May 5, 2024 • 33 mins
Dean continues to answer callers questions; including about raised foundations', braised bolted on the perimeters, dealing with asbestos and what needs to be done to fix the proplem. Dean gets into the topic on slabs in his home and on the remodel of his property.Dean dislikes raised floor/foundations in homes. Dean shares his view on pocket doors. Dean breaks down the myths and concepts of pocket doors as well. Dean answers a caller’s question about building a structure mini home, out prefabricated bold panels.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listeningto Dean Sharp The House Whisper on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. I amDean Sharp the House Whisper here with you
live like I am every weekend,Saturday mornings from six to eight Pacific time,
Sunday mornings nine to noon Pacific time. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful
(00:21):
spring day. We certainly are,and I am glad that you're here with
us on the program. They've joinedus. For the second hour of our
program. We are talking about,you know, miscellaneous things this weekend stuff,
important stuff that you might not knowabout your house that you need to
know. And it's just a listof Pope Marie, as it were,
(00:43):
of various pearls of wisdom that I'mreaching into. I was gonna say,
the pearl bucket. Is that athing? I don't think it is,
anyway, pearls of wisdom for youhere. We're going to get back to
that in just a bit. Butit's top of the hour, so we
are taking calls right now, andI want to go back to the phones.
I want to talk to Jamie.Jamie, welcome home, Hi,
(01:06):
Jane, thank you, hey.I have a yes and no question after
this. But my most important questionplease, is about six years ago we
got new air conditioning and new ductand what we didn't know is what they
did is they hooked the new ductup to the existing asbestos. I think
(01:27):
they're called boots that go to theevents. But if anything, do I
need to do about that? Please? Probably nothing? Probably nothing, because
an asbestos boot is an asbestos linedor I should say, insulated boot.
In other words, it's on theoutside. It is not asbestos exposed to
(01:49):
the interior of the duct where theair flows. And as much as I
am not a fan of asbestos,nobody is. And asbestos, you know,
is a carcinogenic material that we arenow purging from our homes. You
know, it's not a part ofany new home build obviously, but there
(02:10):
is a panic about asbestos that's unnecessaryon some level. Asbestos just sitting there,
sitting there across the room from you, staring at you, is not
threatening you. Asbestos is only anissue when it is you know, agitated
(02:30):
into a dust and it becomes partof the air that we breathe. Okay,
So for instance, when people havepopcorn ceilings that you know, acoustic
ceiling that has an asbestos content init. They have two choices. One
is to have it abated, whichis a very expensive process but you know,
a good thing to do. Butthe other choice, just as effective
(02:53):
in terms of health and safety ina house, is to have it encapsulated,
which simply means putting up a pieceof drywall on top of that acoustic
ceiling to seal it in like themeat inside a sandwich, so that nobody
can touch the asbestos, nobody candisturb it, it can't particulate into the
air. That is just as safeas having it taken out of the house
(03:17):
altogether. So whenever asbestos is inour homes, as long as it's in
a place where nobody's bugging it andit is not being disturbed so that it
gets into the airflow, it's nota problem. And the asbestos boot that
the ducks are hooked into that asbesosis not on the inside of that ductwork
(03:42):
system, so air is not blowingover it and carrying it out into the
room. It's simply a wrap onthe outside of that sheet metal box,
and unless it was installed improperly,should not be a problem for you.
Awesome, thank you can, Iask you my no question, go for
it? Oh, thank you?Okay. Several years ago we had our
(04:05):
home brace bolted on the X perimeterwalls. Huh. And it was suggested
to me that maybe we need tohave all of the posts. There's like
maybe twenty five thirty posts underneath thehouse strapped to the to you know,
(04:26):
there's the wooden post and they're justsitting on top of the concrete thing.
Yep, yep, yep, yep. Would it be a good idea to
have those strapped also? Would thatbe helpful? Always? How old is
the house by the way, buildin sixty two? Yeah, always a
good idea. So you have araised foundation house. Jamie's got a raised
(04:48):
foundation house. She's caught a crawlspace under her house. She already already
had it brace bolted. That meansretrofitted seismically for earthquakes on the perimeter of
the house. That was a wisething to do. But all of the
supports and it's called a post andbeam set up, that's what we call
it in the framing world. We'vegot beams running across and posts underneath it.
(05:11):
The beams are holding up floor joistsand the posts are holding up the
beams, and so there's no reasonwhy it isn't a good idea. So
often the older a house gets.And by the way, I should just
say this today, in a modernday post and beam constructed floor, all
of those posts, there are twofactors about them. Number One, they're
(05:32):
not just toe nailed into place,nailed into the beams that they're supporting,
but there is hardware, approved hardwarethat is strapping them essentially to the beams
and to the concrete foundation under them, so there's no place they can go.
They are locked into place permanently.And also the bottom of the posts
(05:55):
today are lifted off the concrete.They're not touching and making direct contact with
the concrete because moisture in the concretebecome a rot and moisture problem with the
posts. So I would go sofar as to say, if you really
wanted to do the one hundred andfifty percent effort with the posts, that
(06:15):
you have somebody get under there,and not just to strap the post,
but if they are making old town, old school direct concrete contact, they
have somebody temporarily shore up the beamthat that post is supporting, remove the
post, temporarily cut it a littleshorter and install a retrofit base into the
(06:40):
concrete that the post can sit on, so that it's elevated above the concrete.
So not only are you strapped inseismically, but you're also now out
of the moisture zone and that postwill not rot or be subject to moisture
damage or direct termite soil damage either. It's just the safe and the way
(07:00):
to do it. Awesome, Thankyou so much. You are so welcome,
Jamie. Thank you for your call. Good luck on all of that.
All right, y'all, when wecome back, more pearls of wisdom
from the list of things you usedto know about your house but probably don't.
We will do that when we return. You're listening to Home with Dean
(07:24):
Sharp on demand from KFI AM sixforty. So glad that you've joined us
on the program today here in thesecond hour of our program. We are
here every Saturday morning every week fromsix to eight am Pacific time, and
every Sunday morning nine to noon Pacifictime. It's almost half past ten.
(07:46):
We're getting there, we're on ourway toward it, and we are spending
our morning doing part two of alittle series on stuff you need to know
about your house that you probably don'tknow. Just a list of things that
I assembled for you that are ofinterest and importance to those of you.
