August 10, 2025 • 30 mins
It’s an All-Calls Weekend! Dean takes questions from listeners tackling everything from contractor troubles to home energy savings. He advises a caller facing a shady contractor and shares smart tips on getting multiple bids to avoid getting ripped off. Plus, learn how to save energy when starting up your AC and why proper insulation is key to keeping your home cool and efficient.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You're listening to Dean Sharp, the House Whisper on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Dean Sharp, the house Whisperer,
custom home builder, custom home Designer, and every weekend, every
Sunday morning, from nine to noon, i am your guide
to better understanding that place where you live. Today on
(00:23):
the show, well you know, I'm not exactly sure what
today's show is about, and I'll tell you why because
every few weeks I set aside all of our agenda
and we just take calls. Today is an all calls
Sunday morning. So here is the thing. The number to
(00:43):
reach me eight three three two Ask Dean A three
three the numeral two ask Dean A three three to
ask Dean. It's just that simple. The phone lines are
open right now. Our call screener is standing by. We'll
tell you everything you need to know. Can listen to
the show while you're in the queue. Anything that's got
(01:05):
you scratching your head about your home architecture, yes, please design, decor, construction, DIY,
concerns inside outside landscape. Anything you want to discuss about
your home and you need answers, give me a call.
Phone lines are open right now, and of course I
(01:27):
just announced it, so traffic is light.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Who's going to be the first one up on the board.
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Until then, I'm going to remind you that sitting across
the table from me is my better half, my design partner,
my best friend in all the world, the co owner,
co founder of House Whisper, and one of the reasons
I get up in the morning.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Tina is here. Welcome home. You love that dramatic pause.
How are you doing. I'm doing well. Good morning, beautiful.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
It is a beautiful morning. It's been a beautify I
when I got up at well, actually I got up
at five this morning, so I slept in. Oh lazy, lazy, No.
I snuck out and snuck out into the garden room
so you could sleep. And then it was just great.
Let out the chickens. They were clucking around and it
was just quiet and just there's nothing like I know
(02:26):
some people are like, people are crazy morning. Early morning
people are crazy. I'm not arguing that fact, but I
will tell you this, there is nothing like the quiet
and the peacefulness of an early morning. There's just nothing
like it. It just helps me get my head together,
and there's been a lot of getting together of my
head needed. There always is, there always is. So anyway,
(02:51):
there she is. She's beautiful, she's smart, she's brilliant, and
and she is my bud, which I'm so thankful for.
All Right, here is the deal. Oh, we've got calls
coming in. I just wanted to mention a couple of
things to you. I'm hoping, I'm hoping at some point
(03:11):
this morning I will get a call because we have
a call out to sou Freeze of Eco LA because
there has been such a major response, such a brew
haha about the mosquito system that Eco LA uses. People
(03:32):
have been trying it out. They've been unbelievably impressed. We've
tried it out this summer, unbelievably impressed. So I know,
you know, I've been talking it up a lot. And
the cool thing about Eco LA they're all over southern California,
from San Diego all the way up into you know,
northern LA, even into Ventura County and out to Riverside.
(03:53):
I mean, they're everywhere there, everywhere, and it is such
a cool system. So I am hoping to spend a
couple of minutes at least talking to Sue about what's
going on with the into care Mostuito control system that
they use at Eco Ala. They don't spray well anyway. Well,
we'll get there. We'll get there, and you've heard me
talking about it. But so I'm hoping that's going to
be up on the board today. And I've also got
(04:17):
some listener questions that have come in. I always like to,
you know, shuffle into the calls when we do an
all calls day some of the listener questions that have
come in via email that are interesting and deserve a
little attention.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So we're going to try and do that as well.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
But I tell you what for right now, why don't
we just start a call because we got calls coming in.
I'm going to give the number out one more time,
eight three to three to ask Dean. Eight three to
three the numeral two ask Dean. Let's start with us.
Sarah in Huntington Beach, Sarah, welcome home, Hi, Hi, How
(05:01):
can I help you?
Speaker 3 (05:02):
How are you hi?
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Great question?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
My question is what are your thoughts on powerwashing a house.
My parents' house is rather old, maybe thirty years the
last time it's had a paint job, and it's covered
with dirt, what are your thoughts on whitewashing water wash, you.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Know, power power washing, powerwashing?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Well, uh, okay, powerwashing is actually one of the ways
that some paint companies one of the first steps they
take to get ready for new paint. Okay, uh so
power washing a house. I mean, powerwashes exist for a
very good reason. They are strong and they get a
lot of leaning job done. However, it's been thirty years
(05:53):
since your parents have painted their house, you just need
to beware that powerwashing it may not mine all, not
only clean it, but actually start taking off some of
the old paint. If the paint is starting to crack
and fail and delaminate and start to peel off, the
power washer's going to ensure that that happens. So, yeah,
(06:16):
you could end up with a very clean house. You
could also end up with a very clean house with
the parts of the old paint missing, which means time
to repaint. It sounds like it's time to repaint anyway.
