WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:04.120 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 2 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:10.480 KFI AM six forty, PMFI AM six. 3 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:16.280 Forty and live everywhere on the iHeart Radio app. Welcome 4 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:19.239 to Home, where every week we help you better understand 5 00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:22.480 that place where you live. I'm Dean Sharp, the house whisperers, 6 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:26.640 and we're talking fences and walls and hedges today. We're 7 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:28.839 going to get back to that in just a bit. 8 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:31.920 But right now, top of the hour, we're still taking calls. 9 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:35.079 Let's talk to Gloria. Hey, Gloria, welcome home. 10 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:39.439 I have a wooden fence on slope that needs to 11 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:42.320 be replaced. My neighbor would like to replace it with 12 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.479 a block wall with stuckle on it. I don't know. 13 00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:48.679 She has it on the other side and she has 14 00:00:48.719 --> 00:00:51.679 it on top. But when I look at the friends 15 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:55.159 at the top my wood fence or our wood fence, 16 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:59.880 the stucco is peeling off of her block wall on top. 17 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.200 So I'm not convinced that's the way I want to go. 18 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:04.519 I know it's going to cost more. 19 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:06.680 Oh yeah, it's going to cost more. It's going to 20 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:10.359 cost a lot more. This is one of those areas 21 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:14.120 where having a conversation with your neighbor can get tricky 22 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:18.239 because of sharing this one thing, right, I think you 23 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:20.640 just have to be honest with her and say, listen, 24 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:23.439 I get it. I understand it matches all of your 25 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:27.359 other stuff. I'm not opposed to the block wall. If 26 00:01:27.400 --> 00:01:31.359 that's something that you want to pay for, I would 27 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:35.599 be willing to, you know, chip in my half of 28 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:41.799 the wood fence cost towards your block wall. But honestly, 29 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:45.480 it's not on my budget to do that, so you know, 30 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:48.519 I mean, I wouldn't I wouldn't judge. I wouldn't personally, 31 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:51.640 I wouldn't approach her and say, look, your block wall's 32 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:55.040 peeling stucco, and I would just just the straight numbers. 33 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:57.840 People can't argue with the fact that, you know, if 34 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.959 you're not in a position to afford the fancier thing, 35 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:05.000 everybody's got to understand that. And it is Gloria going 36 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:09.280 to be way, way more expensive. Not only is a 37 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:12.560 block wall more expensive to build than a fence on 38 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:16.919 a flat ground, but it is considerably more expensive to 39 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:20.520 build a block wall down a sloped backyard because a 40 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:24.240 block wall, unlike a fence, actually doesn't go at an 41 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:27.560 angle down a slope. A block wall still, all the 42 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:30.919 blocks have to be horizontally set, which means that the 43 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:34.319 footing for that block wall has to be set at angles. 44 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:37.400 I mean not at angles, but to set as a 45 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.439 stepped footing down the wall. And a lot of the 46 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:43.360 block that goes into that block wall is therefore going 47 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:46.199 to be hidden underneath the soil, so it has to 48 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:48.240 be dug deeper. I mean, it's just a whole thing. 49 00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:52.039 I'm not against them at all. Sometimes I've designed one 50 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:54.479 into a property because it's exactly the thing that I 51 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:58.080 want to see there at that point. But yeah, it's expensive, 52 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:02.479 and so I'm all for fences where fences will get 53 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:05.919 the job done, because why spend the extra money? What? 54 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:07.599 What do we need the block wall for? What are 55 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:11.560 we protecting ourselves from? Okay, so there you go, Gloria, 56 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:15.120 great question. Hope that helped. I wouldn't, you know, don't 57 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:19.439 don't critique somebody else's block wall like it's failing. I 58 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:21.639 would just tell them, you know, the simple fact is, 59 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:24.280 you know, I don't have a budget for it, and 60 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:26.680 so I'll give you what I can on the wood 61 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:30.439 fence there, but you know, leave the rest of it there. Okay, 62 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:33.840 does that sound good? Thank you, great question. Great call. 63 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:39.360 Let me squeeze one more in here. Let's talk to Arthur. Hey, Arthur, welcome. 64 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:43.599 Home, Aban. I've got a problem with a kitchen sink. 65 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:51.560 It's a a Bonty brand installed under granted, and even 66 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:56.360 though the countertop is completely level, the sink slops away 67 00:03:56.360 --> 00:04:04.400 from the drain, so no custom size. I can't find 68 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:06.240 seventeen by thirty. 