August 16, 2025 • 29 mins
Dean offers expert advice to a caller exploring different techniques for adding solar panels to their roof. He also helps another listener navigate the challenges of rebuilding a fire-damaged home—offering tips on dealing with unreliable contractors and avoiding overpriced labor. Dean explains the importance of hiring a contractor separate from a house designer and shares how to verify a contractor’s license to ensure you’re working with a true professional.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp, The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Welcome home,
Good Saturday morning to you. I am Dean Sharp, the
house Whisper, custom home builder, custom home designer, and your
guide to better understanding that place where you live, which
(00:23):
is what we do every weekend here on the program.
Every week we give you tips, tricks, insights into how
to transform your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. And
of course Saturday morning, your calls. You get to set
the agenda for the show. Whatever the case may be
for your home, architecture, design, construction, DIY, landscape, whatever the
(00:48):
case may be.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Give me a call.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Whatever's got you scratching your head about your home, and
we'll put our heads together. We'll figure it out. The
number to reach me eight three three two Ask Dean
A three three the numeral two ask Dean eight three
three to ask Dean. Let's go back to the phones.
I want to talk to Robert Robert s.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Welcome home, Good morning, Dean.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
How you doing, buddy, I'm well.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
How are you my friend? How can I help you?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Good? I'm just down here in southern California Marietta. I
got a solar system going up, scheduled to go up
on my roof, and I kind of, you know, with
new construction and new construction practice, I see a lot
of these roofs they're being prepped, you know, with composition,
and you know, they they they they put the tile
(01:40):
roof on. But what they do is, you know, they
they they have a section of the roof that's just
custom built for that system. And I'm kind of like weary,
like they're going to mount this system on my existing
tile roof. My house is a little bit older. It
was built in two thousand one, so I don't think
(02:01):
they're gonna take the tiles off to put this system
on and kind of do it, you know, shingle it
and put the drip edge and and prep it, you know,
the way new construction gets prepped. So my concern is
like leaks. So I mean, I I'm yeah, And then
another thing, another factor is is that thing going to
be anchored into my trust system or is it just
(02:23):
screwed into the tile and they hit plywood. How does
this stuff fasten with these brackets? And what to look
out for?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, okay, so just to alleviate your fears about the attachment.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
They're gonna mount it.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
They're not gonna mount it to the tile, Okay, They're
gonna mount it to the actual roof deck itself.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
They're gonna be taking off some tiles where each of
the uh, each of the risers are the brackets that
come up and actually hold the panels. They're gonna be
taking off those tiles. They're gonna be mounting those directly
to the roof deck, over the building paper or the underlayment,
whatever's They're masticking that all, in seling that all up
(03:05):
and then replacing the tile around it with a cut
in the tile around them so that that so that
that riser comes up through. Now let me let me
just back up for a second, just so everybody else
can catch up. You've got some kind of is it
a Spanish tile roof or is it just a concrete
tile roof? But you do you do not have an
(03:26):
asphalt shingle roof.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, but I noticed that in new construction they run both.
When they tile the roof, they have like an asphalt
shingle section. That's all.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, So here's the thing, my friend, It's not yeah,
it's not just a new construction and so if I'm
if I'm doing my due diligence as your designer, Okay,
I'm telling you right now pump the brakes on this
and talk to your solar company about this, okay, because
I want you to have what you're calling a new
(04:00):
construction install for your solar because what happens is, uh,
you know, you know, solar panels are not the most
attractive things in the world. They're not the ugliest things
in the world, but they're not They're not the most
attractive things in the world either, and we don't want
generally speaking, solar panels sticking way up on top of
our roof.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Now, if you've.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Got a a asphalt comp roof, that's just the way
it's going to be. It's gonna sit on top like
it is at my house, on the backside of my
house where nobody can see it from the street. But
when we've already got a Spanish tile roof or a
or a lightweight concrete tile roof of that sort, we
always and I say we, I mean when we're doing projects,
(04:40):
no matter whether they're brand new homes or retrofitting solar
into an existing home, we always have the solar installers
pull out an entire the entire section of roofing tile
where the solar is going to go, and then they're
going to roof that section with composition shingles correct hold
(05:04):
very tight to the roof deck, and then all of
those panels are going to in set. Essentially they're going
to inset into the roof so that they're not sticking
way the heck up, but they're snugged down nice and
snug into the tile line. In my opinion and in
most people's opinion, this is how it should be done
(05:26):
for that kind of setup. So you should talk to
you guys about and say, listen, guys, I really want
to this is not just a new construction technique.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah, because not to cut you off, but it's just
I don't have that specifically called out in my contract,
so I don't really know how the solar company is
going to do the install I do. It is a
flat tile roof, it's not an s tile like Spanish style,
so it's flat. But and I did a riff inspection.
I was recently up there, and the tiles look they're
(05:58):
in fabulous shape. Even though the house was built in
two thousand but we don't have any extra matching tiles,
you know, if the thing was if they were to
step on and break or any of that. So I
don't have any of those callouts in my contract with
broken tiles or if they're going to prep the roof
that that way that you that you recommended. Because I
(06:22):
see a lot of practice going on with these with
these solar installs, just driving into neighborhoods and seeing new construction.
And that's why I was concerned about mine, because I
just didn't want to blow and go operation where these
guys just run in and run out in a couple
of days and I get a shoddy install.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
So yeah, exactly, I feel the same way.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I'm one hundred percent in agreement with you, and I'm
here to tell you so this is how I can
serve you today.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Just know.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Dean is like, Yeah, you should absolutely get with your
solar guys and work out the specifics you need to
know in writing everything that they plan on doing. And
if there's a way you can upgrade and say no, no,
you weren't playing on doing that. I want those things
in set, okay, and you'll have extra time. That's the
cool thing. This will actually result in you having extra
(07:09):
roofing tiles that you can store in the garage for
future issues, because they're going to remove the section where
the panels are going to go. That is the proper way.
