WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:03.879 Kf I am six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp 2 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:10.599 the house Whisper on demand on the iHeartRadio app. We're 3 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.199 talking about new stuff today. But guess what's the top 4 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:15.720 of the second hour, which means it's time to go 5 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:20.719 to the phones. I want to talk to Lee. Is 6 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:21.120 it Lee? 7 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:23.359 It's Lee? 8 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:24.359 Hi? 9 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:24.760 Lee? 10 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:26.079 How are you welcome home? 11 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:31.399 I'm doing okay? You know, I just turned a d 12 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:36.679 and I'm living in the three thousand square foot house 13 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:40.479 on a big property, and I'm wondering how I'm going 14 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:43.399 to be able to deal with this as I age. 15 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:47.840 Are there some tips or some rules that you know? 16 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:51.200 I'm thinking? Should I be downsizing? I love my house. 17 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:55.280 I actually rent out my kid's bedrooms to travelers here 18 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:58.159 in town because it helps me and it helps them. 19 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:02.960 But it's just getting to be an awful lot. 20 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:08.799 Yeah, I can understand that. Okay, Well let's talk about 21 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:12.480 let's not you know, let me ask you when you 22 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:14.640 say it's getting to be an awful lot, you know, 23 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:19.640 I mean the real question of should you downsize or 24 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.040 how do you handle the home that you love and 25 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:25.719 how do you see yourself growing into that home in 26 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:29.079 the future, and by the way, congratulations on eighty You 27 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:30.760 sound amazing. 28 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:32.959 So oh well, thank you. 29 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:39.040 And bravo for renting out part of your home to travel. 30 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:42.159 I mean, just we need to make a visit over 31 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:44.680 to your home. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. 32 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:49.879 It's a very very personal issue, and so I would 33 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:51.840 love to talk to you about some of the things 34 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:53.280 that you can do, but I need to know a 35 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:57.799 little bit more what parts of your home are getting 36 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:00.159 to be a little much as you say. 37 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:03.680 Well, there's just a lot. Well, there's a lot of 38 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:07.040 it to keep up. The yard is hard to keep up. 39 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:12.719 I haven't ever had a yard service person, and I'm 40 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:16.960 not real good at the outdoor stuff. I've never had 41 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.319 a green some I think I've had. You know, I 42 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:22.080 have trees, I have plants, and they do grow, but 43 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:25.120 they have to they have to be strong to grow 44 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.159 in my yard. But I live up in Lompoke, if 45 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:35.840 you know where that is, absolutely and yeah, just the 46 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:39.439 soil that we have up here makes it a little 47 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:42.280 harder to garden when you don't know what you're doing 48 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:48.520 and keeping the weeds down and all that. I'm just 49 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:51.879 not too sure how to look at everything. My house 50 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:56.400 is paid for, my ex and I built it in 51 00:02:56.439 --> 00:02:59.479 the eighties and it's in good shape and all that. 52 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:06.039 It's just it's just a lot of work. 53 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:06.719 A lot I get it. Now. Let me ask you 54 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:08.680 not to get too personal, but I got to get 55 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:12.400 a little bit personal. Would a gardener service or or 56 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.159 an outside maintenance service is that? Would that? Is that 57 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:19.159 something that could be affordable? Could that be in the budget? 58 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:22.439 You know where? With where things are at right now? 59 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:28.080 Well, I'm wondering if if I got on a lot 60 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:31.319 of the services don't seem to do what I think 61 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:34.520 they should be doing. I think weed should be pulled 62 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:37.360 up and make sure you get the roots, you don't 63 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:40.840 just weed whack them. Yeah, you know, I don't know. 64 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.319 I just don't know how to judge some of these 65 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.560 workers sometimes. 66 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:54.199 Understand you and everybody else in the Southern California. One 67 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:57.479 of the most rarest things to find in Southern California 68 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.719 is an actual gardener, not a landscape service, not the 69 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:05.240 mow and blow guys, but an actual gardner. All right, Lee, 70 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:08.360 I'm finding this fascinating, and I do want to give 71 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:12.919 you some suggestions, and I want everybody else to participate 72 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:14.879 in that. But we're up against a break. So if 73 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:17.720 I have your price, can I pop you on hold 74 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:19.199 and we'll come back right after the break. 