69 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:08.919 Okay, So the sink is sloping away from the drain. 70 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:13.199 So I mean, is the sink delaminating from the bottom 71 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:15.560 of the granite countertop? Is that the problem? Or is 72 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:17.399 it always been this way? Or is it is it 73 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:19.879 just starting to fail? In other words, for some reason, 74 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.160 you know, if this is an undermount sink, are the 75 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:27.480 clamps or whatever is supporting this sink in the countertop 76 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:30.639 failing and is that the problem? Or is there just 77 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:32.279 something weird about the sink. 78 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:37.399 Yeah, it's installed correctly, everything's level, it's a sink itself, 79 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:42.519 and Bonky is China. I can't even get a hold 80 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:47.839 of anybody, and I was able to find another brand 81 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:50.439 new one at the same supplier, but it was the 82 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:55.439 same thing. So unless I can there's some way to 83 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:01.199 re to you know, remake that bottom to make it 84 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:05.720 slope in. I have to replace it, and I can't 85 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:09.639 find a step seventeen by thirty sink ready to go 86 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:12.839 at So one a few es years ago you had 87 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:16.639 you were talking about sinks. It's a one big, nice 88 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:17.839 one piece sc. 89 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:22.199 Right right right, okay, all right, well yeah, okay. So 90 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:26.399 here is where we utilize the resources of the Internet 91 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:30.680 and a couple of specialists along the way, and I'll 92 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:33.360 give you one quick piece of advice here. So number one, 93 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:35.720 I would research the heck out of it. Maybe you 94 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.240 already have, but I would research the heck out of 95 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:42.079 this proportion of sinc across the interweb and see if 96 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.759 you can get anything that's even close. Now, unlike the 97 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:49.560 Showcase Showdown with Bob Barker that everybody's talking about today, 98 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:52.800 here's the situation with an undermount sink where you can 99 00:05:52.839 --> 00:05:57.759 actually afford to go slightly over and be a winner. Okay, 100 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.600 as long as we can get a new underneath inside 101 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:05.399 your cabinet. Okay, since it's an under mount sink, and 102 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:09.160 since the edge of your granite countertop is really forming 103 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:12.720 that edge, we could actually put in if we need 104 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:18.120 to a slightly slightly not ridiculously, but slightly larger sink. 105 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:21.240 And all it means is that the granite countertop hangs 106 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:24.920 over it just a smidge more. Okay, So you might 107 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:28.639 be able to fit an eighteen by thirty sink in 108 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:31.600 there without a problem and just accept the fact that 109 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.240 the granite's going to overhang it a little bit further 110 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:37.000 and that may open up your sink choices quite a bit. 111 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:40.079 So Number one, I would research this sink size thoroughly. 112 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:43.519 Number two I would see if just a smidge a 113 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:47.720 deeper eighteen by thirty sink would work. And then third 114 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:52.879 uh is call your local fixture warehouses, whether it's a 115 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.560 WDC in your area. If you're down in where you're 116 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:58.600 at in Coasta, Mesa, oh, you could go down to 117 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:01.480 the Collection and Coast to make and talk to the 118 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:05.079 guys at Perch and see if they are aware of 119 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:08.279 anything that will get you fit in that situation. But 120 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:11.639 my guess is that there is a solution to this 121 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.959 without tearing out that ground at countertop that will end 122 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:19.120 up working even if it's a slightly oversized sink than 123 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:21.079 the one that you've got, So think about that. Because 124 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:23.519 it's a single basin, So we might be able to 125 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:28.120 find an eighteen by thirty and get that thing creatively 126 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:32.240 to work. It may just take a little bit more creativity, Arthur, 127 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:37.199 Thank you for your call. Great question. All right, when 128 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:41.000 we return more of your calls your home with Dean Sharp, 129 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:46.720 the house Whisper, Cafi, Dean Sharp, the House Whisper, at 130 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.759 your service. Thanks for joining us on the program. Here 131 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:55.480 we are talking fences, walls, and hedges today, and now 132 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:59.839 is time to switch the conversation over from fences to walls. 