eight seven four.Look a lot of times when we when

(39:12):
we try to save money, I'mbuilding materials. Yes, you'll save some
money on the material itself, butthe time that you're going to put into
putting it all together eats up anysavings you would have had. In the
material as well, because you gotto keep in mind, you know,
time is money, so especially ifyou're looking at it as a contractor,
and I do. When you're doingit yourself, you can get away with

(39:34):
some of that kind of stuff,But when you're looking at it from a
contractor point of view, it's cheaperto get the right material than to try
to get the cheaper stuff and haveto work it because the hourly time nowadays
is pretty darn expensive. I'll tellyou what. We're getting ready to have

(39:55):
to jump into a break here ina minute, so I'm not going to
jump into another call uh until afterwe take a break, but I will
say make sure you check out ourwebsite, tchipro dot com. It's there
as a resource to help you outtwenty four to seven. You'll find all
kinds of helpful information links of thepeople you hear me talk about. And

(40:17):
I don't give their web addresses becauseI know when you go to tchipro dot
com that's where you'll find all theirweb addresses. So use it as a
resource. That's what we got itfor. So again, tchipro dot com.
We're gonna take a quick break.We'll be right back with more Texas
Home Improvement seven one three, twoone two five eight seven four. All

(40:51):
right, so we've had a fewcalls today about energy efficiency. And you
know, if you live in ahome that was built around nineteen seventy or
earth, you probably have no insulationin the walls at all. If you
live in any other home, you'vegot R eleven and nowadays they're building with
R thirteen. Well, you know, USA Insulation has a proprietary non expansive

(41:15):
foam insulation that they can inject intothe walls of your existing home. If
you do have insulation in there,it'll compress it. If you don't,
hey, it'll fill that cavity.But regardless, it's going to seal the
air gaps in the walls. It'sgoing to raise the R value. In
fact, you'll get your R valueup near our thirty when you take a

(41:37):
look at USA Insulation. So ifyou're wanting to make your house energy efficient,
call USA Insulation at three four sixtwo ninety seven twenty eight hundred.
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(42:20):
Come discover floor and decore where weknow pro. All right, let's talk
about plumbing for a second. Infact, let's talk about underslab plumbing problems.
You know, the old cast ironsewer lines that are deteriorated, leaking,
broken dust. Can go in,dig the tunnels and replace those lines
or rerout it around the outside ofthe home if your bathrooms are on the

(42:43):
outside of the home, saving youa ton of money, but more importantly
also making sure your foundation is takencare of so you don't have future problems.
When you want the best, youcall due West seven to one three
four seven three seven one five six. You know a lot of window companies
can put in new windows, butcan they make the trim look right?
Do they use high end cock toseal up the air gaps? And do

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They offer multiple styles and choices soyou can get the exact windows you need
and want for your home. JimDutton, host of Texas ho Improvement for
Texas Remodel Team, they have awindow division that does nothing but windows,
and they can make sure that thingslike your trim, your brick, even
your windowsill looks perfect because after all, they are owned by a construction company.

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(43:51):
fifty nine ninety one two eight onesix one two fifty nine to ninety one
online at Texas Remodel Team dot comand the Wielin Skinna song sadur Tho skin
I'm much to young this dammo.All the cards along table in no way

(44:15):
snap, and now I'm much tohim to beat this stammo. Hey,
welcome back. Seven one three twoone two five eight seven four Let's head
straight up to Conroe. David Cannabark at me with the dog. Huh

(44:38):
yes, our big taber and husky. He's definitely a talker. Yeah,
how can I help you? Will? Wanted to get your guidance, son.
We're looking at building a fish roomin our backyard. We have about
two thirds of an acre and aquarter of it about half an a sure

(45:00):
in the backyard, and I'd liketo build around twelve hundred square foot facility
for all my big aquarium fresh wireaquarium tanks. And I've been intrigued by
having a poured concrete ball form forthe in panels. I mean, I've
seen that done for big construction.We have a good bud company, as

(45:23):
the saying goes, and he hasaccess to pumping, but he didn't have
any familiar familiarity with having wooden formsfor the walls that you would pump the
cement into. And I was justwondering what your thoughts are there better ways
to go about building the walls.Obviously it's going to be a fairly humid
environment in there, even with theminimal fire, but sure we don't have

(45:47):
to worry about termites with cement wallsobviously, Yep. Well, I'll tell
you what, David, I gotto take a quick break for news,
traffic, weather. I'm going toput you on hold and we'll come back
because you've got options that you cango with on this, So we'll be
back with more Texas home improvement.Let's talk about air conditioning, no real

(46:07):
quick. You know American Standard.I've been using their systems in my personal
home since nineteen ninety nine and Ilove the variable speed systems. Well.
With our ever changing weather in Texas, you've got to have a system that
can keep up with what's going onwith the weather. That's the reason I
love the variable speeds. You know, when it's humidity is a little higher,

