November 19, 2023 • 26 mins
Ever wondered whether you should don those gloves and tackle that home improvement project yourself or hire a pro instead? Ponder no more! Join us, your hosts Donnie Blanchard and Eric Smith, as we navigate the exciting terrain of home improvements. In our latest episode, we kick things off with a chat about how our Carolina weather can impact our work, and Donnie shares his intriguing stint as a general contractor on A&E's "5050 Flip". Oh, and a huge shoutout to all our listeners for the increased podcast downloads - your support is the fuel to our fire! Don't forget to visit our website for a nifty arrangement of show topics, our social media links, and the "Ask the Contractor" feature.
In the DIY vs Hiring a Pro ring, we arm you with some interesting statistics, and throw light on how millennials are leading the DIY charge. We also share our personal adventures of DIY appliance installations, from garbage disposals to toilets, and offer practical advice on when it's best to call in the big guns. Listen to our real-world experiences and get ready for a smorgasbord of useful insights and a hearty dose of fun. So, whether you're a DIY enthusiast, a professional, or just someone who enjoys a good home improvement chat, we've got you covered!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Carolina Contractor Show with
your host, general ContractorDonnie Blanchard, brought to you
by GAF, the world's largestroofing manufacturer, gaf.
We protect what matters most.
It might be hot and humid, butthat's not going to stop us from
(00:22):
sitting in an air-conditionedroom and doing our show.
Welcome to the CarolinaContractor Show.
My name is Eric Smith.
I do inside sales for homebuilder supply in Wilson.
Across from me, also inair-conditioning, is Mr Donnie
Blanchard.
He's a general contractor andalso owner of Sure Top Roofing.
How are your boys adjusting tothe heat?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, they actually prefer the heat over the cold.
But yeah, I think just thehuman element of it all.
I feel really bad on thesereally hot days and so we've
been calling it at mid-afternoonor so, and you can only get so
much done this time of year.
It's just not a great time toput on a roof.
The only guys that work fulldays are all in the shade all
day.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Exactly, or sitting inside the AC like I do.
All right, so I want everybodyto understand that not only are
you a general contractor, donnie, but I like to refer to you as
a future TV star, because you'vebeen filming a show for A&E and
you're part of it.
Do you want to explain topeople the TV show that you're
affiliated with, for those whomight be new to the Carolina
(01:18):
Contractor Show, you had to putthe pressure on me right out of
the gate.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Only you, only you.
I am far from a TV star, but Ihad the privilege to be asked to
do the general contractor gigon a show called 5050 Flip that
airs on A&E.
A piece of interesting news isthat Hulu actually bought the
rights to the show recently, soit will be airing on Hulu as
well as A&E come January.
And the good, the better newsis that we finished filming in
(01:43):
about two or three weeks.
So it's been a long ride sixmonths flipping ten houses,
along with everything else thatI have going on and when I say a
long ride, I really can't putinto words just how tough it's
been.
But we made it and it was aheck of an experience.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Alright.
When should those shows startairing on TV where us little
folk can see them?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So January is the projected date that hadn't been
set in stone yet.
Basically, when we finisheverything in the field, the
ball will be in productionscourt.
So they will do all theproducing and all the back end
stuff in the next three monthsand they think that by the
beginning of the year we shouldbe ready to go For people also
who aren't familiar with theshow.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
they did an episode with us you call it B Story and
they filmed the CarolinaContractor Show in the studio
and they like doing that.
Did the B-Polytes like that?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Very exciting stuff and we were honored that they
actually wanted to do that.
They called it a field trip andthey basically brought the
whole production team to ourstudio and I think we filmed for
what five or six hours At least.
I don't know how much contentwill actually come out of that
five or six hours.
But it's a wonderful feeling,because you and I put so much
work into the show, that we getto air this thing on national
(02:52):
television.
And I can't say that nationalTV is not going to help my
roofing company or my buildingbusiness because I'm not
interested in leaving NorthCarolina, but in terms of
something like what we've beendoing for the last four years,
it could be a heck of apromotion for the Carolina
Contractor Show.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, and if you're not familiar with what we do on
the Carolina Contractor Show,the best they can do is start at
our website.
It's thecarolinacontractorcom.
One of the things you can doand we'll get into this in a
second is download old shows.
We have them organized bysubjects so if you want to learn
about your roof or plumbing ormaybe some general questions
people had about their house wedid a whole show on you can find
(03:28):
that.
Download them and listen tothem at your own time.
We've also got our social medialinks Facebook and IG and
YouTube videos.
Also, if you have a questionabout your house and it doesn't
have to be about a roof, likeDonnie would know anything about
your house the inside, theoutside, the top, the bottom you
can click on a little buttoncalled Ask the Contractor and it
goes to Donnie and he'll answerthose questions and we like to.
(03:49):
He'll always answer yourspecific question back when he
gets time, but we like to do ashow every now and then.
That's just nothing but thosequestions.
But you found some new updatesabout the podcast downloads
going on.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that, because our
podcast downloads have exploded.
I think I mentioned in lastweek's show that they maybe
doubled, and I want to say thefollow-up week they tripled, and
so I have no idea what's goingon there.
But nonetheless, thank you toeverybody who supports the show
because, like I mentioned beforeyou and I put a lot of work
into this thing and it's justnice to see that people notice.
And, of course, if you're goingto put content out there, if
(04:23):
people are digesting thatcontent, then that's just a win
for everybody.
So it motivates me.
I have a lot of fun doing this.
I know you do too Goodconversation at church, like you
said, they come up to you.
Hey, eric, heard what you saidlast week about this and you
know I'm in the supply house orjust talking to a subcontractor,
or I think we did the show inBig Box versus Building Supply
(04:44):
not long ago and the folks thatI deal with I called them out by
name so I got individual thankyou calls for those and I don't
know.
I just think the show is a goodthing for everybody, especially
on a local level.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
We kind of joke, donnie, that our show is like
sports center for DIYers Peoplewho like to putter in their
garages, fix things, install newthings, some things you can do
yourself and it's pretty easyYou'd probably agree with that
and some stuff you might go I'mgoing to call a pro and let them
do this home improvement orthis project for me.
So we're kind of calling thisagain the sports center for
(05:16):
DIYers and you would want tostart off a show with a little
pregame and you've got somestats about DIY projects.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, I was browsing the internet just seeing if
there was anything out there andI was surprised, because they
did have a nice list of statsthat are super relevant to what
we're going to talk about today.
But I'll just dive right in.
