TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: And we are here to help you take over your dwelling improvement projects, take over those do-it-yourself dilemmas. If there’s something that you’d like to to get out of here in decor, amend, residence progress, outside, inside, we are here to help. We are on your crew and ready to pitch in but you’ve got to help yourself first by picking up the phone and calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT, 888 -6 66 -3 974.
Coming up this hour, we’re all switching on the heating systems right about now. And that symbolizes it’s a good time to talk about carbon-monoxide poisoning. You know, hundreds of people are affected by this every single year, so we’re going to have some gratuities on how you can be sure to be safe.
LESLIE: Plus, if you own a home, condo or even a co-op, probabilities are you’re was just going to required to impel unexpected fixings or take on betterments that you can’t do yourself. For those, it pays to have a pro that you can call. But instead of waiting for the dishwasher to miscarry, the roof to spill or the lavatory to blockage, what if "youve had" prescreened contractors on the standby, ready to jump in when the need develops? We’ll share gratuities on how to build your own home repair contact list, in exactly a bit.
TOM: Plus, fall is a great time for some really big planting and terrace projects, like building rock gardens or paver patios, shell pits, laying brand-new turf or even planting trees. We’re going to have some gratuities on how to get those professions done, even when you have no idea how you’d get all those large-scale and ponderous cloths back to your home to start with.
LESLIE: But first, we want to hear all about your residence assignments. What are you guys working on? Give us a summon. We’ve got gratuities. Anything you’re working on: decor, remodeling, home fixup, home betterments, seasonal nonsense. Whatever it is, we’re here to lend a hand, so utter us a call.
TOM: The number is 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Susan in Texas has some concrete that’s cracking up. Tell us what’s going on.
SUSAN: Yes, I have a curb out front of a 1955 -year-old home.
TOM: OK.
SUSAN: And the inhibit is cracking in smudges and going down in a standpoint. And I didn’t know- what do I need to do to repair that?
TOM: And this is your responsibility and not the township’s?
SUSAN: Yes. I’ve announced several times and everyone says it’s my responsibility to fix it. I time- they say when you sell your home- the inhibit plead? And I have a curb that’s messed up.
TOM: Yeah. The curb plead has got to start at the limited and you obstruct announcing and getting the same answer. So I guess you’re kind of stuck with it.
SUSAN: Right.
TOM: Well, listen, there’s a couple of things that spring to mind. First of all, when you say it’s slanted and ascent, if it’s settling then it’s going to have to be torn out. If it’s exactly cracked, there’s a lot of ways to fix the fissures. QUIKRETE contains a number of good produces that are designed exactly for that. There is a fissure seal, there’s a crack-repair product that’s kind of like caulk. There’s too a resurfacing concoction. So if it’s spalled or deteriorated, you can resurface it and it will stick to the old concrete and come out looking quite nice. So there certainly are concoctions to originate what you have glance better and work better.
But if the whole curb is structurally subsiding because sometimes water gets under it and that kind of stuff, then that’s the case where you’d have to tear it out and have a mason build you a new one.
SUSAN: OK, OK. But that QUIKRETE is pretty easy to do?
TOM: Absolutely, yes. Take a look at QUIKRETE.com. They got a lot of enormous videos there. They’ll walk you through exactly what you need to do. Merely search for “crack repair.” You’ll interpret there’s countless options, depending on the thickness of the crack and what you need to achieve, OK?
SUSAN: That is wonderful. Thank you so much.
TOM: Good luck. Thanks so much better for calling us at 888 -MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Jeff in Massachusetts is on the line who mysteriously has a hole in a lavatory door.
TOM: How’d that happen, Jeff?
JEFF: Yes, hello. Well, apparently, one of my guests slammed the bathroom door a little very hard-handed and it propelled the bolt out all by itself. So, we got locked out of our own bathroom.
TOM: Oh, boy.
JEFF: This is a very old building, a 1928 construct, and these are the thin paneled entrances where the centre of the door is a very thin panel.
TOM: Yep.
JEFF: So we bashed a gap through the members of the committee to open the door. Now, my question to you is: can this entrance be repaired? Can it be disassembled so we can replace the center panel or do I just go out and buy a whole new door?
TOM: So, is it a solid entrance or is it a hollow entrance?
JEFF: Well, it’s a solid door but the thick-witted part of the door is only 4 inches around the edge.
TOM: Right.
JEFF: And the center part of the door is a very thin, 1/4 -inch panel.