Whether it's a big thick tile roof or a thin
tile roof the pack. The fact is, if it's not
an asphalt composite roof, that is the way what I
just described. But what you're talking about as new construction,
that's the way. All solars should be installed in that
(07:31):
kind of a roof in my opinion, and you know,
because it's my opinion, it is the right one, Robert.
Thanks for your call, buddy, Get it all in writing,
have a conversation with these guys. Don't let contractors just
roll over. You get specific and make sure you're getting
what you want because it's only going up there one time.
(07:52):
All right, y'all, When we come back, more of your
calls your home with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper. Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper here to help you take your home
to the next level. Thanks for joining us on the
program this morning. Good Saturday morning to you. We are
taking calls. The number to reach me eight three three
to ask Dean eight three three the numeral two. Ask
(08:15):
Dean eight three three to ask Dean, let's go back
to the phone. So I want to talk to my
friend Victor. Victor, welcome home.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Hey, good morning, Dean. I'm I'm waiting to hear those words.
Trust me. My home is My home caught fire two
and a half years ago. It was an electrical fire,
and We've been out of our home ever since. And
I've been trying to find a contractor. What the backside
(08:44):
of it is. Our home isn't Compton, And Compton has
a big stereotype that comes with it because of all
the rap songs in the media and fake news and
real news. It has its real big stereotype. So try
to get a contractor, a good contractor, a proper contractor
(09:06):
has been a two and a half year journey. I
went with one contractor in the beginning, he didn't have
a license. He saw me for six months saying it
was a city. He was waiting on the city, and
then come to find out when I did the checking,
he hadn't even applied yet. And then when he did
apply it wasn't in his name. It was he didn't
(09:27):
even have a license. Long story short. So my question is,
and then I had a second contractor. He guaranteed that
his plans would pass the city and so forth, and
after six drawing submissions and a ton of money to
the city and permit fees, his plans never passed. And
(09:51):
some contractors would refuse. They say, oh, I don't want
to work with the City of Competence because they only
have two inspectors and it's too difficult to get the
plan pass. It's too difficult to work with this, And
so how do I deal with that?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Uh? What a frustration.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I'm sorry, my friend, I'm very very sorry. I don't
have a silver bullet for the situation, because you know
what I mean, You can't just I can't. I wish
I could snap my fingers and remove bias and prejudice
and all of that stuff and just clear the roads
for it. Unfortunately, one of the things that happens with
(10:31):
contracting is that there's all sorts of intrinsic bias built
in because people are who they are.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
It happens at every level too, Victor. It happens at
levels of you know, way down below where you guys
are building at. It happens it levels way up above
you and me both, you know, we get the same
kind of bias when a contractor rolls into an exclusive
neighborhood and suddenly the thing that they just charged you know,
people in the suburbs ten dollars for, they're charging these people,
(11:03):
you know, two hundred or one thousand dollars for. And
it's just literally it's a mess. It's a mess when
it comes to that. But there are good contractors out there.
We got to work hard to find them. So what
can I tell you? I want to take a little
bit of time and help you through it, because I
know this is just a sucky situation for you. So
we may I will undoubtedly rut up into the break
(11:26):
here and then I'll pop you on hold and we'll
pick it up on the other side so I can
give you as thorough and answer as possible. So let's
just start with the basics. Number one. Number one is, well,
you know, okay, I'm going to back it up. I'm
going to back it up to the very basics. I
think in your situation, you hear me talk about this
all the time. I think in your situation, it would
(11:48):
behoove you to actually work with a design firm. Okay,
I know it sounds for most people again, it sounds like, oh, well,
that's extray. I don't need to spend I don't want
a contractor designing your.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Home, Victor, I don't.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You've already been through kind of you know, half ass
work and half ass design stuff as well. And I'm
not saying that there aren't contractors out there who don't
do a good job at you know, design, I'm not
saying that. What I'm saying is that in order to
get a contractor's license, you don't have to know diddley
squat about how to design a home because it's not
(12:29):
part of that licensing expertise. Okay, so it's only a
bonus when a contractor has a good design sense or
whatever along the way. But if they haven't educated themselves,
if they don't really actually for sure work in that area,
I don't want a contractor anywhere near my plans and so.
And there's a there's a method to my madness here
(12:51):
when I say that, because you can eliminate one of
the frustrations right now as an owner builder, even before
a contractor even shows up. You with in coordination with
a design team, with an architect or a really good
architectural designer. You can go ahead and get the plans
for your home figured out and submitted and approved okay,
(13:15):
without a contractor. It just you taking the point of
the spear, walking them through plan check with your designer,
and get those things approved with the city of Comptons,
so that when you bring contractors to the house, you're like,
here's the approved set of plans. Okay, I want to
bid on these plans.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
So I'm gonna leave everybody hanging right there. I want
to pick this up on the other side, Victor, because
I got to go to a break. You hang tight,
my friend. I know you've been on the You've been
waiting for a while, So hang with me through this
break and we'll come back to it. Problems everywhere when
it comes to this kind of stuff. This is real
world things. Is why I love taking calls, because we
get into the heart of the matter, don't we. We'll
(13:59):
talk about Victor's issues and hopefully give him some more
great advice. Right on the other side, your Home with
Dean Sharp the house Whisper. You're listening to Home with
Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper is here to help you transform your
(14:21):
ordinary house into an extraordinary home. It's an all call
Saturday morning, and we're on the line with Victor. Victor
has a house in Compton. It was damaged by a
fire a couple of years ago and he's been having
nothing but issues since trying to get it rebuilt. Bad
(14:42):
contractors as just bad faith stuff and just the biases
towards working in common. I mean, they're just layer upon
layer of stuff, and I'm trying to give him some
advice to at least give him some hope and a strategy.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Victor, are you still with me? Uh?