The one thing that surprised methe most is that millennials
are leading the DIYers.
So if you look at the pie chart, the millennials are the most
handy around the house, and Ijust wouldn't think that because
(05:44):
you know the old timersdefinitely had more experience
with hands on.
But I guess an easy answer towhy that is is, you know, they
have better backs and less money.
So a couple of other thingsthat they followed up with is
that most DIY injuries happen inthe summer.
So I don't know the reasoningbehind that, but just a stat
they threw out there.
People are using small DIYprojects as a means to beat
(06:05):
stress.
I'm all in favor of that,because nothing bad can as long
as there's no injuries.
Nothing bad comes from that.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And I think the DIY injuries happen more in the
summer, because the summertimeis when most DIY projects are
happening.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
No, that makes perfect sense, common sense.
The other stat that theymentioned is that social
platforms social media platforms, that is, they're making DIY
projects extremely popular.
And I did read another thingthat Instagram alone had 20
billion dollars in advertisingmoney coming in just through
their ads.
So a lot of these ads aretailored towards DIY projects,
(06:39):
home renovation and that sort ofthing.
And I do know that when westarted filming the TV show, you
kind of wonder why A&E wouldgravitate towards home
renovation shows, because itused to only be HDTV and the DIY
channel, but other networkshave gotten in on that, because
per what they told me is thateverybody wants to consume the
(07:00):
home renovation and DIY, so theycan see the numbers for what
people tune into.
And that is why, other thanHDTV and DIY network, that other
platforms are getting involved.
So that stat makes perfectsense.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Now, donnie, another thing that was very interesting
to me is it said the averageAmerican home has nine DIY
projects or jobs that need to bedone.
If you're me, it's more thanthat.
But hopefully today, one of thethings we can do is show you
how to tackle some of thoseprojects and mark them off your
list, because we always tend tohave some loose ends.
I've got like three, withoutnaming them specifically.
(07:36):
Donnie, do you have like a fewloose end projects you need to
get taken care of?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I was gonna say I just want to meet the man who
has only nine Honeydew projectsaround the house, because that's
strong, that is very strong.
I did keto a few years back andI cut my sugar out, had all
kinds of energy and I want tosay I had about a 40 item list
that I knocked down in about twoor three weekends.
I was just an animal.
But I think the average man,average homeowner nine is a
conservative number.
(08:00):
So I agree with you there.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yeah, that's if you're counting things like trim
the bushes or fix that looseconnection on a light.
But if you're talking a majorDIY repair, I think everybody
has a few, and most Americansnot the overwhelming majority,
but the majority Americans feelthat their house is always a
work in progress.
But when it comes to repairs andmaintenance, it naturally will
(08:21):
be, because every couple months,and let alone every few years,
you've got something that's gotto be taken care of.
And we've talked about that on.
Past shows that if you buy ahouse unlike renting a house or
an apartment where you just madea phone call and said, hey, my
sink's clogged up or I need thisfixed you got to take care of
it yourself, and unless you havea lot of money, you've got to
learn how to do these thingsyourself also.
(08:43):
And then the other stat you hadthat was cool was 36% of
Americans took on a project tomake their space more enjoyable,
and I think that's the mainreason we want to do DIY
projects improve, sometimesaesthetically, the look of our
house or a room or just make itmore comfortable to live in,
because that's where we spendmost of our time is in a house.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, I love that, and most of the time projects do
come out of necessity, wherethe wife says, hey, I want, how
about this?
This would really improve oursituation in the kitchen or the
husband has something outside,and not to limit husbands to
outside work.
That's normally how it goes andI just love anything that comes
out of necessity, becausemaking your quality of life
(09:25):
better and easier is a realthing and you really can't put a
price on that.
I was reading down below thatwhere it said that Americans and
we'll get into this later, butAmericans usually take on
smaller DIY projects that costunder $5,000.
, I think if you're not veryhandy, that might be a good way
to gauge whether you should takeit on or hire a contractor.
Does it exceed that $5,000 markand usually projects over that
(09:48):
$10,000, $20,000, you're goingto need an extra hand.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
All right, well, that's perfect.
How we can get into today'sepisode, donnie, is do it
yourself or call a pro.
So it's common for retailers ofappliances and home goods we
talked about big box stores tooffer installation of their
product that you've bought fromthe store, whether it be a
refrigerator or a generalappliance, or even roofing and
(10:12):
plumbing supplies.
They can recommend it andthey've got a betting process
that buries.
Some retailers say, hey, wewere going to have a licensed
person that does this, othersjust contract that work out.
So the overall question is itworth the money to have a pro
install an appliance or a homegood versus doing it yourself?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
give us a couple of the pros there, donnie A couple
of the pros is that it may leadto a faster install.
Depending on which trader,which appliance you buy and pay
them to put it in, you know itcould be faster, easier.
It's a one stop shop kind ofthing.
The warranties are sometimesincluded and on workmanship.
So if you're going through abig box store, for instance, and
they bring their people in, youknow they may not have the same
(10:55):
type of warranty as, say, acertified contractor, and I
guess if there's another pro tothrow in there, hmm, they
usually carry all the tools,backup supplies needed, so if
something doesn't go quite rightthen they can still get that in
there.
There's no run into the storethree or four times to get the
tools in the parts.
So the day that they come isusually the day that they finish
.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, so go ahead.
Everybody out there in RadioLand raise your hand.
If you've ever started aproject and ended up going back
to the store two or three timesover that same weekend just to
get it done, we've all done it.
We've all been there.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
I like walking by the folks and say the plumbing or
the HVAC section, and you canjust see them there puzzled.
You can obviously tell they'renot a subcontractor and you know
they're trying to take on thisSaturday project.
That just whipped them.
And I'm always tempted to say,man, can I, can I help you with
something?
But I've got somewhere to be.
So I just politely, you know,keep walking, do my thing.
But I hate to see the puzzledlook because I do want to help.
(11:48):
One of the cons that jumps outto me and is that it can be
really expensive, so sometimesmore than what you're paying for
the product that you'll pay tohave it installed, and not
necessarily with the roofing,but I will say as a whole,
because they do sell roofing asturnkey at some of the big box
stores.
Average house is 25, 30 squares.
They can be as much as $200 persquare, so you're talking a
(12:08):
$6000 swing on a house to paythe big box store and people
just don't realize that.
They think, well, I'll just I'mbuying my shingles directly and
then I'm paying them to put iton and they don't do their due
diligence to have another quoteout there and especially with a
certified contractor.