TOM: And is the panel a invoked panel? Does it have a design to it?
JEFF: No, it’s a flat- really a flat panel.
TOM: Oh, well, then I think you could change it. Is the door decorated or stained?
JEFF: I believe it’s been drawn numerous times.
TOM: Yeah, then I think there’s no reasonablenes you can’t fix it. It will be really hard to find a opening to match that space and I believe only taking the door apart- and a good carpenter can build you a body and set it right in there. And with a little of prosperity, it won’t look too much different than anything else.
JEFF: Well, that was my question, whether the door can be disassembled. I’ve heard of situations where they made a heard and fathomed out through the molding on the inside of a door, that holds in the panel, and they put the new panel in that way.
TOM: I don’t think you have to take it apart. In fact, I don’t think you can take it apart. I think what you’re probably talking about doing is routing out a groove on the back side of that so you can set the panel in and then maybe covering it with a small, quarter-round molding or something of that nature.
JEFF: OK. That’s the way to go. Well, thank you much needed for this.
TOM: Alright, Jeff. Good fortune. Thanks so much better for calling us at 888 -MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Linda in Ohio is on the line and needs some advice on purchasing a generator. How can we help you? By the behavior, enormous idea.
LINDA: Is it is feasible to use a generator when you live in an suite?
TOM: So are you talking about what kind of generator- like a portable generator or a standby generator?
LINDA: Maybe some standby if my power exits out.
TOM: So, for the purposes of an suite, you have to understand that a standby generator or a whole-house generator is something that’s permanently lay, Linda. So the answer "couldve been" no. That said, you could use a portable generator but of course, you’d have to run wires- increase cords- from the generator itself into the house. So it’s not very convenient.
There is something called a “transfer switch” that can work for a portable generator where it’s various kinds of like having a mini-electrical panel inside. But again, it’s something who are in need of some installing. And generally, when it’s an apartment, you can’t do that. So, the only thing you could really do "couldve been" to have a portable generator: one that you took out of storage, put outside- because you can’t run for your lives in the suite- and then range increase lines in to try to deal with that short-term, hopefully, strength outage.
LINDA: Wow. That is just like it would be difficult.
TOM: Yeah. It’s not the best answer but it’s- receive, because generators are something that are permanently installed into the building’s sort of core electrical system? And that’s why it’s real important that they be done correctly. You can’t- when you install these transfer switches inside, they have technology constructed into them to prevent what’s called a “backfeed, ” so that electricity doesn’t go back through the wire and can hurt a lineman, for example, that’s "workin on" the power cable. So, you can’t genuinely run for your lives without the send permutation and that are required to be permanently lay. And the generator itself is a very big appliance. That said, a portable generator is much smaller.
Now, if you precisely want to power a couple of things, you could use a very small generator. Generac has one that’s called the iQ that’s 2,000 watts. That’s under 1,000 horses and will power a exhibition number of household entries: small-minded appliances, illuminates, that sort of thing. But you have some options there. But again, you have to use an extension cord.
LINDA: OK. Well, thank you.
LESLIE: Isaac in Alaska is on the line. What can we do for you today?
ISAAC: Yes. I want to know- I have a basement that sometimes seeps sometimes. And I want to know, is there such a thing, like a vault opening or another basement exit, you can install on your cellar which will carry the spray away from your cellar and it also routines just like a space, likewise?
TOM: So, is the basement revealing whenever you have heavy rain?
ISAAC: Yes. It’s some sort- we have this certain times , not all the time. But specific times, they do. It spills in certain parts of it.
TOM: OK. That’s actually good story. Because the reason that it’s leaking is that you got a problem with sewage at the foundation perimeter. And if you solve that drainage question, you’ll stop it from seeping. Whenever you have rain that reacts- when a basement that spate in reaction to rain, then that is always, always, ever caused by a problem with drainage. And that’s easy to fix.
So I crave you to look at your sewer organization. Make sure it’s clean, make sure the downspouts are extended and make sure the soil around the house is sloped away. If you do those three things, you’re not going to have to worry about a inundated basement. The hypothesi of trying to channel water away is not such a good notion because we can stop that sea from assembling in the first place, OK?
ISAAC: OK. OK. Thank you for taking my bellow. I appreciate it.