(46:30):
the varial speed can speed up alittle bit and take care of it.
This can do the same thing withthe heat loads in the home from
the sun or from more people inthere. You know, American Standard is
the systems that's going to take careof you year round. So keep your
family safe and again take a lookat American Standard comfort the way you like

(46:53):
it now. You can go totheir website American standardair dot com, scroll
through see all the day different systems, or you can simply go to our
website thchipro dot com and click onthe link. Idiot GoDaddy, Texas Home
Improvement is on the with Jim Welcometo Texas Home Improvement. What can I

(47:15):
do for you? And you're fromTexas? How could you tell tall Jim
now with all your home improvement questions. That's seven one three, two,
one two, five, eight sevenfour. That's seven one three, two,
one two, five eight seven four. Texas Home Improvement brought to you
by Ready Seal, Stain and Sealer, Sunburn Shutters. Where beauty meets energy

(47:37):
efficiency, American standards, Comfort theway you like it do, West Services
Foundation Repair, Plumbing and air Conditioning, Guardian roof Systems, Texas Remodel Team
Windows, the official window installer ofTexas Home Improvement. James Hardy Sighting the
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(48:00):
and Construction party Plex Specialists, RevaSynthetics, Shingles by f Wave and USA
Insulation Wall Foam insulation for existing homesand now broadcasting live from the Dotton Ranch.
Here's Jim dot Hey. Welcome backto Texas Home Improvements. Your total

(48:25):
home improvement source seven one three twoone two five eight seven four. That's
seven one three, two, onetwo five eight seven four. Again,
don't forget about our website t hipro dot com. It's there's a resource
to help you out twenty four toseven. So anytime you're thinking about a

(48:45):
project, or get stuck in aproject or you know, maybe you're just
questioning what a contractor is doing,check out th hi pro dot com.
All right, seven one three,two one two five eight seven For when
we left, I was talking withDavid and he's basically wanting a hey,

(49:06):
how are you doing so you wantto build a room for your fish tanks
and such? And how big it? Did you want to make it?
Again? We were thinking about twelvehundred square feet okay? And are you
going to heat and cool it?Absolutely? Yes, Basically we would have

(49:30):
to help HVAC system in there forsure. Well, you mentioned you had
a friend you know who can helpwith with the concrete work and the pump
and everything. But he wasn't sureabout doing the forms. And look on
those walls. It wouldn't be usingwood forms. Typically you would probably use

(49:52):
a steel form if you were incast in place. But given what you're
gonna do with this and gonna heatand cool it and all that stuff.
I would take a look at theICF walls. It's insulated concrete forms and
basically they're they're like big blocks,And what you would do is pour the
foundation first. You'd have rebar thatcomes up where the walls are going to

(50:16):
be. These blocks sit down overit. They stack just like lego blocks,
and then you fill those walls withconcrete and so you've got a super
stout structure that you don't have toworry about rotting and moisture and all that.

(50:37):
But you still have insulation, soit makes it much easier to heat
and cool inside there. And Ithink that would be probably the perfect fit.
Okay, so it sounds to melike this is a much better approach
than just using these concrete blocks andstacking them. Oh yeah, yeah,

(51:00):
because when you use you know,like uh, just regular hollow core blocks
and you stack up extremely energy inefficient. Oh that's yeah, that's what I
gathered. You're right, absolutely,yeah, I want to avoid that.

(51:21):
And any other issue with it isyou know, if you if you do
start spilling a lot of water andand and moisture issues and stuff, the
mortar tends to not hold up thatwell, so, okay, I think
the the insulated concrete forms would definitelybe something that would be worth looking at
for what you're going to do.Okay, well, I really appreciate that.

(51:43):
That sounds like some very good guidancehere. Okay, Okay, thank
you so much, good you bet. Good luck with that again. Our
number seven one three two one twofive eight seven four. That's seven one
three, two one two five eightseven four. We're gonna go up to

(52:07):
the woodlands. Okay, this isJim. How can I help you?
I can tie, Jim. Ihave some pavers off of my back porch,
and then about eight foot out fromthe house is a big pine tree
and its roots are starting to pushup on those pine trees. And I
noticed two just this last week,new ones, and those are just real
close to my slab on my backporch. I don't know what I'm supposed

(52:30):
to do now. I'm afraid thoseroots are gonna get up under the you
know, ruin my slab and theycan uh you know. Yeah. Truthfully,
I mean, oak trees and pecansand the maples are are bad.
I mean because they tear up foundationsall the time. But the worst ones

(52:53):
I've seen are actually from pine trees. It's it's much rarer that they do
this, but they can send outfeeder roots because normally they use a tap
root to get their moisture right,but they will send they will send out
feeder roots when they find moisture andthey just grow into this big ball and

(53:15):
it'll start heaving stuff up, andso, yes, it can definitely cause
a problem. You got two waysyou can address it. One is,
obviously you take the tree down.Two would be to put in root barriers
to block the roots from going tothe house. So that's typically the two

(53:37):
options you have when you're dealing withthe trees that are causing these kinds of
problems. Now, normally I willtell you you don't root shield or remove
a tree that's older than the house. The only exception I have to that
rule is typically pine trees, simplybecause of the fact that the and the

(54:00):
majority of their stuff is taken outof the tap root unless they find moisture,
and then it's as though the treewasn't there when the house was built
anyway. So it's kind of aunique situation when you're dealing with these pine
trees. Okay, do you guys. Do the root barriers? Do West?