75 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:21.120 Okay, thank you? 76 00:04:21.639 --> 00:04:24.839 All right, you hang tight, my friend, and we're going 77 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:27.199 to figure out how to help Lee downsize or at 78 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.480 least get her arms back around this property. And the 79 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:33.879 answer the big question maybe does she let go of 80 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:36.240 this home that she has loved for so long and 81 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:39.399 move some into something smaller? Or is there a way 82 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.360 of managing what she's got. We'll do that and more 83 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.120 of your calls when we return. 84 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:48.600 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 85 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:50.240 KFI AM six forty. 86 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:54.879 I've been talking to Lee and I want to get 87 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:58.519 Lee back on the line. Lee lives out in Loam 88 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:03.040 Poke and she just turned eighty years young and she 89 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:07.519 is trying to make some big decisions about the relatively 90 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.240 large house and property that she has and where does 91 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:13.920 she go from here? How does she take care of it? 92 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:15.839 How does she get some help? Lee? Are you back 93 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:16.439 with me? Bud? 94 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:20.560 Oh? Yes, I'm still here all right? 95 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:26.800 So here here's the thing. You certainly have options, right, 96 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:32.920 I would assume we've got options. But the big question, well, 97 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:36.959 first of all, you know, I wouldn't worry about being profitable. 98 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:39.720 Is the house is paid off? How big is the house? 99 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:41.839 Three thousand? 100 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:44.839 Okay, so you got a three thousand square a lovely 101 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:48.240 three thousand square foot house out in Lompo, which you 102 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:52.959 know is nestled right up into Santa Inez wine country. 103 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:57.959 There's definitely no question that there's profitability there. If you 104 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:00.959 sell the house, it's paid off, there's plenty of equity. 105 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:05.319 That would be a pretty easy path to travel, But 106 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:07.519 I don't know if you want to travel down that path. 107 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.480 There's questions like do you have help, can you get 108 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:12.920 help with the house, can you afford help with the house? 109 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:16.720 What money is available without selling the house? And if 110 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:19.319 we sell, do we sell, do we rent? Do we stay? 111 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.839 Do you have specific health or mobility concerns at eighty 112 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:26.360 that you're you know, other than just it's a lot 113 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:30.639 to handle. All of these are questions that should be 114 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:34.199 asked and should be answered. But at the heart of it, 115 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:39.439 my friend, is one one central question, okay, and it's 116 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.800 the question that as a home designer, as a custom 117 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.399 home designer, because I only design custom homes, that I 118 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:50.639 have to ask every single client that we have, and 119 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:56.959 that is, what do you really really want. Okay, now 120 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.600 you may have conflicting wants or desire. It's like, you know, 121 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:04.160 you probably don't have any desire to leave this house behind. 122 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:08.839 But the question of what do you really really really 123 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:14.759 want for your life may may you know, tip the scale. 124 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:17.040 So what what are you really really looking for? What's 125 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:20.040 the most important thing for you for the years ahead? 126 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:26.399 Well, I want to be able to not work, you know, 127 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.160 have so much work. I do have a housekeeper once 128 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:34.399 a month at this point. And I love my house. 