December 20, 2025 • 30 mins
Dean answers your home design calls, including how to shake off the fear of doing what's best after disaster strikes your home.
Also, can you properly build an indoor space for an outdoor hot tub??
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
KF I Am six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app.
I Am six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
I Am Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer, custom home Builder,
custom home Designer, inviting you to join me for the
(00:22):
next two hours in that magical space that exists somewhere
between the world as it is and the world as
it should be, as we work to turn your ordinary
house into an extraordinary home. It's an all calls weekend.
I love these weekends. I love taking your calls, talking
(00:43):
with you about what's going on with your home, and
you know, helping out if I can. So let's do it.
Let's talk to Evan. Evan Welcome home.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
So my problem is I had a waterline break the
other night in my house. It's flooded the square bed
and bathroom and the hallway all the way into where
the dining room and living room is. It boreped the floor,
and so my insurance adjuster is telling me they can't
match it. I won't be able to match it. So
(01:14):
they're going to pay to replace the entire floor, the
wood floor area.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
In the house.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
And my question to you is people are.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Telling me to go with vinyl laminae, to.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Go with a hard another hardwood, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Asking what your recommendations might be.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Okay, really good question. So Evan, what was the water
line that busted? Is it in the slab? Is it
something overhead? Tell them give me a little more space overhead?
It was overhead.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It was over fine, and the joint.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Failed and it was raining.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
And my wife woke me up but ten thirty at
night and said, the house is flooding And it was
just literally flooding out of the Yeah, the overhead fan,
the air conditioning vent around it.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Who was just raining water everywhere?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
What a mess. I'm sorry to hear that. Okay, here's
the thing. If you are if you guys wanted hardwood,
if you've always wanted hardwood, if hardwood is the thing,
I know your gun you're feeling gun shy because of
this disaster that just happened. But if we're confident that
we've addressed the problem, addressed the leak, if we're confident
with the rest of the system, then you don't go
(02:29):
back with hardwood again. I'm not a I'm not a
big fan of compromising the design of a house just
because we get gun shy or we're afraid as the
result of an accident that has happened before. You know
what I'm saying, It's kind of like it's like it's like,
you know, the kids on the skateboard outside, he falls
(02:50):
and and he broke his leg. Okay, we get it.
We're riding a skateboard that can happen. Once the leg heals,
the parents who now wrap that kid up in like
six layers of insulating foam on all the legs and
has an oversized helmet and goggles. And you know, it's
(03:11):
kind of like the kid who wears a helmet in
goggles when they goes to chess club because the chance
there's there's a chance one of those pieces could fly
off the board and put an eye out.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
So to make I mean, we just ye just had
new carpet and new wood grain ceramic tile put in
the bathrooms two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Okay, And so my wife's like, well do we match
the ceramic tile, And I'm like, well, the people that
installed it with the price is going to be like
thirty grand to do it.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And I don't think the wood forest thing replaced bad.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, so you know you the insurance is going to
pay for and should pay pay out for the replacement
of what you've got. So if it's hardwood, they should
write you a check equivalent to redoing it all. In
replacing hardwood, if you want to move up to the
ceramic tile. From a design perspective, that kind of you know,
(04:10):
kills two birds with one stone in that a ceramic
plank floor is going to be bomb proof throughout the
whole house and continuous flooring so that there's no change
in between the house proper and the bathrooms. But again
that isn't a necessity. So yeah, if you put in
(04:30):
luxury vinyl plank, that's what we're talking about. If you
put in luxury vinyl plank, yeah, it is now a
waterproof and bomb proof throughout the whole house. And if
there was another accident, then the it's not going to
ruin a luxury vinyl plank floor. However, luxury vinyl plank
is not the same as real hardwood. It is an
(04:53):
emulation of hardwood. It's really good looking stuff. It's also
way cheaper than hardwood. So I think you guys just
have to sit down and make a decision of both
financially and design wise, which way you want to go
with this. I can't really push you one direction or
the other because there's no right answer to it. The
(05:15):
fact of the matter is, if we were always afraid
that a pipe would burst in any house, we'd never
put hardwood in any house ever, right because it's moisture
sensitive and there's just no way around that right now.
We don't have the technology to get around that right now.
So I want you to have confidence in your plumbing system.
(05:36):
I want your plumbing system rechecked, okay, especially if it's
a peck system. Those joints should not be failing. So
if you're confident that, okay, the plumbing issue has been resolved,
then I know, you know it's always natural to feel
gunshy after a big blow, but you know, why not
put hardwood back? If hardwood is what you really want.
(06:00):
This revinyl plank is great. So just to be clear,
the insurance company should is obligated to replace everything at
the cost of the hardwood. If you want to turn around,
then and do the luxury vinyl plank and save yourself
some money as you go great, or take the payout
for the hardwood, and then throw a little extra of
(06:22):
yours in and go porcelain plank everywhere. That's a good
way too. Both of those choices would be bomb proof,
and the hardwood choice gets you back to where you
would go. So those are really your three options, and
it's ultimately a design decision for you and your wife
to work out. Just try to avoid feeling gun shy
(06:43):
because you just had this disaster. I know that's a
hard thing to do, but do your best with it. Evan,
thanks for the call, buddy. I love our listeners questions.
They stretch my brain. How about some more of your
calls when we return. You are listening to Home, would
Dean show the house whisper?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
If I Dean sharp the house whisper at your service,
Welcome home. We are doing an all calls weekend, So
let's go back to the phone, shall we. Carol, Hey, Carol,
welcome home.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Hi, thank you. I'm growing a dragon fruit and I'm
making a dragon fruit trellis. I'm using a four x
four redwood post attached to a concrete block post support
that has a zinc coated strap. I'm going to place
that into a twenty five gallon hard plastic nursery grade pot.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Fill it with soil.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
And the reason I'm using this trellis is for stability
because they get kind of heavy at the top. My
question is will the strap or the concrete leach harmful
chemicals into the soil which will go into the roots
then eventually into the fruit.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Uh no, no it won't.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Oh wonderful, Okay, that's all I wanted to thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That was so easy, That was so easy.
