WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:03.799 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 2 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:10.599 KFI AM six forty. 3 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:14.560 AMFI AM siporting live streaming and HD everywhere on the 4 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:19.800 iHeartRadio app. Dean Sharp The House Whisper Live every Saturday 5 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:23.199 and Sunday morning. Follow us on social media, why don't 6 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:26.440 you show we only do the good kind of social media, 7 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:34.000 the uplifting, informative and inspiring kind. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook x, 8 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:38.240 soon to be Blue Sky, Blue Sky. There you go. 9 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:44.439 We're everywhere, same handle Home with Dean on all of them, 10 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:49.880 very very easy to find us. And of course this 11 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:54.439 very program is also the House Whisper podcast that you 12 00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:58.479 can listen to anytime, anywhere on demand. Hundreds of episodes, 13 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:03.240 all searchable by topic, your Home Improvement reference Library. I 14 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:07.959 mean truly hundreds and hundreds of episodes about every imaginable 15 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.400 facet of your home and understanding it better and making 16 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:16.480 the best decisions design and construction decisions when it comes 17 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:20.200 to your home. Okay, as promised, it's time to go 18 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:22.120 to the phones. Let me just say this. I have 19 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:24.840 one call on the board, just one, so I'm gonna 20 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:29.599 take it and then we'll if it's just not the 21 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:32.560 morning for calls. We'll move on to the rest of 22 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:36.760 our getting ahead of the holidays material. No problem. I 23 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:39.480 got plenty, always have plenty to talk about. But I'm 24 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:42.959 just letting you know that the boards are still open 25 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:47.239 and it's open for you to call. It's a good 26 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:51.040 time to call in because normally, normally, and you know, 27 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:53.560 there's always an odd day every once in a while 28 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:58.239 in which it's not going to happen. But normally I 29 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:03.040 leave a lot, lot lot of callers unanswered on our phones, 30 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:05.560 and people are like, oh wait, it's so long and 31 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:07.879 I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it. Well, 32 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:10.639 you know what, so this morning you got a pretty 33 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:13.319 good chance right now. It's all I'm saying, eight three 34 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:17.719 three two, ask Dean a three three the numeral two, 35 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.520 asking I know, I know it's not good radio. When 36 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:23.680 do we ever say that we did good radio here? 37 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.840 I'm supposed to like always act like there's like there's 38 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:31.800 eight hundred calls on the board and it's just not life. Okay, 39 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:33.919 we're just very we're very honest and transparent. 40 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:34.120 Here. 41 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:36.039 There's one call here. I know there's a ton of 42 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:40.280 people listening. We know that for sure, but just one caller. 43 00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:43.599 So I'm I'm not begging for calls. I'm just letting 44 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:48.599 you know you got a chance. Okay, let's talk to Robert. Hey, Robert, 45 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:51.879 my one caller this morning. How you doing, Welcome home. 46 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:53.479 Thanks, good morning. 47 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:53.719 Dean. 48 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:57.759 Got a little question on my backyard. I've got a 49 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:01.280 typical southern California track home. I got about a six 50 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:06.080 hundred square foot backyard, and during COVID, we put in 51 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:10.479 the sod, you know, we did the sprinklers in the 52 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.360 sod and put in the grass in the backyard. Well, now, 53 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.960 over the several years, it seems to have had has 54 00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:21.800 like maybe I didn't compact it enough, but it's got 55 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:25.680 a lot of dips and valleys and little holes and 56 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:27.879 stuff under the grass where you can't see it, but 57 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:31.919 when you walk across it you can feel uneven. Yeah, 58 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:34.400 I was wondering what your recommendation would be to kind 59 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.159 of maybe or if there is a fix. 60 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:41.919 There is actually now you know, unfortunately it's a little 61 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:45.039 bit tedious if you got a lot of these going on. 62 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:49.240 But here's the thing, Robert, what you need to understand 63 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:56.319 about your grass. Yes, grass is like every blade of 64 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:00.080 grass is technically kind of its own plant. Okay, but 65 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:02.560 as you know, you did sod, right, you didn't grow 66 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:04.039 it from seed, you did sod. 67 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:05.759 