(54:22):
Oh? Yes, ma'am, Yeahdo West does them all the time.
Got a cruise out doing them everyday. Well, I think i'd
like to get estimate on the rootbarrier because that tree is gonna cost some
way come down in now, soit does? I just call it?
Yeah, just call the office atseven one three four seven three seven one

(54:49):
five six and they'll set up anappointment for you and we'll come out and
take a look. Okay, Jim, I appreciate your help. You bet
you take care case. Okay,bye bye. And with that I got
all open lines because I had quitea few people dropped during the news break
there. So you got a question, now's a great time to pick up

(55:12):
the phone and give me a call. Seven one three two one two five
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. So we were talkinga few minutes ago on the uh construction
of the concrete walls, and look, you've got choices. When it comes

(55:38):
to building concrete walls, they dowhat's called tilt wall construction, where they
pour the walls laying down and thentip them up. That's what all these
big commercial warehouses are are done with. You also have, like I was
just talking about the ICF the blocks, Uh, you have the cast in

(56:00):
place that can be in the formsthat are either made of metal or wood.
They use four by eight sheets ofplywood. So and basically when you
do in the four byte sheets ofplywood, you have rods that go through
the plywood with clips on each side. And the clips what they do is
as you're filling the forms with concrete, you get a lot of pressure pushing

(56:23):
out and those little rods that gothrough there are in with the clips are
to hold your forms in place,whether you use plywood forms or steel forms.
So you got a lot of differentways of doing it. It's not
a normal construction technique that we usein Texas or really across the United States

(56:49):
all that much. They've been playingmore and more with using the three D
house building. And I've actually goneout and watched them as they were building
a three D house. The boy, they go through a lot of concrete
on building those things and you stillhave some odd designs on it. You

(57:10):
know that it doesn't make nice squarecorners. When you do it that way,
the walls are extremely thick. Youknow, It's just it wasn't my
cup of tea. I'll put itthat way. I was more inclined if
I was going to build something likethat that I would use the cast in
place or the ICF blocks. Ireally do. I've used the ICF blocks

(57:32):
in the past to build some walls, and I like the way they come
out. I like the styrofoam inthe walls because of the insulation properties of
it. It's easy to add electricalwires and plumbing and everything, and then
you put something over the walls.And because of the type of styrofoam it

(57:53):
is, it doesn't have to besheet rock or wood or anything like that.
I mean you literally can put astucco like material over it. So
you got a lot of choices whenit comes to this type of construction.
And it's still a concrete wall,so when it's built, it is stout

(58:15):
and we, let's face it,we deal with a lot of weather issues
and it's one of the things thatcan truly make it better for you.
So anyways, uh, if ifyou're looking for a way to build something
that you need stout and energy efficientand all that stuff that that is the
ICF insulated concrete forms is the wayto go. Again, if you got

(58:37):
a question, I got all openlines. Now it's seven one three two
one two five eight seven four.So let's talk about Texas Remodel Teams Window
Division. If you're looking for replacementwindows for your home, you need call
Texas Remodel Teams Window Division. Ifyou're looking to put they enclose a covered

(59:01):
patio you have on the back,call Texas Remodel Teams Window Division. You
know, typically patios are enclosed withwindows. They can take care of it.
Yes, they can do regular remodelingconstruction. They typically stay on the
north side with that, but withtheir Window Division and their sun rooms and
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(59:23):
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That's two eight one six one twofifty nine ninety one and have them
come out, take a look andshow you your options, because so often
window companies will tell you, oh, no, this is the only thing
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(59:45):
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one. That's two eight one sixone two fifty nine ninety one for Texas

(01:00:07):
Remodel Team Window Division. You know, if you're having a sewer lea under
your homes foundation, that's something thatreally needs to be addressed, but it
needs to be addressed by somebody whocan take care of the plumbing as well
as the homes foundation. That's whyyou want to call due West both a
plumbing company and the foundation repair companyto make sure if your homes foundation stays

(01:00:29):
in tac years after the plumbing workis done. When you want the best,
call du West seven one three fourseven three seven one five six online
at dudash weest dot com. WhenJim Dutton of Texas Home Improvement recommends a
company, he won't steer you wrongand he recommends Guardian roof Systems said down
to League City, Hello, JD. Hey Jim, how you doing that?

