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 --> 00:00:10.640 House Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. Today. I 3 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:12.080 want to talk to you about what's going on with 4 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:14.759 your house. I have no agenda but to talk with 5 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:17.879 you and see if I can help. Let's try and 6 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:20.480 get to Brad. Hey, Brad, welcome home. 7 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:24.920 I have a nineteen sixty house with ten foot ceilings 8 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:27.679 in the family room and I need to replace the 9 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:32.280 light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures. And I was wondering 10 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:36.399 how to determine how to get the correct bulbs for 11 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.119 the correct for brightness and also that are safe. 12 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:45.200 Okay, So you've got obviously nineteen sixties fixtures, their standards, 13 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:50.920 screw in type bulbs. There, there are LED, there are 14 00:00:51.079 --> 00:00:55.600 LED light fixtures and trims for those kinds of cans 15 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:59.320 that come with a little adapter so that they plug 16 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:04.079 from the LED fixture into a screw in adapter for 17 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:07.959 an older can light, a non LED dedicated can light. 18 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:10.480 So number one, that's what you're looking for. Number two, 19 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:13.920 you're looking for one of those kinds of trims that 20 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:18.599 are dimmable so that you've got complete control over all 21 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:22.680 of the lighting aspects. Through the room. Number three. You're 22 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:27.280 looking for, if we're talking about living room lighting, you're 23 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:31.799 looking for warm light. Warm not heavily ambered light, but 24 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:36.959 warm light. And what that means is that every light package, now, 25 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:41.359 especially LED lights, will have listed on it a temperature. 26 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:43.959 It's a color temperature. It's not a heat temperature. It's 27 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:47.400 a color temperature in terms of degrees kelvin. And so 28 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:49.640 it's gonna say it's gonna be a big number, and 29 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:52.120 then it's gonna be followed by a K. It's gonna 30 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:55.760 say something like four thousand K, five thousand K, three 31 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:59.599 thousand K. What we are looking for in living room lighting, 32 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:05.959 the LED equivalent of just old style incandescent bulbs is 33 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:09.599 roughly in the area of twenty eight hundred kelvin. Twenty 34 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:14.599 eight hundred K okay, definitely no greater than three thousand, 35 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:17.520 and that is not a that's color temperature. That's not 36 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:21.039 about brightness. But you get over three thousand K, which 37 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:24.319 is kind of daylight rated. At that point the light 38 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:29.560 becomes blue. It gets really blue, really harsh and uncomfortably 39 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:33.199 blue for an interior space. The closer you go down 40 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:37.680 in the other direction under three thousand, the more amber 41 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:39.520 the light gets. So, just to give you an idea, 42 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.879 you know, four thousand K is essentially sunlight and eighteen 43 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.879 hundred K is candle light. Okay, so what we're looking 44 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:53.680 for that replicates the old incandescent is basically, you know, 45 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:59.319 roughly twenty eight hundred K. Now brightness. That's the tricky thing, 46 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:07.479 but fortune lighting companies are making the transition easy. So 47 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:10.479 take a look at the wattage of the incandescent bulb 48 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.520 that you had in there, one hundred watts, sixty watt, eighty, 49 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:15.960 you know, whatever that might be when you're looking and 50 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:20.719 shopping for LEDs. The trick is that wattage was never 51 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:25.479 a measure of brightness. Okay, wattage is at is a 52 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:29.280 measure of energy consumption, but with an incandescent bulb, the 53 00:03:29.319 --> 00:03:31.599 two go hand in hand. The more energy it consumes, 54 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:34.080 the brighter it is. And that's why we've all gotten 55 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:36.800 used to the idea like, oh, I think I need 56 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:39.039 a hundred watt bulb here for brightness as opposed to 57 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.879 a fifty watt bulb. LEDs don't work that way. LED's 58 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:46.159 power consumption is like four watts or six watts or 59 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:48.280 eight watts and so there's no way for us to 60 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:51.120 equate that except the manufacturers do it for you. On 61 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:55.199 the package. What you'll see are terms like forty watt equivalent, 62 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:59.520 one hundred watt equivalent. Okay, that's what you're looking for. 63 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:03.280 And while we're at it, everybody, we need to start 64 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:07.520 transitioning out of thinking about light bulb brightness in terms 65 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:12.479 of watts and do what scientists and lighting designers and 66 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:16.160 cinematographers have been doing forever, and that is using the 67 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:20.000 proper term, which is lumens. Lumens is the quantity of 68 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.639 bright light in a room. Okay, there you go. Let's 69 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:25.959 talk to Mike. Hey, Mike, welcome home. 70 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:31.439 Yes, we have a tankless tankless journal in our comedy club. 71 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:36.959 Two days after changing the filter, the proprietor complains that 72 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:40.040 it smells like that outhouse. Is there any fixed with that? 73 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:40.839 No? 74 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:44.399 Uh, okay, So when you say tankless you mean a 75 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:45.439 waterless urinal. 