Leveling a Pier & Beam Foundation

Jim starts with an email question about adding a radiant barrier to the attic and removing columns for an open space kitchen. He also talks to callers on leveling a pier and beam home, a recommended contractor, exhaust fans, thoughts on a Goodman A/C system, pecs pipes, and more. Jim continues in the second hour on the phone lines helping people with their 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 Duck. 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 prosi. And I'm really gladI could talk to you. You're the
smartest guy, and I mean there. Call Jim now with all your home

(00:23):
improvement questions. That's seven one threetwo one two five eight seven four.
That's seven one three, two onetwo five eight seven four. Tax's Home
Improvement brought to you by US ServicesPlumbing, Foundation, Repair and air Conditioning,
Texas Remodel Team Windows, the officialwindow company of Texas Home Improvement.
American Standard Comfort the way you likeit, Jane's Hearty Sighting the best sighting

(00:45):
on the planet. USA Insulation Wall, phone insulation for existing homes, Ready
seal stain and sealer floor in thecore, Sunburst Shutters where beauty meets energy
efficiency. Guardian Roof Systems, Residentialandmmercial rooping Specialist, Woodland's Water Restoration,
your hometown solution for property damage andVictor's Remodeling and Construction party Plank specialists and

(01:10):
now broadcasting live from the Dutton Ranch. Here's Jim dot Hey. Welcome to
Texas Home Improvements, your total homeimprovement source. I am Jim Dutton here
to help you out. And thehome improvement question you have seven one three
two one two five eight seven fouris the number to call that seven one

(01:34):
three two one two five eight sevenfour and I'll see what I can do
to help you out here on TexasHome Improvement. Also, don't forget about
our website t hipro dot com.It's there as a resource to help you
out twenty twenty four to seven.So you know, anytime you're thinking about
a project, uh maybe you're inthe middle of a projector or just getting

(01:57):
thinking about one for next year,it's a matter start by going to t
hipro dot com because not only dowe have links to the contractors you know
that can do this stuff for you, but there's questions and answers and videos
and copies of TV show newsletters,all the stuff to help you make the
decision of how you want to doyour project. So you got questions,

(02:23):
then you listen to Texas Home Improvements, you pick up the phone and you
give me a call and it's justyou and me talking when you call in.
Yeah, there's other people listening,but it's just you and me having
a conversation. So seven one threetwo one two five eight seven four.
That's seven one three two one twofive eight seven four or again thhipro dot

(02:46):
com. And don't forget one ofthe things at thhipro dot com is the
ask Jim button, and that's whereyou can send in email questions. And
uh, you know, i'most startwith some email questions now we try to
get some calls going because right nowit's the start of the show. I
got all open lines and that's usuallyyour quickest and easiest way to get in.

(03:08):
Seven one three two one two fiveeight seven four. Uh. Tony
says, we are building a newhome and the builder doesn't have the option
to add a radiant barrier. Mycurrent home has the barrier installed on the
top side of the attic, andI believe it's been great for the comfort

(03:30):
of the home and overall energy expenses. After we close on the new home,
I'd like to add it myself.So a few questions. Should I
install it on the floor of theattic or should topside what's the difficulty of
installing myself and the average cost ifI hired a contractor to install? Love

(03:55):
the show, Thanks Tony Well Tony, I will tell you you know,
when it comes to easy do ityourself projects. You know, I talk
about rady Seal all the time beingan easy do it yourself project. So
is the radium barrier. Because ifyou use the energy Q radium barrier,

(04:15):
you lay it on the attic flooron top of your existing insulation. Just
cut it into like ten foot sections. It comes in four foot wide rolls,
roll it out, cut it intoten twelve foot long pieces, and
go up in the attic and layit out just like a blanket up there.
Very easy to do. And whatthat does then is it keeps the

(04:36):
heat that gets in the attic fromgetting down into the living space. So
yes, it's a very simple duteyourself as long as your attic is accessible.
Some addicts are pretty tough, butif you want to have somebody do
it, you can call energy Qradium barrier. That's the product I use,

(04:59):
and you can each them at oneeight hundred, nine hundred sixty two
twenty. That's eight hundred, ninehundred sixty two twenty, and they do
have installers who can help you outby putting it in, or they'll sell
you the material if you want todo it yourself. As far as the
price difference, hey, you'll haveto talk to them to see what that

(05:20):
is. But I can tell youI've always bought it and installed it.
I have never had somebody else doit. I used to have my sons
do it all the time, andyou know, they were thirteen fourteen years
old when I'd have them up inthe attic putting it in for me.

(05:40):
So uh, now they're thirty threeand thirty six, So yeah, you
can handle it. Got a questionseven one three two one two five eight
seven four. That's seven one three, two one two five eight seven four.

(06:01):
Rudolfo says, we have two loadbearing columns, or we have been
told they are load bearing that separatethe kitchen and living area. My wife
wants to make it more a kitchenand living area open space. Is it
expensive to remove the columns and securethis from any danger? Well, I

(06:27):
don't know what's up there, soI can't say yes it's dangerous or no
it's not. But anytime there issupport underneath, I shouldn't say anytime.
Most of the time, when there'sa need for support being underneath, it
can be moved above. Now supportcolumns. That's a whole different story because

(06:49):
if say, the support being meetson the column and you take it out,
yes, it could drop right therein that area if there's a joint
above it, So you have totake a look at that. But in
general, in most cases you cantake every other column out and replace,

(07:12):
you know, just keep the twocolumns on each side in order to support
everything while you're working on the oneyou're working on. If you have any
questions on it at all, puttemporary columns up, one on each side
of the column you're going to remove. And that way, even if there
is a joint on top of thecolumn, you're still able to remove the
one you're working on. Uh,put in the new one and set everything

(07:35):
back down and not have to worryabout it. So hopefully that helps you
out with that. Again, ifyou've got a question seven one three two
one two five eight seven four,that's seven to one three two one two
five eight seven four, And I'llsee what I can do to help you

(07:55):
out here on Texas Home Improvement.You know, one of the things I
get asked about a lot is howcan I get a good price from contractors?
Or what's how can I do somethinginexpensively. This is the time of
year where typically contractors are looking forprojects to keep them busy. The week

(08:20):
before Christmas and especially the week betweenChristmas and New Year's you know, traditionally
contractors are looking for jobs at thattime. So if you're looking to cut
a deal where you can get somethingat a better price, that's normally the
week to try to get it done. So if you're looking to paint the
house, remodel, or do anythinglike that and you can tolerate it being

(08:43):
done through the holidays, I wouldabsolutely be calling my contractors and seeing if
I can get them out now toget it done. And keep in mind,
even if they've already given you aprice, there's nothing wrong with calling
them up and saying, Hey,I know it's the holidays. Any chance
that you're looking for work to keepguys busy? Uh, can you give

(09:07):
me any type of discount to doit through the holidays? Again, that's
only if you're willing to get itdone, But that is one way that
a lot of times you can savea few bucks on getting something done.
Got a question seven one three twoone two five eight seven four. That's
seven one three, two one twofive eight seven four. And I'll see

(09:31):
what I can do to help youout here on Texas home improvement. Let's
head out to Porter and Fred.This is Jim. How can I help
you? Hey, Jim, I'vegot a home parent Beam home. It's
about seventeen years old. Uh,it's a shift shifting ground. It's clay
and sand on adjacent to a lakeand can't seem to get it to a

(09:54):
worthle state level. How close tothe lake water is it? Well,
that's far enough away that normally itshouldn't be a big problem. Is it
on a hill where the water comingdown the hill is shifting the sand or
what? Yes, there is ahill, there is water coming down it.