And so my first inkling when you asked the question
was when you said that its been thirty years or
so since your parents painted their house. Well, well, of
(06:36):
course it needs to get clean, but it sounds like
what is really the case, is that it's time to
repaint their house, which will also serve the purpose of
resealing the outside of the house and making it fresh
and clean and new and bright and wonderful. So just
know power washers can do that. There's some things we
never want a powerwash. We never want to get up
(06:57):
on the roof and powerwash your asphalt, composite shingles or
anything like that. And you can wash your roof with
gentle running water, but you don't want a powerwash it
because you know, blast off the granules that are adhered
to it and stuff like that. Also, power washing driveways
is always a great thing if you're committed to the
(07:17):
whole driveway, because power washing the driveway is definitely going
to change the tone of the cement here from what
hasn't been done. So power washing is great. Not everything
should be powerwashed. Never ever ever touch your air conditioner
outside with a powerwasher, because you'll bend the fins right
over and damage the coil, although again that's something that
(07:40):
should be washed from time to time with just gentle
running water. So Sarah, given all that, it sounds to
me like what your parents really need is to step
up and think about repainting.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
You are very welcome, my friend. Great question, just fit
right in. Look at that all right, more of your
calls on the way. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the House Whisperer.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI Am six forty.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
We are right here live from nine to noon today.
And today's topic, well, that's up to you. It is
an all Calls Sunday morning. An All Calls show here
doing nothing but letting you set the agenda. Whatever the
case may be, whatever's got you scratch in your head
about your home. Here's the number to reach me, eight
(08:34):
three three two ask Dean eight three three the numeral
two ask Dean eight three three to ask Dean. Let's
go back to the phones. Let's talk to Robin. Hey, Robin,
welcome home.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
Dean. I need your advice on how to handle a
contractor who's price gouging me.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Oh no, I had.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I had a shower drain that was clawed four months
ago and they snaked it. Then it was backing up again,
so I had them come out. They snaked it, they
couldn't clear it. Then they got a jetter up here.
They didded it. Then they sent a camera up there
and they said that my cast iron was you know,
wear and tear was closing up. So they had to
(09:18):
replace the pipe or the whole line. So this line's
accessible in my garage. I'm sorry, I'm super nervous.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Oh sorry, sorry, So they.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Cut a line or I'm cut open my ceiling in
the garage and the line is no more than ten feet,
it's maybe eight feet. And they said, with a fifteen
percent discount, it was just under thirteen thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
What.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
Then I came to my senses and I'm like, wait
a minute. Well, they've already replaced the pipe. I'm waiting
for the inspector to come tomorrow. I have not paid
them a dime, So what do you recommend I do?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, I mean, here's the thing. Have you agreed? Did
you agree to the thirteen thousand and then had second
thoughts after the fact because they've already done the work.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Yes, And when I saw what a small job it was,
and then I started talking to people, are like, that's
an outrageous price. And then I started doing some research
and I'm like, okay.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
I screwed up, right, But you've you've got to sign contract, right,
You've signed sign change order, signed something from them. Yes, well,
I'm afraid that you're contractually it sounds like you're contractually
obligated to pay the price that you agreed to pay.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Now, here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
You could if you haven't paid them yet, you could,
and I think I probably would call out two or
three other plumbing companies plumbing contract actors to take a
look at what just happened there and if you can,
or at least get get an idea over the phone
(11:09):
from them, what would you guys charge if if this
was the case, and get a consensus among some other
folks about it.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I'd like I'd be very curious to hear the.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Explanation as to why, you know, removing some dry wall
and then running a new ten foot length of cast
iron pipe is thirteen thousand dollars. It sounds more like
thirteen hundred dollars to me. It's probably not quite that low,
but something in that area. I mean, it just doesn't
sound right on any level unless there's something heroic happening
(11:48):
up there that isn't being discussed. So the problem is
that you know, you've put your name down on a
piece of paper saying that you were going to pay
this price to them, which means, uh, you know legally, now,
I you know, here's the thing. I am not up
on all the latest consumer advocate stuff out there. Maybe
(12:11):
this is worth a call to a consumer advocacy.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Agency.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Uh and uh and ask the question if I feel
like I've just completely been ripped off by these people
taken advantage of uh, you know, what do I do?
You could even go so far as to call the
contractor state license board and ask the question, because, let
me tell you, they're very.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
So the tricky thing is that legally you've signed a
contract and agreed to pay a certain price. But the
other thing is that, you know, it's pretty obvious to
those of us in the industry that there's something very
wrong there. And the question is, I don't know what
kind of a wiggle room you've got, but I would
call a consumer advocacy group, and I would call the
(13:01):
contractor state license board and start there. Robin, And I'm
so so very sorry that that is the situation that
you're in your right. It does not sound right to
me at all. Robin I have got to go because
we're up against a break. I don't think there's anything
else I can tell you other than I think you're
(13:23):
right about the situation.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
I just don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Legally you know where your options are, but I would
start there, and I will tell you this. The contractor
State license Board will in no way, shape or form
look upon this appily, and they may step up and
give you some resources as to what could potentially be done.
So do that, all right, y'all, more of your calls
when we return your home to Dean Sharp House.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Here to transform your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. Yeah,
it can be done. We do it, and we help
you with it. Every single weekend, every Sunday from nine
to noon, I am here helping you do exactly that.
It is an all call Sunday morning. I have no
in a topic to discuss with you today. I'm waiting
(14:14):
to find out from you what the show is about today.
All you have to do is give me a call
eight three three two Ask Dean A three three the
numeral to ask Dean eight three three to ask Dean
let's go back to the Oh you know what, before
I do this, our previous caller, Robin. It just is
(14:35):
she she just touched off in me something that is
just so near and dear and to my heart, and
that is this concern that I have for people getting
ripped off by contractors, uh and not knowing what a
thing should cost ahead of time. It just broke my
heart to hear Robin's story, and it broke my heart
that I couldn't help her any further than I could,
(14:56):
just because she'd already signed a contract committed herself. So
you know, send her to the contractor state license board.