76 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:47.160 Yes that. 77 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:50.399 I'm just writing this down here because I've literally never 78 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:54.720 had this question before. Waterless urble at the comedy club 79 00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:00.199 is smelling. So the trick with waterless urinals is that 80 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:03.720 they've got to be maintained properly. Of course, there's a 81 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:07.680 filter system connected to it. But also you got to 82 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:11.560 double check with your personnel to make sure they're being 83 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:15.319 cleaned the right way. Most people make the mistake of 84 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:18.800 assuming that, hey, it's a waterless urinal. So every once 85 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:20.800 in a while, when we clean this out, we better 86 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:23.959 flush it with some water, because a waterless urinal couldn't 87 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:27.160 possibly be cleaned in any other way, And in fact, 88 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:32.120 that's the exact opposite thing to do, because of well, 89 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:37.480 urine has scale, hard water scale deposits, and with that 90 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:40.560 comes build up on the inside of the pipes, and 91 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:43.920 then it becomes a place when it interacts with water 92 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:47.600 that bacteria starts to grow. So I am not an 93 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.199 expert in this area, but I do know this when 94 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:53.839 it comes to waterless urinals, there is a very very 95 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:57.720 specific cleaning methodology for them. And once a filter has 96 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:02.160 changed out, you may if anybody has induced water introduced 97 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:05.800 water into that drain pipe, then you gotta let it 98 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:09.120 dry out and then you got to return to standard 99 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:13.600 cleaning protocols, and they are very very specific. There's usually 100 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:19.040 a puck or an additive to go into the waterless system, 101 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:21.959 which begins breaking down the build up on the pipe. 102 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:25.199 Wall and killing off the bacteria and allowing it to 103 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:30.319 return to its clean, fresh smell once again. But the 104 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:33.759 one thing you don't do, and the thing I've heard 105 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:38.600 most often when a waterless urinal starts to smell, is 106 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:41.480 that somebody has cleaned it with water, which is just 107 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:44.240 not the right thing to do. That's the best I 108 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.600 can tell you, Mike. Return to those protocols. Make sure 109 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:52.079 nobody at the comedy club is cleaning that thing improperly. 110 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:55.160 If water was introduced, even in the change out of 111 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:57.279 the filter, like somebody felt like, oh we should also, 112 00:06:57.279 --> 00:06:59.040 you know, we're changing out the filter, we should rinse 113 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.519 this out while we're at That could be the whole 114 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:06.240 issue right there. Waterless means waterless, and so refer to 115 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:09.160 your owner's manual when it comes to how to clean 116 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:12.000 that thing, and it's usually a dry puck that goes in, 117 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.639 starts absorbing on the sides of the pipe wall with 118 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:20.000 what tiny moisture is there and neutralizes the bacteria, takes 119 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:21.439 the smell away. There you go. 120 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:26.079 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 121 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:27.680 KFI AM six forty. 122 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.879 All right back to the phones, Tony, Welcome. 123 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:35.519 Home, Hi Dan, how are you. We're doing a complete 124 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:40.720 kitchen remodel with cabinets, floors, and appliances, and my question 125 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:45.240 is do the cabinets should those sit on the subfloor 126 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.680 or do we install all of the wood floors first? 127 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:52.040 And the part that seems the most trickiest from what 128 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:54.360 I've read is how to handle the dishwasher? 129 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:59.639 Ah? Yes, okay, So it's a good question, really good question. 