(01:00:52):
Man? I did call you lastweek about uh timneycaps you recommended.
I called Guardian Roofing I did callthem. The technician came out, he
was on time, and man,that did it. Kudos to Guardian,
good jobs for me. I reallyreally appreciate that. Guardian roof Systems.
Click the link under Trusted Contractors atthchipro dot com. Let's talk about American

(01:01:14):
standard comfort the way you like it. You know American standard heating and air
conditioning systems. They win awards fortheir systems and why because they are You're
just not going to find systems thatare better than American standards. I love
their systems. I've been using themin my home since nineteen ninety nine.

(01:01:36):
My current home, I have avariable speed in it. And you're talking
about ways to control the humidity level, that is it. If you're talking
about ways to be able to hostparties and have more of a heat load
in the home with people, becausepeople add a lot of heat load.
American standard systems can handle it.You're looking for an air conditioning system for

(01:01:59):
your home, they can handle theTexas heat and the Texas what we call
winter all three days. He Americanstandard heating and air conditioning systems can handle
it. When you want a systemfor your home, I recommend you start
by looking at American Standard. Yes, I know there's other systems out there,
but you owe it to yourself toat least check it out. So

(01:02:22):
comfort the way you like it beginsat American Standard. Are dot com smile
you look up in Texas this morning. This is Texas Home Improvement with Jim

(01:02:44):
Dutton. Hey, welcome back toTexas Home Improvement your total home improvement source
seven one three two one two fiveeight seven. Or let's hit back to
Cyprus, Bob. This is Jim. How can I help you? Hey?

(01:03:05):
Jim? How are you doing thisafternoon? Good? I'm doing wonderful.
How about you? Very good?Very good? Stand dry? Hey,
I quick question about rehabbing electrical outlets. Got a thirty five year old
village builder home. Everything's you know, the basic structure has been pretty good
quality. U. The only issuethat I'm having in these days that are

(01:03:27):
really it's really kind of driving crazy, is that when you plug in and
an appliance or something into an outlet, it the outlet doesn't have the friction
anymore internally, and the connection tohold it it's slick. And is there
any way you know, shut thepower off? Is there any way to
get in there and rehab those contactslike sandpaper or file or something, just

(01:03:52):
to make it provide more for what'swhat's actually what's actually in there. If
it's a copper system, I mean, it's basically going to have two pieces
of copper on each side, andit's kind of like a spring and it

(01:04:12):
holds the tension inward, and asthey just age and get stretched out,
they just don't work anymore, andfor a couple of bucks you replace it.
I've got twenty of them, thoughI hope for a sure faster way,
but I was thinking that was goingto be the only way to do
it. Well okay, yeah,yeah, that that is it. And

(01:04:34):
you know you'll keep in mind youdon't have to do them all at once.
I mean, in my personal home, my house has copper wiring in
it, and I had to replacea bunch of my fixtures for the for
the same reason. And so Ijust started at one end and each day
I do two or three of thembefore you know what you're done. Okay,

(01:04:58):
all right, very good. Well, got to be a shortcut,
but as always in life, there'snever a shortcut to do it right.
If it was easy, everybody woulddo it. That's right, all right,
thanks, let him you have agood one, you bet take it
easy, and he's right. Imean, it's nice when there are shortcuts

(01:05:19):
to do things, but some thingsyou just better off. I mean,
the outlets. To get a newplug for the wall, you know,
you're again you're talking a couple dollarsliterally, just a couple dollars. Yes,
it takes a little time to changethem out, but if you wanted

(01:05:40):
to start messing with trying to fileit and or for pinch those things back
together and stuff, you're gonna haveto go through almost the same stuff.
You got to open it up takeit out. Well, you don't have
access to the inside of the pluganyways. They're they're made to throw them
away when they wear out, sothat's what I would be doing with it.
Anyways, if you got a questionseven one three two one two five

(01:06:04):
eight seven four, that's seven onethree, two one two five eight seven
four, and I'll see what Ican do to help you out here on
Texas Home Improvements, your total homeimprovement source. And of course again don't
forget about our website thchi pro dotcom. So let's jump into an email

(01:06:27):
question here. Well, we alreadysaid call USA Installation already did that question,
so we'll move it in Reuben inKingwood. He's asking about spray radiant
barrier. Do I know a contractorfor spray radio barrier? No. Spray

(01:06:48):
radio barriers have basically almost disappeared,and the reason for it is one they
got reclassified. They're not able tocall themselves a radium barrier anymore. And
here the reason for it is afoil type barrier will block anywhere from ninety

(01:07:09):
five to ninety seven percent of theheat transfer. The spray radiant barriers,
if everything was mixed properly and appliedproperly, at best were sixty five percent
blockage of the radiant heat. Nowthat's better than nothing, and they worked,

(01:07:30):
people would feel the difference. Theunfortunate part was that typically wasn't mixed
properly, wasn't sprayed to the rightthickness, and so people were only realizing
a forty five or fifty percent drop. So the FEDS actually, you know,
actually stepped in reclassified that the sprayon barriers couldn't be called radium barriers