(10:18):
But I've taken measures with French trainsand water diversion to make sure that
the water was not an issue anylonger. But it still seems like the
ground swells and contracts with the weatherdepending on it, right, And it's
it's probably doing that because more thanlikely under the sand is a clay layer,

(10:43):
because sand itself doesn't expand and contract. In fact, typically what it'll
do when it when it starts gettingwet like that is consolidate. But the
clay layer that's under it the sandmakes it quick and easy trough for the
water to get down to that clay, and that's what it'll expand and contract

(11:05):
them. So that's probably what you'redealing with now as far as go ahead,
I was just about to ask,how do I stop it from from
I guess going up and down thehouse the house is breaking the dry wall,
et cetera. Yeah, you know, you hear me talk about foundation

(11:28):
watering all the time, and typicallywhen it's on sand, I tell people
don't water. In your situation,I would first probe down to see how
far down that clay layer is,because chances are it's going to be in
the top five feet and if that'sIf that's the case, then you do
need a water around the foundation,just as though you were in a clay

(11:54):
black gumbo clay area, and thatmoisture will soak down through the sand,
Get down to the clays and keepit expanded. Okay, the uh,
the uh. It's a peer andbeam home, not a not a slab
foundation. Okay, each each pierfluctuates in terms of I mean it goes

(12:16):
up and down. Yeah, I'lltell you what, Fred, I'm gonna
put you on hold because that doescreate some additional issues that we'll address when
we come back with more Texas Homeimprovements seven two, one two five eight
seven four. You know, ifyou're having air conditioning problems, uh,
this is not a nice time ofyear to have your air conditioning acting up

(12:37):
because we're flipping back and forth fromcooling to heating and back to cooling.
In fact, you know, whenthese fronts come through like we just had,
you may be running the air conditioningheat the same day and then back
to air conditioning all in the sameday. And when the system don't work
right, your home is not comfortable. This humidity level starts skyrickey. It

(13:00):
just becomes a nightmare. Called doWest air Conditioning my company and let us
come out service the unit, seewhat's going on and get you taken care
of. You can reach us atseven one three four, seven, three
seven one five six at seven onethree four seven three seven one five six,
or just go to thchi pro dotcom and click on the link for

(13:22):
due West air Conditioning at floor EndDecore we know pro as your one stop
source. We deliver everyday savings onover a million square feet of in stock
flooring tools and installation materials. Seehow our flooring experts can help save you
time and money with our best inclass selection at rock bottom prices and with
pro level benefits like our dedicated ProService Team, Pro Hotline, Pro Premier

(13:46):
Financing and unbeatable Pro Loyalty program.You get what you need, when you
need it, where you need it. Come discover floor End Decore, where
we know pro. When Jim Dottonof Texas Home Improvement recommends a company,
he won't steer you wrong like Guardianroot Systems. Jim, this is be
thank you because after Hurricane Harvey,I had the Guardian Roofers put on a

(14:07):
new roof at my house. Ohit's just beautiful. I recommend them to
anybody. I do as well.I've used them several times. If I
ever have any more problems, Iknow where to go now Guardian root Systems.
Click on the link under our contractorsat tipro dot com. AH Sunburst
Shutters you know they are the bestselling plantation shutters in America for a great

(14:31):
reason. They insulate up to seventypercent more efficiently. Pollywood shutters, which
is what Sunburst Shutters makes, isguaranteed not to chip, crack, warp
or split. That comes with alifetime guarantee. But you know they're just
plain gorgeous. They last longer,and I got to tell you I have
them in my home, and everybodywho comes to my house wants Sunburst shutters

(14:54):
as well. The best part isyou can call Sunburst Shutters at seven eight
nine six eighty one fifty and theywill set up to have a designed consultation
with you to make sure that youcan get that perfect looking fit for your
home. So if you're looking forshutters for your home, call seven one

(15:15):
three eight nine six eighty one fiftyand talk to the folks over at Sunburst
Shutters and get them out to takea look at your home. Chris,
I gave its things on my bossthen cut it saves and cash. I'll

(15:41):
give you out sash. I'll giveyou a ax and rand drill bit so
you will get far away and allof that. You'll get dulled the year
old. You might bring in MerryChristmas from Texas Home Improvement. Here's more

(16:07):
with Jim Dutton, 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.When we left, I was talking to
fred In. We were talking abouthe's got a home that goes up and

(16:30):
down. It's on a little bitof a slope and on sand and fred
you just started telling me it wasa crawl space home. Is it a
peer and beam or blocking basse pierand bean? Okay? The it's been
suggested that I do a core sampleto find out how deep I have to
go for to get below that clay. All right, so solid base,

(16:56):
Uh Frank back in, I don'tI don't know who even contact or to
get something like that or if itwould be suggested by you. Well,
you can absolutely, and I cangive you somebody to call. The company
I typically use for doing my soilstest is Geotech and you can reach them

(17:18):
at seven yet three six nine fourthousand, okay, And they can do
a source and that really does tellyou a lot, because it does tell
you how deep the clay bed is. And they'll typically do like a twenty
foot sometimes more or less depending onthe situation. But that that's kind of

(17:42):
an average and lets you know ifyou're going to just punch through that clay
layer or not. Yeah, it'sit's gotten kind of exasperating because it's very
expensive to repair the drywall and paintit again and every time it does it,
so I'm probably gonna have to trysomething like Yeah, now some of
the things you can do in orderto stabilize it, and the soils report

(18:07):
will help to design what repair.But you know, you hear about pilings
being used under slabs all the time. They can, they can be used
under peer and beam homes. Thereason most people don't use them is it's
cost as much then to do thepeer and beam as it does a concrete
slab. It's it's not cheap,but it goes deep down into the ground.

(18:30):
You can use either concrete or steelpilings and not have to cut the
floors up to do a drill peeror a helical or anything like that.
So there is options. But getthat soils report and obviously you can call
my company due West Foundation Repair andwe'd be happy to look at it for
you. Okay, great, great, I appreciate that. Thank you very

(18:53):
much, sir. He'll we betyou take care and again seven one three
two one two five eight seven four, and we'll see what we can do
to help you out here on TexasHome Improvement. We're gonna head to southeast
Houston. Julia, how are youtoday? I'm doing well? Thank you?
How about yourself? Doing wonderful?Okay? I have several issues that

(19:18):
need fixing on my house. Youmentioned to a couple of guys a few
weeks ago, a contractor, andI failed to write the name down.
It's like I don't know where tostart first. And you suggested this guy
and he could tell me what Icould do to them. Okay, what

(19:40):
kind of work are you needing toget done? Oh? Well, I
had to take down an auning thatwent from my house to my garage because
it was falling down. My foundationis terrible. I know. I should
he call you out, but itprobably costs me too much money, which
I don't have. But anyway,they took it down and it needs the

(20:00):
facia and all that done on itand the okay for right now, but
there's several other issues that need fixingtoo. I'd like to take down my
gutters. I do not like mygutters. They are okay, Well,
I know exactly who then I wastalking about, and that's Victor's Remodeling and

(20:22):
Construction. Okay. His number iseight three to two two four three ninety
nine ninety seven. I thought thatmight be who you. I mean,
you always suggest him, but Ididn't know if it was him or somebody
else. Yeah, and he cantell me where to start, you know,

(20:44):
money wise and everything that I have. Sure, now I'm gonna be
upfront with you though, if youhave foundation issues, depending on how bad
they are, I know it's expensive, but you may want to address that
first because you know, depending onwhat you what all's got to be done.
They make something nice and plumb withthe siding and all that stuff,

(21:07):
and then you have foundation repair done. It can mess some of the stuff
up at all. It all dependson how much work needs to be done.
And you know, to find outwhat needs to be done by calling
my office. It's free. Wedon't charge for the estimate, but uh,
I would recommend that, and wedo have financing available to make it

(21:29):
a little easier on you. Buthey, it's still got to be paid
for sometime, right, But Imean it's serious. I mean I've been
have some serious foundations, you know, bricks and everything on my house.
Sure it got real white. Sookay, well give you off call.
I'll give you off call first beforea callicure or call fictor you call either

(21:49):
one of us first. Is fine? All right, thank you, You're
welcome. Bye bye. Hey sevenone three two one two five eight seven
four. Wh's the number to call. Let's talk about Reva shingles by f
Wave. You know, if you'relooking to put a new roof on your
home, why not put one thatyou don't have to worry about. The

(22:11):
nice thing about Reva shingles by fWave it's durable. Not only does it
pass the two inch hail test,it also passes the two inch steel ball
test. It'll pass a wind test. You know, they typically only test
shingles up to one hundred and thirtymiles an hour. These Reva shingles by
f Wave they've handled winds in excessof one hundred and seventy miles an hour

(22:36):
on the test. And what doesthat do for you? Well, it
keeps shingles from blowing off when wehave hurricanes come in and you having to
repair a bunch of other damage toyour home. So if you're looking for
a way to upgrade your home,take a look at Reva Shingles by f
Wave. Merry Christmas, gem,Happy New Year. Two. We're so

(23:07):
glad you've taught us to do stuffthat makes our homes improved. So thank
you, Jim, Thanks, thankyou, Marry Marry Marry Christmas. Merry

(23:32):
Christmas, Jim dou No, welcomeback to Texas Home Improvement, your total
home Improvement. So we're seven onethree two one two five eight seven four.
That's seven one three two one twofive eight seven four. And I'll

(23:53):
see what I can do to helpyou out here on Texas Home Improvement.
Uh again, don't forget about ourwebsite tchipro dot com. I've got all
open lines right now. So I'mgonna jump back into an email question.
This came in from Nick and hesays, need some driveway your prayer.
I had a contractor who specializes inreplacing my driveway. I live in Fort