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Thank you so much, Steine.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
All right, buddy, here we go.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
So before the break, I said, and it's not just
my soapbox because I'm a home designer, Okay, but there's
a reason for it. In fact, I want you to
be I want you to listen to tomorrow's show if
in any way you can, just because you know, I'm
talking about the reasons why design and designers are so
(15:26):
important these days, because it's what mainstream homeowners in America
are missing out on and shouldn't be because it's so
important in your case specifically though, right, you've had different
contractors or so called contractors come in with their own
designs and you know, going to the city and you know,
not following through. So I just want you to number one,
(15:47):
you know, save yourself the headache and take that facet
of the project out of their hands. Okay, so when
people say, you know, when people hear me say, you know,
add a designer to your product, they're like, oh, no,
we're gonna spend extra on this.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know you're not.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
You're not because if you're going to be relying on
a contractor to do the design work, I guarantee you
you are paying for this. Okay, it's just a hidden cost.
It's tucked away, it's probably marked up way more than
it needs to be, and you have no control over it.
And the other problem, my friend, is that you got
one contractor, he's got his plan. You got another contract
(16:25):
got their plan, and so there's no way to understand
who is giving you the best price or the best
cost on this project because it's apples and oranges, or
it's at least different kinds of apples. So first and foremost,
who can just pump the brakes and say Uh, let's
let's get back to the basics, and let's get a
(16:47):
designer design, an architectural designer, an architect involved, and uh,
and get a plan set. You're going to have to
have a structural engineer again to have a you know,
to finish out the plans. But the point is, as
the owner of the property, you can push the plans through.
You're the tip of the sphere. You're understanding everything along
(17:09):
the way. You'll learn a lot more about your project
by doing this along the way, and you'll come out
from the building department in Compton with a set of
approved plans. You don't need a contractor for this. You're
the owner of the property. You have a set of
approved plans. These things are ready to build, they're ready
to go, and they are full plans, they're architectural plans,
(17:30):
and they have all the engineering attached to them. So
any qualified contractor can look at that and give you
a precise bid on exactly what it's going to take
to put it back together, which means you can get
competing bids, which is the way two or three well
vetted contractors. I know, that's a whole other problem. We'll
(17:51):
address that in a second. But the point is that's
where you start. You start there, That's where I would
have you start for more peace of mind and more
control over your project.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
My friend.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Then when it comes to contractors, everybody needs to know
first time you meet a contractor, first time they they
step over the threshold and start talk to you about it.
You want their license number, and you want to go
to the Contractor State License Board website CSLB dot is
it dot CAA, I think it's dot ca A anyway,
(18:22):
CSLBUH and Contractor State License Board. You can put in
the name of their company. You can put in their name,
you can put in their contractor's license. You want to
find out that number one, their license is in full effect,
that it has no current disciplinary action against it, that
it is that they're bonded, that they've got their bond
(18:44):
in effect, that they have if they have employees, that
they've got workmen's compensation insurance for their employees, and they've
got at least two million dollars worth of general liability insurance.
The Contractor State License Board website will tell you all
those things about everybody who walks in your door wanting
(19:05):
to do your project. And that is step one step two,
which is harder. I get it finding the right people
to do it. They're out there, they are, and there's
no way I can tell you that there's an easy
way through this. You just have to keep calling, keep
getting references, keep getting referrals, inviting them through.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
But I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
You're gonna get a higher quality and caliber of contractor
if you say to them on the phone, I've got
a project. I'm ready to go. I just need the
right contractor to build this. We have our plans, they
are approved by the city, so I just need you
to step up and give me an estimate. And if
you're the right person, we're going with this. You will
(19:49):
attract a better quality of contractor by having your plans
done already to begin with, so they can just concentrate
on what they do best along the way. But you
vet them and as you meet these contractors, you don't
want to just hear about, oh, I did a great
project ten years ago. That's all well and good, but
(20:09):
contractors are they're all small businesses to one degree or another.
You want to find out about who they're working for currently.
You want to see a project they did just six
months ago. You want to talk to current clients right now,
and you tell them that, you say, hey, you know,
we're just checking everybody out. We want all of your
current references in the last year so we can move
(20:30):
forward with this. I guarantee you it's going to take
some time. It's already taken time though. That's the thing.
So you know what, you might as well at this
point take a little extra time to do this. You know,
the best possible way you will find the right person.
I promise you, I'll give you a lead right now.
You can call this guy. You can call Jake at
(20:52):
all Exclusive Construction. Okay, all just go online too. I
don't know remember what his website did, but it's all
Exclude of Condruction Construction. Now he's technically based up in
Santa Clarita, but you know, Jacoll treat you right. He'll
give you an honest look at it as well. And
that's just one And I'm not saying just just blindly
(21:13):
go with Jake because Dean said so. Now, I'm just
saying start the vetting process. But even before you get there, Victor,
I strongly strongly recommend that you that you take control
of the planning stage and go get your permit yourself
and take that off the table for these guys because
there's too much variability in all of that.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Does that make sense, Yes, it does.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
And and one other thing, thank you for all that.