I should say this coming up.I think we'll do this during the next
(08:09):
break. Tina and I are goingto do a little video for social media
for our social media, because there'sno way I'm going to get through my
entire list here, and there's oneor two items on here that I absolutely
want to communicate to you. That'sgoing to be a special VIP social media
(08:30):
info for those of you who followus on social media, and why not,
by the way, follow us onsocial media just for these kinds of
things. Our address is at Homewith Dean, Home with Dean on Instagram,
Facebook, all of the socials sameaddress across there, so wherever you
(08:50):
are, we are there too,and we'll be we'll be taping that live
in just a bit on the nextbreak and then posting it this morning,
so you're not gonna want to missit. And while you're there, why
don't you follow us too because youknow more to come, and we don't
bug you, we don't spam you, none of that kind of stuff.
None of that tomfoolery, just good, honest, fun and informative things,
(09:15):
just like here on the program.So that's coming up in just a bit.
All right, back to our list. Where am I at? Where
am I at? Oh, here'sa pet peeve of mine and something that
I want you to understand. Notto be led around by your builder on
this, and there's going to befinancial pressure on you to not do this
(09:39):
right. But here it is.Floor surfaces. Floors are finished floor surfaces
in your home. I'm talking aboutwood, tile, carpeting, you know,
all that kind of stuff. Floorsurfaces can and should be laid flush
to one another. Now in rareoccasions, rare occasions, especially on slabs.
(10:07):
Okay, that is easier said thandone, because a slab is a
slab of concrete, and in orderto get one floor surface which is of
a certain height to flush out withanother can be tricky. There are no
circumstances, by the way, nonewhatsoever, in which it cannot be done,
(10:33):
okay, And I am not ahuge stickler for this in the minor
sense. In my own home here, our little cottage, our crappy little
build of a house that was builtback in the late nineteen fifties. It
has a slab, a poor slabunderneath it, but a slab that we
try not to touch or affect toomuch. And when it comes to the
(10:58):
tile in the bathrooms, when were modeled this place and made it the
little jewel box that it is,the tile in the bathrooms and the hardwood
floors, the new hardwood floors thatran across, there's a couple spots where
I have to make a slight transition, just ever so slight, and those
you know, that's with intolerances.In my opinion, here's what I don't
(11:18):
like. Here's what doesn't need tobe the case. When you've got,
let's say, and this happens,by the way, a lot in older
raised foundation homes where there was oldoak flooring, and then in the bathroom,
now we've got somebody's gone in anddone a tile job in the bathroom,
and the bathroom floor is now agood inch or so above the rest
(11:43):
of the oak flooring in the house. And there's a big old threshold transition.
You know what I'm talking about?Yeah, you know. Okay,
So here's the thing, especially ina raised floor, raised foundation house situation,
that never, never, never needsto be the case now? Is
(12:03):
Dean talking about taking extra effort andextra work sometimes, do you take off
the old hardwood flooring and then haveto literally notch down or lower a floor,
a section of floor in order forthe new surface to flush out to
the old. Yes, Wow,that's a lot of work. Yes it
(12:24):
is. It is a lot ofwork. Is it additional money? Yes,
it is that financial pressure that Iwas telling you about. Where the
contractor is looking you saying, rubbinghis head, saying, ah, that's
a lot of work. Are yousure you will spend money to do Yeah?
Yes, the answer is yes,yes you do, because what little
(12:48):
bit of a pinch that is rightnow, You're gonna be living with that
thing for decades to come. Andso yeah, Dean is all about going
ahead, taking the hit now inorder to do it right. Okay,
for decades to come, and fordecades to come. Five years from now,
two years from now, ten yearsfrom now. You will not care
(13:11):
that you spent extra money lowering thatfloor. What you will care about is
the fact that you did it,and you meshed them up so that tile
seamlessly moves and transitions to hardwood,which seamlessly transitions to other materials. Okay.
Now, granted, like I said, slabs, that's tough. If
you are building a new home andyou have decided, it's always a good
(13:37):
idea to figure out what your desiredflooring is going to be. If you're
building a new home right now andthat home is a slab home, you
can make those adjustments in the newslab poor now ahead of time, so
to accommodate the kind of flooring thatyou're looking to do. So, yeah,
this means thinking all the way tothe end of the process, taking
(13:58):
a look at your desired flooring,like, for instance, hardwood, it's
going to be about a half aninch. Its could be it could be
anywhere from three eighths to five eighthsof an inch, but generally about a
half an inch for hardwood flooring plusthe glue, so you have about an
allowance of about five eighths of aninch. You know that that's the finish
out of that floor versus tile.Okay, tile on slab can finish out
(14:22):
at the same it's a little bitthicker mortar bed. But you tell your
tile people, listen, I wantyou to put enough mortar underneath this tile
that my tiles flush out with thetop of the hardwood, so I don't
have to put a transition piece in. I'm speaking to you as both builder
and designer. The designer in meis telling you this. The proper way
(14:43):
to have floors done in your houseis to go to whatever effort necessary to
flush out the surfaces of those floorsso that you just seamlessly looks and feels
to your feet the best possible way. I know people are rolling the and
they're like, Dean hates our floorsbecause it was done the wrong way.
(15:03):
No, I don't. I'm justtelling you, if you have the opportunity.
Some of you have these raised floorsright now, that big old you
know, almost a step up,you know, a big step up into
your bathroom or your kitchen. Someof you have it right now, and
you're planning a bathroom remodel or akitchen remodel. And this is me telling
you catch it now, plan forit now in order for the new floor
(15:30):
to flesh out perfectly. Don't justkeep repeating the same old mistakes. And
why was it done in the firstplace. Honestly because it was easier.
It's just easier to just go inthere and pull out the old hardwood and
lay down some plywood, and thenlay down the mortarbed and the next thing
you know, the floor is uphigher. And what really irks me is
not just the laziness on the partof most builders who do this kind of
(15:54):
thing, but what really irks me, what really gets me, is when
a builder turned to you and says, this is the way it has to
be, this is the way ithas to be. I have heard that
so many times. I just wantto slap them. And I am not
a violent man. I am not. I am a peace loving man with
(16:15):
a good deal of patience when itcomes to this. But I'll tell you
what, if you really want toget under my skin, be a builder
who tells a client flat out andit is a lie. It has to
be this way, there's no otherway to do it, when in reality,
what you're saying is I don't wantto do it the right way.