Maybe she can get something done there. Maybe a consumer
advocate group will help. I'm not exactly sure what all
of the options are after the fact, but I will
tell you this. As soon as we went off took
our break, Tina asked me. She's like, well, how much
(15:17):
do you think that should cost? And this is the
very essence of the question, how much do I think
it should cost? I mean, you guys call in a
lot and ask me questions like that, and I can
ballpark a few things, a few things.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I'll tell you this.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I don't think in my imagination that Robin's plumbing should
cost anything close to thirteen thousand dollars to replace ten
feet of cast iron drain pipe. No, but the question
of how much should it cost is looming out there,
And this is why I beg you, I plead, I
(15:56):
earnestly encourage you, I exhort you. Let me come up
with a few more of those words. When it comes
to pricing out something on your home that you find,
I like the number three three at least three vetted, qualified,
(16:17):
respected contractors in that field, for instance, plumbers, and you
have them all look at the same problem, and you
have them give you numbers and estimates for that same problem.
This is how we find out what a thing should
cost general contractors, of which I am one. You know,
we don't just have a magic cost dial in the
(16:40):
back of our head where we look at a thing
or hear about a situation say oh that should cost
you bubba bu buh. And only the simplest of routine
things can we do that for. But every home is different,
every circumstance is different, every set of building quandaries is different,
And so how much should blank fill in the blank
(17:03):
cost is really something that we only learn after several
professionals in that field have looked at it and given
you numbers, and that's when you begin to see You
begin to see kind of in the ven diagram of life.
You begin to see estimates clumping in a particular direction,
(17:26):
and then there will be outliers, and the outlier shouldn't
just be dismissed. The outlier should be listened to and
examined to see if they've just missed the boat or
if they've caught the one thing that everybody else has
missed and that has happened. It goes both ways. And
this is why I like you know. There's an old
proverb that says, in a multitude of counselors, there is safety.
(17:50):
And that is why you take the energy. You as
the homeowner, you're the producer of this film. You're the
one you take the energy ahead of time to call
in and do the extra work of getting multiple estimates,
multiple bids, and trying to get those bids as focused
(18:11):
on the exact same problem as possible, so that you're
looking at apples and apples and apples as much as
possible in those bids. And that's when you start to
see a grouping because there is a cost. An average
cost for that thing that you're trying to get fixed.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
There is.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
We just don't know what it is until we have
multiple experts look at it, and then we see, Yeah,
of the four guys that I brought in to look
at this problem, these three over here, they're all within
like a couple hundred bucks of each other, or if
it's a really huge thing, they're all within like a
thousand dollars of each other. Okay, they're all relatively closely
(18:52):
clumped together. This guy he's like half the price. Well,
that raises red flags, so you got to find out why.
Or this guy is a good twenty forty fifty percent higher.
That's actually when I go to this person and say,
tell me what you know. I want to understand what
(19:14):
you're charging for and why. Sometimes they're just that person.
They're that price gouger and off they go, no, not
going to be a part of this job. Sometimes that
person is the one who brings up well, I don't know,
I mean, did everybody else bid this thing? Because that
has to be done too, And you kind of slap
(19:36):
your forehead and you're like, oh, geez, everybody missed that.
So there is safety in a multitude of counselors. And
this is why I tell you again and again and again,
your job is not to do the work. Your job
is to do the work of getting a group of
professionals to look at it so that you have a sense,
(19:57):
a good sense. This job is post to cost X
amount of dollars. Why because four different plumbers have looked
at it, and three of them were all within, you know,
just a few percentage points of each other. That's the
way it works. I cannot tell you any other way
to properly figure out the costs on your job than
(20:19):
to do exactly that. Okay, everything else is just a
guess and you don't want to guess. Don't guess, don't
guess and Rob and I'm very sorry again that you're
in the situation you're in. I'm hoping that CSLB can
do something about it to help you out. Okay, I
know I had to get on my soapbox here, and
I took the entire segment to do that, but I
(20:40):
thought it was something so important I wasn't planning on
doing it. But then again, that's what all calls Sundays
are all about. You guys, raise important issues and if
I need to drill deeper in them, I will and
I did so. Here is the thing. It is time
for us to take a quick break. And when we
come back, I promise next call the number to reach
(21:03):
me eight three to three two. Ask Dean eight three
three the numeral to ask Dean so much more to
come your Home with Dean Sharp, the house whisper.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Here to remind you that when it comes to your home,
design matters most. Oh yes it does. Got to think
through the design, Gotta get it worked out, every iteration,
every possibility, focus it down, get as creative as possible,
make sure in the design that you've solved the problem
(21:41):
and that you've really really radically changed your house. And
then go and get it executed by a good set
of contractors to get the work done, not the other
way around. Don't start with the contractors, then then fiddle
with the design as you go, because you can spend
a lot of money on a lot of great materials
and even a lot of good craftsmanship and only end
(22:02):
up with a really expensive, well built, bad design. Yeah,
it all starts there. All transformation starts with intentionality. And
intentionality and creativity is what design is good design. So
there you go. All right, there's your nugget for this
segment of the show. It is an all calls Sunday morning.
(22:25):
We are just taking calls. You are setting the agenda
for the show today, and I want to go back
to the phones.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Let's talk to Dan. Hey, Dan? Well, whoa Dan? It
sounds like you're in a wind tunnel.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
Oh can you hear me?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Yes? I can, I can. Sounds good.
Speaker 6 (22:43):
Okay, let me get to a better place, okay, Dan.