But we saw that a lot and thatgained a lot of popularity about
10 years ago and I think thatyou know folks got wise.
A lot of the storm chasersforced people to contact
(12:30):
multiple subcontractors for thattrade, so that somewhat solved
that problem.
And I have a contact at a bigbox store that said they do not
sell the roofing packages thatthey used to.
And I'm thinking, well, geewhiz, you could knock your price
down a couple of few thousanddollars and still make way more
than I make and have plenty ofbusiness.
But that's their decision tomake.
The installers a lot of timesmake mistakes.
So your recourse may be limitedand I think the thing to advise
(12:53):
people is to ask the rightquestion.
Like we said on the even on thepros what's the warranty,
what's the workmanship?
And if this doesn't go well andI have a problem in three or
four weeks, are you coming backto fix it or replace it?
And I'll just say the lastthing is you're at the mercy of
their schedule, so you may haveto wait weeks, if not months,
depending on their appliancesout there right now that are
(13:13):
still back ordered for as muchas three to six months, and I've
heard some horror stories so,like I mentioned a second ago,
always important to ask theright question.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So this is a Carolina contractor showing.
What we're talking about is DIYprojects and when you should
call a pro that's why we'rementioned big box stores you can
have them install it.
We're the halfway point of theshow, donnie.
Let's list some things thatpeople can make that decision on
.
We're not going to hit theobvious things like there are
certain projects that are easychanging light bulbs.
(13:42):
We're not going to do a DIY onthat.
I bet you, by the way, youcould find someone who would
charge you to install it.
But I'm not also picking onlows, I'm just going to use them
an example, because theinformation was readily
available and it's public theprices that I'm going to be
quoting, or what I found onlinein June of 2023 and this is at
the Wilson, north Carolina storedepending on where you are, it
(14:05):
might be different and the othervariables, like free install if
you spend a certain amount, orif you finance with a retail
credit card or you wait for acertain sale, you can get a
special deal on the install.
So I'm going to start off withsomething that people don't
think about, but I've had to dothis twice garbage disposal.
I'm going to classify the levelof changing out a disposal as a
(14:27):
medium, because you usuallydon't have pressurized water
going to it.
Cabinets can be a cramped spaceto work in, but here's the
price.
I found the cost of an installwas $155.
The cost of the actual garbagedisposal starts at $115.
So right off the bat you cansee that there's a $40
(14:48):
difference between the price ofthe actual product that then
have a pro come in and installit.
Have you ever done a garbagedisposal?
Speaker 2 (14:55):
install.
I live in the country and it'salways been a rule of thumb that
you don't do a disposal on aseptic tank.
They have since come out withenzymes that you can put in into
your septic system.
That'll make a disposal workokay.
I don't see the big deal but no, I've never put one in my
personal house.
But I did look at that numberthat you put down and that $155
(15:16):
for a plumber to come out foryou know he's got to drive there
, he's got to have the parts,he's got to drive back home and
I will say $155 sounds prettydarn attractive.
And the thing that makes mequestion, that is, I don't know
many plumbers that come out forless than a couple hundred
dollars.
So if they're doing that, andthey must be getting plenty of
work to offset the low rate, sothat would make me question that
(15:37):
we're making an assumptionthere.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
It's a licensed plumber.
Maybe sometimes we can getLowe's who, by the way, is not a
sponsor of the show, but itshould be come on and talk about
how they do that vettingprocess.
But could it be just a generalhandyman without a plumbing
license to put in one of those?
Absolutely, you said you put intwo, right, yeah, it's a space
to work in and it really helpshave two people to do it.
Unhook a couple PVC drains andusually hard wire it in and
(16:03):
you're back in business.
Have you done a dishwasher?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, Dishwashers are not verycomplicated.
I'd say the biggest thing to becareful of if you're going to
tackle this one is the hardwiredconnection.
So you'll want to find thebreaker for the dishwasher.
Make sure that there's nohardwired connection.
And other than that, you havebasically a supply and a drain
for the water.
It ties right into the supplyfor the sink, usually because
(16:28):
it's right there to the right orleft, adjacent to the kitchen
sink.
So all those, especially if youalready had a dishwasher in
place, should be there and easyto tie into.
But yeah, that electricalconnection, I'd say find it on
the new dishwasher before youpull the old one out, so that
it's a seamless transition.
And other than that, I thinkthat's totally DIY.
Another thing I want to callout is, depending on what kind
(16:49):
of countertops you have, there'snormally a little screw or an
anchor that you have to anchorthe front most part of that
dishwasher into.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
So identify all that before you pull the old one out
of the hole and lots of videoson how to remove a dishwasher so
you can remove it yourself.
Call your local city todetermine if they'll take it
away for free.
A lot of places will take itaway for about a $50 fee, but
sometimes your city will do itfor no charge at all.
Next appliance is the oven.
I could not find an installprice for it at the Lowson
(17:19):
Wilson.
I've had mine replaced.
They did list they would takean oven away for $50, sometimes
free if you bought one of theirovens.
Now you think an oven Donnie is, slide the old one out, put the
new one in place, plug it inand you're in business.
Years ago I had my oven put inand the guys came in, backed the
old one out and then he lookedat me and says I can't do
(17:39):
anymore.
And I went.
Why?
I said because it's hardwiredin and that requires an
electrician.
And I'm not here as anelectrician, I'm here as a
contractor.
And he said the good news is Iam actually a licensed
electrician so I can tell youwhat you need to do.
Go back to Lows, ask for thisgirl, tell her you need this box
(18:00):
, bring it back, wire the hot tothe hot, ground to the ground.
Connect it to the wall andyou'll be ready to go.
Easy thing to do.
But verify does yours just havea standard plug-in into the
wall?
I don't see why you would wantto pay anybody to install it.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
That draws a bit of skepticism on my end, because
I'm wondering why somebody withan electrical license would be
working at Lows.
So maybe he's semi-retired, buteverybody with a license that I
know is in super high demandand they're probably the highest
paid subcontractor in my world.
So yeah, I don't know, maybehis advice is good and I just
had to throw that out there,because an oven is a 220
connection that will fry you Allright, let's move over to
(18:37):
something that you don't thinkabout this, but it's a toilet.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
With this I have one funny story tied to it.
I bought and installed a newtoilet upstairs years ago and
when I was carrying the literaltoilet not with a tank on it,
just the base up the stairs, mywife said that toilet has no
idea the pain and evil that's instore for it once it gets
installed.
