WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:04.040 KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp, the 2 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:12.039 House Whisperer on demand on the iHeartRadio app KFI AM 3 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:16.800 six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio App. Hey, welcome 4 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:20.800 to home Where. Every week we help you better understand 5 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:24.199 that place where you live. I am Dean Sharp, the 6 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:30.039 House Whisperer, custom home Builder, custom home designer, and your 7 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:34.119 guide to turning your ordinary house into an extraordinary home. 8 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:39.479 We're talking about fences, walls, and hedges. What do these 9 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:44.840 things have in common? They define boundaries. They also shape spaces, 10 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:48.359 because that's what a boundary does. It defines the shape 11 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:53.280 of a space, and they contour whatever setting they find 12 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.439 themselves in in the third dimension. We so often think 13 00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:04.120 about our yards, our gardens front back, otherwise as forwards, backwards, 14 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:07.920 left and right. These flat spaces, a fence, a wall, 15 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:12.079 a hedge, regardless of its height, they rise up into 16 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:16.400 the third dimension. They bring a three dimensional aspect to 17 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:21.840 our yards, which is critically important for a dynamic and 18 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:25.040 a romantic and a beautiful yard. And of course they 19 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:28.680 also provide, to whatever degree they are able, if they're 20 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:33.640 on the perimeter, privacy and or security. I'm going to 21 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:36.000 try to attempt to do this today. I'm going to 22 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:39.439 speak both from a builder side and from the designer side, 23 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:42.239 flopping back and forth between the two so that we 24 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:45.439 don't have to ignore one or the other. Where we're 25 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:48.239 going to start is on the simple side of things. 26 00:01:48.280 --> 00:01:51.400 I want to talk about wood fences. Wood fences are 27 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:55.719 still primarily the majority of fences that are out there. 28 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.599 If we're deconstructing a fence, from a builder's point of view, 29 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:04.920 a fence is not a thing. A wood fence is 30 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.520 three things. It is an assembly of three things. It 31 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:13.039 is the hole for the posts, post holes. Okay, that's 32 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:16.120 the first thing that a fence is. The second thing 33 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:19.080 is the frame, and that is the posts that go 34 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:22.199 in those holes and the rails that run in between 35 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:25.800 those posts. That's the frame of the fence. And the 36 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:29.479 third thing on the fence is the skin or the slats. Right, 37 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:33.000 chances are, if there's something wrong with your fence, there's 38 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:36.319 something wrong with one or maybe a couple of those things, 39 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.879 but maybe not all of them. The reality is that 40 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:43.520 if you know, people often say, oh, my fence, it's 41 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:46.879 falling apart, I need to replace it. Well, the reason 42 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:51.919 I'm sharing these three distinct components assemblies with you. Is 43 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:55.960 so that you can become a better doctor of evaluating 44 00:02:56.199 --> 00:03:00.680 your fence that may be in trouble on some level. Now, yeah, 45 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:03.479 of course there are some fences that are just like done. 46 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:06.840 They're done, they've been neglected, they are over and they 47 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:10.240 need to be pulled and replaced. The point is you 48 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.560 need to look at all three components of your fence 49 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:16.479 to figure out what exactly is going on. Almost all 50 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.159 the time, what is quote unquote falling apart on your 51 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:23.479 fence is not all three components, but one maybe two. 52 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.439 So you look at the posts and if the posts 53 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.560 are solid, then they're solid. They can be they can continue. 54 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:35.479 The rails, which are the horizontal boards that run in 55 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:38.520 between the posts on a wood fence, and we're specifically 56 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:41.240 talking about a wood fence here. The rails, that's a 57 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:44.639 separate component. And if you've got a rail that's failing, 58 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:50.120 then the slats can be removed carefully and the rail 59 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:54.759 can be replaced, and then the slats reapplied and boom, 60 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:57.960 what have you done. You've only spent money on you know, 61 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:01.439 a two by piece of material and the little bit 62 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:04.000 of time that it takes to reinsert that into the 63 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:08.360 fence assembly and boom, your fence is back in action. 