Now that it's getting near one hundred degrees in the
San Fernando Valley, I'm trying to implement the technique that
you have told us a couple of times about how
to cut down on electricity costs for your ad by
(23:04):
not having it start up so much. And I've been
trying to do that, and I must be doing it wrong,
because I'll tell you what I've been doing. So I
normally keep my house at about eighty and then the
whole house at eighty, and then I use fans in
the rooms that were actually in and it's and that's fine.
(23:25):
So but it comes on and off every ten minutes
to keep it at eighty, right, So I turn it
down to about seventy eight, and then it stays on
a long time, gets the house down to seventy eight,
and then when it shuts off, I turn the thermostat
back to eighty. So it stays off a long time
until it gets back to eighty, and then it comes
(23:45):
on and I repeat that when it gets When it
comes on at eighty, I repeat that and turn it
back to seventy eight. But I'm kind of tied to
the thermostat what I'm doing. I'm like, this couldn't be
what being meant. I got to stand here by the
thermostat all day to make this work.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Yeah, well, uh uh, it is essentially it is. Yeah,
I mean yeah, I mean you're you're doing it right,
and I'm sorry that it's frustrating the heck out of you,
because here's the thing. It's a technique for allowing the
house to cool not just the air, but also the
(24:20):
thermal mass inside the house, furniture, cabinetry, all of that
other stuff, which means that the more those actually reach
a you know, inadequate temperature, and then you keep the
house sealed up the longer the cool lasts. But I
gotta just tell you, I mean disclaimer. I give this
disclaimer every time. None of this makes up for a
leaky house or poorly insulated house, and it sounds like
(24:44):
you're just really really struggling against the house, not wanting
to hold on to the cold. Insulation is all about
separating one energy condition from another energy condition, right. I mean,
we talk about insulation on a wire that's so that
there's a rubber coating on the wire. That's insulation so
(25:06):
that the energy in the wire doesn't become the energy
in your body when you touch the wire. The insulation
disrupts the flow of energy from one space to another.
So you know, the very, very first and biggest piece
of advice I can give to anybody anyone about getting
control of the temperature inside their house is if you
(25:29):
can invest in some money, invest in insulation. I'll just
put it this way. You know, we could have a
little cooling unit inside a plywood box or a metal
box and set that metal box out in the sun,
and that little cooling unit's going to be going all
day long. Or we could set that little cooling unit
(25:50):
inside let's say a yetty cooler, right, one of these
thickly insulated, beautifully insulated, air sealed coolers, and it may
run for a few minutes and just turn off for
the better part of the rest of the day until
it has to turn on for a few minutes more.
Why Because it is the insulation that has locked in
(26:12):
the cold. That's the whole idea of an ice chest
of a cooler, that kind of insulation. And by the way,
the same is true in the winter. Right, insulation for
the house keeps the heat inside that you've produced and
keeps the cold on the outside. We just flip it,
so insulation doesn't know which is cold and which is hot,
(26:36):
nor does it care. It's just there to really create
this barrier between the two so that your efforts at
cooling the house last longer. Now, the reason I usually say, yeah,
let the house cool down further and let it coast
back up, so that your air conditioning unit is not
starting and stopping and starting and stopping all day long,
(26:57):
every ten minutes. It may be unavoidable, honestly, Dan in
some situations, especially one hundred degree days. But yeah, that's
that's the methodology. Because number one, there are surges of
electricity that hit the unit hard, if it's an older
AC unit, hit it hard every time it starts up.
We all know that that whole and boom goes the
(27:20):
air conditioner. The energy spikes, so you're using energy there.
And also that startup is hard on the AC. And
so here's another tip, another tip. Now this doesn't change
the way the AC is acting inside the house, but
some of you with older AC units who aren't planning
on replacing your AC anytime soon, should consider maybe spending
(27:41):
you know, about four hundred dollars three hundred and fifty
four hundred dollars on a soft start kit for a
soft start unit, which is like a little control panel
that gets added to your air conditioning compressor outside, which
actually soft starts it. It's a it's a ramp up,
a quiet ramp up, instead of allowing all that voltage
(28:03):
to slam into the motor every time it starts. And
you're asking me, well, is that going to be saving
me a ton of money? Dean, Well, it's not going
to be saving you a ton of money in voltage
in the energy bill this month. But like I said,
every time that AC unit starts and that power slams
into that motor. It's wearing the motor out, and so
(28:26):
a soft start unit can extend the life of your
air conditioner sometimes years, which is a big savings in
money when you compute how much a new AC system costs,
so insulation maybe a soft start kit. But yeah, Dan, unfortunately,
the system, the system, it's not a fool prit. It's
not a magic bullet. But cooling the house longer and
(28:50):
getting it colder than you expect it and then letting
it ride longer is a way of more efficiently dealing
with the cool and side your house than having the
AC go on and off every ten minutes all day long. Okay,
got it, Dan, Thanks for the question, buddy. I'm sorry
(29:10):
for the bad news that there's no I wish I
could have told you, no, no, you're doing it wrong.
Do it this way and you'll save hundreds. But no,
get you got it right. It's just that's kind of
where it all is. All right, y'all. We have got
so much more to come. We got calls on the board.
There's still room for you though. Eight three three two.