Here's the thing with a toilet,whether determining whether you
(19:03):
want to install it yourself orcall a pro.
You have pressurized waterlines going to it.
You have non-pressurized waterconnections.
You have a drain system and ifyou don't get it set correctly
you can have a leak and not knowabout it from the base.
If you don't do the floor waxseal properly, you can have a
leak there.
If you use too much pressuretightening stuff down, you can
(19:26):
crack it on the install.
It is a heavy item.
It's not difficult to actuallydo the install but according to
Lowe's website back in June,$1,800, toilets run $94 to
$1,500.
So if you bought a veryexpensive toilet I would say
(19:47):
dealing with pressurized waterand a drain system, I'm calling
a pro.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Agreed All day long.
A toilet is the one thing.
Even though the difficulty toswap one out isn't crazy, I
would say that that's probablythe most important fixture in
your house that needs someonewho's done it before, because if
you don't set it right on thewax seal or, like you mentioned,
if you crack the toilet bytightening the screws down too
hard or say that the tank andthe bowl don't go together
(20:13):
properly, there's just so manythings that can leak and close
without going under immediately.
Water from a toilet is not thewater that you want on your
bathroom floor, so I'm all aboutpaying somebody to do that and
it, like I said, it's cheap andeasy.
New wax seal is really all thatyou need besides a new toilet,
and there's enough Internetfootage out there that you could
probably get some decentguidance.
(20:33):
But, like I mentioned, forpeace of mind's sake I would
rather hire a pro.
All right, donnie Washer dryer,have you done both, or either?
Both yeah absolutely more than Iwould like to admit.
We, you know 15 kids over here,so laundry is a real thing, and
I think we're on our Fourthwasher dryer since we moved into
the house.
So, yeah, that that's not a bigdeal.
(20:54):
I would say that new hoses maybe the only thing to swap out,
and whether or not your dryervent hose is adequate, and that
usually the connection is justWhatever the builder decided to
give you, and there's usually avulnerable part at the dryer
connection.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
You want to make sure that that that vent is not
pinched or compromised 100% andthe website for Lowe's and
Wilson did not have an installprice listed.
They will take away your oldwasher dryer for 50 bucks.
You might want a hand truck,but to me I've had them replaced
.
I have them deliver mine andtow my old one out to the street
when they did it.
But you're right, for thewasher dryer it's a hot water
(21:30):
connection.
Plug it in, make sure yourdrain line, which is very simple
, usually just drops into a hole, and then the dryer vent,
having a good connection there.
The cost of a Washer and dryers300 bucks if you find a great
deal, but we know they can go upto four $5,000 real, quick,
real.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I will say on the $5,000 that the more expensive
washer and dryers definitelywant to read the manual, maybe
ask the right advice, becausethose have a few bells and
whistles that the averagehomeowner might want to address
before just swapping those out.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Now get this, donnie.
Microwave ovens yes, you canactually pay someone to install
a microwave.
Now.
Now, most microwave ovens areusually sitting on a countertop
or there's some places in ahouse that it's Mounted about
head high.
You can get them above a rangeor an oven and Maybe that
requires a custom install.
(22:18):
But to me, a microwave oven issomething you unplug the old one
, plug the new one in, if yourmeasurements are correct, and
you're back in business.
Get this.
The cost to install it waslisted at $179 and you could buy
the microwave itself, or Priceis starting as low as $50.
(22:39):
Would you ever pay that much tohave someone install a $50?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
mic.
That makes me think that thoseare the microwaves that act as a
Event over the cooktop as well.
So maybe a hundred and eightydollars if you have to install
one and vent it out of the houseand that sort of thing would
Justify a hundred and seventynine, eighty bucks.
But I'm guessing that the $50microwaves are probably the
countertop microwaves and but,but no, I would not pay that,
(23:04):
even though it's heavy.
I'd call a neighbor or a friendand it's.
You know, most people havetheir microwaves over the
cooktop, set on recirculate, sothey're not actually vented to
the outside.
But yeah, that's ridiculous.
That's.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
That's as upside down as those numbers can get all
right, donnie, the last DIY,this one I did my.
I did not do myself, but thiswas a storm door.
The reason I let them installit is because the people that
usually install Storm doors inthis case from Lowe's, which is
where I got mine They've done ita hundred or a thousand times.
(23:36):
They know little things thatcan pop up based on how you're
framing your doorway is littlethings they can do for shortcuts
to get it in faster.
But install also came with aguarantee.
So he said one year.
If some of the workmanship isn'tright or it's not closing
correctly, call us back.
The cost to install it was ahundred and forty nine dollars
(23:57):
and the product range is twohundred to fifteen hundred
dollars plus.
So if you know what you'redoing, you can install these
yourself.
But I love to have theassurance of one year on parts
and labor.
And the guy came in.
I would say it took him thirtyfive minutes from start to
finish to have that door in andit's worked perfectly ever since
(24:18):
right.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
No, I agree with that wholeheartedly.
And a storm door, as easy as itmay look, they're, you know
several things that can go wrongthere because it's not a
one-size-fits-all, and so it'stheir job, once you put that on
them, to figure it out, andfigure out the weather stripping
and the way that it latches andMake sure everything works
smooth before they leave.
So Definitely think that that'sworth it, especially on
something like a storm door.
(24:40):
And people have in their mindthat a storm door is much
Cheaper than they really are.
But a big sheet of glass withaluminum wrapped around it.
It is not an inexpensive itemat all.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
The most inexpensive are Two, three hundred bucks,
the ones that you usually see ondemo floors.
You're talking 750 to fifteenhundred dollars to install one
of those.
I know that from experience.
They're usually custom orderedand you wait a couple weeks to
get it.
I hope this information onsomething you might decide I
could probably do this or call apro will help.
(25:10):
But there's some stuff we didn'ttackle today that we want to do
on a future show, and those arethe big things bathroom
vanities, kitchen cabinets,countertops, windows, roofing,
flooring, painting.
There's a whole bunch of thingsthat, in our opinion, you
really should consider hiring acontractor before you even do it
.
So I say, dining in the future,we need to do a show that's
(25:32):
just going to concentrate onthose projects themselves and
some steps homeowners shouldtake before Venturing into the
world of big.
Agreed, let's tackle it nextweek, what do you think?
I think that's a great idea.
We'll do that.
So we hope you come back nextweek and check us out for that
episode again.
Go to the website to learnabout us and download this
episode of the show as soon aswe get it up and past.