129 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.240 And a lot of my friends that left their nice 130 00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:40.600 houses and moved to smaller houses are not very happy, 131 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:45.560 you know. They miss they miss what they had. And 132 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:49.720 I have a very nice house and it's hard to 133 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.240 think of living somewhere else since I helped build this, 134 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:58.600 build this house, but the upkeep is just getting Maybe 135 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.160 in the next five years, I maybe need to make 136 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:07.480 some big decision here. And what I've heard of people 137 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.160 building on their property a smaller house than just renting 138 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.199 the big house out. But I don't know that i'd 139 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:17.000 be happy doing that. Hard to say, what are. 140 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:22.279 You people doing to my house? Get out of my house? Yeah, 141 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:25.360 I mean, yeah, those are all those are really are 142 00:08:25.399 --> 00:08:28.879 big decisions. They really are the biggest decisions of all. 143 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:32.120 And so let me ask you this. If money were 144 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:35.159 no option, what would you do? It sounds like you 145 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:36.559 would just stay put. 146 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:40.679 Well, I think maybe I have to look at paying 147 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:43.080 the help a little differently than I'm used to. I'm 148 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:46.159 not used to getting help, you know, so maybe I 149 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.159 need to look at it as a fixed bill a 150 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:53.840 month instead of you know, sometimes i'd call someone that 151 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:57.159 I you know that come before, and it's three hundred 152 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:01.960 dollars just for for wig blacking and stuff like that. 153 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:04.200 I mean, it looks nice when you gets stunned, but 154 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:09.679 it isn't anything that stays nice. Can a yard stay? Yeah? 155 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:11.639 You know, it's not sustainable. 156 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:17.559 So here's my advice here. It is okay, for having 157 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:22.639 known you for nine and a half minutes, Okay, take 158 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:25.240 it for what it's worth. But I'm just trying to 159 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.679 listen really carefully. Here is my advice for you, Lee. 160 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:35.919 I believe that that your maybe your first best option 161 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:38.320 is to do exactly what you just said, which is, 162 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:47.039 let's get serious about whether you can afford maintenance, regular maintenance. Okay, 163 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:49.279 let you I think it came out of your own mouth. 164 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:53.120 There you said, I think I need I think I 165 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:57.320 need to change the way I think about about how 166 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:01.080 I pay help and just even the idea of getting 167 00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:05.200 help to begin with. So, and here's why I think, Like, 168 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:07.480 if I was a concerned family member sitting at the 169 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:10.279 kitchen table with you, I think this would be my 170 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:15.080 first approach, because you can always sell. Okay, It's doesn't 171 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:17.360 change the fact that you know, three years from now, 172 00:10:17.399 --> 00:10:20.360 two years from now, five years from now, if if 173 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.399 plan A doesn't work the way you hope it will, 174 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:27.799 then you can always turn around and sell and downsize. 175 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.120 But if there's a way to not have to do 176 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:34.360 that in the home that you love, then the first 177 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:37.279 step would be, Okay, you're going to have to do 178 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:44.360 the work of finding a decent regular weekly you know, 179 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:50.360 landscape maintenance service, and then maybe weekly, by weekly or 180 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:53.360 bi monthly. I always get confused what that means, but 181 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:56.879 you know, every couple of weeks, maybe you know, have 182 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:59.919 the housekeeper come in or maybe increase that. In other words, 183 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:04.000 who can you pay to reduce the workload for you? 184 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:07.120 Can you afford to have that happen? And do you 185 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:12.039 like the results? It seems to me, given your desire 186 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:16.879 and your hesitation about selling. It seems to me that 187 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:20.440 that would be the first course to pursue and to 188 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:25.559 see if that can work. And if it does, then boom, 189 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:28.120 there you are. You have found a new way to 190 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:31.960 stay where you are, without the stress and without all 191 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:35.320 the work, and you've essentially gotten your arms around it. 192 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.360 And if it doesn't work, then what have you lost 193 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:42.440 other than the experiment has proven that maybe it's time 194 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:45.039 to sell and to downsize. But I think if it 195 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.080 were me that situation, I love my home very much 196 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:51.000 like it sounds like you love your home. I think 197 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:54.360 I would be finding every imaginable way to stay here 198 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.559 without letting go. And and so that's my advice to you, 199 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:02.080 my friend. 