Ask Dean a three three the numeral to ask Dean
(29:35):
more of your calls. When we return. You're listening to
Home with Dean Sharper, the House Whisper. This has been
Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. Tune into the
live broadcast on KFI AM six forty every Saturday morning
from six to eight Pacific time and every Sunday morning
from nine to noon Pacific time, or anytime on demand
(29:55):
on the iHeart Radio app
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You're listening to Dean Sharp, the House Whisper on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Dean Sharp, the house Whisperer,
custom home builder, custom home Designer, and every weekend, every
Sunday morning, from nine to noon, i am your guide
to better understanding that place where you live. Today on
(00:23):
the show, well you know, I'm not exactly sure what
today's show is about, and I'll tell you why because
every few weeks I set aside all of our agenda
and we just take calls. Today is an all calls
Sunday morning. So here is the thing. The number to
(00:43):
reach me eight three three two Ask Dean A three
three the numeral two ask Dean A three three to
ask Dean. It's just that simple. The phone lines are
open right now. Our call screener is standing by. We'll
tell you everything you need to know. Can listen to
the show while you're in the queue. Anything that's got
(01:05):
you scratching your head about your home architecture, yes, please design, decor, construction, DIY,
concerns inside outside landscape. Anything you want to discuss about
your home and you need answers, give me a call.
Phone lines are open right now, and of course I
(01:27):
just announced it, so traffic is light.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Who's going to be the first one up on the board.
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Until then, I'm going to remind you that sitting across
the table from me is my better half, my design partner,
my best friend in all the world, the co owner,
co founder of House Whisper, and one of the reasons
I get up in the morning.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Tina is here. Welcome home. You love that dramatic pause.
How are you doing. I'm doing well. Good morning, beautiful.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
It is a beautiful morning. It's been a beautify I
when I got up at well, actually I got up
at five this morning, so I slept in. Oh lazy, lazy, No.
I snuck out and snuck out into the garden room
so you could sleep. And then it was just great.
Let out the chickens. They were clucking around and it
was just quiet and just there's nothing like I know
(02:26):
some people are like, people are crazy morning. Early morning
people are crazy. I'm not arguing that fact, but I
will tell you this, there is nothing like the quiet
and the peacefulness of an early morning. There's just nothing
like it. It just helps me get my head together,
and there's been a lot of getting together of my
head needed. There always is, there always is. So anyway,
(02:51):
there she is. She's beautiful, she's smart, she's brilliant, and
and she is my bud, which I'm so thankful for.
All Right, here is the deal. Oh, we've got calls
coming in. I just wanted to mention a couple of
things to you. I'm hoping, I'm hoping at some point
(03:11):
this morning I will get a call because we have
a call out to sou Freeze of Eco LA because
there has been such a major response, such a brew
haha about the mosquito system that Eco LA uses. People
(03:32):
have been trying it out. They've been unbelievably impressed. We've
tried it out this summer, unbelievably impressed. So I know,
you know, I've been talking it up a lot. And
the cool thing about Eco LA they're all over southern California,
from San Diego all the way up into you know,
northern LA, even into Ventura County and out to Riverside.
(03:53):
I mean, they're everywhere there, everywhere, and it is such
a cool system. So I am hoping to spend a
couple of minutes at least talking to Sue about what's
going on with the into care Mostuito control system that
they use at Eco Ala. They don't spray well anyway. Well,
we'll get there. We'll get there, and you've heard me
talking about it. But so I'm hoping that's going to
be up on the board today. And I've also got
(04:17):
some listener questions that have come in. I always like to,
you know, shuffle into the calls when we do an
all calls day some of the listener questions that have
come in via email that are interesting and deserve a
little attention.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So we're going to try and do that as well.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
But I tell you what for right now, why don't
we just start a call because we got calls coming in.
I'm going to give the number out one more time,
eight three to three to ask Dean. Eight three to
three the numeral two ask Dean. Let's start with us.
Sarah in Huntington Beach, Sarah, welcome home, Hi, Hi, How
(05:01):
can I help you?
Speaker 3 (05:02):
How are you hi?
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Great question?
Speaker 4 (05:07):
My question is what are your thoughts on powerwashing a house.
My parents' house is rather old, maybe thirty years the
last time it's had a paint job, and it's covered
with dirt, what are your thoughts on whitewashing water wash, you.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Know, power power washing, powerwashing?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Well, uh, okay, powerwashing is actually one of the ways
that some paint companies one of the first steps they
take to get ready for new paint. Okay, uh so
power washing a house. I mean, powerwashes exist for a
very good reason. They are strong and they get a
lot of leaning job done. However, it's been thirty years
(05:53):
since your parents have painted their house, you just need
to beware that powerwashing it may not mine all, not
only clean it, but actually start taking off some of
the old paint. If the paint is starting to crack
and fail and delaminate and start to peel off, the
power washer's going to ensure that that happens. So, yeah,
(06:16):
you could end up with a very clean house. You
could also end up with a very clean house with
the parts of the old paint missing, which means time
to repaint. It sounds like it's time to repaint anyway.
And so my first inkling when you asked the question
was when you said that its been thirty years or
so since your parents painted their house. Well, well, of
(06:36):
course it needs to get clean, but it sounds like
what is really the case, is that it's time to
repaint their house, which will also serve the purpose of
resealing the outside of the house and making it fresh
and clean and new and bright and wonderful. So just
know power washers can do that. There's some things we
never want a powerwash. We never want to get up
(06:57):
on the roof and powerwash your asphalt, composite shingles or
anything like that. And you can wash your roof with
gentle running water, but you don't want a powerwash it
because you know, blast off the granules that are adhered
to it and stuff like that. Also, power washing driveways
is always a great thing if you're committed to the
(07:17):
whole driveway, because power washing the driveway is definitely going
to change the tone of the cement here from what
hasn't been done. So power washing is great. Not everything
should be powerwashed. Never ever ever touch your air conditioner
outside with a powerwasher, because you'll bend the fins right
over and damage the coil, although again that's something that
(07:40):
should be washed from time to time with just gentle
running water. So Sarah, given all that, it sounds to
me like what your parents really need is to step
up and think about repainting.