(25:52):
Ones Website address is theCarolina contractor,
contractorcom, and we will seeyou next week.
Thanks everybody.
Thanks for listening to theCarolina contractor show.
Learn more at the carolinacontractorcom Brought to you by
GAF.
We protect what matters most.
(26:14):
If you suspect a severethunderstorm or hail storm is
damaged your roof, contact shirttop roofing.
They'll inspect your roof,document any damage and repair
it quickly.
Shirt top roofing, your localGAF master elite certified
roofer.
Visit shirtoproofingcom you.
Welcome to the Carolina Contractor Show with
your host, general ContractorDonnie Blanchard, brought to you
by GAF, the world's largestroofing manufacturer, gaf.
We protect what matters most.
It might be hot and humid, butthat's not going to stop us from
(00:22):
sitting in an air-conditionedroom and doing our show.
Welcome to the CarolinaContractor Show.
My name is Eric Smith.
I do inside sales for homebuilder supply in Wilson.
Across from me, also inair-conditioning, is Mr Donnie
Blanchard.
He's a general contractor andalso owner of Sure Top Roofing.
How are your boys adjusting tothe heat?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, they actually prefer the heat over the cold.
But yeah, I think just thehuman element of it all.
I feel really bad on thesereally hot days and so we've
been calling it at mid-afternoonor so, and you can only get so
much done this time of year.
It's just not a great time toput on a roof.
The only guys that work fulldays are all in the shade all
day.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Exactly, or sitting inside the AC like I do.
All right, so I want everybodyto understand that not only are
you a general contractor, donnie, but I like to refer to you as
a future TV star, because you'vebeen filming a show for A&E and
you're part of it.
Do you want to explain topeople the TV show that you're
affiliated with, for those whomight be new to the Carolina
(01:18):
Contractor Show, you had to putthe pressure on me right out of
the gate.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Only you, only you.
I am far from a TV star, but Ihad the privilege to be asked to
do the general contractor gigon a show called 5050 Flip that
airs on A&E.
A piece of interesting news isthat Hulu actually bought the
rights to the show recently, soit will be airing on Hulu as
well as A&E come January.
And the good, the better newsis that we finished filming in
(01:43):
about two or three weeks.
So it's been a long ride sixmonths flipping ten houses,
along with everything else thatI have going on and when I say a
long ride, I really can't putinto words just how tough it's
been.
But we made it and it was aheck of an experience.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Alright.
When should those shows startairing on TV where us little
folk can see them?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
So January is the projected date that hadn't been
set in stone yet.
Basically, when we finisheverything in the field, the
ball will be in productionscourt.
So they will do all theproducing and all the back end
stuff in the next three monthsand they think that by the
beginning of the year we shouldbe ready to go For people also
who aren't familiar with theshow.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
they did an episode with us you call it B Story and
they filmed the CarolinaContractor Show in the studio
and they like doing that.
Did the B-Polytes like that?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Very exciting stuff and we were honored that they
actually wanted to do that.
They called it a field trip andthey basically brought the
whole production team to ourstudio and I think we filmed for
what five or six hours At least.
I don't know how much contentwill actually come out of that
five or six hours.
But it's a wonderful feeling,because you and I put so much
work into the show, that we getto air this thing on national
(02:52):
television.
And I can't say that nationalTV is not going to help my
roofing company or my buildingbusiness because I'm not
interested in leaving NorthCarolina, but in terms of
something like what we've beendoing for the last four years,
it could be a heck of apromotion for the Carolina
Contractor Show.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Yeah, and if you're not familiar with what we do on
the Carolina Contractor Show,the best they can do is start at
our website.
It's thecarolinacontractorcom.
One of the things you can doand we'll get into this in a
second is download old shows.
We have them organized bysubjects so if you want to learn
about your roof or plumbing ormaybe some general questions
people had about their house wedid a whole show on you can find
(03:28):
that.
Download them and listen tothem at your own time.
We've also got our social medialinks Facebook and IG and
YouTube videos.
Also, if you have a questionabout your house and it doesn't
have to be about a roof, likeDonnie would know anything about
your house the inside, theoutside, the top, the bottom you
can click on a little buttoncalled Ask the Contractor and it
goes to Donnie and he'll answerthose questions and we like to.
(03:49):
He'll always answer yourspecific question back when he
gets time, but we like to do ashow every now and then.
That's just nothing but thosequestions.
But you found some new updatesabout the podcast downloads
going on.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that, because our
podcast downloads have exploded.
I think I mentioned in lastweek's show that they maybe
doubled, and I want to say thefollow-up week they tripled, and
so I have no idea what's goingon there.
But nonetheless, thank you toeverybody who supports the show
because, like I mentioned beforeyou and I put a lot of work
into this thing and it's justnice to see that people notice.
And, of course, if you're goingto put content out there, if
(04:23):
people are digesting thatcontent, then that's just a win
for everybody.
So it motivates me.
I have a lot of fun doing this.
I know you do too Goodconversation at church, like you
said, they come up to you.
Hey, eric, heard what you saidlast week about this and you
know I'm in the supply house orjust talking to a subcontractor,
or I think we did the show inBig Box versus Building Supply
(04:44):
not long ago and the folks thatI deal with I called them out by
name so I got individual thankyou calls for those and I don't
know.
I just think the show is a goodthing for everybody, especially
on a local level.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
We kind of joke, donnie, that our show is like
sports center for DIYers Peoplewho like to putter in their
garages, fix things, install newthings, some things you can do
yourself and it's pretty easyYou'd probably agree with that
and some stuff you might go I'mgoing to call a pro and let them
do this home improvement orthis project for me.
So we're kind of calling thisagain the sports center for
(05:16):
DIYers and you would want tostart off a show with a little
pregame and you've got somestats about DIY projects.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, I was browsing the internet just seeing if
there was anything out there andI was surprised, because they
did have a nice list of statsthat are super relevant to what
we're going to talk about today.
But I'll just dive right in.
The one thing that surprised methe most is that millennials
are leading the DIYers.
So if you look at the pie chart, the millennials are the most
handy around the house, and Ijust wouldn't think that because
(05:44):
you know the old timersdefinitely had more experience
with hands on.
But I guess an easy answer towhy that is is, you know, they
have better backs and less money.
So a couple of other thingsthat they followed up with is
that most DIY injuries happen inthe summer.
So I don't know the reasoningbehind that, but just a stat
they threw out there.
People are using small DIYprojects as a means to beat
(06:05):
stress.