130 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:05.600 And it depends. It depends. And I say that in 131 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:11.720 all sincerity because I don't know. Maybe I would say 132 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:15.000 maybe seventy five percent of the time. Typically we will 133 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:18.839 not install on top of the floors, on top of 134 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:23.000 the hardwood floor or the tile sometimes just purely from 135 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:25.600 the practicality that you know, why do you want to 136 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:29.720 run the expense of hardwood all the way underneath cabinet 137 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:33.120 kicks where it will never be seen again, so simply 138 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:36.919 to save square footage of cabinets. But there's also another reason, 139 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.759 I see, I'm sorry, save square footage of flooring material. 140 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:47.840 The other reason is that sometimes, quite often floors are 141 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:53.200 not perfectly level, and so your cabinet installers will quite 142 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:57.440 possibly have to shim up the rough cabinet kicks. Now 143 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:01.519 these days, rough cabinet kicks get shimmed, and then there 144 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:05.559 is a finished kickplate that goes over it, and then 145 00:09:05.639 --> 00:09:09.759 the shims are hidden and they meet the floor very nicely. 146 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:12.759 So but that's a consideration as well. But I would 147 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:16.240 say typically what we're aiming for is to not run 148 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:21.159 material underneath the cabinet kicks because it's unnecessary. Now when 149 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:23.960 it comes to the dishwasher, whatever the flooring is in 150 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:27.440 the room that we do run into, because the dishwasher 151 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:30.000 is just an area, a void area, So we go 152 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:33.519 ahead and run that material into the dishwasher area so 153 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:37.960 that the dishwasher doesn't get trapped behind flooring material down 154 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.600 in the recess there. And I know some people are like, well, 155 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:43.639 I don't know if I want to run hardwood in there, 156 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:46.440 because what if the dishwasher leaks. I guarantee you, if 157 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.399 the dishwasher leaks and you've got hardwood in your kitchen, 158 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:52.879 it's going to go way beyond just the wood that's 159 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.919 directly underneath. It's going to affect wood in the whole 160 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.600 area there. So it's kind of a moot point when 161 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:01.679 it comes to of that argument. I just prefer the 162 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:05.240 idea that we can easily slide the dishwasher in and 163 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:08.440 out for installation or service or what have you. So 164 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:13.480 my recommendation is typically save the money on the extra 165 00:10:13.559 --> 00:10:18.879 flooring material. Now, occasionally there is a situation where it's like, well, 166 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:20.840 I don't want to put the cabinets in yet because 167 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:22.519 there's all this other stuff and if we have to 168 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:25.759 set the cabinets then then they're going to get in 169 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:27.799 the way and they're going to get beat up. So 170 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:31.200 I'd rather have the flooring go in without the cabinets. Well, 171 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:35.600 you can ask your cabinet manufacture or installer to put 172 00:10:35.639 --> 00:10:40.360 in rough kicks, just the kicks themselves detached from the 173 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:44.559 cabinet boxes, and that way, once the kicks are in place, 174 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.440 they determine the cabinet set and then your flooring people 175 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:49.960 can get in there and lay all the flooring in 176 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:54.480 the kitchen without the cabinets in their way. That's only 177 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.919 something that happens though, when it comes to cabinets that 178 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:01.000 have detachable kicks, where the kicks are separate from the 179 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:04.159 boxes themselves, and you have to talk to your cabinet 180 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:09.519 person about that. But typically, eh, we wouldn't you recommend 181 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:14.080 wasting material underneath a cabinet Kate, does it matter, though 182 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:17.480 not really, it's not really going to change the install much. 183 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:20.159 Always account for the height of the hardwood floor, though, 184 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:23.519 so don't set yourself up for a thirty six inch 185 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:27.120 tall countertop, then put in, you know, five eighths or 186 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:29.639 three quarters of an inch of hardwood and find yourself 187 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.320 with shorter cabinets. So the kicks have to be taller 188 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:35.960 if they're going to go in before the hardwood. Thanks 189 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:39.200 for the question, Tony Herman, Welcome home. 190 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:40.000 Thank you. 191 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:41.240 I got a question. 192 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:44.399 I want to build a retaining wall in my backyard 193 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:45.519 by myself. 194 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:46.799 How can I go about. 195 00:11:46.519 --> 00:11:50.879 That retaining wall in your backyard by yourself? It all 196 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:53.919 depends on what you want the wall to look like. 197 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:57.080 If you want it completely straight up and down vertical, 198 00:11:57.240 --> 00:11:59.000 you want it out of cinder block, you want to 199 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:02.759 cover it with stucca or plaster or something like that. 200 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.240 But I can tell you this. The general rule is 201 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:10.679 this for most municipalities, and I say this as a qualifier. 