I just want to say, with the how you said
to check with the state license board, we did that
with the second contractor and there was some issues, and
I said, and I discussed with him. You know it
was he had been food twice for taking too long
and for not completing the project. And he swore to me,
(21:59):
you know that that was the you know that that
it wasn't true, and that somebody had used his license
and all that stuff. And in the end he did
the same thing to us. So you know, if if
something says if it's goed in there, believe it.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
You know, if it says it in the on that
state licensed contractor website about the contractor, most of the
time you should believe it, because you know, we went
off of emotions versus going off of reality, and we
got stuff a second time.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
But having said that, the last question I want to
know is our house was a three bedroom, one bath,
which never do that. I raised four daughters there and
live again. I raised them by myself, and you know
I would never buy a house with one bathroom again.
But to that, I wanted to add a bathroom. And
(22:55):
my question is if if I wanted to rebuild and
add a bathroom and we have a little over two
hundred thousand dollars, is that enough I'd like to do
a remodel.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Okay, I hear you, I hear you. You know what.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
We're up against another break, Victor. But you know what
I want to answer this question. I really do. So
I'm going to pop you on hold one more time,
and you hang tight and and we'll do it right
on the other side. Everybody your home with Dean Sharp
the house Whisper. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper here to
remind you that when it comes to transforming your home
(23:39):
or rebuilding your home, design matters most kind of you know,
case study in proof. I'm talking with my buddy Victor,
who has been through it on his home. He's been
through some issues, damaged by a fire a couple of
years ago, has dealt with some unreputable contractor types, delays,
(24:04):
unnecessary flat out lies, all that kind of stuff. My
suggestion to Victor is that he takes control of the
design phase of the project, because this is what gives
him ultimate control throughout the project, and that he just
work with a designer and or an architect and an
engineer and get these things worked out ahead of time
(24:26):
without a contractor involved. And so now this doesn't mean Victor,
by the way, that we're going to rush to the
city and get them all approved because of your final
question that you asked me right before the break, which is, hey,
it's been a it's a three bedroom, one bathroom home.
He's in that, you've raised your kids in it, and
(24:46):
you're like, but I'm never going to do that again.
So since you're rebuilding and redoing it, you want to
add a second bathroom.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I feel you. I feel you.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
So you asked me, you know, the the sixty four
thousand dollars question. I'm dating myself when I give that reference,
right because you're like, sixty four thousand, that's not money. Anyway,
you ask me the important question, which is I'm not
gonna be able to do that with the two hundred
thousand dollars budget that I've got to get the house rebuilt.
(25:16):
I'm going to just go out on a limb and say,
uh yeah, if you work with the right designer. That's
really what it comes down to. That's what this is about.
I say this every week. I say it in one
form or another. Okay, when I say design matters most,
what I'm saying is that ninety percent of the efficaciousness
(25:40):
of your project is dependent upon the right design. And
in the design phase, when we're not building, we're not
paying for lumber, We're just paying for ideas. In the
design phase, that's where we work out the balance of
where the budget goes for the product. Okay, Now you
(26:01):
may mean cutting back on a little something here or
a little something there, but for something so important, I mean,
I feel you. I when Tina and I moved into
our house, Okay, and I guess say this real quick, Victor,
because we're we're now up against the end of the show.
You know, we bought a nine hundred and forty square
foot house sitting on a third of an acre, so
(26:21):
you know that's why we did that. We expanded into
the garage, and you know, now we've got a whopping
thirteen hundred and eighty square feet that we live in.
When we redesigned the inside of our cheap little you know,
pos tracked home and made it the cute little cottage
that we love and call home today. It was a
(26:44):
three bedroom, one bath house that we found space for
a second bathroom in without expanding the envelope of the house,
and all within our budget. Now, it took us a
while to to work it through the issues, but the
point is, of course it can be done. This is
why I say, when you've got the right design, ninety
(27:05):
percent of the impact, the wow, the everything you want
from this house is there built into the design, the flow,
the layout, the and then the materials, the finished materials.
That's what I'm not talking about studs or drywall. I'm
talking about the materials that can be paper, it can
be plastic, it can be platinum. Honestly, that's just the
(27:27):
icing on the cake. Honestly, it does not detract one
way or the other. And because you've got the right design,
you can control the rest of the budget along the way.
And so the simple point is, like when somebody hires
us to do design and they say, hey, my most
important thing is that I got to squeeze a second
bathroom out of this two hundred thousand dollars house remodel,
(27:51):
I'm like challenge accepted. We're gonna make it work, and
we'll make it work in even the rough sketches and
get initial bids, just real rough estimates to make sure.
I can proudly tell you this, Tina and I have
never sent a set of plans to the city to
be approved that the owner of the house didn't already
(28:12):
know they had the budget to build. And that's the
way a project should work, my friend, and that's how
I want it to work for you, Victor. I am
literally out of time, everybody. We're at the end of
another two hours together. This is why I love taking calls.
I hope and pray, my friend, that that gives you
some insight along the way. If you need any other
(28:35):
advice or help along those lines, I feel for you.
You're going to reach out to us, go to house
whisperer dot design and just you know, throw me a
question or two along the way. I would love to
make sure that you don't have the same headaches going
forward as you've had in the past, which is my
hope for all of you as well. Design matters most.
(28:55):
We're back here tomorrow. I'm gonna spend three hours convincing
you of just that fact. Until then, get out into
this beautiful day and get busy building yourself a beautiful life.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
We'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
This has been Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper.