TOM: You’ve got it. Good fortune with that activity. Thanks so much better for announcing us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: You are carolled to The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Give us a announcement with your home amend or your residence decor question. We’re here, standing by, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 888 -MONEY-PIT presented by HomeAdvisor, the fast and easy way to find my very best dwelling busines pros in your region. You can speak reviews and book appointments online.
Just ahead, carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that results from combustion of fuels, like natural gas, oil, kerosene or even charcoal-gray. We’re "re trying to tell" you how you can make sure that your heating system is safe, after this.
TOM: Making good homes better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
Give us a call at 888 -MONEY-PIT presented by HomeAdvisor. Find top-rated dwelling assistance pros and work appointments online, all for free.
TOM: 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: Audrey in South Dakota, you’ve get The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?
AUDREY: Right. I was like to hear your establish last weekend and I heard you talking about some sort of contact article but you gave it on your kitchen wall and you are able to gave tile on it for a backsplash.
TOM: Yeah. That’s a produce announced Bondera Tile Mat Set. Kind of a long name but basically, it’s a two-sided adhesive sticky textile that if wishes to do a backsplash, or for that matter a countertop, you draw away the backing on one side of it, press it against the wall- in your bag, for the backsplash. Then you are able to affix the tiles right to the other side of it, draw off the endorsement on the other side and you remain the tiles right on. And then you can pretty much grout immediately thereafter, so you don’t have to wait for glue to dry or even mix up cement or get a tile glue that can kind of get all over the place. It’s all on the rug. So you cut it to fit, employed it on the wall, draw away the back and then is moving forward and glue the tile right to it.
I would urge you, though, that I would not recommend you set this right on drywall because it’s going to be a permanent. You’re never going to get it off. And if you ever want to replace it, you’d have to cut the wall out because it’ll simply pull the paper right off.
What you could do is just introduced a thin membrane of luan plywood on the wall first and then put the tile right on that.
AUDREY: OK. Alright. Thank you very much.
TOM: Good luck. Thanks so much for calling us at 888 -MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Alright. Scott, you’ve came The Money Pit. How can we help you today?
SCOTT: We had ocean come in our basement two, 3 weeks ago from a rainstorm "were having". And I’m just wondering how to prevent that again.
LESLIE: OK. So far, you’ve dried everything out, gotten rid of any sort of issues that may have passed from the flood?
SCOTT: Yeah.
LESLIE: OK. So, if you’re getting water that comes along with a heavy rainfall, what you want to do is- that really is a signal that you’ve get sewage editions around the exterior of your home. So there’s a couple of things "youve got to" look at.
First of all, you want to look at your channel system. And a lot of parties don’t have a sufficient extent of ditches or maybe the gutters are impediment, perhaps the downspouts are clotted or perhaps the downspout really isn’t sitting in the right location. A slew of beings just made a downspout right next to the foundation wall and call it done.
So, what you want to do is made to ensure that your troughs are clean and free-flowing, downspouts very. Sometimes you have to snake those out. If they roll underground, wishes to make sure that everything is connected and it’s still moving the spray apart to where it’s supposed to be. And if they’re really ending at the foundation wall, you want to extend that downspout out at least 3 paws or so away from the foundation.
Then you want to look at the soil all around the perimeter of the foundation. You require to make sure that it downgrades away from the foundation. You require a gradual descent but wishes to make sure everything is moving away from the foundation wall. And if you can do that, that’ll genuinely do the trick.
A few years ago- gosh, more than a few years ago now, I had a clogged downspout. I didn’t even known about it. Went underground. I just assumed everything was fine and I came home to a super-duper-duper soggy basement and it was truly precisely because of that. And since we set that- strike lumber- it’s all working.
SCOTT: Alright. Well, thanks for your help.
TOM: Well, as some of you may know, carbon monoxide gas is an odorless gas that are in a position to be derived from combustion of gasoline: natural gas, lubricant, kerosene. It are now able to acquire you sick or it is unable to even cause death. And I’ve got to tell you, in the many years I spent inspecting homes before coming out of the crawlspace and into this radio studio, I encountered carbon-monoxide divulges with unusually surprising frequency.
LESLIE: Yeah. And that’s why you utterly must have your heating system sung up every single year.
Now, Tom, we ever say that but what exactly should a tech be looking for that could lead to a toxic place?
TOM: Well, there’s a number of things.
First of all, good combustion. If the flame is blue, that’s a good signaling. If it’s orange, it symbolizes it’s not combusting completely and that can actually secrete much more carbon monoxide. And likewise, you want to watch out for sort of a sugared, acidic-like odor. That too is evidence to suggest imperfect combustion.