202 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.879 I say most municipalities, even though it's pretty much all 203 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:16.919 there are depending on the size of your lot, the location, 204 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:20.519 and the soil conditions. Sometimes there are deviations of this, 205 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:26.000 but for most municipalities, any retaining quote unquote retaining wall 206 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:29.840 that is holding back less than three feet of soil 207 00:12:30.519 --> 00:12:33.480 you can do without a permit and without engineering. The 208 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:36.840 easiest way to go about doing that is to head 209 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.600 on down to the building supply, whether you've got a 210 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:42.600 stone yard near you, a home depot, Low's, you know, 211 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:50.679 a lumberyard, and get those interlocking, stacked, racked back retaining 212 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.799 wall blocks. There's several different versions, but they lock into 213 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:57.679 each other and you can simply line out the bottom. 214 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:00.600 Now they do slope back ever so slightly, because every 215 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:05.519 course above the previous course sets back just ever so slightly, 216 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:10.240 and you can build a nice little garden retaining wall 217 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:14.679 out of that material in an afternoon or a couple 218 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:17.080 of days, depending on how long obviously the wall is. 219 00:13:17.159 --> 00:13:20.519 But basically, you lay a course, you backfill it with 220 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:23.759 a little soil up to that course, set the next course, 221 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:26.759 keep backfilling and setting and backfilling, and legally you can 222 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:31.440 go in most municipalities up to three feet and that'll 223 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:35.200 hold just fine, and it'll last long, and you'll get 224 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:37.639 plant growth out of it, which I really like, because 225 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:40.399 I don't like bare walls when it comes to that 226 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:44.679 kind of landscaping stuff. So that's the general gist of it. Herman. 227 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:48.840 If you have special soil conditions on your property and 228 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:52.559 you know it, then you might need a permit. If 229 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:55.240 you are going to be retaining more than three feet 230 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:58.799 of soil surcharging the back of the wall, then you're 231 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:01.080 going to need a permit, and you need some engineering. 232 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:03.759 And that engineering is going to be for the proper 233 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:08.200 sized footing and steal in that footing so that the 234 00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:13.240 pressure of the soil behind the wall doesn't basically roll 235 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:16.360 the wall over, doesn't doesn't knock it down. How about 236 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:18.799 some more of your calls when we return. You are 237 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.440 listening to Home with Dean Sharp the house whisper. 238 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.840 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 239 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:29.279 KFI AM six forty. 240 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:32.759 Welcome home, Thank you, Dean. 241 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:36.399 I'm noticing a pattern. I am sixty, early sixties, and 242 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:38.840 I'm noticing that guys that come in to quote me, 243 00:14:38.919 --> 00:14:42.519 the contractors, the four that have come in in the 244 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:46.159 last three months, have all said, after I tell them 245 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.679 what I want, you don't want that, and you don't 246 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:50.279 want to go through the city, and we don't need 247 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:52.519 to permit and no one's going to know because you 248 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:54.679 live here now and you need to staff and now 249 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:57.799 we want to save five grand or more, so you 250 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:00.200 don't want to go through the city. So telling you this, 251 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:02.960 every one of them they don't know. I work with 252 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.919 the city, not for but with them for my second job. 253 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:09.080 It's just not even that so insulting. And they want 254 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:10.759 to get someone younger. They're like, what do you want 255 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:13.559 to do, and they're really straightforward. You're going to need 256 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.679 a permit and there's no nothing else. They're just respectful. 257 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:18.639 So I don't know if it's something like on the 258 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:22.399 slim shady like older generation, but I'm very disappointed because 259 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:25.399 I left these strangers in my home and you know, 260 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:27.240 with all the health to take you all the health 261 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:31.039 situations is like it ends up not crash and burn. 262 00:15:31.159 --> 00:15:32.960 I can't hire any one of these four. And I'm 263 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:37.399 I'm really disappointed, thank you. I'm very disappointed that I 264 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:40.360 held out for these guys, you know, and I'm just 265 00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:42.720 there and when they come in, I tell them what 266 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:45.279 I want. I'm very professional, and they're like, you don't 267 