Tune into the live broadcast on KFI AM six forty
every Saturday morning from six to eight Pacific time and
every Sunday morning from nine to noon Pacific time, or
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp, The
House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Welcome home,
Good Saturday morning to you. I am Dean Sharp, the
house Whisper, custom home builder, custom home designer, and your
guide to better understanding that place where you live, which
(00:23):
is what we do every weekend here on the program.
Every week we give you tips, tricks, insights into how
to transform your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. And
of course Saturday morning, your calls. You get to set
the agenda for the show. Whatever the case may be
for your home, architecture, design, construction, DIY, landscape, whatever the
(00:48):
case may be.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Give me a call.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Whatever's got you scratching your head about your home, and
we'll put our heads together. We'll figure it out. The
number to reach me eight three three two Ask Dean
A three three the numeral two ask Dean eight three
three to ask Dean. Let's go back to the phones.
I want to talk to Robert Robert s.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Welcome home, Good morning, Dean.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
How you doing, buddy, I'm well.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
How are you my friend? How can I help you?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Good? I'm just down here in southern California Marietta. I
got a solar system going up, scheduled to go up
on my roof, and I kind of, you know, with
new construction and new construction practice, I see a lot
of these roofs they're being prepped, you know, with composition,
and you know, they they they they put the tile
(01:40):
roof on. But what they do is, you know, they
they they have a section of the roof that's just
custom built for that system. And I'm kind of like weary,
like they're going to mount this system on my existing
tile roof. My house is a little bit older. It
was built in two thousand one, so I don't think
(02:01):
they're gonna take the tiles off to put this system
on and kind of do it, you know, shingle it
and put the drip edge and and prep it, you know,
the way new construction gets prepped. So my concern is
like leaks. So I mean, I I'm yeah, And then
another thing, another factor is is that thing going to
be anchored into my trust system or is it just
(02:23):
screwed into the tile and they hit plywood. How does
this stuff fasten with these brackets? And what to look
out for?
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, okay, so just to alleviate your fears about the attachment.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
They're gonna mount it.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
They're not gonna mount it to the tile, Okay, They're
gonna mount it to the actual roof deck itself.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
They're gonna be taking off some tiles where each of
the uh, each of the risers are the brackets that
come up and actually hold the panels. They're gonna be
taking off those tiles. They're gonna be mounting those directly
to the roof deck, over the building paper or the underlayment,
whatever's They're masticking that all, in seling that all up
(03:05):
and then replacing the tile around it with a cut
in the tile around them so that that so that
that riser comes up through. Now let me let me
just back up for a second, just so everybody else
can catch up. You've got some kind of is it
a Spanish tile roof or is it just a concrete
tile roof? But you do you do not have an
(03:26):
asphalt shingle roof.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, but I noticed that in new construction they run both.
When they tile the roof, they have like an asphalt
shingle section. That's all.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, So here's the thing, my friend, It's not yeah,
it's not just a new construction and so if I'm
if I'm doing my due diligence as your designer, Okay,
I'm telling you right now pump the brakes on this
and talk to your solar company about this, okay, because
I want you to have what you're calling a new
(04:00):
construction install for your solar because what happens is, uh,
you know, you know, solar panels are not the most
attractive things in the world. They're not the ugliest things
in the world, but they're not They're not the most
attractive things in the world either, and we don't want
generally speaking, solar panels sticking way up on top of
our roof.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Now, if you've.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Got a a asphalt comp roof, that's just the way
it's going to be. It's gonna sit on top like
it is at my house, on the backside of my
house where nobody can see it from the street. But
when we've already got a Spanish tile roof or a
or a lightweight concrete tile roof of that sort, we
always and I say we, I mean when we're doing projects,
(04:40):
no matter whether they're brand new homes or retrofitting solar
into an existing home, we always have the solar installers
pull out an entire the entire section of roofing tile
where the solar is going to go, and then they're
going to roof that section with composition shingles correct hold
(05:04):
very tight to the roof deck, and then all of
those panels are going to in set. Essentially they're going
to inset into the roof so that they're not sticking
way the heck up, but they're snugged down nice and
snug into the tile line. In my opinion and in
most people's opinion, this is how it should be done
(05:26):
for that kind of setup. So you should talk to
you guys about and say, listen, guys, I really want
to this is not just a new construction technique.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Yeah, because not to cut you off, but it's just
I don't have that specifically called out in my contract,
so I don't really know how the solar company is
going to do the install I do. It is a
flat tile roof, it's not an s tile like Spanish style,
so it's flat. But and I did a riff inspection.
I was recently up there, and the tiles look they're
(05:58):
in fabulous shape. Even though the house was built in
two thousand but we don't have any extra matching tiles,
you know, if the thing was if they were to
step on and break or any of that. So I
don't have any of those callouts in my contract with
broken tiles or if they're going to prep the roof
that that way that you that you recommended. Because I
(06:22):
see a lot of practice going on with these with
these solar installs, just driving into neighborhoods and seeing new construction.
And that's why I was concerned about mine, because I
just didn't want to blow and go operation where these
guys just run in and run out in a couple
of days and I get a shoddy install.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
So yeah, exactly, I feel the same way.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
I'm one hundred percent in agreement with you, and I'm
here to tell you so this is how I can
serve you today.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Just know.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Dean is like, Yeah, you should absolutely get with your
solar guys and work out the specifics you need to
know in writing everything that they plan on doing. And
if there's a way you can upgrade and say no, no,
you weren't playing on doing that. I want those things
in set, okay, and you'll have extra time. That's the
cool thing. This will actually result in you having extra
(07:09):
roofing tiles that you can store in the garage for
future issues, because they're going to remove the section where
the panels are going to go. That is the proper way.