Yeah, we did the sod. 68 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:11.000 So as you know that that beds of grass they have, 69 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.199 they've got about a one to two inch root base 70 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.959 of soil that they're hanging on to. And uh, you 71 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:23.319 know that grass was just happily growing in another field somewhere, 72 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:28.079 you know, a day before they cut it and removed 73 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:32.079 it and brought it to your house. Okay. So the 74 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:34.399 fact of the matter is you could do the exact 75 00:04:34.519 --> 00:04:40.000 same right now with your own grass, uh, if you 76 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:42.959 wanted to. So, let me explain two ways. Number one, 77 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:46.600 everybody should know you can rent a sod cutter these 78 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.319 days at a good rental yard. I think you can 79 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:51.839 rent them at like if your local home depot has 80 00:04:52.040 --> 00:04:55.879 a has a rental tool rental department, you can rent 81 00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:59.439 a homeowner version of a sod cutter that will literally 82 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:03.759 do exactly what they did to your grass when they 83 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:06.360 cut it and brought it to your house. You can 84 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:11.160 cut your sad, lay it aside, roll it up, lay 85 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:14.639 it aside, and do whatever you need to do, whether 86 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:18.560 it's leveling the ground better underneath it, or doing more 87 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:22.000 prep work, or because you had a broken sprinkler line 88 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:23.720 and you had to get in there, or some you know, 89 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:27.480 whatever the case may be. For whatever reason, that plant 90 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:31.160 can be transplanted, which means cutting it, rolling it up, 91 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:34.240 keeping it moist, getting the work done, and then rolling 92 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:37.199 it back down and treating it like brand new sad again. 93 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:40.600 So you just know that you could pull your whole 94 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:44.519 yard up, you know, in a portion of a day 95 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:47.279 with a sad cutter and get back to the soil 96 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:49.680 if there are things that if you wanted, if there 97 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:54.560 were so many of these divots and unevennesses, you could 98 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:57.600 just pull up the whole yard and re level the 99 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:00.879 subsoil underneath it so that you know, make sure it's 100 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:04.279 nice and compacted well, and and so you know you're 101 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.439 ready to lay it back down. It's going to be smooth. 102 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:09.839 If it's just a few you can do it by hand. Okay, 103 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:13.360 you can use just literally. There's a there's a there's 104 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:18.600 a tool car called a gardening knife that basically looks 105 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:21.560 almost looks like a six inch gardening spade, but it 106 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.040 has like saw teeth on one side, and it's not 107 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:28.040 really as fully a spade. You can cut around a 108 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:32.120 section of grass. Cut. Let's say you cut out a 109 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:34.879 two foot section of grass and then start sliding it 110 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:38.399 underneath down at that two inches, get you know, a 111 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:41.920 good amount of soil underneath where the roots are really grabbing, 112 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:48.000 and you can remove a square oh grass and deal 113 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.279 with the affected area and then lay it back down. Okay, 114 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:53.319 And you got to do it carefully, and you want 115 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:55.360 to do it wisely, and then you want to make 116 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.560 sure that it gets extra water, you know, because you 117 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:01.839 have cut some of the roots, uh, and just nurture 118 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.560 it back into shape. But the fact is, yes, you 119 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:08.079 can go ahead and repair the worst of the divots 120 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.160 by hand if you want, or just roll up your lawn, 121 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:13.800 fix the whole thing, and roll it back down again. 122 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:17.279 Now I did see. Now I don't know if this 123 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:20.639 might just be for different climates, like maybe back east 124 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:25.399 they've taken like a sand and kind of gone through 125 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.000 the grass and kind of added sand and then it 126 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:32.360 kind of grows back up through Is that an option? 