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:48.200 want that, and they've reconfigured my whole They're telling me 268 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:49.960 what to do and I don't want to argue with them, 269 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.600 which I could, because I'm scared if I'm the only 270 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:54.480 one home. I don't want them to get hurt in 271 00:15:54.519 --> 00:15:57.440 my house because I will not back off, but I 272 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:01.720 do because I'm intimidated by their quote. But we're bearing this. 273 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:03.639 I just don't know if it's a whole thing that 274 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:06.240 I should just go with a younger contractor that goes 275 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:07.039 by the book. You know. 276 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:11.960 Yeah, I feel you. I feel you. I wish I 277 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:15.679 wish that what you were telling me was something that 278 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:19.320 was not very common surely, but you know what the 279 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:22.919 truth is, there is just let's just talk about it 280 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:26.919 for a second. There is a lot of agism in 281 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:32.240 the contracting world, and there's a lot of sexism in 282 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:35.840 the contracting world still, and yes, you're gonna find it 283 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:38.159 in general now. I you know, I gotta be really 284 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.399 careful that because I don't want to. There are some 285 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:45.960 brilliantly fantastic contractors out there who are older, you know, 286 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.399 men and women who've been doing this for a long time. 287 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:52.200 They've got a lot of experience and they are intensely 288 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:56.519 respectful and they don't pull that kind of crap on people. 289 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:00.519 But for whatever reason, there is a certain kind of 290 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:05.720 neanderthalic old school builder still out there that and I 291 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:11.079 hear stories about it all the time of that kind 292 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:13.599 of stuff happening. So let me just dissect really quickly 293 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:17.400 a couple of things that you said, or deconstruct it, 294 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:22.640 just to make sure that we're clear on this number one. 295 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.480 There is no room for that kind of thing. And 296 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:30.039 it's not just about somebody's mannerism. I say this all 297 00:17:30.039 --> 00:17:33.960 the time. When you start to work with a contractor, 298 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.079 it is a relationship that you're having. Okay, You're going 299 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:40.000 to be in that relationship through thick and thin, through 300 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:43.599 very stressful moments, through all sorts of mess and trial 301 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:47.440 and circumstance. And if you don't feel comfortable with a 302 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:51.200 vibe that is being put off, then I don't care. 303 00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:53.039 I don't care what their price is, I don't care 304 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:58.480 how high their level of so called expertise is. Pass 305 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:00.799 you know what, because they're not the only fish in 306 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:03.119 the in the sea. They just aren't. There are a 307 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:07.759 lot of contractors out there, and so, you know, unfortunately 308 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:10.400 for you, it sounds like the first three or four 309 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:13.279 were kind of all fell into that category. But I'm 310 00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:16.160 just going to encourage you. There are more you do 311 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:19.640 not want to enter into a relationship for a remodel 312 00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:23.960 something so important with a contractor who is going to 313 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:28.359 talk down to you. And especially this as a designer, 314 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:32.839 this just gets under my skin all the time builders 315 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:36.079 coming in and saying, oh, no, no, you don't want that. Now, 316 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:41.200 I will give this caveat Okay, if three builders come 317 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:45.000 into a situation and look at a plan and they 318 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:50.599 all have the same constructive critique of a particular plan, 319 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:54.640 my ears are open, and so should yours be. If 320 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.920 somebody is coming in and saying because I do that 321 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:00.000 sometimes as a designer, I do it all the time. Actually, 322 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.519 I walk into a home and I'm like, this idea 323 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:06.799 right here, I'm not sure this is the best way 324 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:09.440 to approach this, because I think you're going to run 325 00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:12.920 into problem ABC and D. Okay. If you're getting a 326 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:19.200 consensus of contractors you respect telling you I'm not sure 327 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:21.480 this is a good idea, then it may be a 328 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:24.680 good idea to step back and reevaluate the plan. But 329 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:27.759 just the idea. There is a kind of builder out 330 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:31.160 there who has their opinion about what your house should 331 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.079 look like, and you know it. Guess how much I 332 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:37.039 care about that. As an actual home designer, I care 333 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:40.240 about it zero percent. And how many times do I 334 