(24:17):
Worth. The driveway can be viewedon Google's Well, I don't want to
do that. This driveway is thirtyplus years old, is cracked and sinking
near the house. I suspect thatthe supporting material under the driveway has moved
downhill and is causing the sinking.The sinking is occurring at the top right

(24:41):
part of the driveway. The hiathat I live in is now threatening us
to have it repaired. Please help, I'd like to have a couple two
or three contractors to choose from whocould give me a free estimate. Thank
you. Well, obviously do Westcan we do concrete work? But you

(25:02):
know, I'm not one hundred percentsure that you need to have it replaced.
It's it is possible that you couldput your athane under it and just
pick up that one corner and thatmay close up the crack as well.
It's something that would have to belooked at. Now. I understand you're
in Fort Worth, but I mean, we do this all over the state.
So just give Due West the calland we'd be more than happy to

(25:25):
take a look and see what wecan do to help you out with that
driveway. Keep in mind if youdo need a new driveway, the reason
most driveways crack is they use wiremesh instead of steel rebar. At Due
West we do use rebar, andthe advantage to doing that the rebar is
in the middle of the concrete insteadof under the concrete where the wire mesh

(25:49):
always ends up. So just alittle side note, there got a question
seven one three two one two fiveeight seven four That seven one three two
one two five eight seven four,And I'll see what I can do to
help you out. We're gonna headto Missouri City, Reuben. This is
Jim. How can I help you? Well, good afternoon. First of

(26:11):
all, hi, tech, question, as I seal proof, or as
I seal my house slowly as Iremodel it, what do I do about
exhaust fans that pull in or takeout three hundred and fifty cfn or one
hundred and twenty cfms And I'm gonnahave to find something for it to draw
air from the outside. Well,you're sealing the house up, you said,

(26:34):
yeah, bit by bit, butyou know, once I'm done,
hopeful, I mean, I'm notgonna have totally seal proof, but sure,
this is the house needs to breathe. But I mean, when I
have, let's say, like anexhaust fan over the stove, I'm going
to put in a three hundred andfifty cfm fan with the stove. Okay,
My question is how do I whatdo I do to get the safe

(26:57):
it starts pulling a vacuum. No, I'm not going to do it.
No, it's not because there's areaswhere it's already in draw air, like
the vent. You got gas orelectric water here? No? No,
no electric? Okay, because ifit was gas, I'd say, well,

(27:17):
there's a there's a big hole therewhere air can draw in. Right,
But even the dryer vent will drawair in the fireplace if you have
one, draws air in doors andstuff are not air tight, they draw
air in. Okay, Well,I guess I answer my question. I'll
go ahead and put them in then. Oh yeah, yeah, you don't

(27:40):
need to worry about that. Okay, Well, how how old the home
is? Its? How old?How old a home is it? Oh
crap? I would say about fiftyyears old? Okay, yeah, you
uh, the walls themselves, aroundthe plugs and all that stuff, they'll
draw air as well. You won'thave any problems. Okay, thanks a

(28:00):
lot, appreciate you. Bet tohave a merry Christmas, you too,
sir By seven one three two onetwo five eight seven four. Let's head
to Spring and Jerry. This isJim. How can I help you?
Good afternoon, Jim, I'm inthe market for AC unit and uh,

(28:22):
I've already got like three bids,and I'm just wondering, what do you
think about a Goodman AC system?Okay, how are you? There are
different lines of air conditioning equipment.You got top tier, you got middle
tier, and you got the lowertier. All of them will cool and

(28:45):
all that kind of stuff. Iwill tell you that Goodman units are in
the lower tier, but that doesn'tmean that they're bad by any means.
The imagination the things that put themdown there is typically they're going to be
a little bit noisier than a toptier the parts aren't going to be quite
as durable. But I hear peopleall the time they get, you know,

(29:07):
fifteen twenty years out of their Goodmansystems as well. Okay, I
know my unit is eighteen years oldand I'm kind of concerned about it maybe
lasting for next summer, and Ikind of got I'm hoping a good deal
on this unit. That's why Istill haven't made my mind up if I'm
going to get it or not.It's a three ton of eighteen cier and

(29:30):
everybody else that I've been calling areout. They're always a lot more,
and their warranty is a little bitdifferent. On this one that I'm getting
with the Goodman, it's a tenyear labor and ten year parts. And
the other ones I'm always getting islike just ten year warranty and maybe one

(29:52):
year labor. Why would that bebecause there are now warranties available to contractors
at they can buy, and sosome of them buy them and offer that
to the homeowner. And basically whatthat warranty means is if they come back
and they've bought that warranty, theyturn that into the warranty company and still

(30:14):
get paid for the call. Ohokay, okay, And my asking,
what are they charging you for athree ton? It is sixty six thirty
nine? Okay. Does that soundabout in the ballpark? It does,
Okay, I mean depending on theunit, I hear a lot more money.

(30:37):
Obviously, I would like do Westo bid on it for you.
But that does not sound like you'rein a bad area. Okay. One
more thing, I hear the music, Yeah, and that means I do
have to take a quick break.I'm gonna put you on hold and I'll
come right back to you. Let'stalk about Texas Remodel Team because if you're
looking for replacement windows, you know, Texas remond Model Team has a division

(31:00):
that's all they do is replacement windows. Now, Texas Remodel Team can do
remodeling as well, but their windowdivision they go all over the Houston area
and they just have some beautiful optionsfor you and their team. If they
run into something that requires some woodworkdone, you know, maybe there's some

(31:23):
rotten wood or something, they've gotthe remodeling guys to fall back on because
the window guys, that's all theydo is the windows. So if you're
looking for replacement windows for your home, you're looking for a company who can
do a turnkey job, you're lookingfor Texas Remodel Team two eight one six
' one two fifty nine ninety one. When Jim Dutton of Texas Home Improvement

(31:45):
recommends a company, he won't steeryou wrong like Guardian root Systems I do.
This would be thank you because afterHurricane Harvey, I had the Guardian
Roofers put on a new roof atmy house. Beautiful. I recommend them
to anybody I do as well.I've used them several times. If I
ever have any more problems I knowwhere to go now, Guardian Root Systems.

(32:07):
Click on the link under our contractorsat thchipro dot com. James Hardy
Siding. This is the siding thatyou want for your home, especially you
know, if you're wanting to getsome curb appeal, make your house pop.
James Hardy Siding has so many options, and you know it's one of

(32:28):
the things that you can do thatgives you a high return on resale value.
But you know, just making thehouse look better makes you feel better
as well. Go to thchi prodot com and click on the link for
James Hardysiding. When Jim Dott,you know, text his home improvement recommends
the company, he won't steer youwrong. Liked West Services. I had

(32:50):
your phenomenal company out regarding a foundationwatering system and those tired of lugging those
miserable so corrosive keep getting destroyed.It's just a nightmare. So anyway,
I had Jacob out from your companydo West and he was phenomenal and you
run a tip top organization. Hewas dressed beautifully, the truck he drove

(33:14):
up and was perfect. I mean, you just have made yourself a wonderful
company. I can't thank you enough. I really appreciate it. Do West
Services Foundation Repair, Total Plumbing andair Conditioning called seven one three four seven
three seven one five six. That'sseven one three four seven three seven one
five six online at do Dashwest dotcom. That's du dash West dot com.

(33:40):
Do West Services. The in lawsare coming for the holidays. Smile,
keep your mouth shut and don't discusspolitics. And for some last minute
home improvement tips from Jim Dutton,go online to thhipro dot com, blog,
article, videos, trusted contractors andmore thhipro dot com. Here's more

(34:06):
Texas home improvement with Jim Dotton.Hey, welcome back seven one three two
one two five eight seven four.We when we left, we were talking
with Jerry and sorry about that,Jerry. But when the music goes,
I gotta go. I understand.Uh can you tell me what A I

(34:29):
don't know if I'm gonna say thisword right A Pelham p l E n
U M plentum. Have you heardof that? Yeah? Yeah? Plant
yeah? Yes? What does thatdo? Basically, that's a box that
the ducwork comes off of for theAC. So you got your AC unit,

(34:50):
it'll hook up to the plantum,which is It can be a metal
box. It could be a boxthat's made out of insulated cardboard and then
your ducwork hooks into it to headout to the different parts of the house.
Does that need to be replaced?Whenever I get a new unit,

(35:14):
typically it is replaced, depending onwhat it's made out of. But yeah,
a lot of times it is replaced. It is replaced, okay if
it's in good condition. And theAC gentleman was telling me, if it's
in a good condition that they willnot replace it. How does that sound?