Whether it's a big thick tile roof or a thin
tile roof the pack. The fact is, if it's not
an asphalt composite roof, that is the way what I
just described. But what you're talking about as new construction,
that's the way. All solars should be installed in that
(07:31):
kind of a roof in my opinion, and you know,
because it's my opinion, it is the right one, Robert.
Thanks for your call, buddy, Get it all in writing,
have a conversation with these guys. Don't let contractors just
roll over. You get specific and make sure you're getting
what you want because it's only going up there one time.
(07:52):
All right, y'all, When we come back, more of your
calls your home with Dean Sharp, the house Whisper. Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper here to help you take your home
to the next level. Thanks for joining us on the
program this morning. Good Saturday morning to you. We are
taking calls. The number to reach me eight three three
to ask Dean eight three three the numeral two. Ask
(08:15):
Dean eight three three to ask Dean, let's go back
to the phone. So I want to talk to my
friend Victor. Victor, welcome home.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Hey, good morning, Dean. I'm I'm waiting to hear those words.
Trust me. My home is My home caught fire two
and a half years ago. It was an electrical fire,
and We've been out of our home ever since. And
I've been trying to find a contractor. What the backside
(08:44):
of it is. Our home isn't Compton, And Compton has
a big stereotype that comes with it because of all
the rap songs in the media and fake news and
real news. It has its real big stereotype. So try
to get a contractor, a good contractor, a proper contractor
(09:06):
has been a two and a half year journey. I
went with one contractor in the beginning, he didn't have
a license. He saw me for six months saying it
was a city. He was waiting on the city, and
then come to find out when I did the checking,
he hadn't even applied yet. And then when he did
apply it wasn't in his name. It was he didn't
(09:27):
even have a license. Long story short. So my question is,
and then I had a second contractor. He guaranteed that
his plans would pass the city and so forth, and
after six drawing submissions and a ton of money to
the city and permit fees, his plans never passed. And
(09:51):
some contractors would refuse. They say, oh, I don't want
to work with the City of Competence because they only
have two inspectors and it's too difficult to get the
plan pass. It's too difficult to work with this, And
so how do I deal with that?
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Uh? What a frustration.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
I'm sorry, my friend, I'm very very sorry. I don't
have a silver bullet for the situation, because you know
what I mean, You can't just I can't. I wish
I could snap my fingers and remove bias and prejudice
and all of that stuff and just clear the roads
for it. Unfortunately, one of the things that happens with
(10:31):
contracting is that there's all sorts of intrinsic bias built
in because people are who they are.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
It happens at every level too, Victor. It happens at
levels of you know, way down below where you guys
are building at. It happens it levels way up above
you and me both, you know, we get the same
kind of bias when a contractor rolls into an exclusive
neighborhood and suddenly the thing that they just charged you know,
people in the suburbs ten dollars for, they're charging these people,
(11:03):
you know, two hundred or one thousand dollars for. And
it's just literally it's a mess. It's a mess when
it comes to that. But there are good contractors out there.
We got to work hard to find them. So what
can I tell you? I want to take a little
bit of time and help you through it, because I
know this is just a sucky situation for you. So
we may I will undoubtedly rut up into the break
(11:26):
here and then I'll pop you on hold and we'll
pick it up on the other side so I can
give you as thorough and answer as possible. So let's
just start with the basics. Number one. Number one is, well,
you know, okay, I'm going to back it up. I'm
going to back it up to the very basics. I
think in your situation, you hear me talk about this
all the time. I think in your situation, it would
(11:48):
behoove you to actually work with a design firm. Okay,
I know it sounds for most people again, it sounds like, oh, well,
that's extray. I don't need to spend I don't want
a contractor designing your.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Home, Victor, I don't.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
You've already been through kind of you know, half ass
work and half ass design stuff as well. And I'm
not saying that there aren't contractors out there who don't
do a good job at you know, design, I'm not
saying that. What I'm saying is that in order to
get a contractor's license, you don't have to know diddley
squat about how to design a home because it's not
(12:29):
part of that licensing expertise. Okay, so it's only a
bonus when a contractor has a good design sense or
whatever along the way. But if they haven't educated themselves,
if they don't really actually for sure work in that area,
I don't want a contractor anywhere near my plans and so.
And there's a there's a method to my madness here
(12:51):
when I say that, because you can eliminate one of
the frustrations right now as an owner builder, even before
a contractor even shows up. You with in coordination with
a design team, with an architect or a really good
architectural designer. You can go ahead and get the plans
for your home figured out and submitted and approved okay,
(13:15):
without a contractor. It just you taking the point of
the spear, walking them through plan check with your designer,
and get those things approved with the city of Comptons,
so that when you bring contractors to the house, you're like,
here's the approved set of plans. Okay, I want to
bid on these plans.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
So I'm gonna leave everybody hanging right there. I want
to pick this up on the other side, Victor, because
I got to go to a break. You hang tight,
my friend. I know you've been on the You've been
waiting for a while, So hang with me through this
break and we'll come back to it. Problems everywhere when
it comes to this kind of stuff. This is real
world things. Is why I love taking calls, because we
get into the heart of the matter, don't we. We'll
(13:59):
talk about Victor's issues and hopefully give him some more
great advice. Right on the other side, your Home with
Dean Sharp the house Whisper. You're listening to Home with
Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty Dean Sharp,
the house Whisper is here to help you transform your
(14:21):
ordinary house into an extraordinary home. It's an all call
Saturday morning, and we're on the line with Victor. Victor
has a house in Compton. It was damaged by a
fire a couple of years ago and he's been having
nothing but issues since trying to get it rebuilt. Bad
(14:42):
contractors as just bad faith stuff and just the biases
towards working in common. I mean, they're just layer upon
layer of stuff, and I'm trying to give him some
advice to at least give him some hope and a strategy.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Victor, are you still with me? Uh?