The other things that they’re going to check for are, with a furnace, a hot exchanger. That’s kind of what keeps the exhaust gases separate from the house air. And if there’s a crack or a shortcoming in the heat exchanger, then that means you could have a mixing of the two.
And finally, they’re going to look at the draft which signifies, essentially, are all the gases going up the duct piping, up the flue pipe? You can sense, sometimes, with something as simple as the back of your hand, with any particular type of furnace, whether or not the gas is going up- the vent’s going up- or some of it was possible to blocked or prevented and sort of pushing down and back into the house.
So there’s a number of things a technician can do to make sure it’s operating properly. But it’s not the kind of thing you can do yourself. You genuinely have to have a pro check it and that’s why it’s important to have the heating system serviced about now, if you’ve not done it already.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And you know what? It’s interesting. We have a service contract with our heating provider. And they’ll put you at the top of the list should something happen in the middle of the winter, to come and repair things. But you’ve got to remember to book those appointments virtually near the end of the summer.
I forgot simply and called just two weeks ago. And I couldn’t get an appointment until mid-November, which I figured it’s better to have one than not have one at all. So, do that. It’s not too late to still get something before the high levels of the heating season.
And you know what? We should still too talk about other sources of carbon monoxide that can be hazardous, like make sure you never operate a automobile, use a barbecue, guided a generator, even a lawn mower in an open garage. Those stenches, if you’ve got an attached garage, can rise and then fill the house.
TOM: Exactly. And even if everything is operating properly, it’s always, always, always a good theory to have carbon-monoxide detectors. In fact, a CO detector is not only a good thought. In fact, they’re mandatory in a lot of states. So, reach sure you have detectors. If you can afford it, get one outside every bedroom, because that’s where most of the deaths exist: while beings are sleeping. They just don’t wake up.
888-666-3974. If you are working on a dwelling better assignment and need some attitude, give us a call right now. We are here to help.
LESLIE: Now we’re going over to Eunice in Arkansas who has a retaining wall that thinks it’s a chameleon. It’s changing dyes. What’s going on?
EUNICE: Part of it is- the portion that’s turning white-hot powdery-looking is the part that’s exposed to the weather. And it’s kind of spreading. It looks a lot like it’s - you are well aware, the whole thing will eventually turn grey. I don’t know if it’s oxidizing or if sweat from the anchor is starting it change dyes or what.
TOM: And that’s exactly what’s happening, Eunice. What you’re realise is called “efflorescence.” And essentially, water from the foot pullings up because those concrete blocks are very hydroscopic. So it- spray pullings up and then as the irrigate evaporates, it leaves its mineral salts behind. And that’s what that whitish/ grayish money is.
So it’s not destructive; it’s certainly just cosmetic. And there’s not going to be a lot you can do to stop it, though. If it’s an outside wall like that, if there’s going to be a lot of moisture collecting in that area, you’re going to get that sort of thing from happening.
EUNICE: Oh, OK. So power-washing it or abusing a chemical or anything wouldn’t make a difference?
TOM: Well, certainly, all you need- I’ll give you a little trick of the sell. If you use white vinegar- so if you were to mix up some white vinegar and mixture it with water in a pump-up sprayer, that will softened the mineral salts right away.
EUNICE: OK. Very good. Thank you so much.
TOM: Eunice, good fortune with that activity. You’re very welcome.
LESLIE: Alright. Carol in Oregon is on the line with some rust-brown liquid at her residence. What’s going on?
CAROL: My house is about 25 years old. I’ve lived in it for about six. My problem is well water corroding both of my toilets.
And I don’t know- I’ve tried utilizing Clorox. That doesn’t seem to work. I’m wondering if there’s something- some kind of a chemical or something- that I can frame inside the barrel to keep it from turning black.
TOM: So, have your tried CLR?
CAROL: No. What is that?
TOM: OK. So I would look- take a look at CLR. It’s a concoction that’s been around for many, many years. A huge corporation and it stands for Calcium, Lime and Rust. It’s specifically designed to clean-living rusty stains from shower fixtures.
CAROL: OK. Could you spell that for me?
TOM: Yeah. C-L-R.
CAROL: OK. Got it.
TOM: Stands for Calcium, Lime and Rust. See? I was never a good speller but I get that one, huh?
CAROL: Yeah. You did.