133 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:02.439 We're gonna talk walls a little bit. Hedges a little 134 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.240 bit doesn't need as much attention as the others. First 135 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:07.839 of all, what I just mentioned I just use two 136 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.360 names for walls, garden wall and retaining wall. What is 137 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:14.000 the most important thing you need to understand between these two? 138 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:17.279 They are different. They are different in one particular way. 139 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:23.480 A retaining wall is in fact holding back soil on 140 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:27.800 one side of it. Okay, it is retaining soil a 141 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:31.519 surcharge of earth against it. So a lot of you 142 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:35.759 have at times mentioned to me like, oh, well, I've 143 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:39.039 got a retaining wall in between my property and my neighbor, 144 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:42.639 and you just you're used to using that phrase when 145 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:45.879 you see a block wall. Okay, not all block walls 146 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:48.759 are retaining walls. In fact, most block walls are not 147 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:53.159 retaining walls. They are simply block walls. They could just 148 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:56.480 as easily be a fence. There's no pressure up against 149 00:08:56.600 --> 00:08:59.440 either one side. The ground on both sides is roughly, 150 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:02.799 you know, within a foot or so of the same 151 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:06.320 height or elevation. That is not a retaining wall. That's 152 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.840 a garden wall. And even though it's made out of blocks, 153 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:14.120 and those blocks are hollow, they are not filled with 154 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:16.399 cement all the way to the top because they don't 155 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:20.159 need to be. They don't have full mortar or grout 156 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:26.120 fill inside or steal inside. In most cases, they're just 157 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.639 hollow block walls, which is why a lot of them 158 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:33.000 you've noticed in your yard. You can walk out of 159 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:35.120 two and give them a good shake, and sometimes the 160 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:37.720 blocks shift out of place or they crack. And if 161 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.840 it was a retaining wall, I guarantee you if it 162 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:44.399 was just a fully grouded, fully steeled block wall, that 163 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:47.159 would not be happening in that same way. Okay, So 164 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:51.200 a garden wall that's what we use to describe any 165 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:55.679 kind of a wall, masonry wall that is just sticking 166 00:09:55.799 --> 00:09:59.039 up in your garden for the purpose of privacy or 167 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:02.279 dividing the property line, or anything else that you're using 168 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:07.039 in your garden. Now, a retaining wall, as I said, 169 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:12.720 holding back soil. Two kinds of retaining wall. Engineered and 170 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:18.519 non engineered. Okay. The difference is massive, and the difference 171 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:24.360 in cost is massive. Under the International Building Code and 172 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.320 State of California. It holds true here as well. You 173 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:34.279 can have a wall that is retaining up to three 174 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:39.039 feet thirty six inches of soil okay, without having to 175 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:43.000 have it engineered or having a permit for that wall. Okay, 176 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:46.720 You're allowed to hold back up to thirty six inches 177 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:49.799 of soil on the backside of that wall. That still 178 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:52.440 should be a strong wall, shouldn't be a hollow wall. 179 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:54.440 But you could build that wall, let's say, out of 180 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.759 the interlocking pavers that you find at the garden center 181 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:01.240 or at the local nursery or a big box store. Right, 182 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:05.399 you've seen those. They are solid concrete blocks. They're usually 183 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:07.600 kind of funky wedge shaped, and they've got a little 184 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:09.799 lip on the front and they interlock with each other. 185 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:11.840 And you can stack that up and you can hold 186 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:14.879 back up to thirty six inches of soil, and that's 187 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:19.200 totally allowed in almost every situation. You don't need a 188 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:21.399 big footing underneath it, and you don't have to have 189 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:26.440 an engineer design it for rollover or hydrostatic pressure or 190 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:28.759 anything like that. But if you're going to hold back 191 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:31.919 more than thirty six inches of soil, now we got 192 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.200 an engineered wall, which means we're paying an engineer to 193 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:39.519 figure out a footing that increases the cost. Grouting and 194 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:44.159 mortaring of that wall that increases the cost, and we've 195 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:48.559 got a permit involved and inspections and drainage and water 196 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:53.559 retention issues and so on. That is a retaining wall 197 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:57.840 holding back more than thirty six inches of soil. Another 198 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:01.120 kind of masonry wall is just a stack wall, okay, 199 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.519 especially when it comes to garden walls, something that a 200 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:06.039 lot of people overlook these days, especially if you have 201 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:08.720 a more rustic theme in your yard, you should consider it. 202 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:11.399 