127 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:36.800 Is that it's it's it's a it's a procedure that 128 00:07:36.839 --> 00:07:39.839 I wouldn't recommend for a homeowner to do. And uh, 129 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:43.319 and it's it's yeah, it's kind of a it's a 130 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:46.399 it's a weird kind of situation where they lay sand, 131 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:50.439 they kind of massage it into the scalp, as it were, 132 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:54.519 to use the the uh hair analogy for your lawn. 133 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:57.360 Massage it into the scalp, and then they'll grab certain 134 00:07:57.399 --> 00:07:59.319 sections and pull it up in the hopes that the 135 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:04.959 sand actually it gets underneath. Okay, So and sand is 136 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.639 a good way of doing it. It's an easy way 137 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:10.759 of leveling. I just think you're better to pull a 138 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:15.279 flap back, okay, as opposed to trying to massage it 139 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:18.000 in from the surface, because the problem is if too 140 00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:20.480 much stays on the surface, then you could be getting 141 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:24.800 in the way of sunlight and water penetration and that 142 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:27.720 kind of stuff. And we've seen people try that method 143 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:29.399 and they're like, oh, I've got now, I've got a 144 00:08:29.480 --> 00:08:32.679 yellow patch of dead grass here and it didn't work out. 145 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:36.000 It's level, but it's dead. So I'd rather have you 146 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:39.759 make a nice, clean incision as it were. I'm sorry, 147 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:42.320 I've got surgeries on my mind because of Tina this week, 148 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:47.080 But make a clean incision and pull that back just 149 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.200 like regular sod. And that's really the message that your 150 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:53.720 lawn is still no matter how long it's been there, 151 00:08:54.159 --> 00:09:00.200 it is still entirely a flexible living skin, as it were, 152 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:04.799 that can be carefully pulled back, things fixed underneath and 153 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:07.559 put back in place. We do it, Robert, all the time, 154 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:14.039 in order to install soaker lines underneath and eliminate the 155 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:18.679 need for sprinklers altogether. So it's totally totally doable, my friend. 156 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:22.559 Just do a little research, take a careful approach, and 157 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:24.120 uh yeah, get it leveled out. 158 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.639 Well. Thank you, and you guys have a great Thanksgiving. 159 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:31.039 Oh, thank you so much, Robert, you too, and thanks 160 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:34.639 for your call. And guess what I asked for calls? 161 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:37.000 Now we've got like ten plus on the board. So 162 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:40.480 when we come back, more of your calls. Your home 163 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:46.840 with Dean Sharp, the house whisperyambye, Dean Sharp, the house Whisper, 164 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:50.840 at your service. We're talking getting ahead of the holidays today. 165 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.360 But suddenly, because I asked, we've got a board full 166 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:54.919 of calls. 167 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:55.240 Now. 168 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:57.360 Now I'm not going to get through them all, but 169 00:09:57.519 --> 00:09:59.519 I'm gonna try. I'm gonna do my best, all right, 170 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:02.480 So we're gonna to go back to the phones. Let's 171 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:09.120 talk to is it Marissa? Marissa welcome home, Hi, Geene, 172 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.559 appreciate you, Thank you so much. How can I help? 173 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:16.559 I have property in the Conejo West facing hot and 174 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:19.240 sunny and dry, and we get the mustard every year 175 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.519 that we need to clear out. And I'm wanting if 176 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:23.879 there's any ground cover, like under two feet that I 177 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:29.919 could plant throughout hardy and and I need some suggestions 178 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:30.919 for that chow. 179 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:35.159 Okay, So we're not talking about lawn, and we're talking 180 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:39.440 about like back slope of your property or where exactly 181 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.159 side hillside. 182 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:43.720 It's like a slope off the property. 183 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.919 Okay. So you've got a typical kind of pushed up 184 00:10:46.919 --> 00:10:49.480 against open space. You got to slug, you got your yard, 185 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:52.320 and then you've got the backslope. And of course, yes, sir, 186 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:57.320 you are constantly being invaded by mustard plants. 187 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.440 Yep, we have to cut it every years. It's pricey hassle. 188 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.840 But I'm just wondering if we could choke that stuff 189 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:04.759 out somehow. 190 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:10.360 Yeah, you can certainly reduce it quite a bit, quite 191 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:13.559 a bit of reduction. I'm not I'm not going to 192 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:16.519 give you any panacea here that like, oh, this will 193 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:21.360 solve the problem completely, because you know, because here's the reality. 194 00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:25.559 About weeds. Uh, they've just learned to survive better than 195 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:28.759 normal plants. This is literally, I mean if you were 196 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:33.639 a plant, you know, as a human being, we would think, oh, 197 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:35.399 nobody wants to be a weed. But if you were 198 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:37.679 a plant, and you'd be like, yeah, oh, by the way, 199 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:40.759 I'm a weed, which means I know to grow way 200 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:43.840 better than you guys, and I can grow anywhere at 201 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.360 any time and survive all the other You know, weeds 202 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:51.200 are like the cockroaches of the plant world in that 203 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:55.480 they want to survive the nuclear holocaust, right. 