(01:07:53):
anymore. So now there's not alot of people using them anymore. Now
your other question was you need aroofer Guardian roof Systems. They can help
you out with all your roofing needsat two eight one four zero seven seven
two eight zero, So hopefully thatwill help you out. If you want

(01:08:15):
to take a look at a radiumbarrier, you can go to our website,
take a look at energy the letterQ dot com. That's their website,
or my website Energy quh is theradium barrier, or you can call
Energy Q at one eight hundred,nine hundred sixty two twenty. Gonna take

(01:08:36):
a quick break here at the bottomof the hour five eight seven four that's
seven one three two one two fiveeight seven four. Concord window films.

(01:09:06):
You know, this is a waythat you can save yourself a lot of
money on things. And I saythat because sunlight coming through the windows,
shining on your floors, shining onthe fabric of your furniture, even on
your drapes, it fades it,it deteriorates it, it just wears it
out. Not to mention what itcan do to the temperatures in your home.

(01:09:28):
Well, Concord window Film can helpwith all of the above. Their
window films. It's like a radiantbarrier. It blocks the heat from coming
in with some ceramic that's in there. It comes in many different styles,
and I say styles, I guessit's tense from clear all the way to
where the neighbors can't see in yourhome. So whether you're looking for temperature

(01:09:50):
control or privacy control, you needto take a look at Concord window Film.
You can call them at eight eighteight two zero one four one three.
That's eight eight eight two zero sixone four one three. You don't
have to ask a I. Youcan ask Jim Dotting here he is with

(01:10:15):
more Texas Home. Hey, welcomeback to Texas Home Improvement's your total home
improvement source seven one three two onetwo five eight seven four. Got all
open lines right now seven one threetwo one two five eight seven four.
I just had an email come in, uh, while we've been on the

(01:10:39):
air here and let me go backinto that one real quick here. And
it came from Clarence and he andI had talked about some ready seal and
he says, I took your advice, called and asked about using ready seal
on an above ground garden I wasbuilding for my wife. You said,

(01:10:59):
yes, it was okay. Froma toxic part. Okay. I could
not be happier. You also askedif I would come out and build one
for your wife. Well, I'llpass laugh out loud, he says.
But it was fun and I reengineered a few things. I would love
to send some picks if you're interested. I've had several people ask me to

(01:11:19):
help them with this project. Biggestand hardest point was getting the base fill
in and dirt out of it inOkay. And you know what, that
ready seal is a great product touse. I mean, it is an
oil based product, but it soaksinto the wood and it keeps the wood

(01:11:40):
from taking on moisture, so it'llmake those raised garden beds like that look
gorgeous. And I'll pass it onto my wife that you're just not going
to help her with it, soI guess she's out of luck on hers.
But nonetheless, I'm glad it wereyou and I did reply to him

(01:12:01):
to where you could send me somepictures so I could take a look at
it. Anyways, if you havea question seven one three two one two
five eight seven four. That's sevenone three two one two five eight seven
four, And I'll see what Ican do to help you out here on
Texas Home Improvement your total home improvementsource, So surely or not surely,

(01:12:26):
Cheryl uh ask about some Revia shingles. Questions about Reva shingles percentage wise?
How much more will you pay forclass four Reva shingles than a standard roof
being replaced by insurance in Marble Falls, Texas? Well, it depends on
which classifying as a regular roof,because a three tab shingle it's going to

(01:12:49):
be quite a bit more than that. As you move up into the architectural
shingles, you know, the onesthat are made to look like not just
like a three tab, then it'sless. You get into some of the
other fancy shingles, it's even less. So it really depends. But let's
just say we're talking about the standardthree tab shingle. It can be half

(01:13:13):
again, probably as much for thematerial. The labor to put it on
is the same, because it goeson just like a regular shingle does.
So, but where your big savingscome in is its durability. You know,
you don't have to worry about hailstormshitting it, you don't have to
worry about wind storms peeling it offand so a lot of times it'll help

(01:13:36):
with a insurance deduction as well.So you'll want to talk about that with
your insurance company or agent before youput it on. You know what kind
of savings can you get for puttingthat class for Reva shingle on? But
I can tell you on my ownhouse made a heck of a difference.