Now talk about becoming an expert at this. It takes 203 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:14.440 a little practice, but that's something realistically that a homeowner 204 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:17.600 could actually do, which is, you know, like they do 205 00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:22.279 in well back east On along the East coast in 206 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.879 the old colonial farms, where every single time you plow 207 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.399 your field, you're pulling up old stones. What did the 208 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.799 farmers do? They use those stones to create the walls 209 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:35.840 in between their properties. These were stacked stone walls. Came 210 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:38.440 from Europe the exact same way, came from the UK, 211 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:41.600 from Ireland the same way. If you want to take 212 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:45.039 a look look at the air and ailes in Ireland, 213 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.720 just off the coast of Ireland, you will see some 214 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:55.399 of the most beautiful old interlocking stacked stone walls. I mean, 215 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:59.639 it is an art form. It is also absolutely gorgeous, 216 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:03.000 especially if the wall in question is what I've been 217 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:06.000 talking about from a design perspective, and that is creating 218 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:10.960 an area, designating a quote unquote room in the backyard 219 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:15.519 or a quote hallway leading to another space. This is 220 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:19.679 where we really get creative with walls and fences and 221 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:23.799 hedges for that matter. Do you understand that destinations creating 222 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:28.320 destinations in the yard and a delineation of a space 223 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:32.440 can be something even if it's just twenty four inches tall. Okay, 224 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:36.320 think about this. If you and I are standing ten 225 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:38.879 or fifteen feet apart from each other and there is 226 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:42.000 nothing in between us, then we are standing in the 227 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:45.919 same space, right Okay. Now, obviously, if somebody comes along 228 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.039 and builds a big eight foot wall in between us, 229 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.399 now we are not standing in the same space because 230 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:54.320 I can't even see you. But let's just put some 231 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:58.759 plant material, okay, a hedge, a hedge that's only eighteen 232 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:03.399 twenty four inches tall, and run it in between us. Amazingly, 233 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:06.320 even though I can still see you, and even though 234 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:11.000 you can step right over that hedge. Okay, suddenly I 235 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:15.840 am here and you are over there. You understand what 236 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:20.320 I'm saying. That is the value of utilizing from a 237 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:24.360 design perspective, a wall, a hedge, a fence in a 238 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:28.000 garden area, not just on the perimeter, but really dividing 239 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:31.919 up and using it to contour and create space in 240 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.799 your yard. All right, that's walls. Did want to spend 241 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:39.000 a whole lot of time on those today, per you know, 242 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.399 because we've got so many more opportunities to talk about 243 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.279 these things when we come back. Let's talk plant material 244 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:48.679 and the magic of plant material, especially when it comes 245 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.240 to the edges of your property. What is he talking about, Well, 246 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:56.000 there's a whole point when it comes to plant material 247 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:59.879 in the edge of your property that makes them invaluable 248 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:04.320 discuss that when we return Your Home with Dean Sharp 249 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:05.440 The House Whisper. 250 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:09.879 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 251 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.799 KFI AM six forty. 252 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:20.279 KFI AM six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app 253 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:23.080 Your Home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper. Thanks for 254 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:26.440 joining us on the program. Today we've been talking fences 255 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.960 and walls and hedges, and right now it's time to 256 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:33.519 talk about hedges a little bit. First of all, from 257 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:37.960 a designer perspective. Okay, I want to be very very 258 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.759 clear to you, because you know, these words get thrown 259 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:47.720 around and they take on a typical connotation, and I 260 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:50.399 am anything but a typical designer. So I want to 261 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:53.440 be really really clear that you understand what I mean 262 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:57.279 when I use a word or term like hedges. Okay, 263 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:00.279 when I say hedges, now, I might be talking about 264 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:05.039 what you typically think of like a tightly pruned you know, 265 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:11.039 geometrically shaped Japanese box hedge or something like that. You know, 266 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:16.360 the small waxy green leaf all drawn up in tight 267 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.960 little rows with flat tops. You know, the kind of 268 