That's too much work, that's toomuch effort. I just want you to
(16:37):
settle for this. Don't ever letsomebody tell you to settle now. Listen.
If they give you all of youroptions and that's your choice to do
it that way, fine, butyou should never be in a position where
somebody is forcing you to settle becausethey're not giving you all the facts anyway.
All right, all right, I'moff my soapbox. All I'm saying,
(17:02):
floors in your house, lay themflush, one to another. All
right, when we come back,I got more for you, of course
I do. And plus during thisbreak, we're gonna be posting some bonus
content on our socials Home with Dean. We'll be back. You're listening to
Home with Dean Sharp on demand fromKFI Am sixty. You are Home with
(17:26):
Dean Sharp, the house whisper.How you doing? How is your Sunday
morning going? I hope it's goingwell. It is shaping up to be
a gorgeous day out there here inone thousand Oaks. We've got a is
it? Yeah? We got achili cookoff today and not too far from
our house. So that's what we'regonna be doing. After the show.
(17:48):
We're going to be taking a lovelystroll through the springtime glory that is the
day today. Wander over to thechili cookoff and taste some chili. Even
though I already know who's gonna win, well, I don't know for certain,
but I'll tell you this. Allof these different competitors end up showing
up every year and and almost allthe time. You know, you know
(18:10):
who wins the fire department? Yeah, yeah, the Thousand Oaks Fire Department.
You know why they are such goodcooks. My friend John White,
who is a is a commander forcow Fire. You know, they're just
just guys. You live in thatfire department, you know, structure of
(18:32):
living and service. Right when you'reat the station for like two or three
days straight and then you're back homeand different responsibilities and somebody's John White is
such a great cook. We're overthere to his house the other day and
he's like, well, I justthrew this together for you. It was
brilliant, right, fire department chili. It doesn't mean that it's super hot
and that they have to fire hoseyou off. It's just, I don't
(18:55):
know, there's just layers of depthto it. Why am I talking about
this, I don't know, becausethis is my life and my day and
I'm excited about the chili cookoff today. The point is you should be excited
about something today too, even ifit's just getting out and breathing in the
air. Because it's spring is here. It's a gorgeous day. I suggest
that you live it. There yougo, all right, I've got more
(19:17):
pearls of wisdom for you here bythe way. Coming up, are we?
There? Are we? Yeah?Coming up. After the next news
break, we're going to be goingback to the phones. And there's still
room for you on the board.Eight three three two. Ask dean eight
three three the numeral two. Askdean A three three two. Ask Dean
(19:37):
give me a call. We'll figureout whatever's going on with your home today.
Anything you want to talk about there? All right, back to the
list. Oh this is a goodone. How about this? Not all
pocket doors suck, just yours.I like how I wrote that, because
(20:00):
it's so true. There is anothermyth that has floated its way out there,
and that is, oh, pocketdoors are the worst. Pocket doors
are terrible. And here's the problemwith that myth number one, It is
a myth number two. The problemwith it is that pocket doors solve all
sorts of tricky situations and problems,especially in smaller homes or in space challenged
(20:25):
areas. So as a result ofthat, since they are such a brilliant
solution to so many problems. Ifyou are of the opinion or have believed
the myth that pocket doors suck,then you're not gonna want to use them,
and as a result, you're gonnanot solve the problem that could so
(20:45):
easily be solved by a pocket door. And of course by pocket door for
those of you who are not aware, we're talking about a door that doesn't
swing on hinges, but that slidesinto a pocket that has been built in
to the wall. All right,So, Dean, we don't believe you
pocket doors do suck. Well,I know they do. I know some
(21:06):
of them do. Yours do?Uh, if that's the opinion you have.
I have been in so many trackedhomes, thousands of them, and
to find a pocket door like theone in between the kitchen and the laundry
room, or the you know thatkind of a door that has been open,
that door is stuck in there.Uh. They don't even know how
(21:27):
to pull it out. It's beenso long it never gets closed because if
you try to pull it across,it's weird, it's crooked, it jumps
on the track. I mean,on and on and on. I get
it. I get it. Ifeel your pain, But I am here
to tell you the problem is notwith the concept of a pocket door.
(21:48):
Number one. I have worked onsome spectacular homes with massive pocket doors.
I'm talking. I'll give you anexample of just even a home built back
in the early nineteen hundreds, nineteentwenty or earlier. There are some homes
that projects that I've done in HancockPark in here in LA of some very
(22:12):
very very old homes with some veryvery large ceilings. Pocket doors classically dividing
a main living room from a denor a library. We're talking about ten
foot tall doors, a pair ofthem that are five feet wide each,
that slide into massive pockets in thedoors in between these walnut wood library panels.
(22:37):
And these are doors that were hunga hundred and so odd years ago,
all right one hundred plus years ago, century old doors that you can
move with one hand across back andforth. Nothing wrong with those doors at
all. So what does that tellyou. It's not the door, and
(22:59):
it's it's not the concept of pocketdoors. It's the hardware. And it's
the fact that most tracked homes havehad builder grade hardware. And by the
way, when you hear builder grade, that is not a compliment Okay.
Builder grade means as cheap as possiblefor maximizing a builder's profit margin, but
(23:21):
barely functional in the home. Allright. Builder grade is not a compliment.
It's not like, well, there'shomeowner grade, but then there's builder
grade. No, no, no, it's just the it's just the opposite.
Builder grade means as cheap as possible. Okay, that's what you've got
in your track home. That's thatpocket door frame. And I know,
I know it's a mess. That'swhy you've abandoned it long ago. Johnson,
(23:47):
Johnson pocket Door Company. All right, just write that down. They
are the hardware that we use.Not a sponsor of the show. It'd
be lovely if they were. Theyare the pocket door hardware we use.
I'm telling you right now, thepocket and the hardware for a pocket door
should be you know, at leasteighty ninety or one hundred dollars worth of
(24:11):
a hardware pocket, not some thirtyfive dollars thing that's all folded up in
pieces on the aisle at the bigbox store. We're talking about Johnson hardware.