Speaker 6 (08:14):
You made my day.
Speaker 7 (08:17):
Thanks you, Carol, Thank you, enjoy your show.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Thank you by bye, Thank you so much. Uh yeah, no,
you know, concrete is concrete. There are a lot of
different forms of concrete. Concrete is a combination of an
aggregate sand of different sizes, sand, gravel, and cement portland
cement most of the time, Uh it is. It is
not a material that it leaches out harmful things to
(08:44):
a garden. Somebody else asked about cinder blocks too, and
cinder blocks are also cinder blocks are different than standard concrete.
By the way. Uh did you guys know that? Yeah,
well you probably you can tell. Right when you take
a look at a cinder block, it's made out of concrete.
So it's a combination of concrete and fly ash. What
is fly ash? It's the leftover ash from burning coal. Yeah, cinders,
(09:09):
That's where the cinder in cinder block comes from. Cinders
of burnt coal. Carbonized coal ash gets added into a
cement concrete mixture, and because the cinders are so lightweight
and they take up space, the cinder block ends up
being considerably lighter than it would be if it was
just a pure poored cement block. Also, though it's not
(09:32):
as strong, but you know, it does its job. So
there you go. But none of those things are dangerous
to the soil around them. My goodness, how does he
know these things? Tuck to Debbie, Hey, Debbie, welcome home.
Speaker 7 (09:46):
Many years ago our new house, it had a spa
that had to be taken out because I had a
crack at it, and I installed one in place of it,
but never had it connected. And now that I want
to do it, Fellas said, well it's indoors. You can't
hook it up inside. You've got to move it outdoors
and pay you six thousand dollars. So I really wasn't
(10:08):
too happy about that because I thought, well, the heck
with it. That thing costs a little more than that,
but you know, you know, it has two seats, and
you know the jets whatever all they come with, so
maybe they won't stuff you, but it stumps me. And
I hate to part with six thousand dollars for something
that costs just a little more than that.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I got you, all right, So let me ask you,
so is this a Is this a free standing spa
like a fiberglass spa sitting on its own platform and
all that. Okay, yes it is.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
It's on wheels or whatever. I don't know what it's on,
but anyway, it's movable. You know, it's a thermal spat.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
That helps Benny right now, why does he Why did
he tell you it was going to cost you six
thousand dollars to move it outside?
Speaker 7 (10:50):
Well, he said it couldn't be hooked up indoors, and
it's it needs to be at two thirty lamps.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Okay, so yeah, needs it needs two hundred and twenty
two hundred and forty. Actually we call two twenty, but
it's actually two forty. It needs a two forty hookup
power hookup. All right, that's understandable.
Speaker 8 (11:11):
But here's the thing with code. Okay, yeah, that's in
codes like when so convenient. I okay, So here's what
I'm gonna recommend to you. I want you to call
somebody else. Okay, Now there's a half truth here. Okay,
the half truth is, yeah, it is a mess. By
(11:32):
the way, never, never, never, should they have had that
spa indoors.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
It just shouldn't be. And there's a reason why we
don't want you to put a spa like that indoor.
You think about this like an indoor spa at like
a health club or a gym. Okay, these are built
in by allowance with like an indoor pool. But to
build an indoor and I've done my share of indoor
pools and spas, by the way, because I've had some
(11:59):
clients who have been super happy to pay for them.
But the structure that you have to build around that
in terms of airflow of ventilation to get the chlorine
gases that seep out of these bodies of water a
pool and a spa. Also the heat, the mist, the
(12:19):
humidity that builds up as the ringin. There's just there's
a whole lot of things that go into it, and
it is almost always all well, it's always a mistake
to just pull one of those spaws into the house,
even if it's outside on an enclosed porch or whatever.
So now that doesn't mean it has to sit out
there cold and naked in the rain. You could have
a structure over it or around it, but it can't
(12:41):
be part of the interior structure of the house. You're
just asking for all sorts of problems. So that part,
my friend, is true. The part that isn't true is
that it's just automatically going to cost you six thousand dollars.
All right. If this is a free standing spa, it
was designed to sit outside, okay, because they aren't designed
to sit inside. So it is sitting in its own
(13:04):
little weather structure. If you put a nice foam cover
on it probably has one that's a weather proof cover.
You can add to the weather proofness of this spa
by adding a more elaborate cover, like the kind of
cover that you would put over your car that you
park outside. You can get a really, really nice cover
for it. It needs something to sit on out in
the yard. It can sit on the patio, sit on
(13:26):
the patio concrete. It doesn't need a big elaborate foundation
underneath it, just something stable. It could sit on pressure
treated six by six square of lumber. It could sit
on a nice stable area of gravel. And as far
as electricity is concerned, I would be hard pressed to
imagine somehow that it's going to cost six thousand dollars
(13:50):
to run two hundred and forty volt electricity to your
SPA panel, regardless of where you put it in your house.
So the point is this, Yes, it needs to go
out side, and when it comes to how much is
that going to cost, who's going to do it and
where are you going to put it? You need to
make a few more calls. So the fella who was
advising you on it, that's all well and good. Maybe
(14:12):
he wasn't trying to maybe that was his best estimation
of it, but uh, you should call a couple of
other contractors, have them come out, get at least three
estimates for this debbie so that you know what it's
really really going to cost you, because six thousand is
a lot of money just to run one electrical line
(14:34):
out there. I don't care if there's nothing magical about
it being two forty versus one twenty. Okay, it's just
you know, maybe a location's tricky. Maybe it is, but
I'd be shocked if moving it outside is going to
cost you six thousand dollars. So get more estimates from
more reputable contractors, and then you'll know. You'll see a
(14:55):
concessant consensus starting to form among the numbers. You'll also
get some good advice along the way. So that's where
you go with it, all right, my friends, when we
return more of your calls. Your Home with Dean Sharp
the House Whisper.