200 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:07.279 Okay, and I had one other question, what what about 201 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:11.960 putting an elevator? My bedroom's upstairs? At some point that 202 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:14.200 may not be as easy for me. I can go 203 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:19.720 upstairs just fine now. But is that something that I 204 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:21.519 just wait until I have to do? 205 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:26.720 I think so, because you're not interested in resale right now, 206 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:29.080 And and I will tell you this, and for everybody 207 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:34.759 who's listening, elevators retrofit into homes are completely feasible. And 208 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:38.519 every year you wait is a year that the cost 209 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:43.679 of doing that goes down, not up. Elevators. That's good here, Yeah, 210 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:49.320 residential elevators are only getting more common and less expensive, 211 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.320 and including elevators that are just like like my little favorite, 212 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:57.919 the little retrofit elevator, which is a vacuum tube elevator 213 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:03.519 that literally lead needs about four by four area of space. 214 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.279 It can be located just about anywhere in the house 215 00:13:06.279 --> 00:13:09.240 where we can get from the downstairs to the upstairs. 216 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:12.919 And but it's still an expense, okay, And you know 217 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:15.720 right now they're running about, you know, just going to 218 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.440 people will be like, that's not inexpensive being but you know, 219 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:22.440 somewhere between forty and sixty thousand dollars. Okay. But when 220 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:25.679 you think about that, you think about the home that 221 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:29.840 is your home for the cost of you know, which 222 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:31.440 at home is paid off, and so if you were 223 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:34.279 to get another little loan or have a way of payment, 224 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:38.120 but basically for the cost of financing a car payment 225 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:43.559 to stay in your home, uh, that is a relatively 226 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:47.159 small cost. And but my point is that cost is 227 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:51.080 also going down every single year. So my advice to 228 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:54.240 anybody who's thinking about the future in that regard is 229 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.759 you know, if you see yourself realistically getting to the 230 00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:59.960 point where yeah, I'm not getting up and down those 231 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.759 stairs as well anymore, then then do it. I don't 232 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.399 think everybody, just because of their age should automatically get 233 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.679 an elevator in their house. In fact, I would make 234 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:12.600 the argument against it that if it's keeping you healthy 235 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:15.879 getting up and down the stairs, it may be the 236 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:18.679 best thing not to do an elevator. Just you know, 237 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:22.879 keep doing the StairMaster every day and it's improving your 238 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:26.919 health and your longevity through that instead of just taking 239 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:30.440 the easy way, only do that if it's simply going 240 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.320 to become an impossibility, and at that point it will 241 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:37.759 be at its lowest point of cost and the most 242 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:40.919 effective ease of installation. So you would just I would 243 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.159 just say, have that in mind, press pause on that, 244 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:47.519 don't act too soon on that, and just wait wait 245 00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:49.399 for the time to come. Lee, I've got to go. 246 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:51.200 I would love to talk to you for the rest 247 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:55.639 of the morning, but it's time to go, so good luck. 248 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:00.120 Get your arms around, try and rethink the way that 249 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.399 you are living in the house so that you can 250 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:05.200 pay others to take care of the hard stuff, to 251 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:08.440 do the heavy lifting. For you, and if all else fails, 252 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.240 you can always sell and downsize and hold off on 253 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:15.799 that elevator until you absolutely, really really need it. Good luck, 254 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:19.600 my friend. All right, everybody, when we come back, more 255 00:15:19.799 --> 00:15:23.440 of your calls. Your Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. 256 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:27.600 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 257 00:15:27.679 --> 00:15:29.200 KFI Am six forty. 258 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:35.159 You are Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. That's me. 259 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:38.240 We're right in smack dab in the middle of our 260 00:15:38.279 --> 00:15:42.440 Sunday Morning live broadcast, which well, of course will become 261 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:45.120 The House Whisperer podcast as soon as we are done, 262 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.240 and you can listen to it anytime, anywhere, whenever, and 263 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:52.799 how often, however often you like. This is Home with 264 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:56.240 Dean Sharp and we are in the middle of taking calls. 265 00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:58.720 I'm going to go back to the phones. We're going 266 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:01.600 to be taking a couple more calls before we get 267 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:06.159 back to new stuff, which is the theme of today's show. 268 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:09.360 Got some new stuff to share with you, good stuff already, 269 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.720 more new stuff to come, But first I want to 270 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:15.080 talk to Gabe. He Gabe, welcome home. 271 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.879 Thanks Teine, Good morning, Happy. 