Good starting point for pocket door hardwareis you know, close to one
hundred bucks. These are pockets withmultiple large wheels hanging off a track.
(24:34):
They do not come off the track. They soft open. What does that
mean. It means when you throwthat pocket door open, just like a
great cabinet door, it gets tothe last inch of being open and it
slows down and hits the brake andit just slides into the pocket And when
you close it, they soft close. You can throw that pocket door across
(24:56):
and right before it hits the jam, it slides in silent, soft clothes,
soft open, high quality wheels andhardware on the right run a pocket
door. There's no reason why itcan't outlast every other door in your home.
You just need to buy the righthardware. And again, don't ever
(25:17):
let a builder tell you, ahnah, you don't want to pocket door.
Those are terrible. Well maybe allthe pocket doors you've installed are terrible,
but they're not. And they're reallygood ones out there, and they're
not that hard to find. Youjust have to look for them. All
right. There you go, anotherpearl of wisdom for you from the builder
and the designer who will tell youI use pocket doors whenever I need to
(25:38):
without hesitation, because I know theright ones to use. And by the
way, the door itself. It'snot a special door. It's just a
door, hard, solid door,Okay, not this cheap, flimsy hollow
thing. A real door hung ina real pocket door pocket. All right,
when we come back, we're goingto go back to the phones.
(25:59):
Your home would Dean Sharp the housewhisper. You're listening to Home with Dean
Sharp on demand from KFI AM sixforty. Hey, welcome home. Thanks
for joining us on the program.It's the top of the hour. It's
time to go to the phones.Let's talk to Paul A Paul welcome home.
Good morning Dean, Good morning,sir. How can I help you?
(26:22):
Well, I was wondering what youthink about the workability of building many
homes out of prefabs, steel panelsthat both together, sort of like the
old quantt huts. Uh. Whenyou say many homes, we're just talking
about what how many square feet?And as a finished material or as a
(26:44):
base structural material for the house.Okay, let me say it be the
finish and as far as the size, you know, a sleeping quarter,
maybe a small kitchen, bathroom,facility livable you know for a single person.
Yeah, yeah, you know what. Here's the thing, when the
(27:04):
world of small home or a duthis often gets classified these days as ADUs
or microhomes or mini houses. Theworld of prefabricated systems for building those is
just growing exponentially by the month.I think there are all sorts of systems.
(27:27):
Modular panels, prefabricated panels, prefactory pre sealed insulated panels. They're
the steel panels that you're talking about. There are OSB sealed panel units with
windows and doors already laid out andbuilt into them. There are there are
(27:47):
a number of different systems. NowI can't comment specifically on the system that
you're looking at or considering, butI'll tell you this, there's some real
brilliant stuff out there. There's somethings, there are ways of doing it
that seem on the surface to bereally fun and innovative and easy, But
at the end of the day,I don't really like the finished surface and
(28:11):
the way it reacts. But here'sthe thing. If your municipality, if
you're looking at a system for buildinga small house, and your municipality is
behind it, in other words,they have they have knowledge of it,
they'll approve of it. It hasstructural approval with your local building department.
(28:32):
Then you know, I would sayyou look at the cost, you look
at the convenience, and and gofor it. Look at the final project
though, that's the key for me. At the end of the day.
There's all sorts of ways to belike, for instance, a quantst hut,
a quantit hut is galvanized sheet metalon a arched metal frame. You
guys have all seen them, whetheryou understand whether the QUANTT hut is or
(28:53):
not. You see them on militarybasis usually you know they're that half they're
they're kind of half, you know, tunnel coming out of the ground,
completely curved, walls and ceiling allone piece, right and long, and
and you know, are they greattemporary structures? Yes they are. Can
(29:18):
they be permanent structures? Absolutely theycan be. Are they the most esthetically
beautiful structures? No, I don'tthink so. Could they be finished out
as such? Sure? So atthe end of the day, we want
to just take a look at whatwe are living in. And I say
(29:40):
this, and I underscore this foreverybody. Cost, convenience, you know,
the economy of both labor and finances. Of course, they play a
critical factor in building the structures thatwe live in. But when it's all
said and done, the building processas complicated and intensive as it is,
(30:03):
when it's all said and done,years go by, and the building process
for a home doesn't matter anymore.What matters is do you like this place?
Do you want to live in it? Does it have the finishes and
the surfaces and the kind of spaceand layout and so on that pleases you,
(30:26):
and that makes you know a housepotentially a home. That is why,
by the way, I didn't justdecide to remain a builder of custom
homes, but from day one Iwas jonesing and longing to express my art
and actually have an effect on theway things are built. Because for me,
(30:49):
the reason I am in the customhousing industry is because it really means
a lot to me how to affectthe way that people live their lives.
And so at the end of theday, my friend, it really does
come down to what are you leftwith to live in for years to come?
(31:12):
And if the answer is, oh, something really nice, then you
know what, As long as thosemodular systems come together and produce that,
I am all for them one hundredpercent. I'm all for all sorts of
pre built, factory modular systems,because as far as waste and efficiency and
the quality of modular structural wall panelsgo, you can do it better in
(31:37):
a factory then you can do itin a field. It's just just that's
the fact of the matter. Andthis is coming from an old stick framer
who has done nothing when I wasa carpenter but build custom things in the
field. But the fact is thestuff that can come out of a factory
that has been designed to minimize wasteand make every seam and every component fantastic,
(31:59):
that's great. Great. Now flexibilityand the finish of the house that
has to be taken into account,and that's where I evaluate those things.
So don't just get caught up inthe you know, the twenty first century
coolness of a prefab panel. Alsojudge it by do we really want to
live in this thing after it's built, After we build it in this amazing
(32:22):
way, is it fantastic to livein? And that's why I want you
to take pause and just double checkthem, not saying it isn't just saying
there are some systems out there thatare really cool and kind of groovy the
way they all set up, butthey're not a house that I actually want
to spend time living in at theend of the day. So just take
(32:43):
it into consideration and you'll be goodto go. Paul, thank you for
the question, my friend. DoI have time to You know what,
Let's just go to break early andwe'll catch another call right on the other
side. You are Home with DeanSharp, the House Whisperer on CAFI.