Speaker 6 (15:11):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
KFI AM six Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. You
are Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper. That's me
and you know what we're doing. We are taking your calls,
whether it's a DIY question, construction issue, a design question.
I love design questions. So anyway, so why don't we
(15:38):
just dive back in. Hey, Dave, welcome home.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
My family lives in a thirty five hundred square foot,
two story single family house in Orange County, a bill
Lyon home and we a year ten years ago, I
spent about fifty thousand upgrading the back put in, starring
a hard roof, tile floor, granite countertops in an outdoor
(16:07):
kitchen with three different barbecues and sinks, and our kitchen
needs a similar upgrade. We have hardwood cabinets that we like.
They're oak. We love wood. We have it's a nineteen
sixty nine home if I didn't mention that, and it's
got tile countertops, and we put in a new tile
(16:31):
in the floor when we redid the patio, but the
floor is chipping. The tile was substandard. We need new flooring.
We want to replace our countertops. We want to keep
the oak cabinetry, and we like wood so much that
we'd like to go hardwood countertops. So we'd like your
recommendation there.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Okay, all right, I got you. Well, good on you,
and for you know, being bold and wanting to do
some cool stuff. Here is the thing for just as
a general recommendation. And I'll get back to this in
a second. I have no issues whatsoever with hardwood countertops, none,
zero issues. I know people all over southern California are like, oh,
(17:14):
we would never do that. That's fine, then don't do it.
But I'm just telling you, as somebody who's been building
homes and designing homes for you know, almost forty years now,
hardwood is a brilliant countertop. People are like, well, that
will never last up to you know, spillage and moisture.
And it's like, oh, if you've ever been on a
boat that has a galley in it, I guarantee you
(17:37):
this one thing. The countertop on that galley is hardwood.
If you've ever gone into a pub and sat at
a bar, the bar is hardwood. So yeah, the idea
that wood doesn't hold up to abuse and or moisture
is a myth. Now you got to do it right, okay,
So but there you go. There's my feeling about hardwood countertops,
(17:59):
even so much so that Tina and I half of
the counters half of them in our kitchen. The specifically,
the counter that the sink is in is a two
inch thick walnut, black walnut, and it just oiled, not
finished with polyurethane or anything, just oiled with mineral oil.
And it's years old now, and it years and years
(18:23):
old now and it looks like brand new and all
we have to do is just reoil it and gaboom.
So anyway, now the trick for you, Dave is going
to be this you've got you're thinking about putting hardwood
floors in the kitchen, you've got oak cabinets, and you're
thinking about wood. Now that as a wood lover, you
(18:44):
know that that's a lot of wood. And so the
key is this. I'm not going to tell you not
to do all of that wood, but I am going
to be very very specific. You need to wisely create
contrast between the floor, the cabinets, and the tops. So
whatever color the oak is of the cabinets, that's a lock, right,
(19:04):
because they're all finished out. Whatever color that is, you
want some contrast in lightness or darkness and in intensity
of color for the countertops number one and number two
for the floor. If we go oak on oak on it,
Actually the material itself is irrelevant. I would not use
(19:25):
oak for the countertops just because oak doesn't do as
well with these things. But the floor, the cabinetry, and
the counter if you went with the same kind of
style and the same general tone, you're going to end
up with a wood cave. And you don't want a
wood cave in your kitchen where your kitchen used to be. Okay,
(19:46):
So in order for it to really pop, for it
to really shine, for it to really show itself off,
you just want color contrasts. So if the cabinets are
staying dark, then you want to go lighter with the
counter or vice versa. Our cabinets in our kitchen are white.
They're just there. They're beautiful wood cabinets, but they are white.
And so the dark wallnuts sitting on top of those
(20:09):
cabinets and then we have a brick style tile floor
underneath them. They all just show off and complement each other,
you know, super well. Uh, but we have done wood
on wood on wood before. But the key is contrast,
heavy contrast so that you don't get that cavy bleed
out effect. Uh. And so there you go, and uh,
(20:31):
my recommendation as far as the wood, there are several
species of hardwoods that work really, really well. You should
just get yourself down to a hardwood specialty shop or
lumberyard that specializes in hardwoods and uh and check out
what they've got and the you know, see how you
guys feel about it, because it's one of the one
of the fun things about picking out hardwoods for situations
(20:54):
like this. Every piece is different, you know, it's not
just standard lumber. And a lot of people are wondering, like, Okay,
where do I find such things, because you know, I
didn't see anything at the home depot or Lows or
at the lumber yard down the street. Now, first of all,
your lumber yard down the street may have some, but
there are shops all over southern California that specialize in
(21:16):
these kinds of woods. Two things you need to do. One,
when you're talking about wood that you're going to use
for finished products like countertops or furniture, it doesn't come
in it's not sold in inches by inches. It's actually
sold in quarter inches thicknesses. So if you're looking for
(21:37):
a two inch countertop slab, you're going to be looking
for an eight quarter or an eight over four, okay,
because that's how they're rated that way. So if you're
looking for an inch and a half, it's a six
over four, and one inch is a four over four.
That's just lingo. If you walk in, speak in the lingo,
they're going to dig you. Where do you find it?
(21:58):
All over the place. If you're up here in eastern
Ventura County or the West Valley, then you know, get
out here to a gore and go to Canao Hardwoods.