64 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:12.159 Most likely, most of the time, it's slats that are 65 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.599 taking most of the abuse from use in the yard 66 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.800 and exposure to the weather, and slats fall apart, and 67 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:21.480 slats can be replaced. So that's the point. The moral 68 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:24.439 of the story is that now a lot of confusion 69 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:28.240 when it comes to the most intimidating part of the fence. 70 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.240 If we're doing a new fence, and what is that 71 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:35.279 the post and the hole, Right, it's always the question 72 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:38.839 how deep, how big of a hole do we need? 73 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:41.720 The depth of a post hole for a wooden fence, 74 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.759 typical wooden fence, and yes there are always exceptions to 75 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:47.839 this role, but the depth of a post hole is 76 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:51.399 at least a third. Sometimes you might want to go 77 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:53.800 even further up to a half, but one third to 78 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:57.720 one half the height of the fence. Okay, that means 79 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:01.480 that if your fence is going to be a six 80 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:05.439 foot tall fence, that means that you're going two to 81 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:09.240 three feet down, all right, A six foot high fence 82 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:13.240 post above the ground needs at least two feet down 83 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:17.439 in the ground, and to really really sink it in 84 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:21.560 three feet. So half of the height up is the 85 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:25.839 distance that we go down for the hole. How about 86 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:29.759 the width? Okay? Now, this is where I have been 87 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:33.160 in so many situations and built so many different kinds 88 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.439 of fences that I'm going to give you a couple 89 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:41.079 of different points here. Not every fence has to be 90 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:49.560 anchored into concrete or into some kind of fence anchoring material. 91 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:50.040 All right. 92 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.680 There are fences all over my own yard here as 93 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:57.160 a perfect example that Tina and I put in I 94 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.759 don't know how many, ten fifteen plus US years ago, 95 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:06.560 still standing, just perfectly fine. Okay. That are literally where 96 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:11.120 the posts are inserted into a relatively tight hole. Okay, 97 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:13.800 a temporary fence, a fence that you think, well, I 98 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:16.079 think I need this fence for now, but maybe in 99 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:18.360 two or three years we may change the contour of 100 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:21.839 this fence. My suggestion would be drop it into a 101 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:24.319 really tight hole. You want to keep the hole as 102 00:06:24.439 --> 00:06:28.040 tight to the size of the post as possible so 103 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:32.480 that you get the most stability with undisturbed soil around it. 104 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:37.199 All right, depth still the same, okay? So how wide 105 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:41.959 is the post hole tight? If it's temporary tight okay, 106 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:44.800 or if you're really going to go permanent. Now, the 107 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:48.680 standard rule and that is three to four times the 108 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.439 width of the post for wood, okay. And if it's 109 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:55.720 a steel post, either a steel net. And I know 110 00:06:55.759 --> 00:06:58.439 you're saying, wait, you're talking about a wood fence. Yeah, 111 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:04.199 the best, most permanent wood fences use often steel posts. 112 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:06.800 The perimeter of fence around my property, for instance, we 113 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:11.720 used steel channel posts that are specifically designed to have 114 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:15.920 wood rails attached to them, and guess what, twenty three 115 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:21.160 years later, those posts are still perfectly intact. And if 116 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:23.600 at any point I'm going to redo my fence, the 117 00:07:23.639 --> 00:07:26.439 posts are not moving. They are just going to have 118 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:30.319 new rails and new slats attached to them. So three 119 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:33.399 to four times the width of the post, if it's wood, okay, 120 00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:37.160 That means if you're using a four by four, then 121 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:43.480 it's about twelve inches of post hole in diameter down 122 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.800 the two or three feet, and if you're using steel, 123 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:50.360 then at least eight inches wide. There you go. You 124 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.120 got that. You get all that written down? 125 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:52.519 Good? 126 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:55.360 Okay. If you didn't, you listen to the podcast later 127 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:59.319 and pull those dimensions back up. When we return to 128 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:03.879 this subject, I am going to talk about the posts themselves. Okay, 129 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:08.000 what touches the dirt? What should that be made out of? 130 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:11.319 And how when you are building a fence for the 131 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:14.000 very first time, do you keep it all in a 132 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:16.839 straight line? And what do you put in that hole 133 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:19.759 to hold those posts in place? Your home with Dean 134 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:25.279 Sharp the house Whisper, can't I Dean Sharp the house whisper. 