(01:14:00):
Uh, I've had two hailstorms hitmy house now since I put the Reva
shingles on. I've got neighbors havingto replace shingles and I don't and I
like that. Got. I don'tlike that they've got to replace it,
but I like it that I don'thave to. I'll put it that way.
Got a question seven one, three, two, two, five,
eight, seven four. We're gonnahead to sure Land and Mickey, welcome

(01:14:26):
to seven forty KTRH. How canI help you? Yes, sir,
just a quick question on the outsideac connswer, Yeah, getting full of
leaves and debris from I guess thelong guys out there blowing around it.
And uh, I've put some wiremeasure around it to keep all that from

(01:14:46):
getting in there. It's like chickenwire like quarter its openings and now I'm
wondering if that's affection the airfloor.You think that would be okay? Well,
and I saw your email. Iwas going to actually answer that one
a little bit later, but I'llsave it for tomorrow now. But the

(01:15:10):
it probably is restricting airflow a littlebit, but probably not enough that you
need to be worried about it,okay, And I wanted to hear,
Yeah, the squares are far enoughaway from the unit that you should still
be able to pass enough air throughit that I don't think that should be

(01:15:30):
a big problem. Now, Iwill tell you because you know you made
reference that you're thinking it's it's fromthe yard guys blowing stuff around. Typically
when the leaves get down in there, it's actually coming from the top.
It comes through where the fan blowsthe air out through the top of the
unit, you know, not fromaround. Yeah. I did besides,

(01:15:55):
and left the top off, andI looked at in there and their leaves
getting in there. So I didthe top and I think it finally fixed
that issue. Yeah, so itfeels fine when I put my hand over.
Oh, yeah, you should befine with it. Now. The
one thing you want to make sureof is keep keep the Uh, the
fins on the on the unit niceand clean, mu because uh, any

(01:16:24):
build up of dirt on there iskind of going to be uh exaggerated a
little bit because you did put thethe wire around it, but not enough
that again that you need to worryabout. I'm assuming you get this unit
serviced on a regular basis. Yeah, actually, you guys come out.
I just happened to do a littleclean up on it myself here a few

(01:16:47):
weeks ago. Okay, I gotso frustrated to get all the leaves out.
Yep. Well, when we comeout and clean it, we'll we'll
use a cleaner on those coils andand that way we make sure it doesn't
have any dirt and dust and stuffleft on it. You'll be fine.
Okay, awesome, I appreciate it. Jee you bet take care a you

(01:17:09):
two thanks bye and again our numberseven one three, two one two five
eight seven four. And yes,when we come out and do a a
clean up on the systems, youknow for spring and fall, that is
one of the things we do isis clean up all the coil outside.

(01:17:32):
We take it apart, clean outall those leaves and stuff, and then
put cleaner onto those coils to getall the dust and dirt and stuff off,
because that that does keep them workingbetter. I mean, it's just
the way it is. Well,let me talk to you about sunburst shutters.
Now. Sunburst shutters are made ofpollywood, and the pollywood is guaranteed

(01:17:56):
to never warp, crack, chip, or peel. So if you're looking
for something that you can do toany room of your house, they'll make
it look gorgeous. Sunburst shutters cando it. But it's more than that.
It insulates two to three times betterthan a traditional wooden shutter, So
you can also make your house moreenergy efficient by using sunburst shutters. And

(01:18:16):
I've got these in my house andI have had for I don't know,
twelve, thirteen, fourteen, Idon't even remember how long. Now I
love them. They are gorgeous.And you know, when I go and
sit in my lazy boy chair afterdoing the show and want to take a
little bit of a nap, Ican close the shutters. It makes it
nice and dark in there and comfortablebecause it makes that dead air space,

(01:18:41):
and your air conditioning and cooling systemor heating and cooling system doesn't have to
work as hard, so It isa great way to dress up any window
in your home. Don't come out. Sunburn shutters will come out for a
design consultation to make sure you getthat perfect look and fit for your home.

(01:19:01):
So call Sunberd Shutters at seven onethree four six two eighty eight hundred.
That's seven one three four six twoeighty eight hundred for Sunburst Shutters.
At floor End Decore, we knowpro as your one stop source. We
deliver everyday savings on over a millionsquare feet of instock flooring tools and installation

(01:19:25):
materials. See how our flooring expertscan help save you time and money with
our best in class selection at rockbottom prices and with pro level benefits like
our dedicated pro service Team, ProHotline, Pro Premier Financing and unbeatable Pro
Loyalty program. You get what youneed, when you need it, where
you need it. Come discover floorEnd Decore where we know pro do West

(01:19:48):
air Conditioning. You know, ifyou're looking for a company who can service
your air conditioning and do that thattune up that we were just talking about,
I like, you know, cleaningthe coils outside and and then we
also go inside and take the fanmotor and the fan blades and everything out
and clean all that up to makesure everything's lubricated right. That's what US

(01:20:09):
air Conditioning does when we do atune up on your system that helps you
avoid breakdowns in the summertime. Whenyou want the best, get called due
West at seven to one three fourseven three seven one five six. You
know a lot of window companies canput in new windows, but can they
make the trim look right? Dothey use high end cock to seal up

(01:20:30):
the air gaps? And do theyoffer multiple styles and choices so you can
get the exact windows you need andwant for your home. Jim Dutton,
host of Texas ho Improvement for TexasRemodel Team, they have a window division
that does nothing but windows, andthey can make sure that things like your
trim, your brick, even yourwindowsill looks perfect because after all, they