If you're in La Bonhoff lumber of course, classic my
Buddy's over at Angel City Lumber. Please go to Angel
City and check out what they've got. If down in Anaheim,
(22:20):
you've got a lot of choices, among which are California
exotic hardwoods, and there are others. There are many, many others,
but there just gives you a sample of North Valley,
Northwest Valley, LA, and Orange County. These kinds of places
are all over the place. The last thing I'm gonna
tell you is when we do a countertop, my preference
(22:42):
is not to super seal the wood in terms of
like putting multiple layers of polyurythane and making it like
a bar top, shiny like I said our would when
in raw the black walnut, and we just keep it
nicely oiled, water beads right on the surface. What if
it gets scratched, Dean, Well, it's two inch thick hardwood.
(23:05):
If you end up with a scratch or a gouge
that you're just like uh oh uh, you know what,
especially if it's only been oiled, you just get out
the sand paper or a little sander, a little palm sander,
and just gently, very very gently massage the area until
the gouge goes away. Reoil it and you're back in
(23:27):
the game again. That has not happened to our countertop,
but you know it could. So there you go, my
friend Dave. Thank you for the question, and good luck
on the kitchen. All right, when we come back more
of your calls. I'm so glad you joined me this morning.
Hang tight, there is more to come. You're listening to
Home with Dean Sharp The House Whisper. Canf I Dean
(23:48):
Sharp the House whisper, Welcome home. We're going back to
the phones, Jack, Welcome home.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Hi, Dean.
Speaker 9 (23:59):
My is a shower that I need to totally remodel
in the back of the house. It's just a stand
up shower, has no tub and I want no grout
back there. So I'm looking at using slabs on my countertops.
I have Cambria quartz. I don't know if I can
use Cambria quartz for the walls or if I should
(24:22):
use marble or Grantite. And the last question is should
I use it on the ceiling as well.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
As the walls.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Okay, good questions. Yeah, yes to all of the above,
except for the ceiling question. You can use granted, you
can use marble. I mean we put everything imaginable in
a shower, and any slab material that is countertop worthy
(24:52):
for your kitchen has no problem handling hot and cold
water and steam in a shower. So yes, full slabs
of cambria, any kind of quartz material whatsoever, And there
are so many varieties on the market, many of which
simulate stone pretty well, pretty well depending on the brand,
(25:17):
in the style, and then the natural stones. The only
thing I would say is, of course, with marble as
always the same warning that we give when we put
it in a kitchen. Marbling, granite need to keep sealed,
and cambria are quartz, which is a man made material.
(25:38):
It's only achilles heel. In the kitchen is really heat
meaning you know, you can't just drop a four hundred
degree pan on it without getting a little potential heat ring.
But in the shower that's never going to be an
issue whatsoever, So they're pretty bomb proof in shower applications.
Quartz is not going to be as beautiful in most
(26:02):
people's opinion as a natural stone like quartzite or granite
or marble, but those elements, because they're natural stone, the
price you pay for that level of beauty in there
is you got to keep them sealed. But if you
do that, you know probably in a shower once a year,
(26:24):
I would say. Some marble guy out there is saying
twice a year, Dean K fine, once or twice a year.
But you keep them sealed and you'll have no problem.
It's a that's a life long, beautiful shower scenario. Now,
as far as the ceiling is concerned, how tall is
the ceiling in the shower?
Speaker 5 (26:45):
Eight feet?
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Okay, so it's an eight foot And are you planning
on ever using this shower as a steam shower?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
No?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Okay, So my general feeling is we default to putting
a hard surface material on the ceiling. Why because steam rises,
because water condensates up above. But is that a guarantee
if you don't that you're going to have a drywall problems?
(27:20):
Number one, if you use green board, which you should
up there, green board drywall, which is a moisture resistant drywall,
and you use a moisture resistant paint in the bathroom area,
something really good like an Aura bath and spa from
Benjamin Moore sponsored the show. But an Aura bath and
(27:41):
spa something that's really designed to resist moisture, and the
shower doors aren't too tall so that you're trapping most
of that steam. So if we've got good ventilation, if
the shower doors aren't trapping most of the steam and
moisture inside the shower chamber, then you really are not
going to have a problem running a painted ceiling in there. However,
(28:04):
the bomb proof solution is always to, you know, take
the same materials that you're using on the shower walls
and pop them up there as well. When you do, though,
let me be clear, if you're going to have a
painted ceiling, you can just run a standard ceiling through.
If you're going to put a a hard surface up there,
(28:26):
like marble, Let's say you're doing marble on the walls
and you're gonna put marble overhead, you're gonna want to
slope that ceiling ever so slightly. Don't put it up
completely level, put it in on the tiniest of slope.
I'm talking about an eighth of an inch per foot slope,
just ever so slightly sloped from the shower door back
(28:48):
sloped down towards the back shower wall. Why because if
we put stone up there, it's a cold material, and
the steam and moisture that rises from your hot shower
will condensate very easily on that material, and as it
condensates and turns into droplets, what you don't want is
(29:11):
a cold rainforest dropping droplets of water on you while
you're taking your hot shower. And so what we do
is we pitch and slope that ceiling back so that
that water runs along the ceiling to the back wall
and then runs down the back wall instead of dripping
in the shower. And it is a weird thought. You
(29:32):
would think, well, you know, it's all hot water. It's not.
The temperature coming out of the shower head is one temperature.
By the time the moisture condensates on the cooler tile
up above or slab up above, when it starts to
drop on you, it's kind of annoyingly cooler than the
hot shower that you're taking. And so slope that ceiling
back and change the you know, get that water so
(29:55):
it doesn't drip on you. Jack, thank you for your question.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper.