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:43.519 have this conversation with contractors whenever I need to? There 335 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:46.119 are times when you know, and I have the advantage 336 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:48.880 because I've been a builder myself for thirty five years 337 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.200 and so plus years now, I'd like, I'm just going 338 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:55.799 to stick with thirty five instead of saying plus. But 339 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:59.480 a lot of contractors actually shame designers and architects as 340 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:01.480 well because are like, well, you guys don't have the 341 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:05.039 hands on knowledge of what happens. I happen to have both. 342 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:08.400 So I get to look back at them and say, listen, bud, 343 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:12.640 I'm going to show you exactly right now how much 344 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:15.839 I care about your opinion of what this should look like. 345 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:20.759 I care zero percent. You are here to build this plan. 346 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:25.119 You either do it or we'll move on to somebody else. 347 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.960 And that's the way it's going to be. I am 348 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:31.359 not concerned about what your opinion of this is. Do 349 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:35.000 you want to build this or don't you? So yeah, yeah, 350 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:37.039 that's kind of a hot button for me too, surely. 351 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.440 So Number one, don't ever get into a relationship with 352 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.039 a contractor who you're not feeling a good vibe with 353 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:48.880 number two, don't let them talk down to you or 354 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:52.839 man explain you or tell you that what you want 355 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:59.119 is something that you shouldn't have. And finally, if it 356 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.559 is a Now, there are some aspects of home remodeling 357 00:21:02.599 --> 00:21:07.839 that don't require permits. Flooring, kitchen, cabinet, tree, things like that, 358 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:10.400 although when you do a kitchen cabinet remodel, if we're 359 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:13.119 moving electrical and plumbing, that requires a permit. So there 360 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:16.319 are facets of work in the house that don't require permit. 361 00:21:16.359 --> 00:21:19.720 But if it's something that requires a permit and you 362 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:23.200 want to pull the permit and you're the homeowner, you're 363 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:25.039 the boss, and that's the way it's going to be. 364 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:29.400 So there you go, very simply put, Sureley, thanks for 365 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:31.880 the call. I am sorry that you've run into that 366 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:35.000 kind of trouble, but my own encouragement to you is 367 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.960 stick to your guns. There are more fish in the sea. 368 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:42.480 Don't settle for these losers. You are listening to Home 369 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:44.400 with Dean Sharp the House Whisper. 370 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:48.480 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 371 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.519 KFI AM six forty. 372 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:55.839 If your Home with Dean Sharp, the house whisper, It's 373 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:57.440 time to go to the phone. Let's find out what's 374 00:21:57.480 --> 00:21:59.519 going on with you. Why don't we talk to well, 375 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:02.599 let's just go right to the top, Karen, Welcome home. 376 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:06.319 I live in Los Angeles County and in my backyard, 377 00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:10.200 I have a detached twenty three by twenty garage twenty 378 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:14.039 three wide, and I want to make an eight hundred 379 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:18.160 tware foot accessory dwelling unit. So the garage is built 380 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:20.559 in two thousand and five. Is it going to be 381 00:22:20.680 --> 00:22:25.000 cheaper for me knock down the garage and start all 382 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:28.160 over again? And just so you know, the washer and 383 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:32.359 dryer is currently in the garage. Is it going to 384 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:35.599 be cheaper to knock down the garage and start fresh 385 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:38.640 and clean with that detex eight hundred square foot unit, 386 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.359 or will it be cheaper to knock out the wall 387 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.519 and extend it to forty wide from twenty three wides? 388 00:22:47.480 --> 00:22:51.440 Okay, here is my answer. Okay, I don't know, I 389 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:55.640 don't know. Oh no, but here are the factors involved. Okay, 390 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:01.000 it may very well be cheaper to just to go 391 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:05.519 with the existing structure, because you've got an existing structure, right, 392 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:09.640 It's really a question of how well the garage is built. 393 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:13.279 Is the garage built, Can the garage be brought Is 394 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:16.000 it at code? Can it be brought up to code? 395 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:20.599 Is the slab on the garage sloped? Are you gonna 396 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:23.519 have to contend with that because it's got a eighth 397 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:26.200 inch per foot slope on it? Or is it perfectly 398 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:30.440 flat and ready to become a floor of a dwelling unit. 399 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:34.279 There are a lot of factors that go into play. Now, 400 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:38.319 the question of as far as the city is concerned, Okay, 401 00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:42.119