This has been Home with Dean Sharp, the House whisper. Tune into the
(33:04):
live broadcast on KFI AM six fortyevery Saturday morning from six to eight Pacific
time and every Sunday morning from nineto noon Pacific time, or anytime on
demand on the iHeartRadio app.
KFI AM six forty. You're listeningto Dean Sharp The House Whisper on demand
on the iHeartRadio app. I amDean Sharp the House Whisper here with you
live like I am every weekend,Saturday mornings from six to eight Pacific time,
Sunday mornings nine to noon Pacific time. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful
(00:21):
spring day. We certainly are,and I am glad that you're here with
us on the program. They've joinedus. For the second hour of our
program. We are talking about,you know, miscellaneous things this weekend stuff,
important stuff that you might not knowabout your house that you need to
know. And it's just a listof Pope Marie, as it were,
(00:43):
of various pearls of wisdom that I'mreaching into. I was gonna say,
the pearl bucket. Is that athing? I don't think it is,
anyway, pearls of wisdom for youhere. We're going to get back to
that in just a bit. Butit's top of the hour, so we
are taking calls right now, andI want to go back to the phones.
I want to talk to Jamie.Jamie, welcome home, Hi,
(01:06):
Jane, thank you, hey.I have a yes and no question after
this. But my most important questionplease, is about six years ago we
got new air conditioning and new ductand what we didn't know is what they
did is they hooked the new ductup to the existing asbestos. I think
(01:27):
they're called boots that go to theevents. But if anything, do I
need to do about that? Please? Probably nothing? Probably nothing, because
an asbestos boot is an asbestos linedor I should say, insulated boot.
In other words, it's on theoutside. It is not asbestos exposed to
(01:49):
the interior of the duct where theair flows. And as much as I
am not a fan of asbestos,nobody is. And asbestos, you know,
is a carcinogenic material that we arenow purging from our homes. You
know, it's not a part ofany new home build obviously, but there
(02:10):
is a panic about asbestos that's unnecessaryon some level. Asbestos just sitting there,
sitting there across the room from you, staring at you, is not
threatening you. Asbestos is only anissue when it is you know, agitated
(02:30):
into a dust and it becomes partof the air that we breathe. Okay,
So for instance, when people havepopcorn ceilings that you know, acoustic
ceiling that has an asbestos content init. They have two choices. One
is to have it abated, whichis a very expensive process but you know,
a good thing to do. Butthe other choice, just as effective
(02:53):
in terms of health and safety ina house, is to have it encapsulated,
which simply means putting up a pieceof drywall on top of that acoustic
ceiling to seal it in like themeat inside a sandwich, so that nobody
can touch the asbestos, nobody candisturb it, it can't particulate into the
air. That is just as safeas having it taken out of the house
(03:17):
altogether. So whenever asbestos is inour homes, as long as it's in
a place where nobody's bugging it andit is not being disturbed so that it
gets into the airflow, it's nota problem. And the asbestos boot that
the ducks are hooked into that asbesosis not on the inside of that ductwork
(03:42):
system, so air is not blowingover it and carrying it out into the
room. It's simply a wrap onthe outside of that sheet metal box,
and unless it was installed improperly,should not be a problem for you.
Awesome, thank you can, Iask you my no question, go for
it? Oh, thank you?Okay. Several years ago we had our
(04:05):
home brace bolted on the X perimeterwalls. Huh. And it was suggested
to me that maybe we need tohave all of the posts. There's like
maybe twenty five thirty posts underneath thehouse strapped to the to you know,
(04:26):
there's the wooden post and they're justsitting on top of the concrete thing.
Yep, yep, yep, yep. Would it be a good idea to
have those strapped also? Would thatbe helpful? Always? How old is
the house by the way, buildin sixty two? Yeah, always a
good idea. So you have araised foundation house. Jamie's got a raised
(04:48):
foundation house. She's caught a crawlspace under her house. She already already
had it brace bolted. That meansretrofitted seismically for earthquakes on the perimeter of
the house. That was a wisething to do. But all of the
supports and it's called a post andbeam set up, that's what we call
it in the framing world. We'vegot beams running across and posts underneath it.
(05:11):
The beams are holding up floor joistsand the posts are holding up the
beams, and so there's no reasonwhy it isn't a good idea. So
often the older a house gets.And by the way, I should just
say this today, in a modernday post and beam constructed floor, all
of those posts, there are twofactors about them. Number One, they're
(05:32):
not just toe nailed into place,nailed into the beams that they're supporting,
but there is hardware, approved hardwarethat is strapping them essentially to the beams
and to the concrete foundation under them, so there's no place they can go.
They are locked into place permanently.And also the bottom of the posts
(05:55):
today are lifted off the concrete.They're not touching and making direct contact with
the concrete because moisture in the concretebecome a rot and moisture problem with the
posts. So I would go sofar as to say, if you really
wanted to do the one hundred andfifty percent effort with the posts, that
(06:15):
you have somebody get under there,and not just to strap the post,
but if they are making old town, old school direct concrete contact, they
have somebody temporarily shore up the beamthat that post is supporting, remove the
post, temporarily cut it a littleshorter and install a retrofit base into the
(06:40):
concrete that the post can sit on, so that it's elevated above the concrete.
So not only are you strapped inseismically, but you're also now out
of the moisture zone and that postwill not rot or be subject to moisture
damage or direct termite soil damage either. It's just the safe and the way
(07:00):
to do it. Awesome, Thankyou so much. You are so welcome,
Jamie. Thank you for your call. Good luck on all of that.
All right, y'all, when wecome back, more pearls of wisdom
from the list of things you usedto know about your house but probably don't.
We will do that when we return. You're listening to Home with Dean
(07:24):
Sharp on demand from KFI AM sixforty. So glad that you've joined us
on the program today here in thesecond hour of our program. We are
here every Saturday morning every week fromsix to eight am Pacific time, and
every Sunday morning nine to noon Pacifictime. It's almost half past ten.
(07:46):
We're getting there, we're on ourway toward it, and we are spending
our morning doing part two of alittle series on stuff you need to know
about your house that you probably don'tknow. Just a list of things that
I assembled for you that are ofinterest and importance to those of you.