Speaker 6 (30:02):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI A M six forty
KF I Am six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper on demand on the iHeart Radio app.
I Am six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.
I Am Dean Sharp, the House Whisperer, custom home Builder,
custom home Designer, inviting you to join me for the
(00:22):
next two hours in that magical space that exists somewhere
between the world as it is and the world as
it should be, as we work to turn your ordinary
house into an extraordinary home. It's an all calls weekend.
I love these weekends. I love taking your calls, talking
(00:43):
with you about what's going on with your home, and
you know, helping out if I can. So let's do it.
Let's talk to Evan. Evan Welcome home.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
So my problem is I had a waterline break the
other night in my house. It's flooded the square bed
and bathroom and the hallway all the way into where
the dining room and living room is. It boreped the floor,
and so my insurance adjuster is telling me they can't
match it. I won't be able to match it. So
(01:14):
they're going to pay to replace the entire floor, the
wood floor area.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
In the house.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
And my question to you is people are.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Telling me to go with vinyl laminae, to.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Go with a hard another hardwood, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Asking what your recommendations might be.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Okay, really good question. So Evan, what was the water
line that busted? Is it in the slab? Is it
something overhead? Tell them give me a little more space overhead?
It was overhead.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
It was over fine, and the joint.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Failed and it was raining.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
And my wife woke me up but ten thirty at
night and said, the house is flooding And it was
just literally flooding out of the Yeah, the overhead fan,
the air conditioning vent around it.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Who was just raining water everywhere?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
What a mess. I'm sorry to hear that. Okay, here's
the thing. If you are if you guys wanted hardwood,
if you've always wanted hardwood, if hardwood is the thing,
I know your gun you're feeling gun shy because of
this disaster that just happened. But if we're confident that
we've addressed the problem, addressed the leak, if we're confident
with the rest of the system, then you don't go
(02:29):
back with hardwood again. I'm not a I'm not a
big fan of compromising the design of a house just
because we get gun shy or we're afraid as the
result of an accident that has happened before. You know
what I'm saying, It's kind of like it's like it's like,
you know, the kids on the skateboard outside, he falls
(02:50):
and and he broke his leg. Okay, we get it.
We're riding a skateboard that can happen. Once the leg heals,
the parents who now wrap that kid up in like
six layers of insulating foam on all the legs and
has an oversized helmet and goggles. And you know, it's
(03:11):
kind of like the kid who wears a helmet in
goggles when they goes to chess club because the chance
there's there's a chance one of those pieces could fly
off the board and put an eye out.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
So to make I mean, we just ye just had
new carpet and new wood grain ceramic tile put in
the bathrooms two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Okay, And so my wife's like, well do we match
the ceramic tile, And I'm like, well, the people that
installed it with the price is going to be like
thirty grand to do it.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
And I don't think the wood forest thing replaced bad.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, so you know you the insurance is going to
pay for and should pay pay out for the replacement
of what you've got. So if it's hardwood, they should
write you a check equivalent to redoing it all. In
replacing hardwood, if you want to move up to the
ceramic tile. From a design perspective, that kind of you know,
(04:10):
kills two birds with one stone in that a ceramic
plank floor is going to be bomb proof throughout the
whole house and continuous flooring so that there's no change
in between the house proper and the bathrooms. But again
that isn't a necessity. So yeah, if you put in
(04:30):
luxury vinyl plank, that's what we're talking about. If you
put in luxury vinyl plank, yeah, it is now a
waterproof and bomb proof throughout the whole house. And if
there was another accident, then the it's not going to
ruin a luxury vinyl plank floor. However, luxury vinyl plank
is not the same as real hardwood. It is an
(04:53):
emulation of hardwood. It's really good looking stuff. It's also
way cheaper than hardwood. So I think you guys just
have to sit down and make a decision of both
financially and design wise, which way you want to go
with this. I can't really push you one direction or
the other because there's no right answer to it. The
(05:15):
fact of the matter is, if we were always afraid
that a pipe would burst in any house, we'd never
put hardwood in any house ever, right because it's moisture
sensitive and there's just no way around that right now.
We don't have the technology to get around that right now.
So I want you to have confidence in your plumbing system.
(05:36):
I want your plumbing system rechecked, okay, especially if it's
a peck system. Those joints should not be failing. So
if you're confident that, okay, the plumbing issue has been resolved,
then I know, you know it's always natural to feel
gunshy after a big blow, but you know, why not
put hardwood back? If hardwood is what you really want.
(06:00):
This revinyl plank is great. So just to be clear,
the insurance company should is obligated to replace everything at
the cost of the hardwood. If you want to turn around,
then and do the luxury vinyl plank and save yourself
some money as you go great, or take the payout
for the hardwood, and then throw a little extra of
(06:22):
yours in and go porcelain plank everywhere. That's a good
way too. Both of those choices would be bomb proof,
and the hardwood choice gets you back to where you
would go. So those are really your three options, and
it's ultimately a design decision for you and your wife
to work out. Just try to avoid feeling gun shy
(06:43):
because you just had this disaster. I know that's a
hard thing to do, but do your best with it. Evan,
thanks for the call, buddy. I love our listeners questions.
They stretch my brain. How about some more of your
calls when we return. You are listening to Home, would
Dean show the house whisper?
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
If I Dean sharp the house whisper at your service,
Welcome home. We are doing an all calls weekend, So
let's go back to the phone, shall we. Carol, Hey, Carol,
welcome home.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
Hi, thank you. I'm growing a dragon fruit and I'm
making a dragon fruit trellis. I'm using a four x
four redwood post attached to a concrete block post support
that has a zinc coated strap. I'm going to place
that into a twenty five gallon hard plastic nursery grade pot.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Fill it with soil.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
And the reason I'm using this trellis is for stability
because they get kind of heavy at the top. My
question is will the strap or the concrete leach harmful
chemicals into the soil which will go into the roots
then eventually into the fruit.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Uh no, no it won't.