(35:37):
Well, depending on the condition,I could buy that. Now,
it's not the condition on the outsideof it, though, it's a condition
on the inside. So you know, it's got to be opened up and
looked at because typically inside it's gotinsulation, and if it's gotten wet or
anything like that, the inside insulationcould be messed up. And if that's

(36:00):
the case, it's got to bereplaced. Oh okay, he didn't tell
me about that. Okay, allrighty, Jim Pye appreciate information. You
bet, you take care and havea merry Christmas. Jerry, you do
the same, sir, bye.And honestly, that's some of the stuff
that a lot of companies will leaveoff trying to lessen the cost for you.

(36:25):
It may drop the cost today,but it may cost you a lot
tomorrow if you've got to go backout and replace it at a later time.
So that's the reason the condition ofit does need to be looked at.
And I'm not saying it's got tobe replaced every time. I'm simply
saying make sure it is looked atto see that it it's in good shape.

(36:46):
Still got a question seven one threetwo one two five eight seven four.
That's seven one three two one twofive eight seven four, And just
real quick, what the plenum boxdoes. The air blows straight into the
plenum box from the AC air handlerthat's the unit up in the attic or

(37:10):
in the closet, and then itpressures up and so that's what allows the
air to flow out through all thedifferent pipes that feed different sections of the
house. Now, off those pipesthat are going to the different sections.
You may have offshoots for different roomsand stuff, and all that should be

(37:31):
calculated, you know, the ductworklooked at to make sure its size properly,
has the right backflow pressure and everything, because it needs to pressure up
in order for the air to moveand get into the separate rooms. So
there are tables that you got togo buy on. All that all right

(37:52):
again, if you got a questionseven one three two one two five eight
seven four, that's seven to onethree two one two five eight seven four.
Huh. Let's see. I hadsomebody send in, and I've had
this question a few times now.Uh, and it's about it's about converting

(38:17):
to pro pain and anyways, Brendasends in, I just want to give
the lady who called about converting HillCountry home to pro pain a second option,
no conversion necessary, look into electricinduction cooking. I am happier with
induction cooking cook top than I wouldhave been had I spent twenty thousand to

(38:44):
convert my Houston home to natural gas. I already have gas in the house,
but nothing in the kitchen. Wow, I wonder why I would have
cost twenty grand then. Anyways,Uh, induction cooks better, control,
faster, and cooler than gas.Invest in pots and pans with special induction

(39:08):
bottoms and start cooking. The cooktop doesn't get hot enough to burn spills
or cook covers, so it makesit easy to keep clean. Also,
pre prep all ingredients before starting,because you won't have time. As you
cook, it goes so quickly.Good luck which whichever way you choose to

(39:34):
go. Look, and induction isnot just the glass tops. I mean
you got glass tops that heat up. You got the induction, which has
to have a special pot that's sittingon it and transfers the heat into what's
inside the pot. In the remodeling, if you've watched our TV show,

(39:58):
the remodeling that we did at myson's house, we put induction in it
because he's in an area where wedon't have gas, so that wasn't an
option. He loves it. Itworks great for him. I personally love
cooking on gas. I like thecontrol I have with it. I understand

(40:20):
it puts out heat. That's that'sjust my preference. Uh. And you
know there's goods and good and badsabout both of them. I will tell
you I have looked at the inductionand the one thing that in my mind
that and it could be just inmy mind, but it always seems like

(40:43):
kind of with a microwave, thingscool off quicker even when you boil water,
and I feel I get the sameodd of the induction doesn't mean it's
true, but it sure gives methat a feeling. Anyways. Seven one,
three, two one two five eightseven four. Let's talk about USA
in And you've heard me say thisfor years. When it comes to insulation,

(41:05):
foam works best in the walls,and when it comes to putting it
into your walls, you need tocall the folks at USA Insulation. They
have a proprietary non expansive foam theycan inject right into the walls of your
existing home. You'll get the bestour value has a great fire rating and
cancels up to eighty percent of thenoise as well. And you know the

(41:27):
beautiful part is it's going to loweryour energy bills, it's going to make
it quieter from outside, and yourhouse is still going to be breathable.
I in my Dallas show, Ihad somebody call in who's having a problem
with the warranty on this roof becauseof heat transfer from foam on the roof

(41:49):
deck. So it can cause issueswhen you do it in the walls.
That's the way to go. Threefour, six, two nine, seven,
twenty eight hundred for USA Insulation themat floor End Decore. We know
pro as your one stop source.We deliver everyday savings on over a million
square feet of instock flooring tools andinstallation materials. See how our flooring experts

(42:12):
can help save you time and moneywith our best in class selection at rock
bottom prices and with pro level benefitslike our dedicated pro service Team, Pro
Hotline, Pro Premier Financing and unbeatablepro Loyalty program. You get what you
need, when you need it,where you need it. Come discover Floor
end Decore where we know pro Youknow when disaster happens and I'm talking about

(42:34):
water damage, fire, mold,all these different things that can happen to
your home. You need a companyyou can trust that's going to rebuild it
and deal with the insurance company andmake sure you get maximum coverage. That's
what Woodland's Water Restoration does. Therea restoration company for your home two eight
one five seven six eight four fivenine. You know a lot of window

(42:57):
companies. You 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 Improvement
for Texas Remodel Team, they havea window division that does nothing but windows,
and they can make sure that thingslike your trim, your brick,

(43:20):
even your windowsill looks perfect because afterall, they are owned by a construction
company. They carry all the majorbrands of windows, and their insul crews
are second to none, giving thema four point nine stars out of five
on Google Reviews and an A plusrating with the BBB plus a thumbs up
from me. Great windows, greatprices and a great installation called the Texas

(43:43):
Remodel Team Window Division for your newWindows today two eight one six one two
fifty nine ninety one two eight onesix one two fifty nine to ninety one
online at Texas Remodel Team dot com. Don't forget the green. I always
mean and hearing snowy, but Ithink it's actually can sweet sweet from the

(44:08):
Texas Home Improvement Family to yours.Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Here's more with Jim Dunton on TexasHome Improvement. Well said Algo line back
day, Hey, welcome back toTexas Home Improvement. Seven one three,
two one two five eight seven fourthat's head down to Galveston. Pam,

(44:30):
how are you today? Well,I'm just great. It's a beautiful day.
Well, how can I help youquestion? Regarding PEX pithing. I've
been told you don't have to insulateit. However, what's the real answer
there. Well, the reason peoplesay you don't have to insulate it,

(44:53):
it'll still it freeze. But thepipe itself can expand and then and it
thaws out, it'll shrink back withoutbreaking. And that's the reason people say
you don't have to insulate it.However, your fittings, if you have
any fittings, they can still freezeand break. That's what I thought.

(45:15):
I've insulated everything, but I justthought, am I. I'm not totally
finished, but I just thought,am I doing this or not? No,
you're not. I personally would stillrecommend you insulated, especially around fittings.
Yes, indeed, Okay, youknow something I was reading about radiant

(45:37):
barriers, and I had gone onlineand I was looking at reviews and everything,
and somebody made an off the cuffcomment, well, it seems like
you could wrap pipes with that.Well, your ductwork for your HVAC system
is typically wrapped with a radiant barrier. That's why there's you could actually wrap

(46:02):
pipes, but it's not going todo as well as as the insulation would
do on the pipes. And withthat, I'm going to have to let
you go because we've got to takea break. That's the end of this
hour of Texas home improvement. Buthey got another hour to go seven one
three, two one two five eightseven four. But let me tell you

(46:23):
about American Standard Air. It's mychoice in air conditioners, and American Standard
is nationally recognized for excellence for performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction. Take
care of your family all year longwith American Standard Air. Now, American
Standard heating and air conditioning technology meetsthe ever changing Texas weather head on.