272 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.600 Sunday, Happy Sunday to you. How can I help you? 273 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.519 Thank you. I have a custom two story built in 274 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:33.600 the mid nineties. It's built with a hip style roof 275 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:37.679 framing on what I think is a twelve twelve pitch, 276 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:46.039 not a lot of overhang. I literally have zero eves vents. 277 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:50.960 The roof on the second story has a few dormer vents, 278 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:54.000 but there's not a lot of air exchange I think 279 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:59.200 happening in my attic. And my garage has zero eves 280 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:03.039 or former vents. I mean, there's no air exchange in 281 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:06.279 the garage, and I've always thought that was weird. The 282 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:09.279 fires have have made me rethink that a little bit. 283 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:14.519 But I'm just wondering if you have recommendations about how 284 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:19.279 to optimize thermal efficiency given that situation. 285 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:30.880 Yeah, I do, all right. So, so a roof in 286 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:36.000 standard building parlance, in standard building code, optimally should have 287 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:40.759 low vents and high vents in order to allow convection 288 00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:44.759 to take place and air exchange to happen. Okay, that's 289 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:48.720 the traditional code approach, all right. So you've got a 290 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.839 roof that has eves that have some level of overhang. 291 00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:55.000 In those eves we put vents or in the eve 292 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:59.279 blocking and the rafter blocking we put small vents enough 293 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:03.480 to you know, half the venting requirement of the attic space, which, 294 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:05.880 by the way, if it's if you have high and 295 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:09.559 low vents, is you know, one square foot of venting 296 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:13.960 for every one every three hundred square feet of flat 297 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:16.960 attic space. And if you don't have high and low 298 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:19.240 then there should be a square foot of venting for 299 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:24.039 every one hundred and fifty square feet of attict venting space. 300 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:28.559 But you're right, just the presence of vents, just kind 301 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:32.319 of centrally located like a dormer vent is not the 302 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:35.519 most efficient way thermally to get hot air out of 303 00:18:35.559 --> 00:18:39.400 the attic. The ideal way is to have the vents 304 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:42.920 upper vents as high near the ridge as possible and 305 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:46.200 then as low as possible fifty to fifty so that 306 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:50.359 you get this convection current happening the eves, sucking in 307 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:55.400 cooler or cooler air down below and replacing the hot 308 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:57.519 air that rises up out of the attic, which can 309 00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:00.079 get you know, in the summertime easily up to one 310 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:02.880 hundred and thirty plus degrees. Get that stuff out of 311 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:05.880 the attic because it affects the cooling properties of the 312 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:09.119 rest of the house. So ideally that's the thing. Every 313 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.319 roof is different. You've got nothing. You're saying, it's a 314 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:16.319 hip roof, which for everybody else to understand, there's no big, 315 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:20.480 flat triangular gables on the end of this house or 316 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:23.799 roof anywhere that would be. And I'm glad you said that, 317 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:25.759 because that would have been my first suggestion. If you've 318 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:29.880 got an end gable on your roof, then that's an 319 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:33.400 opportunity to put very low vents and very high vents 320 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:36.480 in place on both ends or everywhere you've got a 321 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:39.799 flat gable end, and that could go a long way. 322 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:43.680 And it's an expensive way of getting your attic vented 323 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:48.000 without having to disrupt roofing materials. So, my friend, you 324 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:50.559 are left with essentially two options. If you have no 325 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:55.039 eve overhang, then you've either got to if you want 326 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:59.839 to improve the the thermal conditions in the attic, there 327 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:03.839 are two approaches. One is to find a way to 328 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:09.079 put low profile vents very low on as many sections 329 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:11.960 of the low roof as possible, and a low profile 330 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:16.319 vent uh might be like an O'Hagan vent that is 331 00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:20.480 really relatively low profile. There are some low profile vents 332 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:24.759 out there, but it's going to mean disrupting some roofing materials, 333 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.599 and the labor cost of installing that both low and 334 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:33.279 then high. You know it's not going to be insignificant. Okay, 335 00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:36.880 the other direction, and you