Speaker 5 (08:07):
Oh wonderful, Okay, that's all I wanted to thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That was so easy, That was so easy.
Speaker 6 (08:14):
You made my day.
Speaker 7 (08:17):
Thanks you, Carol, Thank you, enjoy your show.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Thank you by bye, Thank you so much. Uh yeah, no,
you know, concrete is concrete. There are a lot of
different forms of concrete. Concrete is a combination of an
aggregate sand of different sizes, sand, gravel, and cement portland
cement most of the time, Uh it is. It is
not a material that it leaches out harmful things to
(08:44):
a garden. Somebody else asked about cinder blocks too, and
cinder blocks are also cinder blocks are different than standard concrete.
By the way. Uh did you guys know that? Yeah,
well you probably you can tell. Right when you take
a look at a cinder block, it's made out of concrete.
So it's a combination of concrete and fly ash. What
is fly ash? It's the leftover ash from burning coal. Yeah, cinders,
(09:09):
That's where the cinder in cinder block comes from. Cinders
of burnt coal. Carbonized coal ash gets added into a
cement concrete mixture, and because the cinders are so lightweight
and they take up space, the cinder block ends up
being considerably lighter than it would be if it was
just a pure poored cement block. Also, though it's not
(09:32):
as strong, but you know, it does its job. So
there you go. But none of those things are dangerous
to the soil around them. My goodness, how does he
know these things? Tuck to Debbie, Hey, Debbie, welcome home.
Speaker 7 (09:46):
Many years ago our new house, it had a spa
that had to be taken out because I had a
crack at it, and I installed one in place of it,
but never had it connected. And now that I want
to do it, Fellas said, well it's indoors. You can't
hook it up inside. You've got to move it outdoors
and pay you six thousand dollars. So I really wasn't
(10:08):
too happy about that because I thought, well, the heck
with it. That thing costs a little more than that,
but you know, you know, it has two seats, and
you know the jets whatever all they come with, so
maybe they won't stuff you, but it stumps me. And
I hate to part with six thousand dollars for something
that costs just a little more than that.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I got you, all right, So let me ask you,
so is this a Is this a free standing spa
like a fiberglass spa sitting on its own platform and
all that. Okay, yes it is.
Speaker 7 (10:38):
It's on wheels or whatever. I don't know what it's on,
but anyway, it's movable. You know, it's a thermal spat.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
That helps Benny right now, why does he Why did
he tell you it was going to cost you six
thousand dollars to move it outside?
Speaker 7 (10:50):
Well, he said it couldn't be hooked up indoors, and
it's it needs to be at two thirty lamps.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Okay, so yeah, needs it needs two hundred and twenty
two hundred and forty. Actually we call two twenty, but
it's actually two forty. It needs a two forty hookup
power hookup. All right, that's understandable.
Speaker 8 (11:11):
But here's the thing with code. Okay, yeah, that's in
codes like when so convenient. I okay, So here's what
I'm gonna recommend to you. I want you to call
somebody else. Okay, Now there's a half truth here. Okay,
the half truth is, yeah, it is a mess. By
(11:32):
the way, never, never, never, should they have had that
spa indoors.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
It just shouldn't be. And there's a reason why we
don't want you to put a spa like that indoor.
You think about this like an indoor spa at like
a health club or a gym. Okay, these are built
in by allowance with like an indoor pool. But to
build an indoor and I've done my share of indoor
pools and spas, by the way, because I've had some
(11:59):
clients who have been super happy to pay for them.
But the structure that you have to build around that
in terms of airflow of ventilation to get the chlorine
gases that seep out of these bodies of water a
pool and a spa. Also the heat, the mist, the
(12:19):
humidity that builds up as the ringin. There's just there's
a whole lot of things that go into it, and
it is almost always all well, it's always a mistake
to just pull one of those spaws into the house,
even if it's outside on an enclosed porch or whatever.
So now that doesn't mean it has to sit out
there cold and naked in the rain. You could have
a structure over it or around it, but it can't
(12:41):
be part of the interior structure of the house. You're
just asking for all sorts of problems. So that part,
my friend, is true. The part that isn't true is
that it's just automatically going to cost you six thousand dollars.
All right. If this is a free standing spa, it
was designed to sit outside, okay, because they aren't designed
to sit inside. So it is sitting in its own
(13:04):
little weather structure. If you put a nice foam cover
on it probably has one that's a weather proof cover.
You can add to the weather proofness of this spa
by adding a more elaborate cover, like the kind of
cover that you would put over your car that you
park outside. You can get a really, really nice cover
for it. It needs something to sit on out in
the yard. It can sit on the patio, sit on
(13:26):
the patio concrete. It doesn't need a big elaborate foundation
underneath it, just something stable. It could sit on pressure
treated six by six square of lumber. It could sit
on a nice stable area of gravel. And as far
as electricity is concerned, I would be hard pressed to
imagine somehow that it's going to cost six thousand dollars
(13:50):
to run two hundred and forty volt electricity to your
SPA panel, regardless of where you put it in your house.
So the point is this, Yes, it needs to go
out side, and when it comes to how much is
that going to cost, who's going to do it and
where are you going to put it? You need to
make a few more calls. So the fella who was
advising you on it, that's all well and good. Maybe
(14:12):
he wasn't trying to maybe that was his best estimation
of it, but uh, you should call a couple of
other contractors, have them come out, get at least three
estimates for this debbie so that you know what it's
really really going to cost you, because six thousand is
a lot of money just to run one electrical line
(14:34):
out there. I don't care if there's nothing magical about
it being two forty versus one twenty. Okay, it's just
you know, maybe a location's tricky. Maybe it is, but
I'd be shocked if moving it outside is going to
cost you six thousand dollars. So get more estimates from
more reputable contractors, and then you'll know. You'll see a
(14:55):
concessant consensus starting to form among the numbers. You'll also
get some good advice along the way. So that's where
you go with it, all right, my friends, when we
return more of your calls. Your Home with Dean Sharp
the House Whisper.