I'm all in favor of that,because nothing bad can as long
as there's no injuries.
Nothing bad comes from that.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
And I think the DIY injuries happen more in the
summer, because the summertimeis when most DIY projects are
happening.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
No, that makes perfect sense, common sense.
The other stat that theymentioned is that social
platforms social media platforms, that is, they're making DIY
projects extremely popular.
And I did read another thingthat Instagram alone had 20
billion dollars in advertisingmoney coming in just through
their ads.
So a lot of these ads aretailored towards DIY projects,
(06:39):
home renovation and that sort ofthing.
And I do know that when westarted filming the TV show, you
kind of wonder why A&E wouldgravitate towards home
renovation shows, because itused to only be HDTV and the DIY
channel, but other networkshave gotten in on that, because
per what they told me is thateverybody wants to consume the
(07:00):
home renovation and DIY, so theycan see the numbers for what
people tune into.
And that is why, other thanHDTV and DIY network, that other
platforms are getting involved.
So that stat makes perfectsense.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Now, donnie, another thing that was very interesting
to me is it said the averageAmerican home has nine DIY
projects or jobs that need to bedone.
If you're me, it's more thanthat.
But hopefully today, one of thethings we can do is show you
how to tackle some of thoseprojects and mark them off your
list, because we always tend tohave some loose ends.
I've got like three, withoutnaming them specifically.
(07:36):
Donnie, do you have like a fewloose end projects you need to
get taken care of?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I was gonna say I just want to meet the man who
has only nine Honeydew projectsaround the house, because that's
strong, that is very strong.
I did keto a few years back andI cut my sugar out, had all
kinds of energy and I want tosay I had about a 40 item list
that I knocked down in about twoor three weekends.
I was just an animal.
But I think the average man,average homeowner nine is a
conservative number.
(08:00):
So I agree with you there.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yeah, that's if you're counting things like trim
the bushes or fix that looseconnection on a light.
But if you're talking a majorDIY repair, I think everybody
has a few, and most Americansnot the overwhelming majority,
but the majority Americans feelthat their house is always a
work in progress.
But when it comes to repairs andmaintenance, it naturally will
(08:21):
be, because every couple months,and let alone every few years,
you've got something that's gotto be taken care of.
And we've talked about that on.
Past shows that if you buy ahouse unlike renting a house or
an apartment where you just madea phone call and said, hey, my
sink's clogged up or I need thisfixed you got to take care of
it yourself, and unless you havea lot of money, you've got to
learn how to do these thingsyourself also.
(08:43):
And then the other stat you hadthat was cool was 36% of
Americans took on a project tomake their space more enjoyable,
and I think that's the mainreason we want to do DIY
projects improve, sometimesaesthetically, the look of our
house or a room or just make itmore comfortable to live in,
because that's where we spendmost of our time is in a house.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, I love that, and most of the time projects do
come out of necessity, wherethe wife says, hey, I want, how
about this?
This would really improve oursituation in the kitchen or the
husband has something outside,and not to limit husbands to
outside work.
That's normally how it goes andI just love anything that comes
out of necessity, becausemaking your quality of life
(09:25):
better and easier is a realthing and you really can't put a
price on that.
I was reading down below thatwhere it said that Americans and
we'll get into this later, butAmericans usually take on
smaller DIY projects that costunder $5,000.
, I think if you're not veryhandy, that might be a good way
to gauge whether you should takeit on or hire a contractor.
Does it exceed that $5,000 markand usually projects over that
(09:48):
$10,000, $20,000, you're goingto need an extra hand.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
All right, well, that's perfect.
How we can get into today'sepisode, donnie, is do it
yourself or call a pro.
So it's common for retailers ofappliances and home goods we
talked about big box stores tooffer installation of their
product that you've bought fromthe store, whether it be a
refrigerator or a generalappliance, or even roofing and
(10:12):
plumbing supplies.
They can recommend it andthey've got a betting process
that buries.
Some retailers say, hey, wewere going to have a licensed
person that does this, othersjust contract that work out.
So the overall question is itworth the money to have a pro
install an appliance or a homegood versus doing it yourself?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
give us a couple of the pros there, donnie A couple
of the pros is that it may leadto a faster install.
Depending on which trader,which appliance you buy and pay
them to put it in, you know itcould be faster, easier.
It's a one stop shop kind ofthing.
The warranties are sometimesincluded and on workmanship.
So if you're going through abig box store, for instance, and
they bring their people in, youknow they may not have the same
(10:55):
type of warranty as, say, acertified contractor, and I
guess if there's another pro tothrow in there, hmm, they
usually carry all the tools,backup supplies needed, so if
something doesn't go quite rightthen they can still get that in
there.
There's no run into the storethree or four times to get the
tools in the parts.
So the day that they come isusually the day that they finish
.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, so go ahead.
Everybody out there in RadioLand raise your hand.
If you've ever started aproject and ended up going back
to the store two or three timesover that same weekend just to
get it done, we've all done it.
We've all been there.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
I like walking by the folks and say the plumbing or
the HVAC section, and you canjust see them there puzzled.
You can obviously tell they'renot a subcontractor and you know
they're trying to take on thisSaturday project.
That just whipped them.
And I'm always tempted to say,man, can I, can I help you with
something?
But I've got somewhere to be.
So I just politely, you know,keep walking, do my thing.
But I hate to see the puzzledlook because I do want to help.
(11:48):
One of the cons that jumps outto me and is that it can be
really expensive, so sometimesmore than what you're paying for
the product that you'll pay tohave it installed, and not
necessarily with the roofing,but I will say as a whole,
because they do sell roofing asturnkey at some of the big box
stores.
Average house is 25, 30 squares.
They can be as much as $200 persquare, so you're talking a
(12:08):
$6000 swing on a house to paythe big box store and people
just don't realize that.
They think, well, I'll just I'mbuying my shingles directly and
then I'm paying them to put iton and they don't do their due
diligence to have another quoteout there and especially with a
certified contractor.
But we saw that a lot and thatgained a lot of popularity about
10 years ago and I think thatyou know folks got wise.
A lot of the storm chasersforced people to contact
(12:30):
multiple subcontractors for thattrade, so that somewhat solved
that problem.
And I have a contact at a bigbox store that said they do not
sell the roofing packages thatthey used to.
And I'm thinking, well, geewhiz, you could knock your price
down a couple of few thousanddollars and still make way more
than I make and have plenty ofbusiness.
But that's their decision tomake.