I should say this coming up.I think we'll do this during the next
(08:09):
break. Tina and I are goingto do a little video for social media
for our social media, because there'sno way I'm going to get through my
entire list here, and there's oneor two items on here that I absolutely
want to communicate to you. That'sgoing to be a special VIP social media
(08:30):
info for those of you who followus on social media, and why not,
by the way, follow us onsocial media just for these kinds of
things. Our address is at Homewith Dean, Home with Dean on Instagram,
Facebook, all of the socials sameaddress across there, so wherever you
(08:50):
are, we are there too,and we'll be we'll be taping that live
in just a bit on the nextbreak and then posting it this morning,
so you're not gonna want to missit. And while you're there, why
don't you follow us too because youknow more to come, and we don't
bug you, we don't spam you, none of that kind of stuff.
None of that tomfoolery, just good, honest, fun and informative things,
(09:15):
just like here on the program.So that's coming up in just a bit.
All right, back to our list. Where am I at? Where
am I at? Oh, here'sa pet peeve of mine and something that
I want you to understand. Notto be led around by your builder on
this, and there's going to befinancial pressure on you to not do this
(09:39):
right. But here it is.Floor surfaces. Floors are finished floor surfaces
in your home. I'm talking aboutwood, tile, carpeting, you know,
all that kind of stuff. Floorsurfaces can and should be laid flush
to one another. Now in rareoccasions, rare occasions, especially on slabs.
(10:07):
Okay, that is easier said thandone, because a slab is a
slab of concrete, and in orderto get one floor surface which is of
a certain height to flush out withanother can be tricky. There are no
circumstances, by the way, nonewhatsoever, in which it cannot be done,
(10:33):
okay, And I am not ahuge stickler for this in the minor
sense. In my own home here, our little cottage, our crappy little
build of a house that was builtback in the late nineteen fifties. It
has a slab, a poor slabunderneath it, but a slab that we
try not to touch or affect toomuch. And when it comes to the
(10:58):
tile in the bathrooms, when were modeled this place and made it the
little jewel box that it is,the tile in the bathrooms and the hardwood
floors, the new hardwood floors thatran across, there's a couple spots where
I have to make a slight transition, just ever so slight, and those
you know, that's with intolerances.In my opinion, here's what I don't
(11:18):
like. Here's what doesn't need tobe the case. When you've got,
let's say, and this happens,by the way, a lot in older
raised foundation homes where there was oldoak flooring, and then in the bathroom,
now we've got somebody's gone in anddone a tile job in the bathroom,
and the bathroom floor is now agood inch or so above the rest
(11:43):
of the oak flooring in the house. And there's a big old threshold transition.
You know what I'm talking about?Yeah, you know. Okay,
So here's the thing, especially ina raised floor, raised foundation house situation,
that never, never, never needsto be the case now? Is
(12:03):
Dean talking about taking extra effort andextra work sometimes, do you take off
the old hardwood flooring and then haveto literally notch down or lower a floor,
a section of floor in order forthe new surface to flush out to
the old. Yes, Wow,that's a lot of work. Yes it
(12:24):
is. It is a lot ofwork. Is it additional money? Yes,
it is that financial pressure that Iwas telling you about. Where the
contractor is looking you saying, rubbinghis head, saying, ah, that's
a lot of work. Are yousure you will spend money to do Yeah?
Yes, the answer is yes,yes you do, because what little
(12:48):
bit of a pinch that is rightnow, You're gonna be living with that
thing for decades to come. Andso yeah, Dean is all about going
ahead, taking the hit now inorder to do it right. Okay,
for decades to come, and fordecades to come. Five years from now,
two years from now, ten yearsfrom now. You will not care
(13:11):
that you spent extra money lowering thatfloor. What you will care about is
the fact that you did it,and you meshed them up so that tile
seamlessly moves and transitions to hardwood,which seamlessly transitions to other materials. Okay.
Now, granted, like I said, slabs, that's tough. If
you are building a new home andyou have decided, it's always a good
(13:37):
idea to figure out what your desiredflooring is going to be. If you're
building a new home right now andthat home is a slab home, you
can make those adjustments in the newslab poor now ahead of time, so
to accommodate the kind of flooring thatyou're looking to do. So, yeah,
this means thinking all the way tothe end of the process, taking
(13:58):
a look at your desired flooring,like, for instance, hardwood, it's
going to be about a half aninch. Its could be it could be
anywhere from three eighths to five eighthsof an inch, but generally about a
half an inch for hardwood flooring plusthe glue, so you have about an
allowance of about five eighths of aninch. You know that that's the finish
out of that floor versus tile.Okay, tile on slab can finish out
(14:22):
at the same it's a little bitthicker mortar bed. But you tell your
tile people, listen, I wantyou to put enough mortar underneath this tile
that my tiles flush out with thetop of the hardwood, so I don't
have to put a transition piece in. I'm speaking to you as both builder
and designer. The designer in meis telling you this. The proper way
(14:43):
to have floors done in your houseis to go to whatever effort necessary to
flush out the surfaces of those floorsso that you just seamlessly looks and feels
to your feet the best possible way. I know people are rolling the and
they're like, Dean hates our floorsbecause it was done the wrong way.
(15:03):
No, I don't. I'm justtelling you, if you have the opportunity.
Some of you have these raised floorsright now, that big old you
know, almost a step up,you know, a big step up into
your bathroom or your kitchen. Someof you have it right now, and
you're planning a bathroom remodel or akitchen remodel. And this is me telling
you catch it now, plan forit now in order for the new floor
(15:30):
to flesh out perfectly. Don't justkeep repeating the same old mistakes. And
why was it done in the firstplace. Honestly because it was easier.
It's just easier to just go inthere and pull out the old hardwood and
lay down some plywood, and thenlay down the mortarbed and the next thing
you know, the floor is uphigher. And what really irks me is
not just the laziness on the partof most builders who do this kind of
(15:54):
thing, but what really irks me, what really gets me, is when
a builder turned to you and says, this is the way it has to
be, this is the way ithas to be. I have heard that
so many times. I just wantto slap them. And I am not
a violent man. I am not. I am a peace loving man with
(16:15):
a good deal of patience when itcomes to this. But I'll tell you
what, if you really want toget under my skin, be a builder
who tells a client flat out andit is a lie. It has to
be this way, there's no otherway to do it, when in reality,
what you're saying is I don't wantto do it the right way.