204 00:11:57.159 --> 00:11:57.440 They have. 205 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:00.279 They've simply evolved to do it. So so the idea 206 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:04.879 of like we'd free we'd free gardening, eye, I don't know, 207 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:09.320 we'ed reduction garden. That's the thing. And so yeah, for you, 208 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:13.039 the key is, I think you're thinking the right way. 209 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.600 There are a host of I mean so many more 210 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:20.799 than than I could even begin to mention to you, 211 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:25.000 of plants that are going to grow in the in 212 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:28.159 the one to two foot high category. So when it 213 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:29.919 comes to a back hill you what you want is 214 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:34.600 some kind of rugged chaparral kind of plant. There are 215 00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:38.080 there are if you go to your local nursery and 216 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.440 I don't mean, let's see you live in the Caneo Valley. 217 00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:43.679 I'm going to recommend that you go to Elegant Gardens. 218 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:48.840 Elegant Gardens off the twenty three and Tierra Rahata. It's 219 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:53.480 a wholesale nursery that contractors and designers like ourselves buy 220 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:57.240 from all the time and talk to them about and 221 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:01.480 they're going to show you like ten different very very 222 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:06.960 easy to care for, drought resistant, full sun, doesn't burn 223 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:09.840 in the heat of the summer, kind of shrubs. But 224 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:12.840 here's the key. You're on the right track. That's how 225 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:17.159 I'm gonna encourage you this morning. Because most people think groundcover. 226 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:21.519 They're thinking thin, thin, relatively thin ground cover, whether it's 227 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:24.440 ice plant or this or that, you know whatever. These 228 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:30.519 one to two inch groundcovers, those are the hardest ones 229 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:36.519 to keep weeds from invading. Because you think the little 230 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:39.360 seed of a weed falls into the ground and it 231 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:42.759 starts to grow, and if it gets even the smallest, 232 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:48.200 little one inch tall sprout up through the ground cover 233 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:53.799 into its own light, then then it's on its own. 234 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:57.320 Then it's now it's it's got its head above water, 235 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:01.399 and it's got its own source of sunlight and it's going, 236 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:05.679 and that weed is going to go. But on a hillside, especially, 237 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.480 you know, an untended area, you do you want something 238 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:14.200 between a foot to two feet of cover there. And 239 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:16.600 the reason is the weed seeds are going to fall 240 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.240 in just like they do everywhere else, but they're going 241 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:22.200 to be in the dark. They literally have to find 242 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:26.480 a way to be in darkness, which is not how 243 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:30.840 they grow for the first twelve inches of their growth. 244 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:35.600 It's virtually impossible, but it still does happen, but really 245 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:39.080 really super rare. And so the number of weeds that 246 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:44.399 will survive that first twelve full inches of growth before 247 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:50.320 they get their own leaves above the shrub line so 248 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:55.360 that they can continue to prosper on their own vastly, vastly, 249 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:59.840 vastly reduced. And so it's a long list, and that's 250 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:03.279 the good news. You can also check out Theodore Paine 251 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:09.919 Foundation in Sun Valley. They exist solely solely for the 252 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:15.879 purpose of propagating native southern California plants. And I'm telling you, mersa, there, 253 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:20.360 there are there. There's at least ten different kinds and 254 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:23.639 that you can choose from to put there. But that's 255 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.919 the right idea. The right idea is to have height 256 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:30.600 above these weeds so that they don't have a chance 257 00:15:30.679 --> 00:15:32.480 to get started in the first place. You're not going 258 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.600 to stop the seeds from falling, but you can stop 259 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:40.480 the plant from finding its way up because it's got 260 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:42.799 to go so far before it breaks out. I hope 261 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:45.879 that makes sense, right, everybody? Right? The logic of that, Yeah, 262 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.799 as opposed to like a half an inch of growth. Yeah, 263 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:51.320 that's why. All right, Thank you so much for your call. 264 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:55.720 More calls when we return. I'm running late already. Your 265 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:57.799 Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper. 266 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:02.000 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 267 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:09.679 KFI AM six FORTYFI. 268 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.559 AM six forty live streaming and HD everywhere on the 269 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:14.919 iHeartRadio app. You're Home with Dean Sharp the House whist Where. 