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.000 thing that turns into a topiary at some point and 269 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:24.799 so on. That's definitely a hedge. Okay, the kind of 270 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.320 thing that you hedge in a maze with or something 271 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:31.679 like that. Definitely a hedge. But that's not the limit 272 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:36.279 of my definition of hedges in my book. A hedge 273 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:43.399 is are you ready, any low lying plant, virtually any 274 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:48.240 plant that is planted in mass that creates some form 275 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:52.879 of psychological separation or barrier from one place in your 276 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:55.200 yard to the next. Like we were talking about in 277 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:58.720 the previous segment, the idea of creating a sense of 278 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:02.200 here and over there. And even though yeah, you could 279 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:04.880 step over it, you don't really want to. Your brain 280 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.559 kind of tells you you're not supposed to. You're supposed 281 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.039 to look for the opening and walk around it to 282 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:13.119 the other place. Right. That's a hedge, okay. So a 283 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:16.279 hedge can be made out of roses, It can be 284 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:19.359 made out of daisies if you want. If it's a 285 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.720 flower bed that is in mass, that's coming up off 286 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:26.759 the ground, okay, And the only real requirement is something 287 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:31.000 in mass that rises up off the normal level of 288 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.880 the ground. So it's not lawn okay, it's not turf 289 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:39.039 okay that hugs the ground, it's not ground cover. It 290 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:42.400 is a hedge. It rises up. It can be daylilies, 291 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:46.400 it can be sage. I mean literally, any plant that 292 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:49.599 grows more than six to ten inches off the ground 293 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:53.359 planted in mass can form some kind of a hedge 294 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.319 that gives a three D effect to a yard and 295 00:17:56.440 --> 00:18:01.720 thereby creates an area of shape and content. Now on 296 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:06.000 the perimeter, special circumstances for the perimeter. I promised before 297 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:09.839 the break that we would talk about a loophole when 298 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:15.640 it comes to perimeter walls and fences, and that is 299 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:19.839 simply this. In most places, definitely here in the state 300 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:22.160 of California, definitely here in southern California. 301 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:22.720 Right. 302 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:26.880 You may dream of privacy between you and your neighbor, 303 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.400 you can dream it all day long. But and you 304 00:18:29.480 --> 00:18:31.720 may think of if I could only build, if I 305 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:34.559 could only afford to build a twenty foot wall in 306 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:37.200 between me and the neighbor, then when I would really 307 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:40.799 be happy so that their second floor bedroom window doesn't 308 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:44.799 look down into our backyard. Okay, I get you, I 309 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:48.119 feel you, all right. But here's the thing. The city 310 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:49.799 is not going to be feeling you on that. In 311 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:54.440 most places, five to six feet is the limit that 312 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:57.640 zoning will allow you to build a fence. Even if 313 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.279 you could afford to build it higher, which it would 314 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:06.359 be incredibly ugly and incredibly expensive. So there are codes 315 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:09.599 restricting the height of the fence that you put on 316 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:13.720 your property line to provide privacy between you and your neighbor. 317 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:17.599 If you're lucky, you've got a super wide property and 318 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:20.079 you live in la county or city, and they would 319 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:25.519 allow in that situation a maximum of eight feet of fence. Okay, 320 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:28.559 that's not enough either, is it. No, it's not, But 321 00:19:29.160 --> 00:19:34.519 here we go. That's a built structure. Guess what the 322 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:40.240 code has no bearing upon whatsoever. Plants. That's right, And 323 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:45.359 therefore we have the hedges. Specifically the kind of hedge 324 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:49.319 that we in the custom home and a state industry 325 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:54.200 call the Hollywood hedge. Hollywood hedges is just a catchphrase 326 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:57.720 for any kind of plant material that we utilize on 327 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:02.519 day one to take a celebrity estate and hedge them 328 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:05.440 in so that nobody gets to see in and they 329 00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:08.039 get all the privacy in the world. We're talking about 330 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:11.839 plants that will grow together and form a green wall 331 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:16.680 that can grow anywhere from fifteen to twenty five feet tall, 332 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:22.599 sound proof your property, essentially visually give you all the 333 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:25.519 privacy that you need. Now, if we do this on 334 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:29.880 day one for your house with mature products, which we 335 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.480 can do and have