know, I don't want to 336 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:41.480 bust your budget or spend money. But you've already mentioned 337 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:45.319 the idea, like you're concerned about wildfires, and maybe it's 338 00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:49.160 not such a bad idea that you've got, you know, 339 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.880 minimal venting coming into your attic. Of course, like my 340 00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:58.640 friends at brand guard vent, any vent into any roof 341 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:04.079 and attic area can be protected against wildfire embers with 342 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:08.319 an ember resistant vent. Okay, but but there's also an 343 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:13.200 option of building an attic that is completely ventless. And Gabe, 344 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:15.200 what I've got to do here so I stay on 345 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:17.759 track with time, is I got a popy on hold 346 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:21.599 and have everybody just hanging there. What in the world 347 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.720 is this idea of a ventless attic and what will 348 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:29.559 it require? Because in your case, it might actually prove 349 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:34.920 most cost efficient initially and long term way more cost 350 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:38.799 efficient to at least consider or investigate the idea of 351 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:41.720 a ventless attic. Are those even allowed? Yes, they are. 352 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:44.799 How do you achieve them. We'll talk about that right after. 353 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.920 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 354 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:50.519 KFI Am six forty. 355 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:56.759 We're talking about all things your home today. I'm actually 356 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.279 talking about I've got my list of news stuff that 357 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:01.319 I'm sharing with you here. For the first part of 358 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:06.359 the year, I just collect new things, new insights, and 359 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:10.480 new products and technologies that affect the building and the 360 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:13.519 residential home industry. When I get enough of them to 361 00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:16.440 make a show out of them, boom new stuff. That's today, 362 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:18.160 and of course there'll be another one later in the 363 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:21.839 year as well. But right now I've been taking calls 364 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:25.119 and I've got Gabe on the line. I'm going to 365 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:29.279 get back to Gabe here. Gabe's still with me, yes, sir, 366 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:32.599 all right. So Gabe's got a house, He's got a 367 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:38.960 relatively high pitched roof with no eve overhang to speak of, 368 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:41.880 and he's concerned that he has a gross lack of 369 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.319 attic ventilation. And the question is how do how does 370 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:46.920 he get it or how does he deal with it? 371 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:49.799 Or in the bigger question that I love that he 372 00:22:49.920 --> 00:22:53.319 asked was how does he make his attic space more 373 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:56.960 thermally efficient for the house. And I've already explained in 374 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:00.599 the last segment what high and low attic do in 375 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:03.160 the traditional way of doing that, and then I left 376 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:05.519 you all hanging with the idea that there is such 377 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:09.680 a thing as a ventless addic. Is it code approved? 378 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:13.119 Yes it is? Is it cutting edge, yes it is. 379 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:18.559 Is it the kind of attic that Dean would tries 380 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:21.720 to design for all of his clients these days. Yes. 381 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:23.599 Is it the kind of attic that if I built 382 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:26.160 myself a new house, that I would have for myself, 383 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:32.200 Yes it is. And so what exactly am I talking about? Well, Gabe, 384 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:34.880 in your case, and you're going to have to weigh 385 00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:39.480 the financial upfront cost versus you know, the long term savings, 386 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:41.799 and there is a massive amount of long term savings 387 00:23:41.799 --> 00:23:45.480 with it. But here's what you do. You've got, first 388 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:47.400 of all, you've got an attic. If it has a 389 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:50.480 twelve and twelve roof pitch, that's a forty five degree angle, 390 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:53.480 that's a steep roof pitch. That means that you have 391 00:23:53.599 --> 00:24:00.200 a significantly navigable attic space up there. And so that 392 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:02.720 being the case, these are the steps that you take. 393 00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:07.240 You move the attic insulation from the attic floor to 394 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:11.920 the rafters, so that the rafters and the roof line 395 00:24:11.960 --> 00:24:16.359 itself becomes the edge of the thermal envelope, not the 396 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:20.359 floor of the attic. Okay, everybody who has a traditional 397 00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:23.880 attic has insulation on their attic floor, and their attic 398 00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:26.599 is essentially as far as the code is concerned, very 399 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:29.799 much like the garage, which is, yeah, it's covered, but 400 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:35.160 it's technically outside. Okay, it is not a conditioned space. 401 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:38.079