270 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:17.840 We're back at it now. I got a board full 271 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.159 of calls, so let's get back to the phones, shall we. 272 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:25.200 I want to talk to you ann ay An, Welcome. 273 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:29.840 Home, Good morning, Well, thank you, good morning, Gane. We 274 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:33.039 live in San Diego in a two story home about 275 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.960 eighteen hundred square feet. I'm wondering about the most reasonable 276 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:43.240 economical solution for attic insulation, and once we get attic 277 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.519 insulation about nine hundred square feet up there. Should we 278 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:50.279 at the same time, do the interior walls, particularly the 279 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:51.600 second floor. 280 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:58.279 Well, okay, attic insulation best attic insulation that well, yeah, 281 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:01.799 the best attic insulation that is the best value for 282 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:05.119 what it does, is going to be blown in insulation. 283 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:09.440 A nice, big, old, thick blanket of blown in. It's 284 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.839 counterintuitive as to what people normally see when they dream 285 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:15.480 of attic space, because they're like, I would like my 286 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:19.079 attic to look like that. You know that Hallmark Christmas movie, 287 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:20.440 you know when they go up in the attic and 288 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:22.839 they sit there and they search through the chests and 289 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:26.200 they find the old photos. That's all well and good. 290 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:29.359 But in the real world here in southern California, especially, 291 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:34.440 leave your attic messy, don't worry about that, don't store 292 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:38.319 stuff up there. Put the insulation up there. And blown 293 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:42.720 in is best because it covers everything. It gets all 294 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:44.759 the way out to the edges, it covers all the 295 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:49.480 tops of the wood ceiling joists. It truly makes an 296 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:53.799 effective blanket. Whereas some people would think, well, I just 297 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.039 want to run it again, nice and neat and clean, 298 00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:58.920 so I'm gonna use roll bat insulation in there that 299 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.359 fits in between all the wood, and at least that 300 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:03.759 means I could put a plywood platform and have some 301 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:08.319 things and whatever. The problem is that that bad insulation 302 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:10.480 number one is very very difficult to get it all 303 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.880 the way over to the edge of the where the 304 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.400 roof joins the top of the wall, so it leaves 305 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:18.599 a hole. It's very very difficult to get it around 306 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.440 recess can lights and other things, so it leaves a hole. 307 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:24.960 And every single bat that fits in between the wood 308 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:29.000 joists doesn't go over the wood joist, so the joist 309 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:35.359 itself is essentially an insulating hole. And to maximize insulation 310 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:38.400 in a house, especially at an insulation, we don't want 311 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:41.119 any holes. You think of it like a boat, an 312 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:45.079 inverted boat. We don't want anything leaking through. You could 313 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:51.119 have the most brilliant, thickest strong titanic, like you know, 314 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:53.960 hull of a ship, but you know, once there's a 315 00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:57.960 hole in it, it's going down and so blown in, 316 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:01.599 which also happens to be the least expensive way of 317 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:04.680 getting insulation in your attic. In fact, blown in these 318 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.480 days a lot of people decide to di wyatt because 319 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.440 places like well big box stores like Lows and Home Depot. 320 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:17.119 They actually will rent you a blower, and if you 321 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:19.440 rent the blower for a day, they even throw in 322 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:23.039 a few cubes of insulation for free to get you started. 323 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:26.160 So you can control the depth. You can overdo it, 324 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:29.079 which is never a bad thing, and it can be 325 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:32.279 one and done and you're set. And when it comes 326 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:35.599 to blown in, fiberglass is fine. I've got no particular 327 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:40.880 issues with it. I prefer cellulose myself as the material 328 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:43.960 to blown in to blow in, But either way, blown 329 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:47.000 in blanket of insulation in the attic is your best value, 330 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:50.559 and I believe your overall best form of insulation unless 331 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:54.160 you're going to do something much more expensive like filling 332 00:19:54.240 --> 00:20:00.519 up the rafter bays with foam insulation. So blown in 333 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:01.240 that's the way to go. 334 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.839 Okay. And then so the cellulose, is that the kind 335 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:07.640 that they blow in and it expands that foamy stuff 336 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:08.640 that it spans. 