(46:46):
So keep your home cool and humidityfree or be ready for a little heat
when you need it. Invest wiselyand invest in the home comfort system that's
going to last you a long,long time comfort the way you like it.
That's American Standardair dot com. Andwhen you're looking at the systems,

(47:06):
if you're looking for something for humiditycontrol, really take a look at those
dual speed and variable speeds. Thisis probably gonna sound a little strange to
your Texas Home Improvement is on theair with your host, Jim Dot exactly
what I need to know. Youalways give me the way to go,

(47:27):
great observation. You got to beon the radio. Well, this might
be the answer to my pros AndI'm really glad I could talk to you.
You're the smartest guy. I callJim now with all your home improvement
questions. That's seven one three twoone two five eight seven four. That's
seven one three, two, onetwo, five eight seven four. Texa's
Home Improvement brought to you by USServices Plumbing, Foundation, Repair and air

(47:50):
Conditioning, Texas Remodel Team Windows,the official window company of Texas Home Improvement,
American Standards, Comfort the way youlike it, Jane's Hardy Sighting the
best sighting on the planet. USAInsulation Wall Phone insulation for existing homes,
Ready Zeal Stain and Sealer Floor inthe Core, Sunburst Shutters, where beauty
meets energy efficiency. Guardian roof Systems, residential and commercial roofing specialist, Woodland's

(48:15):
Water Restoration, your hometown solution forproperty damage and Victor's Remodeling and Construction.
Party Plank Specialists, and Now broadcastinglive from the Dutton Ranch. Here's Jim
dot Hey, welcome back for anotherhour of Texas Home Improvements. Your total

(48:37):
home improvement source. The number tocall 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. Of course, youcan also go to our website thipro dot

(48:58):
com. There's all kinds of helpfulinformation there and links to the people you
hear me talk about. There's questionsand answers, and videos and copies of
the TV show newsletters. I mean, it's just a wealth of information when
you go to thchipro dot com.The big thing now, if you're thinking
about a project or into it andyou're looking to deal with contractors and materials

(49:22):
and stuff, start there at thchiprodot com. Also, while you're there,
don't forget, that's where the askJim button is, where you can
send in news, send in questionsand stuff, and a spot where you
can sign up for our newsletter aswell. With all that being said,
let's get ready to start going backinto the calls here at seven one three

(49:42):
two one two five eight seven fourat seven one three two one two five
eight seven four and be straight upwith you right now. I've got one
call, so I've got lots oflines available. Seven one three, two
one two five eight seven four.Vailalist is Jim. Welcome to Texas Home
Improvement. Hi, thank you,thanks for taking my call. A question

(50:07):
for you. Thank you. SoI have a two story it's a rental
property. It's a three and agive me two and a half bathrooms.
There's a half bath near the kitchen. And so after the home sits or
I'll say, like two weeks,three weeks, it's stacand I'm trying to

(50:28):
get a renner in there. Whenyou enter the front door, it smells
like it smells like pooh. AndI've had a plumber come out and try
to identify if it's sewer gas orif there's an open pipe somewhere, but
he said that he can't find anythingwrong. So I'm wondering what could be
the problem of causing that sewer gasodor when you enter the home. Well,

(50:52):
there actually can be a few thingsthat cause it. I mean the
stuff you were just talking about sewergas, and that is is actually a
very likely source. If a ptrap goes dry, you're going to get
the odor of sewer gas. Andwhere that can happen is in a shower
drain or a bathtub drain. Uh, there's a pea trap under those that

(51:16):
if it's broken, you don't noticeit yet. The water drains out of
the pea trap and allow sewer gasin. Some of the other less likely
places for it are vent pipes thattend to crack and things like that,
but that's that is far less common. The big things are typically going to

(51:37):
be in a pea trap in likeI said, a tub or shower.
Okay, so I guess I'll havea plumber come out and check again.
I don't I don't know how toyou're the problem. Well, here's what
Here's what I would tend to doto the first thing I would do,

(51:59):
I mean, I know you're tryingto get it rented out and everything,
but as long as you do haveaccess to it, let's seal those up
and see if it stops the problem. And some of the ways that you
can seal them up is like inthe shower drain. I mean you can
literally just put some tape across it. Don't use duct tape. Because that

(52:22):
leads a residue, but you canuse like the clear packing tape to seal
it up across the opening. Youcan actually do the same on the bathtub
as well. Keep in mind onthe bathtub though, you've got the waist
and overflow for the tub, andthe odor can come in through there as
well. So you know, that'ssome testing you can do on your own.

(52:51):
As far as some of the otherplaces, it gets a lot more
complicated to find them now you mentionedthough, it happens mostly when the place
sits for couple of weeks, Soas long as this stuff's being used on
a regular basis, this doesn't happen. I don't know that. I don't
know. It had been vacant forlike maybe two months, and we went

(53:14):
in and it was the potential tenantturned back around. Yeah that was a
loss. Yeah. I've just beentrying to call out plumbers and doctors diagnose
the problem. But the plumber saidthat he didn't find anything wrong and that
he would have to remove the vanityand break the wall open, which didn't

(53:35):
seem no likely. Look, I'vegot a guy in my office, Alton
E. L t O A Lt O N give him a call and
talk to him, and uh he'she's my master plumber and has been for
years. Uh, he'll I thinkbe able to help you out with this

(53:55):
a little better than I just did. And you can really a call at
seven one three four seven three sevenone five six. And you know,
the phone call and information don't costanything. If he's got to go out,
then yeah, he's gonna probably charge, but uh, but give him

(54:19):
a call and talk to him,pick his brain a little bit. Okay,
I sure will thank you so muchfor taking a call and my pleasure.
You have a merry Christmas as well, you too. Thank you bye
again our number seven one three twoone two five eight seven four And now
we have all open lines, soseven one three two one two five eight

(54:40):
seven four and I'll see what Ican do to help you out here on
Texas home improvement. Look, let'slet's jump into an email since we're talking
about bathrooms. This one came fromRoger up in Munster, Texas. And
if you don't know where that's at, that's quite a bit north of Dallas,
almost up to the Red River.Says my home was built on a

(55:06):
slab in two thousand. Recently anintermittent whistle sound occurred above the toilet in
the master bath. Sound came fromarea of the attic, but nothing up
there except vent pipe from the toilet. Sound may last thirty minutes and not
again for days, but always stopswhen you flush the toilet. What is

(55:30):
causing the whistle? I am bettingthat you're having some leak by of water,
and by that I mean you havea automatic float switch in the toilet
tank, and if it's not closingthe valve one hundred percent of the way,

(55:54):
you're getting a little bit of leakby. And you know, when
it's enough leak by, you hearit running. You hear the toilet running.
But when it's just a little bit, you don't necessarily hear the toilet
running, but it'll make that whistle. And obviously when you flush it,
the whistle goes away because now itopened up the valve and it's letting the

(56:15):
water flow freely. That would bemy biggest guess, and the reason it's
only happening periodically is it's probably onlygetting stuck periodically more than likely. What's
causing it, though, is mineraldeposits building up. So that's what I
would be checking for if I waslooking at it now, what is going

(56:37):
to be the easiest way to tellif that's what it is, the next
time it's whistling like that, goto where the toilet is. And first
of all, let's make sure theshut off valve under the toilet works.
You know, flush the toilet,turn the valve, and and make sure
it shuts the water off completely.But if it worked, and it should

(57:00):
in the age of house, youhave the next time that the uh no,
Shoot, that's a that is twentythree years old. I was thinking
thirteen anyways. But the next time, you know, when you make sure
the valve works, the next timeit's whistling, shut that valve off and
see if it does stop the whistle. If it does, you know that's

(57:23):
what it is. And so thatyou just have to replace the inside the
float valve inside the tank and that'lltake care of your problem. So got
a question seven one three, two, one, two, five, eight
seven four. Let's head to Conroeand Shelly. This is Jim. How

(57:45):
can I help you? Good afternoon, Jim, thank you for taking my
call. I have a nineteen seventyeight built home. It's a they say
it's a pure and beam, andI'm getting soft spots in my floor in
certain areas like down the hallway.When I come in my kitchen and go

(58:05):
around the corner into my living room, I've got about a three by four
foot area. I'd say that thefloor is getting soft, okay, And
I'm wondering what to do with theseareas in my floor? Yeah, so
what is your floor covering? Thehouse had been done in bamboo, okaycept

(58:29):
for the area where I have whereit's getting soft, that is from the
kitchen into the living area, andthey had done linoleum from the kitchen into
the living area where the bamboo is. So it goes from linoleum to bamboo,
and it's getting soft under both floors, yes, okay. Also under

(58:52):
the bamboo floor going down the hallway, I can feel there are some soft
spots there also, okay. Sowhat needs to be checked in is going
to be the sub floor under theunderneath, because you know you've got a
sub floor and then you've got yourfloor covering on top of that, and

(59:14):
what can happen is if that subfloorstarts to deteriorate, and it can do
that from moisture that gets trapped underneaththe home. It'll start getting soft when
you walk on it, and that'snot a good situation that needs to be
checked sooner than later, because ifit gets too soft, you will literally
step through it. Uh huh okay, And how do they do that?