done, yeah, you're going to break 336 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:37.440 the bank bringing in you know, fifty or sixty eighteen 337 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:39.960 foot tall hedges. Those are available, by the way, and 338 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:42.559 if you'd like that, I'll bring you that tomorrow. However, 339 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:46.200 you can achieve the same thing by planting the exact 340 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:50.640 same materials in their junior form at six and seven 341 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:56.319 foot tall versions of these same materials and planting them, 342 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:59.240 you know, between three and four feet apart from each other, 343 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:04.359 and patiently wait, give yourself three or four seasons, and 344 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:09.000 they will grow in and form the exact same wall. Okay, 345 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:11.920 these hedges are and I'm going to list them very 346 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:15.440 quickly here. These are the most typical ones. They're not 347 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:17.400 the only ones that you can use, but there are 348 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.960 usually five or six that we use. Ficus natida, Okay, 349 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:28.359 fastest and tallest growing twenty feet tall. Wax leaf privet 350 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:34.200 or what's sometimes called Texas privet potocarpus my personal favorite 351 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:39.279 in most situations, Bay laurel Carolina cherry, and in some 352 00:21:39.359 --> 00:21:43.759 situations some this is the lacier version. Some goldest goddess, 353 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:47.640 Golden Goddess bamboo. All right, So there you go the 354 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:51.599 Hollywood hedges. And yeah, you don't have to obey the 355 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:54.480 zoning codes when it comes to that, because it's a 356 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:58.440 plant that you're growing, and the code doesn't have anything 357 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:01.359 to tell you about the height of plants, only the 358 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:04.119 height of the fence that you can put between you 359 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:09.559 and your neighbor. So if it's alive, then don't stop yourself. 360 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:13.000 And more yards than they exist right now, I'll tell 361 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:16.519 you right now should be using privacy hedging just to 362 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:20.720 create the kind of ambiance and feel in the backyard 363 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:24.240 that you're actually looking for. Usually, when I get called 364 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.599 out for a landscaping consult in a troubled yard, the 365 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:31.720 one thing I normally end up suggesting is on the perimeter, 366 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:35.079 let's get some more hedging. If we don't have a 367 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.119 view lot, then what we want to do is close 368 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:42.079 in your yard like a stage. Don't have the glory 369 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:46.200 of your yard dependent upon whether your neighbor is keeping 370 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:48.799 the paint up on their house. How's that sound? There 371 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:52.119 you go. That's the point, all right, And in your 372 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:55.160 pearls this morning, more to come your home with Dean 373 00:22:55.240 --> 00:23:02.400 sharp the house Whisper pre Fine, Dean Sharp, the house Whisper, 374 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:08.799 Welcome home. All of this information about fences and walls 375 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:10.839 and hedges. I know a lot of you are thinking 376 00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:13.279 hedges right now. You're like, Okay, we're gonna get our 377 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:15.359 hands on some of that plant material because I don't 378 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.440 want to see my neighbor anymore, and I don't want 379 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:21.799 my neighbor seeing me. Good fences make good neighbors. That's 380 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:25.279 just a quote. If you're interested, you should read this poem. 381 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.279 You should. It's not a long poem. You should totally 382 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:31.119 read it. And you need more poetry in your life. 383 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:35.359 You do. Robert Frost the mending Wall, Okay, and yes 384 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:37.880 it's a wall, not a fence, but it's a quote 385 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:41.440 and it gets thrown around out of context all the time. 386 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:43.799 People use it, you know, like you only say good 387 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:47.799 fences make good neighbors. Literally. The point of the poem 388 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.920 that he's trying to make is that he's having a 389 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:55.160 conversation with his neighbor and he keeps saying, you know, 390 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:58.799 we probably don't need this separating us here on our property, 391 00:23:58.839 --> 00:24:01.319 and the neighbor keeps kind of like doing the screwge 392 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:05.559 bug things saying good fences make good neighbors, that the 393 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:08.559 neighbor is not having it. The neighbor wants the fence up, 394 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:13.480 he wants the fence, and Frost is basically trying to say, listen, 395 00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:17.880 we really don't need a fence in between us most 396 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:20.920 of the time. Anyway, it is so worth reading, you 397 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:24.039 should go do that. All right, there you go, Let's 398 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:26.559 go to the phones. We got time for one tony 399 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:27.519 Welcome home. 400 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:33.640 We're doing a complete kitchen remodel with cabinets, floors, and appliances. 401 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:38.000