That's too much work, that's toomuch effort. I just want you to
(16:37):
settle for this. Don't ever letsomebody tell you to settle now. Listen.
If they give you all of youroptions and that's your choice to do
it that way, fine, butyou should never be in a position where
somebody is forcing you to settle becausethey're not giving you all the facts anyway.
All right, all right, I'moff my soapbox. All I'm saying,
(17:02):
floors in your house, lay themflush, one to another. All
right, when we come back,I got more for you, of course
I do. And plus during thisbreak, we're gonna be posting some bonus
content on our socials Home with Dean. We'll be back. You're listening to
Home with Dean Sharp on demand fromKFI Am sixty. You are Home with
(17:26):
Dean Sharp, the house whisper.How you doing? How is your Sunday
morning going? I hope it's goingwell. It is shaping up to be
a gorgeous day out there here inone thousand Oaks. We've got a is
it? Yeah? We got achili cookoff today and not too far from
our house. So that's what we'regonna be doing. After the show.
(17:48):
We're going to be taking a lovelystroll through the springtime glory that is the
day today. Wander over to thechili cookoff and taste some chili. Even
though I already know who's gonna win, well, I don't know for certain,
but I'll tell you this. Allof these different competitors end up showing
up every year and and almost allthe time. You know, you know
(18:10):
who wins the fire department? Yeah, yeah, the Thousand Oaks Fire Department.
You know why they are such goodcooks. My friend John White,
who is a is a commander forcow Fire. You know, they're just
just guys. You live in thatfire department, you know, structure of
(18:32):
living and service. Right when you'reat the station for like two or three
days straight and then you're back homeand different responsibilities and somebody's John White is
such a great cook. We're overthere to his house the other day and
he's like, well, I justthrew this together for you. It was
brilliant, right, fire department chili. It doesn't mean that it's super hot
and that they have to fire hoseyou off. It's just, I don't
(18:55):
know, there's just layers of depthto it. Why am I talking about
this, I don't know, becausethis is my life and my day and
I'm excited about the chili cookoff today. The point is you should be excited
about something today too, even ifit's just getting out and breathing in the
air. Because it's spring is here. It's a gorgeous day. I suggest
that you live it. There yougo, all right, I've got more
(19:17):
pearls of wisdom for you here bythe way. Coming up, are we?
There? Are we? Yeah?Coming up. After the next news
break, we're going to be goingback to the phones. And there's still
room for you on the board.Eight three three two. Ask dean eight
three three the numeral two. Askdean A three three two. Ask Dean
(19:37):
give me a call. We'll figureout whatever's going on with your home today.
Anything you want to talk about there? All right, back to the
list. Oh this is a goodone. How about this? Not all
pocket doors suck, just yours.I like how I wrote that, because
(20:00):
it's so true. There is anothermyth that has floated its way out there,
and that is, oh, pocketdoors are the worst. Pocket doors
are terrible. And here's the problemwith that myth number one, It is
a myth number two. The problemwith it is that pocket doors solve all
sorts of tricky situations and problems,especially in smaller homes or in space challenged
(20:25):
areas. So as a result ofthat, since they are such a brilliant
solution to so many problems. Ifyou are of the opinion or have believed
the myth that pocket doors suck,then you're not gonna want to use them,
and as a result, you're gonnanot solve the problem that could so
(20:45):
easily be solved by a pocket door. And of course by pocket door for
those of you who are not aware, we're talking about a door that doesn't
swing on hinges, but that slidesinto a pocket that has been built in
to the wall. All right,So, Dean, we don't believe you
pocket doors do suck. Well,I know they do. I know some
(21:06):
of them do. Yours do?Uh, if that's the opinion you have.
I have been in so many trackedhomes, thousands of them, and
to find a pocket door like theone in between the kitchen and the laundry
room, or the you know thatkind of a door that has been open,
that door is stuck in there.Uh. They don't even know how
(21:27):
to pull it out. It's beenso long it never gets closed because if
you try to pull it across,it's weird, it's crooked, it jumps
on the track. I mean,on and on and on. I get
it. I get it. Ifeel your pain, But I am here
to tell you the problem is notwith the concept of a pocket door.
(21:48):
Number one. I have worked onsome spectacular homes with massive pocket doors.
I'm talking. I'll give you anexample of just even a home built back
in the early nineteen hundreds, nineteentwenty or earlier. There are some homes
that projects that I've done in HancockPark in here in LA of some very
(22:12):
very very old homes with some veryvery large ceilings. Pocket doors classically dividing
a main living room from a denor a library. We're talking about ten
foot tall doors, a pair ofthem that are five feet wide each,
that slide into massive pockets in thedoors in between these walnut wood library panels.
(22:37):
And these are doors that were hunga hundred and so odd years ago,
all right one hundred plus years ago, century old doors that you can
move with one hand across back andforth. Nothing wrong with those doors at
all. So what does that tellyou. It's not the door, and
(22:59):
it's it's not the concept of pocketdoors. It's the hardware. And it's
the fact that most tracked homes havehad builder grade hardware. And by the
way, when you hear builder grade, that is not a compliment Okay.
Builder grade means as cheap as possiblefor maximizing a builder's profit margin, but
(23:21):
barely functional in the home. Allright. Builder grade is not a compliment.
It's not like, well, there'shomeowner grade, but then there's builder
grade. No, no, no, it's just the it's just the opposite.
Builder grade means as cheap as possible. Okay, that's what you've got
in your track home. That's thatpocket door frame. And I know,
I know it's a mess. That'swhy you've abandoned it long ago. Johnson,
(23:47):
Johnson pocket Door Company. All right, just write that down. They
are the hardware that we use.Not a sponsor of the show. It'd
be lovely if they were. Theyare the pocket door hardware we use.
I'm telling you right now, thepocket and the hardware for a pocket door
should be you know, at leasteighty ninety or one hundred dollars worth of
(24:11):
a hardware pocket, not some thirtyfive dollars thing that's all folded up in
pieces on the aisle at the bigbox store. We're talking about Johnson hardware.
Good starting point for pocket door hardwareis you know, close to one
hundred bucks. These are pockets withmultiple large wheels hanging off a track.