(59:39):
Can they cut areas out of typicallycan rebuild that? Oh? Yeah,
it can be rebuilt. But typicallywhat will happen is, uh, you
know, somebody will crawl underneath andcheck for soft wood under there to find
out where it's at. Now,every once in a while it's not very
common, but the sub floor maybe two layers sick thick, like two

(01:00:04):
sheets of plywood, and the bottomflywood is good, but the one that's
between the bottom plywood and your finishedfloor is the one that goes bad.
But regardless, yes you can.You end up taking out the floor that's
inside the home, replacing the subfloor and building it back. Now,
there are some other things that itcan be. It could be that just

(01:00:25):
some of the floor joists are looseand need some reshimming, and if that's
the case, that's a whole lotcheaper and a whole lot easier to do.
But it all begins with just havingit checked and that is something to
do. West does on a regularbasis, the Foundation Division. If you
want to give us a call anddo they do a free estimate on it,

(01:00:45):
yes, ma'am. Okay, wellI will give you a call and
have somebody out to take a lookat it very much today. Have a
merry Christmas. Good same to you. Happy holidays by yeah. And if
you want to call dust it's sevento one three four seven three seven one
five six. Let's talk about someshingles real quick. You know that's something

(01:01:08):
else that if you got leaks onyour roof, you can start having soft
wood decking up there that needs tobe replaced as well. But worse,
you could start having leaks that causeinsulation problems, sheet rock problems, all
kinds of issues. Well revia shinglesby f Wave. This is a Class

(01:01:30):
four shingle and it's the toughest oneon the market that I know of.
This shingle not only passes the twoinch hail test, it also passes the
two inch steel ball test as well, and it's been known to hand handle
winds in excess or tested to handlewinds in excess of one hundred and seventy
miles an hour. So if you'relooking for a durable shingle, one you

(01:01:51):
don't have to worry about coming offthe next time we have a hurricane,
one that you don't have to worryabout a hailstorm tearing up, one that
you can sit there and relax whenit's storming outside. You're looking for Revas
shingles by f Wave, go toThchipro dot com and click on the link
to Revias Shingles by f Wave.You know when you hear the words foundation

(01:02:15):
repair, the first thing that goesto your mind is, oh, my
gosh, I don't want to haveto deal with this. When you deal
with the right company, it's nota problem. That's why I want you
to call my company, due WestFoundation Repair. We'll come out, take
a look, tell you what's goingon and help you not only with the
foundation repair problem of foundation maintenance,to keep you from having further problems.

(01:02:36):
When you want the best, youcall due Wes seven one three or seven
three seven one five six online atdudash West dot com, at floor endecor
we know pro as your one stopsource. We deliver everyday savings on over
a million square feet of instock flooringtools, and installation materials. See how
our flooring experts can help save youtime and money with our best in class

(01:02:58):
selection at rock bottom prices and withpro level benefits like our dedicated pro service
Team, Pro Hotline, Pro Premierfinancing and unbeatable pro Loyalty program. You
get what you need, when youneed it, where you need it.
Come discover floor and Decore where weknow pro. You know. Texas Remodel
Teams Window Division can help you withany type of window you're looking for.

(01:03:21):
And I recommend this company. They'vebeen part of the show for over ten
years doing remodeling and stuff, andwe never really talked about their window division,
but they're out there and they goall over the city of Houston taking
care of your window needs. Andthe great part about it is if they
discover, say some rotten trim orboards around the window, because they're a

(01:03:43):
remodeling company, they have people onstaff that can handle it, not telling
you to call somebody else. Theyalso offer all types of windows from vinyl,
wood, even fiberglass, all atgreat prices. Call Texas Remodel Team
at two eight one six' onetwo fifty nine ninety one. That's two
eight one six one, two fiftynine ninety one Online go to Thchipro dot

(01:04:09):
com and click on the link toTexas Remodel Team Houtible Texas the only place
you can experience four seasons in twodays. Merry Christmas from Texas Home Improvement
peers, Jim dot Hey, welcomeback to Texas Home Improvements seven one,

(01:04:30):
three, two, one, two, five, eight seven four. Let's
head back to the calls and uh, Tom and Katie, how can I
help you? Hey, Jim,good after noon. Hey, my daughter
recently purchased a home in Austin andit's it's on a pretty steep grade,

(01:04:51):
and so we're putting in a retainingwall, just kind of four by four
timbers, building up about five feet, just to kind of stop some of
the sag we're seeing and the soilwash out around the front of her home.
My question is about drainage around thatwall and sort of beneath it.

(01:05:15):
And I'm just curious how critical isit to put in a you know,
sort of a drainage pipe at thebase of that wall, or will water
naturally just sort of find its wayout of there. What's your take on
that it'll find its way out?But it's going to take the wall with
it if you don't put drainage,okay, And is that as simple basically

(01:05:39):
just on the uphill side, layinggravel and then putting you know whatever four
inch six inch pipe in there andputting a little grade on it so that
it flows one direction. I willtell you how I do them. Now.
A lot of companies will put justa little bit of gravel at the
bottom of the wall and then sticka three quarter or one inch pipe into

(01:06:01):
it through the wall, and thatwill work for a little while, but
it tends to plug up. Sothe way I do it, and engineers
love it, but you know,don't typically speck it because it does cost
a little bit more. Truly,it's not that much more to have something
that works. You have gravel onthe back side of the wall all the

(01:06:27):
way down that's wrapped in fabric,and you take it basically to the base
of the wall. You have aone foot thick gravel all the way up
the back side of the wall,like I said, wrapped in fabric so
it doesn't get soil mixed in withthe gravel, and plug it up that
way. Any moisture that comes downit hits that and in the bottom of

(01:06:47):
that gravel, I put a fourinch perforated pipe, so that captures the
water and takes it out. Andyou can start it from the middle of
the wall and slope it in bothdirections if you want to take the water
out and you just got to punchthe pipe through either the wall or the
soil somewhere to drain it out,or you can say it all slope to

(01:07:10):
one direction. Doesn't matter, justas long as it's capturing all the water
and taking it out. The biggestthing that ruins retaining walls is the water
pressure behind them. It's not somuch the soil as it is the water
pressure builds up and pushes the wallsover. Okay, Okay, And you

(01:07:33):
said you generitely put twelve inches ofgravel from the sort of the face of
the wall back to the dirt correctthere basically as a buffer. A minimum
of twelve is what I typically use, Okay. And then what size gravel
is that that you're putting in there? You know, you can use either

(01:07:55):
anything from a pea gravel on up. A lot of times engineers like to
use like a two inch bull rock. I personally prefer about a three quarter
to two inches. Okay, allright, well it's a little extra work
coming with that one. Have youstarted the wall yet? I have?

(01:08:19):
Yeah? Okay, how high upare you? About three feet three and
a half feet? Yeah, that'snot too bad to dig it out behind
it, and if you know inorder to dig it, if you've got
to dig it, say two feetwide, it's totally fine. I will

(01:08:42):
caution you on one thing. Howmuch How deep did you go on the
ground with the wall? About fourinches? Maybe because it's the grade is
so steep that it's hard to finda starting point. Yeah, four inches
is going to give you a problem. You typically need to go a minimum
of twelve. So you may wantto put something in front of it.

(01:09:05):
And I know I got to takea quick break here, but you may
want to put something in front ofit to either build up the soil a
little and you know, on thedownhill side, or drill down and put
some supports that can holt wall upa little bit, because it will tend
to slide on you at four inches. Yeah, well I get the four

(01:09:29):
foot steaks in. Oh okay,well that helps. That helps a lot.
Hey, if you run into questionson that. Give me a holler.
Thank you, sir, appreciate it. You bet bye right, And
with that, let's talk about AmericanStandard Air. You know, American Standard
heating and air conditioning system. That'smy choice and I've had them in my

(01:09:49):
home since nineteen ninety nine. Lovethem. They're reliable, the customer satisfaction
is great, and it takes careof your family all year long. Along
with American Standard Air. You know, American standard technology meets the ever changing
Texas weather head on. So keepyour family cool or warm, whatever,

(01:10:10):
whatever whichever you need. Invest wisely, invest in the home comfort system that
will last you a long, longtime comfort the way you like it.
American Standardair dot com. The inlaws are coming for the holidays. What's
the difference between in laws and outlaws? Outlaws are wanted. Here's more Texas

(01:10:32):
Home Improvement with Jim daffer Hey,welcome back to Texas Home Improvement. Seven
one three two one two five eightseven four. That's seven one three,
two, one two five eight sevenfour. Let's head out to uh Montgomery
and Rick. Welcome to Texas HomeImprovement. Oh thank you, Jim.