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Thank you so much, Steine.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
All right, buddy, here we go.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
So before the break, I said, and it's not just
my soapbox because I'm a home designer, Okay, but there's
a reason for it. In fact, I want you to
be I want you to listen to tomorrow's show if
in any way you can, just because you know, I'm
talking about the reasons why design and designers are so
(15:26):
important these days, because it's what mainstream homeowners in America
are missing out on and shouldn't be because it's so
important in your case specifically though, right, you've had different
contractors or so called contractors come in with their own
designs and you know, going to the city and you know,
not following through. So I just want you to number one,
(15:47):
you know, save yourself the headache and take that facet
of the project out of their hands. Okay, so when
people say, you know, when people hear me say, you know,
add a designer to your product, they're like, oh, no,
we're gonna spend extra on this.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know you're not.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
You're not because if you're going to be relying on
a contractor to do the design work, I guarantee you
you are paying for this. Okay, it's just a hidden cost.
It's tucked away, it's probably marked up way more than
it needs to be, and you have no control over it.
And the other problem, my friend, is that you got
one contractor, he's got his plan. You got another contract
(16:25):
got their plan, and so there's no way to understand
who is giving you the best price or the best
cost on this project because it's apples and oranges, or
it's at least different kinds of apples. So first and foremost,
who can just pump the brakes and say Uh, let's
let's get back to the basics, and let's get a
(16:47):
designer design, an architectural designer, an architect involved, and uh,
and get a plan set. You're going to have to
have a structural engineer again to have a you know,
to finish out the plans. But the point is, as
the owner of the property, you can push the plans through.
You're the tip of the sphere. You're understanding everything along
(17:09):
the way. You'll learn a lot more about your project
by doing this along the way, and you'll come out
from the building department in Compton with a set of
approved plans. You don't need a contractor for this. You're
the owner of the property. You have a set of
approved plans. These things are ready to build, they're ready
to go, and they are full plans, they're architectural plans,
(17:30):
and they have all the engineering attached to them. So
any qualified contractor can look at that and give you
a precise bid on exactly what it's going to take
to put it back together, which means you can get
competing bids, which is the way two or three well
vetted contractors. I know, that's a whole other problem. We'll
(17:51):
address that in a second. But the point is that's
where you start. You start there, That's where I would
have you start for more peace of mind and more
control over your project.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
My friend.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Then when it comes to contractors, everybody needs to know
first time you meet a contractor, first time they they
step over the threshold and start talk to you about it.
You want their license number, and you want to go
to the Contractor State License Board website CSLB dot is
it dot CAA, I think it's dot ca A anyway,
(18:22):
CSLBUH and Contractor State License Board. You can put in
the name of their company. You can put in their name,
you can put in their contractor's license. You want to
find out that number one, their license is in full effect,
that it has no current disciplinary action against it, that
it is that they're bonded, that they've got their bond
(18:44):
in effect, that they have if they have employees, that
they've got workmen's compensation insurance for their employees, and they've
got at least two million dollars worth of general liability insurance.
The Contractor State License Board website will tell you all
those things about everybody who walks in your door wanting
(19:05):
to do your project. And that is step one step two,
which is harder. I get it finding the right people
to do it. They're out there, they are, and there's
no way I can tell you that there's an easy
way through this. You just have to keep calling, keep
getting references, keep getting referrals, inviting them through.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
But I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
You're gonna get a higher quality and caliber of contractor
if you say to them on the phone, I've got
a project. I'm ready to go. I just need the
right contractor to build this. We have our plans, they
are approved by the city, so I just need you
to step up and give me an estimate. And if
you're the right person, we're going with this. You will
(19:49):
attract a better quality of contractor by having your plans
done already to begin with, so they can just concentrate
on what they do best along the way. But you
vet them and as you meet these contractors, you don't
want to just hear about, oh, I did a great
project ten years ago. That's all well and good, but
(20:09):
contractors are they're all small businesses to one degree or another.
You want to find out about who they're working for currently.
You want to see a project they did just six
months ago. You want to talk to current clients right now,
and you tell them that, you say, hey, you know,
we're just checking everybody out. We want all of your
current references in the last year so we can move
(20:30):
forward with this. I guarantee you it's going to take
some time. It's already taken time though. That's the thing.
So you know what, you might as well at this
point take a little extra time to do this. You know,
the best possible way you will find the right person.
I promise you, I'll give you a lead right now.
You can call this guy. You can call Jake at
(20:52):
all Exclusive Construction. Okay, all just go online too. I
don't know remember what his website did, but it's all
Exclude of Condruction Construction. Now he's technically based up in
Santa Clarita, but you know, Jacoll treat you right. He'll
give you an honest look at it as well. And
that's just one And I'm not saying just just blindly
(21:13):
go with Jake because Dean said so. Now, I'm just
saying start the vetting process. But even before you get there, Victor,
I strongly strongly recommend that you that you take control
of the planning stage and go get your permit yourself
and take that off the table for these guys because
there's too much variability in all of that.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Does that make sense, Yes, it does.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
And and one other thing, thank you for all that.