337 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:13.160 No, No, that's that's that's a whole different animal there. 338 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:16.759 Cellulose and fiberglass. They will blow in and they will 339 00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:19.400 essentially look the same. One is made out of shreds 340 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:22.480 of fiber. As you know, shred fiberus shreds of glass. 341 00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:26.200 The other is made out of a paper product that 342 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:30.279 is treated with borates and acetate that are that are 343 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:36.240 you know, moisture resistant, rodent resistant, uh and a little 344 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:40.160 bit more dense. And so for for lesser inches you 345 00:20:40.200 --> 00:20:44.160 can get you know, higher R value of insulation up 346 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:48.400 there plus no glass. So there's dust, there's dust, there's 347 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:51.519 a dust content up there, but there's no glass shreds, 348 00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:53.319 so that if you have to get in the attic 349 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:56.079 or somebody has to get up there and service it, 350 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:59.240 it doesn't make you itch and irritate the skin the 351 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:01.039 same way got it. 352 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:05.599 And for the interior walls, we have a guest bedroom 353 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:09.759 closet that butts up against the guest bedroom bathroom the 354 00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:13.240 wall in between, so I was thinking for noise baffling 355 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:16.759 of maybe having that insulated and then the guests. The 356 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.400 other wall of the guest bathroom blots up against the 357 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:22.160 master bath. That's where the plumbing chase is. So I 358 00:21:22.200 --> 00:21:26.480 was curious about insulation in those two walls. So essentially 359 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.680 it's bedroom, guest bath, master bath, you. 360 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:35.519 Know, master bedroom. I'm a huge proponent of interior wall insulation, 361 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:37.920 but just to be clear, for everybody. We're not talking 362 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:41.319 about thermal insulation. When it comes to interior walls, we 363 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:44.160 don't need to worry about thermal. But it's all about 364 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.799 sound and just keeping a room quiet, one room quiet 365 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:51.039 from another room, and layer upon layer room for room 366 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:53.440 from I mean, it's a brilliant thing and it's something 367 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:56.119 that we always do with all of our clients. It's 368 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:58.640 one of the things that kind of sets them apart 369 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:00.839 and gives them that much more of an awesome house 370 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:03.000 when it's done. So any wall that you can do 371 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:06.279 problem walls, and then in the future, you know, anytime, 372 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:10.759 anytime you've got drywall off the wall, do not put 373 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:13.759 that wall back together without slapping some insulation in there. 374 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:19.200 And the insulation you want is rock wool insulation, and 375 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:22.119 I think it's rock Sol the brand that we normally 376 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:25.920 use ro o x ul, but but you know they've 377 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:29.039 changed names a little bit recently. But here's what your 378 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:33.240 mineral wool insulation. And I believe the kind that you 379 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:37.240 want is safe n sound, safe and sound and it's 380 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:40.880 literally there doesn't have a massive R value, but it's 381 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:44.680 there intentionally designed to be sound baffling insulation. 382 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:46.640 Perfect. 383 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:48.279 Well, I thank you so much. 384 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:51.039 All right, and I think we'll get it. 385 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:55.519 I'm sorry, professional installation, and we're getting quotes anywhere from 386 00:22:55.559 --> 00:22:58.799 seven dollars per square foot to fourteen dollars per square foot, 387 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:01.680 any price point we should be aware of. 388 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:04.519 You know, it varies for house to house. So the 389 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:06.880 thing you should do is just do what you're doing. 390 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:10.359 Get those multiple quotes, Get as many quotes as you 391 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:13.799 can tolerate getting, and you will find the right price points. 392 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:15.960 Starts to form up for you. And it's like a 393 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.400 big ven diagram, so you know you'll see it as 394 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:22.640 it develops. That's the best way of knowing what the 395 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:26.880 right price is because different conditions vary from house to house, 396 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:29.000 so I can't just quote you it should be this. 397 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:33.680 Just get a bunch of quotes from reputable companies. You'll 398 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:36.440 see them starting to clump together in one zone and 399 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:39.519 you'll know like, oh, yeah, it's clearly it should be 400 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:42.039 this price. And thank you so much for your call, 401 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:45.160