Speaker 6 (15:11):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI AM six forty.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
KFI AM six Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. You
are Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper. That's me
and you know what we're doing. We are taking your calls,
whether it's a DIY question, construction issue, a design question.
I love design questions. So anyway, so why don't we
(15:38):
just dive back in. Hey, Dave, welcome home.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
My family lives in a thirty five hundred square foot,
two story single family house in Orange County, a bill
Lyon home and we a year ten years ago, I
spent about fifty thousand upgrading the back put in, starring
a hard roof, tile floor, granite countertops in an outdoor
(16:07):
kitchen with three different barbecues and sinks, and our kitchen
needs a similar upgrade. We have hardwood cabinets that we like.
They're oak. We love wood. We have it's a nineteen
sixty nine home if I didn't mention that, and it's
got tile countertops, and we put in a new tile
(16:31):
in the floor when we redid the patio, but the
floor is chipping. The tile was substandard. We need new flooring.
We want to replace our countertops. We want to keep
the oak cabinetry, and we like wood so much that
we'd like to go hardwood countertops. So we'd like your
recommendation there.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Okay, all right, I got you. Well, good on you,
and for you know, being bold and wanting to do
some cool stuff. Here is the thing for just as
a general recommendation. And I'll get back to this in
a second. I have no issues whatsoever with hardwood countertops, none,
zero issues. I know people all over southern California are like, oh,
(17:14):
we would never do that. That's fine, then don't do it.
But I'm just telling you, as somebody who's been building
homes and designing homes for you know, almost forty years now,
hardwood is a brilliant countertop. People are like, well, that
will never last up to you know, spillage and moisture.
And it's like, oh, if you've ever been on a
boat that has a galley in it, I guarantee you
(17:37):
this one thing. The countertop on that galley is hardwood.
If you've ever gone into a pub and sat at
a bar, the bar is hardwood. So yeah, the idea
that wood doesn't hold up to abuse and or moisture
is a myth. Now you got to do it right, okay,
So but there you go. There's my feeling about hardwood countertops,
(17:59):
even so much so that Tina and I half of
the counters half of them in our kitchen. The specifically,
the counter that the sink is in is a two
inch thick walnut, black walnut, and it just oiled, not
finished with polyurethane or anything, just oiled with mineral oil.
And it's years old now, and it years and years
(18:23):
old now and it looks like brand new and all
we have to do is just reoil it and gaboom.
So anyway, now the trick for you, Dave is going
to be this you've got you're thinking about putting hardwood
floors in the kitchen, you've got oak cabinets, and you're
thinking about wood. Now that as a wood lover, you
(18:44):
know that that's a lot of wood. And so the
key is this. I'm not going to tell you not
to do all of that wood, but I am going
to be very very specific. You need to wisely create
contrast between the floor, the cabinets, and the tops. So
whatever color the oak is of the cabinets, that's a lock, right,
(19:04):
because they're all finished out. Whatever color that is, you
want some contrast in lightness or darkness and in intensity
of color for the countertops number one and number two
for the floor. If we go oak on oak on it,
Actually the material itself is irrelevant. I would not use
(19:25):
oak for the countertops just because oak doesn't do as
well with these things. But the floor, the cabinetry, and
the counter if you went with the same kind of
style and the same general tone, you're going to end
up with a wood cave. And you don't want a
wood cave in your kitchen where your kitchen used to be. Okay,
(19:46):
So in order for it to really pop, for it
to really shine, for it to really show itself off,
you just want color contrasts. So if the cabinets are
staying dark, then you want to go lighter with the
counter or vice versa. Our cabinets in our kitchen are white.
They're just there. They're beautiful wood cabinets, but they are white.
And so the dark wallnuts sitting on top of those
(20:09):
cabinets and then we have a brick style tile floor
underneath them. They all just show off and complement each other,
you know, super well. Uh, but we have done wood
on wood on wood before. But the key is contrast,
heavy contrast so that you don't get that cavy bleed
out effect. Uh. And so there you go, and uh,
(20:31):
my recommendation as far as the wood, there are several
species of hardwoods that work really, really well. You should
just get yourself down to a hardwood specialty shop or
lumberyard that specializes in hardwoods and uh and check out
what they've got and the you know, see how you
guys feel about it, because it's one of the one
of the fun things about picking out hardwoods for situations
(20:54):
like this. Every piece is different, you know, it's not
just standard lumber. And a lot of people are wondering, like, Okay,
where do I find such things, because you know, I
didn't see anything at the home depot or Lows or
at the lumber yard down the street. Now, first of all,
your lumber yard down the street may have some, but
there are shops all over southern California that specialize in
(21:16):
these kinds of woods. Two things you need to do. One,
when you're talking about wood that you're going to use
for finished products like countertops or furniture, it doesn't come
in it's not sold in inches by inches. It's actually
sold in quarter inches thicknesses. So if you're looking for
(21:37):
a two inch countertop slab, you're going to be looking
for an eight quarter or an eight over four, okay,
because that's how they're rated that way. So if you're
looking for an inch and a half, it's a six
over four, and one inch is a four over four.
That's just lingo. If you walk in, speak in the lingo,
they're going to dig you. Where do you find it?
(21:58):
All over the place. If you're up here in eastern
Ventura County or the West Valley, then you know, get
out here to a gore and go to Canao Hardwoods.