The installers a lot of timesmake mistakes.
So your recourse may be limitedand I think the thing to advise
(12:53):
people is to ask the rightquestion.
Like we said on the even on thepros what's the warranty,
what's the workmanship?
And if this doesn't go well andI have a problem in three or
four weeks, are you coming backto fix it or replace it?
And I'll just say the lastthing is you're at the mercy of
their schedule, so you may haveto wait weeks, if not months,
depending on their appliancesout there right now that are
(13:13):
still back ordered for as muchas three to six months, and I've
heard some horror stories so,like I mentioned a second ago,
always important to ask theright question.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So this is a Carolina contractor showing.
What we're talking about is DIYprojects and when you should
call a pro that's why we'rementioned big box stores you can
have them install it.
We're the halfway point of theshow, donnie.
Let's list some things thatpeople can make that decision on
.
We're not going to hit theobvious things like there are
certain projects that are easychanging light bulbs.
(13:42):
We're not going to do a DIY onthat.
I bet you, by the way, youcould find someone who would
charge you to install it.
But I'm not also picking onlows, I'm just going to use them
an example, because theinformation was readily
available and it's public theprices that I'm going to be
quoting, or what I found onlinein June of 2023 and this is at
the Wilson, north Carolina storedepending on where you are, it
(14:05):
might be different and the othervariables, like free install if
you spend a certain amount, orif you finance with a retail
credit card or you wait for acertain sale, you can get a
special deal on the install.
So I'm going to start off withsomething that people don't
think about, but I've had to dothis twice garbage disposal.
I'm going to classify the levelof changing out a disposal as a
(14:27):
medium, because you usuallydon't have pressurized water
going to it.
Cabinets can be a cramped spaceto work in, but here's the
price.
I found the cost of an installwas $155.
The cost of the actual garbagedisposal starts at $115.
So right off the bat you cansee that there's a $40
(14:48):
difference between the price ofthe actual product that then
have a pro come in and installit.
Have you ever done a garbagedisposal?
Speaker 2 (14:55):
install.
I live in the country and it'salways been a rule of thumb that
you don't do a disposal on aseptic tank.
They have since come out withenzymes that you can put in into
your septic system.
That'll make a disposal workokay.
I don't see the big deal but no, I've never put one in my
personal house.
But I did look at that numberthat you put down and that $155
(15:16):
for a plumber to come out foryou know he's got to drive there
, he's got to have the parts,he's got to drive back home and
I will say $155 sounds prettydarn attractive.
And the thing that makes mequestion, that is, I don't know
many plumbers that come out forless than a couple hundred
dollars.
So if they're doing that, andthey must be getting plenty of
work to offset the low rate, sothat would make me question that
(15:37):
we're making an assumptionthere.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
It's a licensed plumber.
Maybe sometimes we can getLowe's who, by the way, is not a
sponsor of the show, but itshould be come on and talk about
how they do that vettingprocess.
But could it be just a generalhandyman without a plumbing
license to put in one of those?
Absolutely, you said you put intwo, right, yeah, it's a space
to work in and it really helpshave two people to do it.
Unhook a couple PVC drains andusually hard wire it in and
(16:03):
you're back in business.
Have you done a dishwasher?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, Dishwashers are not verycomplicated.
I'd say the biggest thing to becareful of if you're going to
tackle this one is the hardwiredconnection.
So you'll want to find thebreaker for the dishwasher.
Make sure that there's nohardwired connection.
And other than that, you havebasically a supply and a drain
for the water.
It ties right into the supplyfor the sink, usually because
(16:28):
it's right there to the right orleft, adjacent to the kitchen
sink.
So all those, especially if youalready had a dishwasher in
place, should be there and easyto tie into.
But yeah, that electricalconnection, I'd say find it on
the new dishwasher before youpull the old one out, so that
it's a seamless transition.
And other than that, I thinkthat's totally DIY.
Another thing I want to callout is, depending on what kind
(16:49):
of countertops you have, there'snormally a little screw or an
anchor that you have to anchorthe front most part of that
dishwasher into.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
So identify all that before you pull the old one out
of the hole and lots of videoson how to remove a dishwasher so
you can remove it yourself.
Call your local city todetermine if they'll take it
away for free.
A lot of places will take itaway for about a $50 fee, but
sometimes your city will do itfor no charge at all.
Next appliance is the oven.
I could not find an installprice for it at the Lowson
(17:19):
Wilson.
I've had mine replaced.
They did list they would takean oven away for $50, sometimes
free if you bought one of theirovens.
Now you think an oven Donnie is, slide the old one out, put the
new one in place, plug it inand you're in business.
Years ago I had my oven put inand the guys came in, backed the
old one out and then he lookedat me and says I can't do
(17:39):
anymore.
And I went.
Why?
I said because it's hardwiredin and that requires an
electrician.
And I'm not here as anelectrician, I'm here as a
contractor.
And he said the good news is Iam actually a licensed
electrician so I can tell youwhat you need to do.
Go back to Lows, ask for thisgirl, tell her you need this box
(18:00):
, bring it back, wire the hot tothe hot, ground to the ground.
Connect it to the wall andyou'll be ready to go.
Easy thing to do.
But verify does yours just havea standard plug-in into the
wall?
I don't see why you would wantto pay anybody to install it.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
That draws a bit of skepticism on my end, because
I'm wondering why somebody withan electrical license would be
working at Lows.
So maybe he's semi-retired, buteverybody with a license that I
know is in super high demandand they're probably the highest
paid subcontractor in my world.
So yeah, I don't know, maybehis advice is good and I just
had to throw that out there,because an oven is a 220
connection that will fry you Allright, let's move over to
(18:37):
something that you don't thinkabout this, but it's a toilet.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
With this I have one funny story tied to it.
I bought and installed a newtoilet upstairs years ago and
when I was carrying the literaltoilet not with a tank on it,
just the base up the stairs, mywife said that toilet has no
idea the pain and evil that's instore for it once it gets
installed.
Here's the thing with a toilet,whether determining whether you
(19:03):
want to install it yourself orcall a pro.
You have pressurized waterlines going to it.
You have non-pressurized waterconnections.
You have a drain system and ifyou don't get it set correctly
you can have a leak and not knowabout it from the base.
If you don't do the floor waxseal properly, you can have a
leak there.
If you use too much pressuretightening stuff down, you can
(19:26):
crack it on the install.
It is a heavy item.
It's not difficult to actuallydo the install but according to
Lowe's website back in June,$1,800, toilets run $94 to
$1,500.