(24:34):
They do not come off the track. They soft open. What does that
mean. It means when you throwthat pocket door open, just like a
great cabinet door, it gets tothe last inch of being open and it
slows down and hits the brake andit just slides into the pocket And when
you close it, they soft close. You can throw that pocket door across
(24:56):
and right before it hits the jam, it slides in silent, soft clothes,
soft open, high quality wheels andhardware on the right run a pocket
door. There's no reason why itcan't outlast every other door in your home.
You just need to buy the righthardware. And again, don't ever
(25:17):
let a builder tell you, ahnah, you don't want to pocket door.
Those are terrible. Well maybe allthe pocket doors you've installed are terrible,
but they're not. And they're reallygood ones out there, and they're
not that hard to find. Youjust have to look for them. All
right. There you go, anotherpearl of wisdom for you from the builder
and the designer who will tell youI use pocket doors whenever I need to
(25:38):
without hesitation, because I know theright ones to use. And by the
way, the door itself. It'snot a special door. It's just a
door, hard, solid door,Okay, not this cheap, flimsy hollow
thing. A real door hung ina real pocket door pocket. All right,
when we come back, we're goingto go back to the phones.
(25:59):
Your home would Dean Sharp the housewhisper. You're listening to Home with Dean
Sharp on demand from KFI AM sixforty. Hey, welcome home. Thanks
for joining us on the program.It's the top of the hour. It's
time to go to the phones.Let's talk to Paul A Paul welcome home.
Good morning Dean, Good morning,sir. How can I help you?
(26:22):
Well, I was wondering what youthink about the workability of building many
homes out of prefabs, steel panelsthat both together, sort of like the
old quantt huts. Uh. Whenyou say many homes, we're just talking
about what how many square feet?And as a finished material or as a
(26:44):
base structural material for the house.Okay, let me say it be the
finish and as far as the size, you know, a sleeping quarter,
maybe a small kitchen, bathroom,facility livable you know for a single person.
Yeah, yeah, you know what. Here's the thing, when the
(27:04):
world of small home or a duthis often gets classified these days as ADUs
or microhomes or mini houses. Theworld of prefabricated systems for building those is
just growing exponentially by the month.I think there are all sorts of systems.
(27:27):
Modular panels, prefabricated panels, prefactory pre sealed insulated panels. They're
the steel panels that you're talking about. There are OSB sealed panel units with
windows and doors already laid out andbuilt into them. There are there are
(27:47):
a number of different systems. NowI can't comment specifically on the system that
you're looking at or considering, butI'll tell you this, there's some real
brilliant stuff out there. There's somethings, there are ways of doing it
that seem on the surface to bereally fun and innovative and easy, But
at the end of the day,I don't really like the finished surface and
(28:11):
the way it reacts. But here'sthe thing. If your municipality, if
you're looking at a system for buildinga small house, and your municipality is
behind it, in other words,they have they have knowledge of it,
they'll approve of it. It hasstructural approval with your local building department.
(28:32):
Then you know, I would sayyou look at the cost, you look
at the convenience, and and gofor it. Look at the final project
though, that's the key for me. At the end of the day.
There's all sorts of ways to belike, for instance, a quantst hut,
a quantit hut is galvanized sheet metalon a arched metal frame. You
guys have all seen them, whetheryou understand whether the QUANTT hut is or
(28:53):
not. You see them on militarybasis usually you know they're that half they're
they're kind of half, you know, tunnel coming out of the ground,
completely curved, walls and ceiling allone piece, right and long, and
and you know, are they greattemporary structures? Yes they are. Can
(29:18):
they be permanent structures? Absolutely theycan be. Are they the most esthetically
beautiful structures? No, I don'tthink so. Could they be finished out
as such? Sure? So atthe end of the day, we want
to just take a look at whatwe are living in. And I say
(29:40):
this, and I underscore this foreverybody. Cost, convenience, you know,
the economy of both labor and finances. Of course, they play a
critical factor in building the structures thatwe live in. But when it's all
said and done, the building processas complicated and intensive as it is,
(30:03):
when it's all said and done,years go by, and the building process
for a home doesn't matter anymore.What matters is do you like this place?
Do you want to live in it? Does it have the finishes and
the surfaces and the kind of spaceand layout and so on that pleases you,
(30:26):
and that makes you know a housepotentially a home. That is why,
by the way, I didn't justdecide to remain a builder of custom
homes, but from day one Iwas jonesing and longing to express my art
and actually have an effect on theway things are built. Because for me,
(30:49):
the reason I am in the customhousing industry is because it really means
a lot to me how to affectthe way that people live their lives.
And so at the end of theday, my friend, it really does
come down to what are you leftwith to live in for years to come?
(31:12):
And if the answer is, oh, something really nice, then you
know what, As long as thosemodular systems come together and produce that,
I am all for them one hundredpercent. I'm all for all sorts of
pre built, factory modular systems,because as far as waste and efficiency and
the quality of modular structural wall panelsgo, you can do it better in
(31:37):
a factory then you can do itin a field. It's just just that's
the fact of the matter. Andthis is coming from an old stick framer
who has done nothing when I wasa carpenter but build custom things in the
field. But the fact is thestuff that can come out of a factory
that has been designed to minimize wasteand make every seam and every component fantastic,
(31:59):
that's great. Great. Now flexibilityand the finish of the house that
has to be taken into account,and that's where I evaluate those things.
So don't just get caught up inthe you know, the twenty first century
coolness of a prefab panel. Alsojudge it by do we really want to
live in this thing after it's built, After we build it in this amazing
(32:22):
way, is it fantastic to livein? And that's why I want you
to take pause and just double checkthem, not saying it isn't just saying
there are some systems out there thatare really cool and kind of groovy the
way they all set up, butthey're not a house that I actually want
to spend time living in at theend of the day. So just take
(32:43):
it into consideration and you'll be goodto go. Paul, thank you for
the question, my friend. DoI have time to You know what,
Let's just go to break early andwe'll catch another call right on the other
side. You are Home with DeanSharp, the House Whisperer on CAFI.
This has been Home with Dean Sharp, the House whisper. Tune into the
(33:04):
live broadcast on KFI AM six fortyevery Saturday morning from six to eight Pacific
time and every Sunday morning from nineto noon Pacific time, or anytime on
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Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.