Speaker 5 (07:55):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
You are very welcome, my friend. Great question, just fit
right in. Look at that all right, more of your
calls on the way. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp,
the House Whisperer.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI Am six forty.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
We are right here live from nine to noon today.
And today's topic, well, that's up to you. It is
an all Calls Sunday morning. An All Calls show here
doing nothing but letting you set the agenda. Whatever the
case may be, whatever's got you scratch in your head
about your home. Here's the number to reach me, eight
(08:34):
three three two ask Dean eight three three the numeral
two ask Dean eight three three to ask Dean. Let's
go back to the phones. Let's talk to Robin. Hey, Robin,
welcome home.
Speaker 5 (08:50):
Dean. I need your advice on how to handle a
contractor who's price gouging me.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Oh no, I had.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I had a shower drain that was clawed four months
ago and they snaked it. Then it was backing up again,
so I had them come out. They snaked it, they
couldn't clear it. Then they got a jetter up here.
They didded it. Then they sent a camera up there
and they said that my cast iron was you know,
wear and tear was closing up. So they had to
(09:18):
replace the pipe or the whole line. So this line's
accessible in my garage. I'm sorry, I'm super nervous.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Oh sorry, sorry, So they.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Cut a line or I'm cut open my ceiling in
the garage and the line is no more than ten feet,
it's maybe eight feet. And they said, with a fifteen
percent discount, it was just under thirteen thousand dollars.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
What.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
Then I came to my senses and I'm like, wait
a minute. Well, they've already replaced the pipe. I'm waiting
for the inspector to come tomorrow. I have not paid
them a dime, So what do you recommend I do?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, I mean, here's the thing. Have you agreed? Did
you agree to the thirteen thousand and then had second
thoughts after the fact because they've already done the work.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Yes, And when I saw what a small job it was,
and then I started talking to people, are like, that's
an outrageous price. And then I started doing some research
and I'm like, okay.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
I screwed up, right, But you've you've got to sign contract, right,
You've signed sign change order, signed something from them. Yes, well,
I'm afraid that you're contractually it sounds like you're contractually
obligated to pay the price that you agreed to pay.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Now, here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
You could if you haven't paid them yet, you could,
and I think I probably would call out two or
three other plumbing companies plumbing contract actors to take a
look at what just happened there and if you can,
or at least get get an idea over the phone
(11:09):
from them, what would you guys charge if if this
was the case, and get a consensus among some other
folks about it.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I'd like I'd be very curious to hear the.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Explanation as to why, you know, removing some dry wall
and then running a new ten foot length of cast
iron pipe is thirteen thousand dollars. It sounds more like
thirteen hundred dollars to me. It's probably not quite that low,
but something in that area. I mean, it just doesn't
sound right on any level unless there's something heroic happening
(11:48):
up there that isn't being discussed. So the problem is
that you know, you've put your name down on a
piece of paper saying that you were going to pay
this price to them, which means, uh, you know legally, now,
I you know, here's the thing. I am not up
on all the latest consumer advocate stuff out there. Maybe
(12:11):
this is worth a call to a consumer advocacy.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
Agency.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Uh and uh and ask the question if I feel
like I've just completely been ripped off by these people
taken advantage of uh, you know, what do I do?
You could even go so far as to call the
contractor state license board and ask the question, because, let
me tell you, they're very.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
So the tricky thing is that legally you've signed a
contract and agreed to pay a certain price. But the
other thing is that, you know, it's pretty obvious to
those of us in the industry that there's something very
wrong there. And the question is, I don't know what
kind of a wiggle room you've got, but I would
call a consumer advocacy group, and I would call the
(13:01):
contractor state license board and start there. Robin, And I'm
so so very sorry that that is the situation that
you're in your right. It does not sound right to
me at all. Robin I have got to go because
we're up against a break. I don't think there's anything
else I can tell you other than I think you're
(13:23):
right about the situation.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
I just don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Legally you know where your options are, but I would
start there, and I will tell you this. The contractor
State license Board will in no way, shape or form
look upon this appily, and they may step up and
give you some resources as to what could potentially be done.
So do that, all right, y'all, more of your calls
when we return your home to Dean Sharp House.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Here to transform your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. Yeah,
it can be done. We do it, and we help
you with it. Every single weekend, every Sunday from nine
to noon, I am here helping you do exactly that.
It is an all call Sunday morning. I have no
in a topic to discuss with you today. I'm waiting
(14:14):
to find out from you what the show is about today.
All you have to do is give me a call
eight three three two Ask Dean A three three the
numeral to ask Dean eight three three to ask Dean
let's go back to the Oh you know what, before
I do this, our previous caller, Robin. It just is
(14:35):
she she just touched off in me something that is
just so near and dear and to my heart, and
that is this concern that I have for people getting
ripped off by contractors, uh and not knowing what a
thing should cost ahead of time. It just broke my
heart to hear Robin's story, and it broke my heart
that I couldn't help her any further than I could,
(14:56):
just because she'd already signed a contract committed herself. So
you know, send her to the contractor state license board.