(01:20:51):
are owned by a construction company.They carry all the major brands of windows,
and their insult crews are second tonone. Giving them a four point
nine stars out of five on GoogleReviews and an A plus rating with the
BBB plus a thumbs up from meGreat windows, great prices and a great
installation called the Texas Remodel Team WindowDivision for your new windows today two eight

(01:21:15):
one six one two fifty nine ninetyone two eight one six one two fifty
nine ninety one online at Texas RemodelTeam dot com. Are you as honest
and disciplined and informed as Jim Dutton? Well, why in the corn bread
hell aren't you here? He ison Texas Home Improvement. Hey, welcome

(01:21:45):
back to Texas Home Improvement seven onethree, two one two five eight seven
four. It's head over to Sharpstownand Carl welcome to seven forty k tr
H. Good afternoon, Jim.I want to offer a little tip for
the gentleman who called in about replacingduplex outlets. I looked up just for

(01:22:10):
the heck of it. I lookedup on home depot, if you'll pardon
the saying it, but anyway,a box of ten residential grade fifteen AN
outlets are five dollars and sixty cents, which is fifty six cents per outlet.
So if he's got plenty, we'retalking pro bunths for outlets. And

(01:22:31):
there's plenty of videos online as tohow to replace them properly, and I
thought that might be a little bitof help. To him. Yeah,
I know what he's trying to dois avoid the labor of you know,
taking everything apart and redoing it.But once you do a couple of mikeets
pretty fast, right well, Iwould think probably taking five minutes for the

(01:22:56):
first one and two minutes for therest of them each. If you've got
kill Sarah, it's really you know, you've done it, and I've done
it, and it's super easy.And uh oh he needs to. But
if he's worried about the cost,I think that he's worried about the wrong
thing. He doesn't need anything morethan just a standard residential outlet fifteen am

(01:23:18):
and uh, like I say,you can buy them one at a time,
or they've got boxes at ten andI'm sure that other big box stores
happened to anyway. That's all Iwanted to do, is just you know,
uh, try to take his fingeroff the panic button if you will.
Sure, Okay, that's all wrong. I appreciate it. Thanks,

(01:23:40):
I enjoy your program, and thanksa lot, Thank you, sir,
uh about it? Go away andagain seven one three, two, one
two, five eight seven four Goingto the galleria, Peggy, how are
you today? Fine? Love yourshow? I live in a townhouse.

(01:24:04):
There's twenty five units, okay,and when it rains, the water puddles
in different areas. You can't.You have to walk through water to walk
on the sidewalk. Now, wehad some drains put in, but it
didn't help the overall problem. Ithink it helped in some areas well.

(01:24:31):
Our landscaper said, I think itled to the street when they put the
drain in to the main drain area. But we have two alley ways that
are really that they could have putthe drain in, but so it would
lead to there's driveways on either sideof our town of our town homes,

(01:24:57):
there's like eleven on one side andthirteen on the other side, and you
know it's just horizontal. They're allin a row. Okay, So it's
a small area. So they said, oh, it probably would have been
better because I have two drains inmy area in my yard area. And

(01:25:19):
they said, oh, those braindrains probably should have been routed to the
through that alley way there on eachside. So I don't know. So
anyway, the landscaper said, wewere talking to him and he says,
well, what we could do.Probably the best thing is to raise the

(01:25:40):
sidewalks. Well, there's no wayso that that's going to pass with the
HOA to even do that. Thenthe only other solution would be supposedly a
border, you know, in thoseareas. I don't think it's going to
look good if we're going to havethe chopped up area in different areas where

(01:26:01):
we're going to have this border.But I don't know any other solution.
And then when they took in mI'll ask you a couple of quick questions.
I mean, how old are theseunits? Oh gosh, nineteen forty

(01:26:24):
Okay, I'm assuming they didn't alwayshave this problem. So you know,
it's a matter of looking at whatchanged and see what can be done to
correct what's changed to cause the waterissue. Well, let's see, I've
lived here thirty years, and you'reright, it seems to get worse and

(01:26:48):
worse. Now. One thing,I've noticed what they were doing when the
yard people were edging all along thesidewalks there. They were going too far
to the yard, and I thinkthat caused a problem where there was too
much area in between there. Andthen when they put the monks down,

(01:27:12):
Oh my gosh, and we hadthose torrential rains, all the mulch washed
to the sidewalk. It was terrible. Yeah, so happens as a yard
ages. You know, it getsmowed year after year after year, and
the clippings go down in it andthey deteriorate and add to the soil,

(01:27:35):
and so the ground itself gets raisedup some. At the same time,
trees are growing and their roots arecreating dams and sidewalks and stuff start to
settle. So a combination of allthese things you start getting what you're talking
about. And in some cases replacingthe concrete sidewalks and stuff will fix the