(01:10:59):
How can I help you? I'vegot a live on a well and I'm
having water fluctuation problems. I don'tknow if it's a well or a well
person I need to call, ora plumber that I need to call.
Well, when you say fluctuations,what's happening in the shower it barely trickles
and then five minutes later or blastedout. It's it's your well And it's

(01:11:24):
not really the well itself. Uh, it's the the tank and pump system
that's giving you a fit. Itsounds like you probably have a tank that
has an air bladder in it,and and the air bladder is having an
issue, whether it needs to havemore air added to it or something has

(01:11:48):
is messing up with that. Morethan likely if you go out and listen
to the pump as as it's going, you would hear it clicking on and
off rapidly. Hmm. Okay,so yeah, I would call the well
people who install those type of systems, and they should be able to take

(01:12:12):
care of that pretty easily. Uh. If it is the tank, I
mean that's something. I don't knowhow much how handy you are with doing
stuff, but I can tell youI changed my own out at my house.
Yeah, I don't think it'll bea big problem to do that,
but now I'm just trying to actuallythe problem. So yeah, more likely
that's what it is. Uh,I'm assuming it happens at other fixtures in

(01:12:38):
the house, not just a shower, correct. Yeah, yeah, If
that's it's going to be that tankthat's down there with the air bladder in
it. And if you go toeven tractor Supply carries them, they typically
have them in stock for you.All right, man, I certainly appreciate
it. Enjoy your show. Thankyou, sir. You have a good

(01:12:59):
one, you too. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas again her number seven one
three two one two five eight sevenfour. That's seven one three two one
two five eight seven four Mike inSoutheast Houston. How can I help you?
Well, I've got a rental propertythat I had remodeled about two and

(01:13:23):
a half years ago, and it'spure and being probably twelve inches off the
ground and they use an OSB onthe subfloor and it's all like just falling
apart. I'm sure it's from themoisture, but I'm wondering if it's is
OSB the proper product or should Ibe using something else? No, it's
uh, you can use plywood,you can use the chip board, but

(01:13:48):
uh, the OSB typically I don'tcare to use that any moisture at all,
and it's just crumbles. Yeah,and I'm not one hundred percent I'm
saying OSB. It may be thechipboard. It looks the same to me.
I'm not sure if I know thedifference. Well, the chipboard,

(01:14:11):
you're gonna see pieces of wood,where OSB is typically gonna be just a
almost like sawdust with a glue holdingit together. Oh, okay, that's
definitely the chip board. I cansee the big chips. Okay, it's
tongue grooved. I thought it wasmade for flooring when they were installing it,

(01:14:32):
but it is flooring and roofing.But you know that close to the
ground, if you got a moistureproblem under there, it's gonna tear it
up quick. It's also gonna tearup your floor joists and stuff. Typically,
the big moisture problem comes in thatpeople close the vents up or don't

(01:14:56):
or don't have enough fence to beginwith, and so the moisture from the
soil itself, the humidity levels justskyrocket under there, and you can smell
that musty smell and stuff under there, and it just causes all kinds of
trouble. You don't have any andyou don't have insulation under there, do
you No? Okay? Is therea height requirement that it should be up

(01:15:21):
off the ground for airflow? Well, code calls for eighteen inches. It's
not necessarily for airflow, but it'sfor workability and such. But you know
this must be an older home,is it, Yes, sir, it's
nineteen fifties. Yeah, and soa lot of those they maybe had eighteen

(01:15:44):
inches back in the day, butover time they settle dirt builds and you
end up where you just got thetwelve inches. Is it a block and
base or peerre and beam? Doyou have a concrete perimeter beam around it?
No, it's just like center blocksor pad with center blocks and then
some shims. Okay, and that'son the outside as well. Correct,

(01:16:09):
correct, Okay, Honestly, thatcould be raised up, get you better
clearance. Uh, get it whereyou got air flow and everything. But
even at that, unless somebody broughtthe siding all the way down or something,
they should have decent airflow already,but picking it up would just make
it. Yes, it's gonna costyou up front, but it makes it

(01:16:31):
cheaper to work on in the longrun. Right, So what would you
recommend we went back with if Itake this chipboard or you know, I've
got a guy gonna do. He'drecommended doing a drainage all the way around
the house, hind in the downspouts to the gutters and getting that water
out from underneath there, and thenof course, like you said, you

(01:16:51):
know, getting some are on eachother with you know, because the siding
does go all the way down tothe ground, getting all that out.
Yep. My question is the subfloor. I guess that's where I'm concerned.
I don't want to go back withthe same thing. If maybe that
drainage and the air flow fixes it, and then it's okay. Well,
if you get the water out fromunderneath and you get the air flow,
then the chipboard would be fine.Okay, all right, Well, I

(01:17:15):
appreciate your help already. You takecare you too again our number 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. Let's talk about sunburst shutters real quick.

(01:17:38):
You know if you are looking forshutters for your home and you know
to close it up when you wantto block the sun from coming in or
when it's real cold or real hotto be more energy efficient. You know,
the best selling plantation shutters are Hollywoodshutters from our friends at Sunburst Shutters.

(01:17:59):
Because Pollywood gives you that rich lookof fine wood shutters without woods inherent
problems. It performs better, lastingfar longer than traditional wood shutters and insulating
up to seventy percent more efficiently.Now the Pollywood shutters, they're guaranteed not
to chip, crack, warp,or split. But at Sunburn Shutters,
everything is designed to last longer,look better, and outperform all other products

(01:18:24):
on the market. And yes Ido have Sunburst shutters in my home,
love them now. Sunburn Shutters doesoffer design consultations so you can work with
an expert to make sure you getthat perfect look and fit for your home.
Call seven one three eight nine sixeighty one fifty. That's seven one
three eight nine six eighty one fifty, or just go to thchi pro dot

(01:18:46):
com and click on the link toSunburst Shutters. When Jim Dutton of Texas
Home Improvement recommends a company he won'tsteer you wrong, like Guardian roof Systems.
I do. This is be thankyou because after Hurricane Harvey, I
had the Guardian Roofers put on anew roof at my house. Oh it's
just beautiful. I recommend them toanybody. I do as well. I've

(01:19:10):
used them several times. If Iever have any more problems, I know
where to go now Guardian roof Systems. Click on the link under our contractors
at thhipro dot com. You know, DUS air Conditioning can take care of
all your air conditioning needs, whetheryou just need to get a service done
or hey, really you gotta beon a service agreement with due West because

(01:19:31):
one of the things we offer whenwe do a service agreement is at no
charge, we'll put any a deviceto monitor the system. Yeah, it's
going to monitor the drain pan.If he gets any water in it,
that's an indication you got a problem. We need to come out and service
something. It monitors the airflow becauseif the temperature has the wrong span,

(01:19:56):
it fluctuates. That means something's goingwith the AC and before you have a
problem, that shuts you down.Let's service it and we add those systems
at no charge to our service agreementcustomers. Now we can replace systems.
We can do. You know allthe stuff that any air conditioning company can
do. But when you want thebest a company that has been around since

(01:20:18):
nineteen forty at nineteen four, sincenineteen seventy eight, forty five years in
business, you call due West sevenone three four seven three seven one five
six. You know a lot ofwindow companies can put in new windows,
but can they make the trim lookright? Do they use high end cock
to seal up the air gaps?And do they offer multiple styles and choices

(01:20:42):
so you can get the exact windowsyou need and want for your home.
Jim Dutton, host of Texas HowImprovement for Texas Remodel Team. They have
a window division that does nothing butwindows, and they can make sure that
things like your trim, your brick, even your windowsill looks perfect because after
all, they are owned by aconstruction company. They carry all the major
brands of windows, and their insultcrews are second to none, giving them

(01:21:05):
a four point nine stars out offive on Google Reviews and an A plus
rating with the BBB Plus A thumbsup from me. Great windows, great
prices, and a great installation calledthe Texas Remodel Team Window Division for your
new windows today. Two eight onesix one two fifty nine ninety one two

(01:21:26):
eight one six one two fifty nineninety one online at Texas Remodel Team dot
com. What does Christmas snow andyour mother in law have in common?
They're both cold and flaky. Here'smore Texas Home Improvement with Jim dot Hey.

(01:21:48):
Welcome back. Seven one three twoone two five eight seven four Any
home improvement question you have seven onethree two one two five eight seven for
Jay in Northwest Houston. How canI help you? Yeah, I was
calling for a question about you knowanything about the difference between a modular home

(01:22:12):
and a mobile home. I wasthinking about person one. Okay. Typically
a mobile home is up on wheelsand delivered that way. A modular home,
although it can be delivered that way, the wheels come off and it's
set down on a foundation of sometype, or in a lot of cases,

(01:22:32):
the modular home is pre built offsite as far and it's done in
sections. Then they just bring outthe different sections and put it together on
site. That's also a modular home, So would that be a little more
sturdy or because you said on afoundation, so it seems like that would
be more close to a regular homethan you know, something that's on wheels,

(01:22:58):
and I guess they put it onbricks or whatever. Once they take
the wheel down, correct that youknow, what you'll find is underneath there's
steel beams that the structure is builton, and then that can sit down
and be anchored down to the ground. A lot of cities require that they
sit on foundations now that the wheelscome off, and even mobile homes have

(01:23:20):
to go down on a foundation.But yes, to answer your question,
yes they are more sturdy. Infact, some of them with our class
to withstand hurricane winds and stuff.Well, I noticed I've been looking around

(01:23:42):
and I mean some of these things, I mean they caused more than a
house. It's quite expensive, youknow. I mean, they got some
bells and whistles in them, andI'm just wondering, you know, is
it's worth that kind of money.Well, some of them are built exactly
like a house, you know,like a Both Palm Harbor and Clayton have

(01:24:05):
some of their models that are twoby six walls, hurricane raided, and
yeah, you take them out andit's in some cases it's hard to tell
that they're not built on site.Home. Where you find the difference though,
is going to be the siding istypically a masonit siding instead of like

(01:24:29):
a hearty siding or something like that. That's going to be typically one of
your big giveaways. Uh. Andthen inside when the roof inside slopes up
in the and there's no attic space, I mean, that's also typically a
dead giveaway on what it is.But some of them they're even putting the
attic spaces in. Now. Yeah, I have seen one with it.