Maybe she can get something done there. Maybe a consumer
advocate group will help. I'm not exactly sure what all
of the options are after the fact, but I will
tell you this. As soon as we went off took
our break, Tina asked me. She's like, well, how much
(15:17):
do you think that should cost? And this is the
very essence of the question, how much do I think
it should cost? I mean, you guys call in a
lot and ask me questions like that, and I can
ballpark a few things, a few things.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I'll tell you this.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I don't think in my imagination that Robin's plumbing should
cost anything close to thirteen thousand dollars to replace ten
feet of cast iron drain pipe. No, but the question
of how much should it cost is looming out there,
And this is why I beg you, I plead, I
(15:56):
earnestly encourage you, I exhort you. Let me come up
with a few more of those words. When it comes
to pricing out something on your home that you find,
I like the number three three at least three vetted, qualified,
(16:17):
respected contractors in that field, for instance, plumbers, and you
have them all look at the same problem, and you
have them give you numbers and estimates for that same problem.
This is how we find out what a thing should
cost general contractors, of which I am one. You know,
we don't just have a magic cost dial in the
(16:40):
back of our head where we look at a thing
or hear about a situation say oh that should cost
you bubba bu buh. And only the simplest of routine
things can we do that for. But every home is different,
every circumstance is different, every set of building quandaries is different,
And so how much should blank fill in the blank
(17:03):
cost is really something that we only learn after several
professionals in that field have looked at it and given
you numbers, and that's when you begin to see You
begin to see kind of in the ven diagram of life.
You begin to see estimates clumping in a particular direction,
(17:26):
and then there will be outliers, and the outlier shouldn't
just be dismissed. The outlier should be listened to and
examined to see if they've just missed the boat or
if they've caught the one thing that everybody else has
missed and that has happened. It goes both ways. And
this is why I like you know. There's an old
proverb that says, in a multitude of counselors, there is safety.
(17:50):
And that is why you take the energy. You as
the homeowner, you're the producer of this film. You're the
one you take the energy ahead of time to call
in and do the extra work of getting multiple estimates,
multiple bids, and trying to get those bids as focused
(18:11):
on the exact same problem as possible, so that you're
looking at apples and apples and apples as much as
possible in those bids. And that's when you start to
see a grouping because there is a cost. An average
cost for that thing that you're trying to get fixed.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
There is.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
We just don't know what it is until we have
multiple experts look at it, and then we see, Yeah,
of the four guys that I brought in to look
at this problem, these three over here, they're all within
like a couple hundred bucks of each other, or if
it's a really huge thing, they're all within like a
thousand dollars of each other. Okay, they're all relatively closely
(18:52):
clumped together. This guy he's like half the price. Well,
that raises red flags, so you got to find out why.
Or this guy is a good twenty forty fifty percent higher.
That's actually when I go to this person and say,
tell me what you know. I want to understand what
(19:14):
you're charging for and why. Sometimes they're just that person.
They're that price gouger and off they go, no, not
going to be a part of this job. Sometimes that
person is the one who brings up well, I don't know,
I mean, did everybody else bid this thing? Because that
has to be done too, And you kind of slap
(19:36):
your forehead and you're like, oh, geez, everybody missed that.
So there is safety in a multitude of counselors. And
this is why I tell you again and again and again,
your job is not to do the work. Your job
is to do the work of getting a group of
professionals to look at it so that you have a sense,
(19:57):
a good sense. This job is post to cost X
amount of dollars. Why because four different plumbers have looked
at it, and three of them were all within, you know,
just a few percentage points of each other. That's the
way it works. I cannot tell you any other way
to properly figure out the costs on your job than
(20:19):
to do exactly that. Okay, everything else is just a
guess and you don't want to guess. Don't guess, don't
guess and Rob and I'm very sorry again that you're
in the situation you're in. I'm hoping that CSLB can
do something about it to help you out. Okay, I
know I had to get on my soapbox here, and
I took the entire segment to do that, but I
(20:40):
thought it was something so important I wasn't planning on
doing it. But then again, that's what all calls Sundays
are all about. You guys, raise important issues and if
I need to drill deeper in them, I will and
I did so. Here is the thing. It is time
for us to take a quick break. And when we
come back, I promise next call the number to reach
(21:03):
me eight three to three two. Ask Dean eight three
three the numeral to ask Dean so much more to
come your Home with Dean Sharp, the house whisper.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Here to remind you that when it comes to your home,
design matters most. Oh yes it does. Got to think
through the design, Gotta get it worked out, every iteration,
every possibility, focus it down, get as creative as possible,
make sure in the design that you've solved the problem
(21:41):
and that you've really really radically changed your house. And
then go and get it executed by a good set
of contractors to get the work done, not the other
way around. Don't start with the contractors, then then fiddle
with the design as you go, because you can spend
a lot of money on a lot of great materials
and even a lot of good craftsmanship and only end
(22:02):
up with a really expensive, well built, bad design. Yeah,
it all starts there. All transformation starts with intentionality. And
intentionality and creativity is what design is good design. So
there you go. All right, there's your nugget for this
segment of the show. It is an all calls Sunday morning.
(22:25):
We are just taking calls. You are setting the agenda
for the show today, and I want to go back
to the phones.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Let's talk to Dan. Hey, Dan? Well, whoa Dan? It
sounds like you're in a wind tunnel.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
Oh can you hear me?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Yes? I can, I can. Sounds good.
Speaker 6 (22:43):
Okay, let me get to a better place, okay, Dan.