I just want to say, with the how you said
to check with the state license board, we did that
with the second contractor and there was some issues, and
I said, and I discussed with him. You know it
was he had been food twice for taking too long
and for not completing the project. And he swore to me,
(21:59):
you know that that was the you know that that
it wasn't true, and that somebody had used his license
and all that stuff. And in the end he did
the same thing to us. So you know, if if
something says if it's goed in there, believe it.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
You know, if it says it in the on that
state licensed contractor website about the contractor, most of the
time you should believe it, because you know, we went
off of emotions versus going off of reality, and we
got stuff a second time.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
But having said that, the last question I want to
know is our house was a three bedroom, one bath,
which never do that. I raised four daughters there and
live again. I raised them by myself, and you know
I would never buy a house with one bathroom again.
But to that, I wanted to add a bathroom. And
(22:55):
my question is if if I wanted to rebuild and
add a bathroom and we have a little over two
hundred thousand dollars, is that enough I'd like to do
a remodel.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Okay, I hear you, I hear you. You know what.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
We're up against another break, Victor. But you know what
I want to answer this question. I really do. So
I'm going to pop you on hold one more time,
and you hang tight and and we'll do it right
on the other side. Everybody your home with Dean Sharp
the house Whisper. Dean Sharp, the house Whisper here to
remind you that when it comes to transforming your home
(23:39):
or rebuilding your home, design matters most kind of you know,
case study in proof. I'm talking with my buddy Victor,
who has been through it on his home. He's been
through some issues, damaged by a fire a couple of
years ago, has dealt with some unreputable contractor types, delays,
(24:04):
unnecessary flat out lies, all that kind of stuff. My
suggestion to Victor is that he takes control of the
design phase of the project, because this is what gives
him ultimate control throughout the project, and that he just
work with a designer and or an architect and an
engineer and get these things worked out ahead of time
(24:26):
without a contractor involved. And so now this doesn't mean Victor,
by the way, that we're going to rush to the
city and get them all approved because of your final
question that you asked me right before the break, which is, hey,
it's been a it's a three bedroom, one bathroom home.
He's in that, you've raised your kids in it, and
(24:46):
you're like, but I'm never going to do that again.
So since you're rebuilding and redoing it, you want to
add a second bathroom.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I feel you. I feel you.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
So you asked me, you know, the the sixty four
thousand dollars question. I'm dating myself when I give that reference,
right because you're like, sixty four thousand, that's not money. Anyway,
you ask me the important question, which is I'm not
gonna be able to do that with the two hundred
thousand dollars budget that I've got to get the house rebuilt.
(25:16):
I'm going to just go out on a limb and say,
uh yeah, if you work with the right designer. That's
really what it comes down to. That's what this is about.
I say this every week. I say it in one
form or another. Okay, when I say design matters most,
what I'm saying is that ninety percent of the efficaciousness
(25:40):
of your project is dependent upon the right design. And
in the design phase, when we're not building, we're not
paying for lumber, We're just paying for ideas. In the
design phase, that's where we work out the balance of
where the budget goes for the product. Okay, Now you
(26:01):
may mean cutting back on a little something here or
a little something there, but for something so important, I mean,
I feel you. I when Tina and I moved into
our house, Okay, and I guess say this real quick, Victor,
because we're we're now up against the end of the show.
You know, we bought a nine hundred and forty square
foot house sitting on a third of an acre, so
(26:21):
you know that's why we did that. We expanded into
the garage, and you know, now we've got a whopping
thirteen hundred and eighty square feet that we live in.
When we redesigned the inside of our cheap little you know,
pos tracked home and made it the cute little cottage
that we love and call home today. It was a
(26:44):
three bedroom, one bath house that we found space for
a second bathroom in without expanding the envelope of the house,
and all within our budget. Now, it took us a
while to to work it through the issues, but the
point is, of course it can be done. This is
why I say, when you've got the right design, ninety
(27:05):
percent of the impact, the wow, the everything you want
from this house is there built into the design, the flow,
the layout, the and then the materials, the finished materials.
That's what I'm not talking about studs or drywall. I'm
talking about the materials that can be paper, it can
be plastic, it can be platinum. Honestly, that's just the
(27:27):
icing on the cake. Honestly, it does not detract one
way or the other. And because you've got the right design,
you can control the rest of the budget along the way.
And so the simple point is, like when somebody hires
us to do design and they say, hey, my most
important thing is that I got to squeeze a second
bathroom out of this two hundred thousand dollars house remodel,
(27:51):
I'm like challenge accepted. We're gonna make it work, and
we'll make it work in even the rough sketches and
get initial bids, just real rough estimates to make sure.
I can proudly tell you this, Tina and I have
never sent a set of plans to the city to
be approved that the owner of the house didn't already
(28:12):
know they had the budget to build. And that's the
way a project should work, my friend, and that's how
I want it to work for you, Victor. I am
literally out of time, everybody. We're at the end of
another two hours together. This is why I love taking calls.
I hope and pray, my friend, that that gives you
some insight along the way. If you need any other
(28:35):
advice or help along those lines, I feel for you.
You're going to reach out to us, go to house
whisperer dot design and just you know, throw me a
question or two along the way. I would love to
make sure that you don't have the same headaches going
forward as you've had in the past, which is my
hope for all of you as well. Design matters most.
(28:55):
We're back here tomorrow. I'm gonna spend three hours convincing
you of just that fact. Until then, get out into
this beautiful day and get busy building yourself a beautiful life.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
We'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
This has been Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper.
Tune into the live broadcast on KFI AM six forty
every Saturday morning from six to eight Pacific time and
every Sunday morning from nine to noon Pacific time, or
anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app
Home with Dean Sharp News
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