(01:24:56):
It's got insulation and I thinks sheetrock walls. Yep, it's got air
ducts in the up in the air, you know, with the events coming
at the top instead on the floor. Yeah, yeah, it. They
have really upgraded them over the lastespecially in the last ten years, there
have been just leaps and bounds upgradeson them. I personally would have no

(01:25:17):
issue buying one. I used toown a mobile home up on Lake Livingston.
But you know, as far asbuying one, yes, they are
pricey, but I'll give you thenumbers. As far as building a new
home right now, you're up inthe you know, two sixty to two

(01:25:38):
hundred and eighty dollars a square footfor building new construction right now. So
when when you start seeing those numbersthat you know, some of those modulars
and mobile homes are in the onetwenty one forty one sixty range. But
when you take their square foot andyou divide it out, it's still cheaper

(01:25:59):
than stick construction, right right,right right. I'm just wearing my options
for make a choice. But anotherthing about that, when I put that
on a property, it ain't likeI'm in no homeowners Association. I ain't
got a lot of HLA rules,you know, yep, where you looking
at putting one? What part ofthe country Georgetown? Okay? You know

(01:26:25):
you wouldn't need the hurricane rating thatthat helps lower the cost of it quite
a bit. Uh. And there'sa couple of the manufacturers that are actually
up in that direction, and sothat helps on delivery fees as well.
Right right, I'm just wondering whatyou knew about it. I've been you
know, contemplating the last two orthree months or getting ready to make a

(01:26:47):
move, probably sometime first quarter ofthe year. Twenty four. So okay,
I appreciate the help you bet youtake care of Jay, have the
merry Christmas thanks to you. Thankyou, and you know, let's be
real here. I know a lotof people don't care for mobile homes and

(01:27:08):
modulars and stuff like that, butthey are, like I said, they've
really been upgraded the last few years. Some of the cities that abandon them
really ought to be looking at howthey can incorporate them and have them look
better. I think if the modularand mobile home companies would get rid of

(01:27:29):
the siding that they always use andgo with a real siding, one that's
going to hold up, they wouldbe so much better off. But they
don't, and they're going to continueto have that bad reputation as long as
they don't do that. But youknow, if they would start putting on
a James Hardy siding or some othertype of siding along those lines, make

(01:27:53):
it where the siding comes down enoughwhere when you set the beams down on
the concrete is hidden almost like across space home, you wouldn't be able
to tell the difference. It reallycould be made to look like a regular
home, and in cities do awaywith the mobile home park, make them

(01:28:15):
put them on regular lots. Anyways, my two cents for the afternoon.
We'll be back in a moment withmore Texas Home improvement. Ready Seal.
You know, if you're going tobuild a mobile home, you want to
put in a nice deck outside ofit. Maybe you want to build a
gazebo on the property you have.Now you got a new fence, you

(01:28:36):
want to keep it looking new.You need to take a look at ready
seal. I've got a fence.It's on a property I just sold.
That fence had been there for eighteenyears. Same fence looked gorgeous. Didn't
have to do a thing to itto get the property ready to sell.
Why because I keep Ready Seal onit. Far and away the best product

(01:28:56):
for staining a fence, a deck, or any outdoor wood surface and Ready
Seal It's a wood stain and sealerin one. You can spray it on,
roll it on, brush it on. It soaks deep down into the
wood fibers, protecting the wood.Waterproofing oils. That creates that flexible barrier
and keeps the moisture out. Andthis is the easiest to do it yourself.

(01:29:16):
Project you will ever find because youdon't have to worry about runs,
laps, streaks. As it soaksin, all that disappears. So you're
looking for a product to protect anyoutdoor lumber, and it doesn't matter if
it's cedar treated, just yellow pinedoesn't matter. Ready Seal is what you're
looking for. You can find itat the box stores like Lows and Home

(01:29:39):
Depot, lumberyards, hardware stores,or just go to readyseal dot com to
find a store nearest to you.At floor Endcor we know pro as your
one stop source. We deliver everydaysavings on over a million square feet of
instock flooring tools and installation materials.See how our flooring experts can help save
you time money with our best inclass selection at rock bottom prices and with

(01:30:02):
pro level benefits like our dedicated Proservice Team, Pro Hotline, Pro Premier
Financing and unbeatable Pro Loyalty program.You get what you need, when you
need it, where you need it. Come discover floor en Decore where we
know pro Ah. You've heard mesay it for years. When it comes
to insulation, phone works best inthe walls, and when it comes to

(01:30:25):
putting it into your walls, youneed to call USA Insulation. They have
a proprietary non expansive phone they caninject right into the walls of your existing
home. You'll get the best ourvalue. It has a great fire rating
and cancels up to eighty percent ofthe noise as well. Call USA Insulation
at three four six two nine seventwenty eight hundred. That's three four six

(01:30:49):
two nine seven twenty eight hundred,or just go to thchi pro dot com
and click on the link to USAInsulation. When Jim Dunton recommends a contractor,
he won't steer you wrong. Dylan, Hey, Jim's falling in real
quick about one of your trusted contractors, Texas Remodel Teams. We've been working

(01:31:10):
with them for four or five yearsnow, just project after project. He's
the only guy we call. Andthey did a great job on an outdoor
kitchen for us, huge patio extension, outdoor fireplace the kitchen as well.
Nothing but good things to say aboutthem. Were constantly spreading the good word
regarding their team from our neighbors.It really is a good time to get

(01:31:30):
things done around the house with TexasRemodel team. If you're needing any type
of remodeling, whether it's just aroom edition or an outdoor kitchen, or
maybe just a patio cover. Highlyrecommended. Call Texas Remodel Team now at
two eight one six one two fivenine nine one. That's two eight one
six one two five nine nine oneour click the link at thhipro dot com.

(01:31:58):
The in laws are coming from theholidays. If you're in charge of
toasting your mother in law at thedinner, make sure you have a big
enough toaster. Here's more Texas HomeImprovement with Jim dot no Ah. Welcome
back to Texas Home Improvement, yourtotal home improvement source. And we're about

(01:32:20):
out of time, so we won'ttake any more calls, but I would
like to take this opportunity to againrecommend thchi pro dot com. It's there
is a resource to help you outtwenty four seven. So anytime you're thinking
about a project, getting ready tostart a project, or in the middle
of it and you have questions,you can always go to thhipro dot com

(01:32:43):
and get a lot of information.And that's where you'll find the links.
All the people you hear me talkabout, you know, I noticed you'll
notice I don't typically give their webaddresses. And that's because when you go
to tchipro dot com, I've gotthem all there for you and there's no
mistaking that you're getting the right contractorsones I've checked out and made sure we'll

(01:33:04):
do a great job for you.With that, hey, have a merry
Christmas. If you got some moreChristmas shopping to do, it's time to
head out the door and get thingsgoing because you're down to one week,
so let's let's get things going.Have a great week. We'll talk with
you again tomorrow starting at two o'clockright here on seven forty krh Ah Woodland's

(01:33:42):
Water Restoration. You know this isthe company that you want to write the
phone number down. I hope younever need it, but if you do,
you want to make sure you havethis number. And why would you
need it Because you've had a disasterof some kind, whether it's water damage,
fire, mold, flooding. Uh. You know, water damage can
just be a broken pipe, moldcan just be underneath a cabinet. But

(01:34:05):
you got to have a company youcan trust to rebuild the property. You've
got to have a company who candeal with the insurance company. Make sure
you get all the coverage you've gotcoming. And that is what Woodland's Water
Restoration does. I've used their servicesmultiple times. I've recommended them to a
lot of people who've used their services, and let me tell you, if

(01:34:26):
you have the number when you needit, you won't be sorry. So
two eight one five seven six eightfour five nine. That's two eight one
five seven six eight four five ninefor Woodlands Water Restoration.