Now that it's getting near one hundred degrees in the
San Fernando Valley, I'm trying to implement the technique that
you have told us a couple of times about how
to cut down on electricity costs for your ad by
(23:04):
not having it start up so much. And I've been
trying to do that, and I must be doing it wrong,
because I'll tell you what I've been doing. So I
normally keep my house at about eighty and then the
whole house at eighty, and then I use fans in
the rooms that were actually in and it's and that's fine.
(23:25):
So but it comes on and off every ten minutes
to keep it at eighty, right, So I turn it
down to about seventy eight, and then it stays on
a long time, gets the house down to seventy eight,
and then when it shuts off, I turn the thermostat
back to eighty. So it stays off a long time
until it gets back to eighty, and then it comes
(23:45):
on and I repeat that when it gets When it
comes on at eighty, I repeat that and turn it
back to seventy eight. But I'm kind of tied to
the thermostat what I'm doing. I'm like, this couldn't be
what being meant. I got to stand here by the
thermostat all day to make this work.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Yeah, well, uh uh, it is essentially it is. Yeah,
I mean yeah, I mean you're you're doing it right,
and I'm sorry that it's frustrating the heck out of you,
because here's the thing. It's a technique for allowing the
house to cool not just the air, but also the
(24:20):
thermal mass inside the house, furniture, cabinetry, all of that
other stuff, which means that the more those actually reach
a you know, inadequate temperature, and then you keep the
house sealed up the longer the cool lasts. But I
gotta just tell you, I mean disclaimer. I give this
disclaimer every time. None of this makes up for a
leaky house or poorly insulated house, and it sounds like
(24:44):
you're just really really struggling against the house, not wanting
to hold on to the cold. Insulation is all about
separating one energy condition from another energy condition, right. I mean,
we talk about insulation on a wire that's so that
there's a rubber coating on the wire. That's insulation so
(25:06):
that the energy in the wire doesn't become the energy
in your body when you touch the wire. The insulation
disrupts the flow of energy from one space to another.
So you know, the very, very first and biggest piece
of advice I can give to anybody anyone about getting
control of the temperature inside their house is if you
(25:29):
can invest in some money, invest in insulation. I'll just
put it this way. You know, we could have a
little cooling unit inside a plywood box or a metal
box and set that metal box out in the sun,
and that little cooling unit's going to be going all
day long. Or we could set that little cooling unit
(25:50):
inside let's say a yetty cooler, right, one of these
thickly insulated, beautifully insulated, air sealed coolers, and it may
run for a few minutes and just turn off for
the better part of the rest of the day until
it has to turn on for a few minutes more.
Why Because it is the insulation that has locked in
(26:12):
the cold. That's the whole idea of an ice chest
of a cooler, that kind of insulation. And by the way,
the same is true in the winter. Right, insulation for
the house keeps the heat inside that you've produced and
keeps the cold on the outside. We just flip it,
so insulation doesn't know which is cold and which is hot,
(26:36):
nor does it care. It's just there to really create
this barrier between the two so that your efforts at
cooling the house last longer. Now, the reason I usually say, yeah,
let the house cool down further and let it coast
back up, so that your air conditioning unit is not
starting and stopping and starting and stopping all day long,
(26:57):
every ten minutes. It may be unavoidable, honestly, Dan in
some situations, especially one hundred degree days. But yeah, that's
that's the methodology. Because number one, there are surges of
electricity that hit the unit hard, if it's an older
AC unit, hit it hard every time it starts up.
We all know that that whole and boom goes the
(27:20):
air conditioner. The energy spikes, so you're using energy there.
And also that startup is hard on the AC. And
so here's another tip, another tip. Now this doesn't change
the way the AC is acting inside the house, but
some of you with older AC units who aren't planning
on replacing your AC anytime soon, should consider maybe spending
(27:41):
you know, about four hundred dollars three hundred and fifty
four hundred dollars on a soft start kit for a
soft start unit, which is like a little control panel
that gets added to your air conditioning compressor outside, which
actually soft starts it. It's a it's a ramp up,
a quiet ramp up, instead of allowing all that voltage
(28:03):
to slam into the motor every time it starts. And
you're asking me, well, is that going to be saving
me a ton of money? Dean, Well, it's not going
to be saving you a ton of money in voltage
in the energy bill this month. But like I said,
every time that AC unit starts and that power slams
into that motor. It's wearing the motor out, and so
(28:26):
a soft start unit can extend the life of your
air conditioner sometimes years, which is a big savings in
money when you compute how much a new AC system costs,
so insulation maybe a soft start kit. But yeah, Dan, unfortunately,
the system, the system, it's not a fool prit. It's
not a magic bullet. But cooling the house longer and
(28:50):
getting it colder than you expect it and then letting
it ride longer is a way of more efficiently dealing
with the cool and side your house than having the
AC go on and off every ten minutes all day long. Okay,
got it, Dan, Thanks for the question, buddy. I'm sorry
(29:10):
for the bad news that there's no I wish I
could have told you, no, no, you're doing it wrong.
Do it this way and you'll save hundreds. But no,
get you got it right. It's just that's kind of
where it all is. All right, y'all. We have got
so much more to come. We got calls on the board.
There's still room for you though. Eight three three two.
Ask Dean a three three the numeral to ask Dean
(29:35):
more of your calls. When we return. You're listening to
Home with Dean Sharper, the House Whisper. This has been
Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. Tune into the
live broadcast on KFI AM six forty every Saturday morning
from six to eight Pacific time and every Sunday morning
from nine to noon Pacific time, or anytime on demand
(29:55):
on the iHeart Radio app
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