135 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:31.360 Welcome home. We're talking about fences and walls and hedges today. 136 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:33.919 We're going to return to that conversation in just a bit. 137 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:37.320 But time to go to the phones. Let's talk to Lou. Hey, Lou, 138 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:38.200 welcome home. 139 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:42.679 My question it's about toilets. I got two new toilets installed. 140 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:45.360 Toilets were installed very well. They did a nice job. 141 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:48.480 There is about a fashion of the water that my 142 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:52.159 previous toilets had and I'm not sure if that's a 143 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:55.200 good idea not. They say it's a new type of toilet. 144 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:59.159 It's designed for that amount of water to function properly. 145 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:02.039 Second question I have, Dean, is that it has a 146 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:06.399 serpentine plumbing on the base and I was sureous why 147 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:10.039 is it serpentem? And the third question I have would 148 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:12.720 it be wise to flush them occasionally with the old 149 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:13.360 garden host. 150 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:17.519 First of all, congratulations on the new toilets. And yeah, 151 00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:22.840 these days California State of California requires this, and most 152 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:27.799 states now across the nation require low flow toilets. And 153 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:30.480 low flow is just kind of a given. It's you know, 154 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:32.480 it was a big deal back in the past, and 155 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.919 there were different ways of accomplishing it, and honestly, when 156 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:39.000 it first came out, I wasn't all that thrilled with 157 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:42.679 the way that they worked. But nowadays it's just a given. 158 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:46.039 And yeah, there's nothing wrong with a low flow toilet. 159 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:49.120 Does not hurt the toilet, does not hurt the pipes, 160 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.639 does not hurt your plumbing. You are golden and good 161 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:55.399 to go with a low flow toilet, and you know, 162 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.120 just helps the fact that they don't have to use 163 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:01.919 as much water anymore. A better design for a toilet 164 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.360 not as much water to get the same work done. Secondly, 165 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.440 if you're looking down underneath the toilet and you see 166 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:12.679 kind of that squarely pipe there, that's because a toilet 167 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:16.159 has a pea trap built into it. Okay, a pea 168 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:21.639 trap is basically allows it to after a flush, hold 169 00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:24.759 on to a level of water, and that level of 170 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:29.600 water acts as a stop gap plug basically to keep 171 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:33.039 sewer gases from coming back up the line and into 172 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:37.080 the toilet. And so it's simply a design of the 173 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:41.720 toilet fixture. A lot of people are surprised that the 174 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:44.799 piping underneath a toilet, like in your slab or in 175 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:48.480 your house, does not have a pea trap located there. 176 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:52.799 It's actually in the toilet itself, and that way we 177 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:56.399 can just keep the flesh line nice and clean and straightforward. 178 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:59.200 So you know, you've got a pea trap underneath all 179 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:02.120 of your vessel in your house, all of the sinks, 180 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:06.200 they've got this pe shaped kind of squirrely thing underneath it. 181 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:09.440 That's just what you're seeing there, built into the actual 182 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:13.919 structure of the toilet itself. Finally, should you ever have 183 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:17.000 to flush them with a garden hose? Nope, you should 184 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:19.480 be good to go. The only time you've got to 185 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:23.120 put anything down there other than you know, the water 186 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:25.440 that you've flushed with is if for some reason you've 187 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:29.159 got some kind of a clog or otherwise. But otherwise 188 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:33.120 you are golden. I want to talk to Henderson. Henderson, 189 00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:34.200 welcome home. Are you there? 190 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:36.840 I am here. I'm building a house and one of 191 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:40.679 the things I was listening at painting my Kiston walls, 192 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:43.360 and I was thinking of paint in it, like semi 193 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:47.240 glass or something along that line. But the contract is 194 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:51.240 always say flat. Everyone always says take the siling flat. 195 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:54.600 But my father is greases in the kitchen. The walls 196 00:11:54.600 --> 00:11:57.320 would be about My walls would be about ten feet high, 197 00:11:57.799 --> 00:12:00.840 and I was just taking for a maintenance flat. Would 198 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:02.039 that be the best choice. 