(01:27:59):
problem them. But you got tolook at the overall drainage. Where are
we going to take the water?What do we got to do to get
it there? And it sounds likewhat somebody tried to do is a band
aid instead of actually do the repair. Now, I do a lot of
this kind of work at DUS.If you want to call her office,
we'd be happy to look at it. But that music meant I got to

(01:28:20):
take a break here. So butif you're my office, so definitely come.
Look. Okay, I want toput you on hold for a second.
Let's talk real quick about ready sealyou know, if you've got wood
outside and you want to protect it, Ready Seal is the material to put
on it because Ready Seal soaks deepdown into the wood fibers and it makes

(01:28:44):
it where the wood won't take onmoisture. That's what damages wood, is
the moisture. So by putting readySeal on there, you're solving the problem
and it looks gorgeous. Whether youwant to go with a natural color that
is just clear, or you wantto go with a dark walnut stain,
it doesn't matter. Ready Seal cando it. And this is the simplest

(01:29:05):
do it yourself project you will everfind because you can spray it on,
roll it on, brush it on. It doesn't matter how you get it
onto the wood. As long asyou get it on and just let it
soak in, all the runs,laps and streaks will disappear. You can
find ready Seal at the box stores, at lumberyards, really any place that
sells building materials. You want tofind a store nearest, you go to

(01:29:26):
readyseal dot com at floor Endecore.We know pro as your one stop source.
We deliver everyday savings on over amillion square feet of instock flooring tools
and installation materials. See how ourflooring experts can help save you time and
money with our best in class selectionat rock bottom prices, and with pro
level benefits like our dedicated pro serviceTeam, Pro Hotline, Pro Premier Financing

(01:29:49):
and unbeatable Pro Loyalty program. Youget what you need, when you need
it, where you need it.Come discover floor end decore where we know
pro. USA Insulation. This isthe company call to add insulation to your
existing walls, and it doesn't matterif you've got some insulation in there or

(01:30:11):
not. They can add this phonenon expansive foam insulation. It seals up
all the air gaps and raises ther value, making your house more energy
efficient, making your house quieter.It even acts as a fire retardant.
So I'm telling you, if you'relooking for a great way to insulate your
home, take a look at USAInsulation three four six two nine seven twenty

(01:30:33):
eight hundred. That's three four sixtwo nine seven twenty eight hundred. When
Jim Dutton recommends a contractor, hewon't steer you Rock Dylan. Hey,
Jim, just calling in real quickabout one of your trusted contractors. Techa
through model Teams. We've been workingwith them for four or five years now,
just project after project. He's theonly guy we call. And they

(01:30:56):
did a great job on an outdoorkitchen for a huge patiotension outdoor fireplace the
kitchen as well. Nothing but goodthings to say about them. We're constantly
spreading the good word regarding their teamfrom our neighbors. It really is a
good time to get things done aroundthe house with Texas Remodel Team. If
you're needing any type of remodeling,whether it's just a room edition or an

(01:31:18):
outdoor kitchen, or maybe just apatio cover, highly recommend it. Call
Texas Remodel Team now at two eightone six one two five nine nine one.
That's two eight one six one twofive nine nine one or click the
link at thhipro dot com. Springtimein Texas, wildflowers, nice temperatures,

(01:31:43):
and Jim Dutton is in a prettygood mood. Enjoy it why you can.
Here's more Texas Home improvement with JimDutton Man welcome back, and Peggy,
welcome back to you as well.We had to take that U break
and I only got about a minuteand a half left. Peggy, Oh,
go ahead. Oh okay, WellI told you, I said nineteen

(01:32:06):
forty, but it's nineteen seventy whenthese were built. But I totally agree
with you on what you said abouthow the yard edges and in the ground
and so forth. And we dohave it's a beautiful landscape here. We
have lots of trees, and Iknow that's what's causing a lot of our

(01:32:29):
problems too. But what I'll do, Jim, I'll call your company and
because we haven't had the landscaper putthat bordering in like they want to do,
but it's going to be so patchedup. I think it's going to
really look bad. So i'll seewhat boy suggest other than replacing all this

(01:32:49):
sidewalk. Yeah, we'll take alook. Okay, Okay, thank you
so much. That welcome Peggy.You take care you too. And that's
actually it. I mean, we'reout of time for Texas holl Improvement this
weekend, but hey, I shouldn'tsay this weekend for today. You can

(01:33:10):
join me again tomorrow at two o'clockright here on seven forty KGRH for another
hour of Texas Home Improvement. Withthat, have a great evening, and
I look forward to visiting with youtomorrow, Ah Texas Remodel Teams Window Division.

(01:33:34):
You know, if you're looking forreplacement windows, you know you need
them. If you've still got singlepain aluminum frame windows, that's not even
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double pain windows where the glass isjust glass on glass, you need replacement
windows. And then if your windowsare just in bad shape, it's time

(01:33:56):
for some new windows. Well.Texas Remodel Teams Window Division they can help
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(01:34:19):
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