So if you bought a veryexpensive toilet I would say
(19:47):
dealing with pressurized waterand a drain system, I'm calling
a pro.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Agreed All day long.
A toilet is the one thing.
Even though the difficulty toswap one out isn't crazy, I
would say that that's probablythe most important fixture in
your house that needs someonewho's done it before, because if
you don't set it right on thewax seal or, like you mentioned,
if you crack the toilet bytightening the screws down too
hard or say that the tank andthe bowl don't go together
(20:13):
properly, there's just so manythings that can leak and close
without going under immediately.
Water from a toilet is not thewater that you want on your
bathroom floor, so I'm all aboutpaying somebody to do that and
it, like I said, it's cheap andeasy.
New wax seal is really all thatyou need besides a new toilet,
and there's enough Internetfootage out there that you could
probably get some decentguidance.
(20:33):
But, like I mentioned, forpeace of mind's sake I would
rather hire a pro.
All right, donnie Washer dryer,have you done both, or either?
Both yeah absolutely more than Iwould like to admit.
We, you know 15 kids over here,so laundry is a real thing, and
I think we're on our Fourthwasher dryer since we moved into
the house.
So, yeah, that that's not a bigdeal.
(20:54):
I would say that new hoses maybe the only thing to swap out,
and whether or not your dryervent hose is adequate, and that
usually the connection is justWhatever the builder decided to
give you, and there's usually avulnerable part at the dryer
connection.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
You want to make sure that that that vent is not
pinched or compromised 100% andthe website for Lowe's and
Wilson did not have an installprice listed.
They will take away your oldwasher dryer for 50 bucks.
You might want a hand truck,but to me I've had them replaced
.
I have them deliver mine andtow my old one out to the street
when they did it.
But you're right, for thewasher dryer it's a hot water
(21:30):
connection.
Plug it in, make sure yourdrain line, which is very simple
, usually just drops into a hole, and then the dryer vent,
having a good connection there.
The cost of a Washer and dryers300 bucks if you find a great
deal, but we know they can go upto four $5,000 real, quick,
real.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I will say on the $5,000 that the more expensive
washer and dryers definitelywant to read the manual, maybe
ask the right advice, becausethose have a few bells and
whistles that the averagehomeowner might want to address
before just swapping those out.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Now get this, donnie.
Microwave ovens yes, you canactually pay someone to install
a microwave.
Now.
Now, most microwave ovens areusually sitting on a countertop
or there's some places in ahouse that it's Mounted about
head high.
You can get them above a rangeor an oven and Maybe that
requires a custom install.
(22:18):
But to me, a microwave oven issomething you unplug the old one
, plug the new one in, if yourmeasurements are correct, and
you're back in business.
Get this.
The cost to install it waslisted at $179 and you could buy
the microwave itself, or Priceis starting as low as $50.
(22:39):
Would you ever pay that much tohave someone install a $50?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
mic.
That makes me think that thoseare the microwaves that act as a
Event over the cooktop as well.
So maybe a hundred and eightydollars if you have to install
one and vent it out of the houseand that sort of thing would
Justify a hundred and seventynine, eighty bucks.
But I'm guessing that the $50microwaves are probably the
countertop microwaves and but,but no, I would not pay that,
(23:04):
even though it's heavy.
I'd call a neighbor or a friendand it's.
You know, most people havetheir microwaves over the
cooktop, set on recirculate, sothey're not actually vented to
the outside.
But yeah, that's ridiculous.
That's.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
That's as upside down as those numbers can get all
right, donnie, the last DIY,this one I did my.
I did not do myself, but thiswas a storm door.
The reason I let them installit is because the people that
usually install Storm doors inthis case from Lowe's, which is
where I got mine They've done ita hundred or a thousand times.
(23:36):
They know little things thatcan pop up based on how you're
framing your doorway is littlethings they can do for shortcuts
to get it in faster.
But install also came with aguarantee.
So he said one year.
If some of the workmanship isn'tright or it's not closing
correctly, call us back.
The cost to install it was ahundred and forty nine dollars
(23:57):
and the product range is twohundred to fifteen hundred
dollars plus.
So if you know what you'redoing, you can install these
yourself.
But I love to have theassurance of one year on parts
and labor.
And the guy came in.
I would say it took him thirtyfive minutes from start to
finish to have that door in andit's worked perfectly ever since
(24:18):
right.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
No, I agree with that wholeheartedly.
And a storm door, as easy as itmay look, they're, you know
several things that can go wrongthere because it's not a
one-size-fits-all, and so it'stheir job, once you put that on
them, to figure it out, andfigure out the weather stripping
and the way that it latches andMake sure everything works
smooth before they leave.
So Definitely think that that'sworth it, especially on
something like a storm door.
(24:40):
And people have in their mindthat a storm door is much
Cheaper than they really are.
But a big sheet of glass withaluminum wrapped around it.
It is not an inexpensive itemat all.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
The most inexpensive are Two, three hundred bucks,
the ones that you usually see ondemo floors.
You're talking 750 to fifteenhundred dollars to install one
of those.
I know that from experience.
They're usually custom orderedand you wait a couple weeks to
get it.
I hope this information onsomething you might decide I
could probably do this or call apro will help.
(25:10):
But there's some stuff we didn'ttackle today that we want to do
on a future show, and those arethe big things bathroom
vanities, kitchen cabinets,countertops, windows, roofing,
flooring, painting.
There's a whole bunch of thingsthat, in our opinion, you
really should consider hiring acontractor before you even do it
.
So I say, dining in the future,we need to do a show that's
(25:32):
just going to concentrate onthose projects themselves and
some steps homeowners shouldtake before Venturing into the
world of big.
Agreed, let's tackle it nextweek, what do you think?
I think that's a great idea.
We'll do that.
So we hope you come back nextweek and check us out for that
episode again.
Go to the website to learnabout us and download this
episode of the show as soon aswe get it up and past.
(25:52):
Ones Website address is theCarolina contractor,
contractorcom, and we will seeyou next week.
Thanks everybody.
Thanks for listening to theCarolina contractor show.
Learn more at the carolinacontractorcom Brought to you by
GAF.
We protect what matters most.
(26:14):
If you suspect a severethunderstorm or hail storm is
damaged your roof, contact shirttop roofing.
They'll inspect your roof,document any damage and repair
it quickly.
Shirt top roofing, your localGAF master elite certified
roofer.
Visit shirtoproofingcom you.
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