199 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:05.799 You are absolutely right, my friend, that flat is not 200 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:09.879 the best choice there for your kitchen. We want to 201 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:14.600 avoid glossy paint in our home as much as possible, Okay, 202 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:21.279 except on trim like casings, door casings, jams, those kinds 203 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:25.120 of things, base boards, even at that. I'm not a 204 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:29.279 big fan of high gloss anytime in those situations. And 205 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:32.960 I'll tell you why, because the high reflectivity of a 206 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:38.039 high gloss paint means that any imperfection, I mean anything, 207 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:42.159 a dent, a nail hole, scratch, they it just comes 208 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:44.720 blaring out. You can see it from across the room. 209 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:47.559 So just know, as a general rule, the more reflective 210 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:51.720 the paint is, the more perfect that surface has to be, 211 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:55.399 otherwise it's going to show off all of its flaws. Okay, 212 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:59.200 So we don't want shiny shiny shiny as a general 213 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:03.240 rule anywhere. However, you're absolutely right. The reason why paints 214 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:06.840 are as reflective as they are is because a high 215 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:09.879 gloss paint. The more gloss that's in a paint. As 216 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:12.720 a general rule, okay, as again a general rule that 217 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:15.320 I'm going to make exception to it in just a second, 218 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:17.720 but as a general rule, the more gloss that is 219 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:21.759 in a paint, the higher the solids are in the resins, 220 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:26.320 and that means that it's harder paint. It's a harder surface, 221 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:30.240 and as a result, it's easier to keep clean from 222 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:33.320 things like you know, grease splatters and dirt and so 223 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:36.799 on and so forth. Any contractor with their salt should 224 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:40.159 not be telling you to put flat paint in a kitchen. 225 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:41.240 Okay. 226 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:46.759 Flat paint has the lowest number of solids in the resins. 227 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:50.519 It's almost an open, porous surface, and that's why flat 228 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:54.639 painted walls are really really tough to clean. As a 229 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:58.320 general rule, we don't want that. However, the contractor is 230 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:01.960 right from a design perspective in that the flatter that 231 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:06.039 a wall is, the flatter that a ceiling is, the 232 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:09.600 less it reflects in perfections, and the more beautiful and 233 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:12.879 soft and glowy the room becomes. So what do we 234 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:15.519 do then with a kitchen. Well, I'm just going to 235 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:19.720 make a direct product recommendation to you. And yes, Benjamin 236 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:23.440 Moore is a sponsor of this show, but only because 237 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:26.519 I went out to get them and said, you have 238 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:29.279 to sponsor my show because I've been using your paint 239 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:33.840 for thirty nearly forty years now professionally and I'm your 240 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:39.320 best advocate. So Benjamin Moore has two paints here, Aura 241 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:45.759 au are A or scuff X. Okay, I have painted 242 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:50.120 the entire inside of my house, our cottage in scuff X. 243 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:52.440 Tina and I have. And here is one of the 244 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:56.080 reasons why the scuff X is actually designed to be 245 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:01.960 a commercial paint for like educational institutions and libraries and 246 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:06.519 public spaces, because it is so dang tough and it 247 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:10.120 is easy to clean. However, it comes in multiple sheens 248 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:17.639 and they're all cleanable, including Matt. That's the key Matt finish. Okay, 249 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:21.120 it's scuff X does not come in a flat, but 250 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:25.480 it comes in a Matt and Matt is just ever 251 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:30.000 so slightly the tiniest bit of sheen, not enough to 252 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:33.639 be reflective, but enough to be like tough, I mean 253 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:38.320 like tough. So what you want, okay, regardless of what brand, 254 00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:40.480 you don't have to go with my recommendation, but whatever 255 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:42.840 brand that you're looking for, that you end up with 256 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:45.240 Henderson to paint the house with point is we want 257 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:48.879 a little bit of sheen that makes it cleanable, but 258 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:53.480 not so much that makes it shiny, so definitely not 259 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:59.039 not gloss or semigloss. The secret of painting a kitchen 260 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:05.279 is getting that, you know, balancing act between non reflectivity 261 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:09.679 and clean ability. Thanks for calling in. When we come back, 262 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.039 we're going to get back to that wood fence that 263 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:14.679 we were talking about. We're going to talk about what 264 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:19.240 we are putting in that fence, post hole, what's anchoring 265 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:21.600 the post, what kind of a post, and how do 266 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:24.320 you get them all lined up the right way? All 267 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:27.679 of that and more. Your Home with Dean Sharp, the 268 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:28.519 House Whisper. 