If you're in La Bonhoff lumber of course, classic my
Buddy's over at Angel City Lumber. Please go to Angel
City and check out what they've got. If down in Anaheim,
(22:20):
you've got a lot of choices, among which are California
exotic hardwoods, and there are others. There are many, many others,
but there just gives you a sample of North Valley,
Northwest Valley, LA, and Orange County. These kinds of places
are all over the place. The last thing I'm gonna
tell you is when we do a countertop, my preference
(22:42):
is not to super seal the wood in terms of
like putting multiple layers of polyurythane and making it like
a bar top, shiny like I said our would when
in raw the black walnut, and we just keep it
nicely oiled, water beads right on the surface. What if
it gets scratched, Dean, Well, it's two inch thick hardwood.
(23:05):
If you end up with a scratch or a gouge
that you're just like uh oh uh, you know what,
especially if it's only been oiled, you just get out
the sand paper or a little sander, a little palm sander,
and just gently, very very gently massage the area until
the gouge goes away. Reoil it and you're back in
(23:27):
the game again. That has not happened to our countertop,
but you know it could. So there you go, my
friend Dave. Thank you for the question, and good luck
on the kitchen. All right, when we come back more
of your calls. I'm so glad you joined me this morning.
Hang tight, there is more to come. You're listening to
Home with Dean Sharp The House Whisper. Canf I Dean
(23:48):
Sharp the House whisper, Welcome home. We're going back to
the phones, Jack, Welcome home.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Hi, Dean.
Speaker 9 (23:59):
My is a shower that I need to totally remodel
in the back of the house. It's just a stand
up shower, has no tub and I want no grout
back there. So I'm looking at using slabs on my countertops.
I have Cambria quartz. I don't know if I can
use Cambria quartz for the walls or if I should
(24:22):
use marble or Grantite. And the last question is should
I use it on the ceiling as well.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
As the walls.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Okay, good questions. Yeah, yes to all of the above,
except for the ceiling question. You can use granted, you
can use marble. I mean we put everything imaginable in
a shower, and any slab material that is countertop worthy
(24:52):
for your kitchen has no problem handling hot and cold
water and steam in a shower. So yes, full slabs
of cambria, any kind of quartz material whatsoever, And there
are so many varieties on the market, many of which
simulate stone pretty well, pretty well depending on the brand,
(25:17):
in the style, and then the natural stones. The only
thing I would say is, of course, with marble as
always the same warning that we give when we put
it in a kitchen. Marbling, granite need to keep sealed,
and cambria are quartz, which is a man made material.
(25:38):
It's only achilles heel. In the kitchen is really heat
meaning you know, you can't just drop a four hundred
degree pan on it without getting a little potential heat ring.
But in the shower that's never going to be an
issue whatsoever, So they're pretty bomb proof in shower applications.
Quartz is not going to be as beautiful in most
(26:02):
people's opinion as a natural stone like quartzite or granite
or marble, but those elements, because they're natural stone, the
price you pay for that level of beauty in there
is you got to keep them sealed. But if you
do that, you know probably in a shower once a year,
(26:24):
I would say. Some marble guy out there is saying
twice a year, Dean K fine, once or twice a year.
But you keep them sealed and you'll have no problem.
It's a that's a life long, beautiful shower scenario. Now,
as far as the ceiling is concerned, how tall is
the ceiling in the shower?
Speaker 5 (26:45):
Eight feet?
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Okay, so it's an eight foot And are you planning
on ever using this shower as a steam shower?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
No?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Okay, So my general feeling is we default to putting
a hard surface material on the ceiling. Why because steam rises,
because water condensates up above. But is that a guarantee
if you don't that you're going to have a drywall problems?
(27:20):
Number one, if you use green board, which you should
up there, green board drywall, which is a moisture resistant drywall,
and you use a moisture resistant paint in the bathroom area,
something really good like an Aura bath and spa from
Benjamin Moore sponsored the show. But an Aura bath and
(27:41):
spa something that's really designed to resist moisture, and the
shower doors aren't too tall so that you're trapping most
of that steam. So if we've got good ventilation, if
the shower doors aren't trapping most of the steam and
moisture inside the shower chamber, then you really are not
going to have a problem running a painted ceiling in there. However,
(28:04):
the bomb proof solution is always to, you know, take
the same materials that you're using on the shower walls
and pop them up there as well. When you do, though,
let me be clear, if you're going to have a
painted ceiling, you can just run a standard ceiling through.
If you're going to put a a hard surface up there,
(28:26):
like marble, Let's say you're doing marble on the walls
and you're gonna put marble overhead, you're gonna want to
slope that ceiling ever so slightly. Don't put it up
completely level, put it in on the tiniest of slope.
I'm talking about an eighth of an inch per foot slope,
just ever so slightly sloped from the shower door back
(28:48):
sloped down towards the back shower wall. Why because if
we put stone up there, it's a cold material, and
the steam and moisture that rises from your hot shower
will condensate very easily on that material, and as it
condensates and turns into droplets, what you don't want is
(29:11):
a cold rainforest dropping droplets of water on you while
you're taking your hot shower. And so what we do
is we pitch and slope that ceiling back so that
that water runs along the ceiling to the back wall
and then runs down the back wall instead of dripping
in the shower. And it is a weird thought. You
(29:32):
would think, well, you know, it's all hot water. It's not.
The temperature coming out of the shower head is one temperature.
By the time the moisture condensates on the cooler tile
up above or slab up above, when it starts to
drop on you, it's kind of annoyingly cooler than the
hot shower that you're taking. And so slope that ceiling
back and change the you know, get that water so
(29:55):
it doesn't drip on you. Jack, thank you for your question.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper.
Speaker 6 (30:02):
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from
KFI A M six forty
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.