269 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:33.080 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 270 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.000 KFI AM six forty. 271 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:42.840 KFI Dean Sharp the House Whisper at your service. It's 272 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:45.679 time to get back to talking about fences and hedges 273 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:48.960 and walls. All right, we're right in the middle of 274 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:52.960 We need to get this fence, this new wood fence 275 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:56.360 of yours in the ground. How far apart should fence 276 00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:00.200 posts be? That has to do with your rails, the 277 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.799 actual wood rails that you connect between the two. I 278 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:08.119 personally would not put fence posts further than eight feet apart. 279 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:12.480 Number one, it's a nice convenient to distance in terms 280 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.920 of the rails because you get two by four lumber 281 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:19.319 as rails that are eight feet long. Now, of course 282 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:21.880 you can get larger two by fours than that longer 283 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:25.000 two by fours, but anything beyond eight feet what we 284 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:27.759 end up seeing is sagging, and what we don't want 285 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:31.359 is a saggy fence. What goes in the hole? Well, 286 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:33.960 the post, right, what is that post made out of? 287 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.440 On a wood fence? Without question, the wood post should 288 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.880 be pressure treated lumber. Pressure treated lumber is different than 289 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:44.359 regular lumber. Regular lumber is in no way, shape or 290 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.960 form ever rated to be in direct contact with soil 291 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:52.519 or moisture. Pressure treated lumber is what that is. For now, 292 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:55.200 some of you were saying, well, listen, we're going to splurge, Dean. 293 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:57.240 We're going to use the best stuff. We're going to 294 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:00.599 put in redwood fence with redwood posts or a cedar 295 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:03.599 fence with cedar posts, and the redwood and cedar, as 296 00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:07.480 we all know, is totally moisture and rot proof and 297 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:12.599 bug proof. That is incorrect, that's not true at all. 298 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:17.880 Redwood and cedar, as a natural red product, is certainly 299 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:24.119 far more rot and moisture resistant and far more insect 300 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:29.400 resistant than standard Douglas fir or what have you. However, 301 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.920 it doesn't even come close to the moisture resistance of 302 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:37.440 pressure treated lumber. And that's why I'm telling you use 303 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:41.680 pressure treated posts and rails. Use a pressure treated frame 304 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:47.000 for your fence. Okay, now you're like, well, but our 305 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.480 design of a fence, you're gonna see the post. Great, 306 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:53.079 take a couple of extra of those cedar or redwood 307 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:57.039 slats that you're using, those flat one by redwood slats 308 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:00.559 and cut them to wrap the outside of your post 309 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:04.599 so that it looks cedar or redwood and matches everything 310 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:08.960 else but inside the heart of it. Use pressure treated lumber. Now, 311 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:12.680 you could also use galvanized steel posts going down there, 312 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.480 and like I said earlier, there is a whole slew 313 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:20.079 of them that are made. They're more expensive by maybe 314 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:24.759 twice as expensive as a pressure treated wood post, but 315 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:28.160 they also, you know, last forever, and they're a lot 316 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:31.680 stronger as well. The last thing to tell you right 317 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:35.240 now is what do we fill that hole with? And 318 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:38.119 how do you, if this is a brand new fence, 319 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.319 make it all straight. We already know the kind of 320 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:43.640 post you're going to use, a pressure treated post or 321 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:47.680 some kind of galvanized steel post in your fence. Now 322 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.079 what do we put in the bottom? About six inches 323 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:53.920 of gravel? Okay, that's it, Just some loose gravel at 324 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:56.319 the bottom. That's what the post is actually going to 325 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:02.359 sit on, so that the water, whatever water works its 326 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:05.759 way into that hole has a place to drain off. 327 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:10.039 That is our preferred method for setting posts. Then the post. 328 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:14.359 Now what goes in post hole cement? There is post 329 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:17.759 whole cement mix available on the market today and this 330 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:19.640 is not a hack on my part. This is how 331 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:23.559 it's made ready mixed post whole cement. Literally, you break 332 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:26.000 the bag open, you pour the dry stuff just right 333 00:20:26.039 --> 00:20:29.160 down into the hole, and then you pour the water 334 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:31.119 in with the hose. You let it fill up in, 335 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:33.920 swish it around, maybe just a smidge. 336 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:34.880 And the end. 337 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:39.559 Unless you really want to be twenty first century about this, 338 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:45.440 and you use expansive post hole foam, and is it 339 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:50.440 worth it? It is worth every penny. Post Hole expansive foam 340 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:55.359 ways about half a pound. And you carry the package 341 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:58.279 home with you in your pocket basically or in your 342 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:02.160 little shopping bag, and you're going to break this stuff open. 343 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:04.359 On the inside, you're going to mix one side to 344 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:07.359 the other. There's a catalyst and the foaming agent inside. 345 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:09.319 Then you cut it open and you pour it into 346 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:13.599 the post hole. And amazingly, it's kind of like the 347 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.480 same stuff that comes in the spray cands that expand 348 00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:19.319 out when you're trying to fill holes around the house, 349 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:23.039 right expansive foam, except this stuff just keeps going and 350 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:26.240 going and going, and it will literally fill up the 351 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:30.960 entire post hole if you've sized it properly. Fifteen bucks, 352 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.960 so as opposed to the ten that you're going to 353 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:35.599 spend on the cement, you spend fifteen for this. You 354 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:38.160 do not lug around one hundred pounds of the cement. 355 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:41.000 And I don't know a single builder who is serious 356 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:44.799 about post holes that hasn't switched over to this Honestly, now, 357 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:46.920 I will tell you this, this is the one caveat 358 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:52.079 not for structural stuff. Foaming posthole cement is not for 359 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:55.759 setting the posts and the piers of your new deck 360 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.440 or anything that has a foundation. Really, anything that's going 361 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:02.640 to bear wait on top of these posts. Okay, but 362 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:06.960 a regular fence, everything from the post that holds your 363 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:11.039 mailbox out front, to the gate posts to just your 364 00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:15.680 regular perimeter fence posts. This stuff will get the job done. 365 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:20.000 And the beautiful thing about it is that how long 366 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:22.119 do you How much bracing do you have to do 367 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:24.680 with the post? Right, because I'm about to talk to 368 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:27.480 you about if you use cement, We've got to brace 369 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:31.799 these posts in two directions with a board heading one 370 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:35.000 way and another to get this post perfectly plumb, to 371 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:40.319 hold it in place, preferably overnight, for the posthole cement 372 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:44.319 to set up so that you go back the next day. Okay, 373 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:47.960 Now with the foaming post hole foam, how long do 374 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:49.640 you have to wait? Well, all you need is a 375 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:53.839 very very simple little three dollars post hole level, which 376 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:56.720 is a little right angle level with a rubber band 377 00:22:56.759 --> 00:22:59.119 around it. You just wrap it around the post and 378 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:02.279 you put the phone in and you sit there, level 379 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:06.039 it with your hand and stand there for all of 380 00:23:06.279 --> 00:23:09.839 two minutes, and then two minutes later you walk away 381 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:13.279 and it's done. I will throw one more benefit at it. 382 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:18.559 This is closed cell foam. Okay, it doesn't get all 383 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:22.480 huge bubbles in it. Okay, it's closed cell foam. And 384 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:28.519 so it actually forms a complete waterproof barrier around the 385 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:33.359 post inside the hole in the ground. So post hoole 386 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:37.559 cement is cement, and as you've heard me say so 387 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:40.480 many times before on the show, cement is nothing but 388 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:43.839 a stone sponge. Moisture moves right through it. So even 389 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:47.920 though you surround your post in cement, you're not protecting 390 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:51.480 it from moisture. That's why you used the pressure treated wood. 391 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:53.319 Now you're still going to use the pressure treated wood 392 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:57.839 no matter what. Okay. But the expansive post hole foam. 393 00:23:58.119 --> 00:24:01.240 The thing that I maybe love most about it, other 394 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:05.599 than its utter lightweight, convenience and speed, is the fact 395 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:07.880 that it is going to wrap the entire base of 396 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:11.319 this post in a It's gonna seal it from moisture. 397 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:15.480 One last thing, how do you make a fence line straight? 398 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:18.200 Here's how you do it. You go to the corners. 399 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:21.640 One corner, you set a post plumb and straight. Then 400 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:23.880 you go all the way and the next post that 401 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:26.400