TOM: Alright. Good luck with that assignment. Thanks so much for announcing us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
LESLIE: Remember, you can reach us anytime 24 hours per day, 7 days a week with your home restore or your dwelling increase question right here at 888 -MONEY-PIT.
Up next, if you own a home, condo or a co-op, probabilities are, guys, you’re going to need to make unexpected amends or take on improvements that you simply can’t do yourself. For those, it does pay to have a pro that you can call before you actually need them. We’re going to share some gratuities on how you can build your own residence mend contact directory, next.
TOM: Making good residences better, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
Well, if you own a dwelling, condo or co-op, occasions are you’re going to need to make unpredictable repairs or take on progress that you just can’t do yourself. For those, it pays to have a pro you can call. But instead of waiting for that dishwasher to neglect, the ceiling to spill or the bathroom to clog, what if "youve had" prescreened contractors on standby, ready to jump in when that it is necessary to arises?
TOM: Well, HomeAdvisor.com trails hundreds of thousands of petitions from customers trying dwelling improvement pros. And Dan DiClerico, their dwelling professional and smart-home strategist says there are four pros that should be a part of that ready-to-use home better Rolodex and he affiliates us now.
Welcome, Dan.
DAN: Great to be here, guys.
TOM: I think this is a really smart suggestion, especially for those projects that pop up unexpectedly. It’s emergency measures; you need somebody right away. It’s so much easier to reach person you have a relationship with.
DAN: Sure, yeah.
TOM: Now, you guys did a sketch to try to figure out how much coin people are spending to maintain and clothe the basic amends of their residences. What did you find out?
DAN: So the average expense is about $6,000. That’s for- that’s the all-in.
TOM: Right.
DAN: That’s emergency situations restores or whatever ...
TOM: It’s not the new kitchen or soak, obviously.
DAN: That’s right, that’s title, that’s right.
TOM: Yeah.
DAN: So, certainly, it is those unexpected reparations. The biggest cause is water-related.
TOM: OK.
DAN: It’s clogged drains, it’s blocked bathrooms, that’s sort of thing.
TOM: So a plumber would be on your list of folks to dig it on their Rolodex.
DAN: Number one.
TOM: Yeah, OK.
DAN: Yeah, yeah. Number one.
LESLIE: And that’s a super-important one to have, peculiarly when you have two sons that like to flush a lot of things down the toilet that are not supposed to go down the toilet.
TOM: Yeah. Go down, yeah.
LESLIE: Good to have somebody you can call right away.
TOM: Yeah, yeah. When American Standard wants to try out new bathrooms, they applied them in Leslie’s house.
Alright. Let’s talk about HVAC.
LESLIE: I represent indeed. We- as you know, Tom- had an emergency during that large-scale polar vortex when the baby-sitter was like, “It’s cold.” And when I got home from work, cold was the understatement. It was 50 degrees in my house and at 7:30 at night, I needed an HVAC person that would come, come quickly and do a job that I could trust. And thank goodness I had one that I have a great relationship with. And genuinely, 15 minutes earlier, they were at my house and fixings were underway. That’s got to be a number-one guy to know.
DAN: Absolutely, yeah. A good heating-and-cooling contractor, “HVAC guy” we sometimes call in the business. Because you know the furnace "il go to" conk out, right, on the coldest day of the year. Your A/ C is going to go out in the middle of August. So having a good HVAC person is essentially for any homeowner.
LESLIE: Do you find that these pros- like if you’re doing some sort of prescreening, are these pros going to be annoyed that you’re doing this? Or are they various kinds of thankful that you’re looking for somebody to really keep close to your vest and use in one of these situations?
DAN: No, I think they’ll appreciate it because, listen, they want to be servicing your furnace during the off-season. So they want to build that relationship, as well. It’s going to help them manage their business.
TOM: Let’s talk about contraptions. I have a friend who has the worst appliance luck. And I speculate last week she "ve been told" that both her refrigerator and her stove used to go at the same experience, so ...
LESLIE: And that’s not me, by the way.
TOM: And that’s not you, Leslie. No.
But seriously, appliances are another thing that are key. If you’re a residence that’s doing a lot of laundry and the washer divulges, you’re in serious trouble because that’s going to build up quick before the babies run out of clothes.
DAN: Yeah. Yeah. You know, in general, devices are getting more reliable. But formerly they reach a certain age- 5, 10 times- something’s going to go wrong. The icemaker is going to break. There’s going to be some issues. So having a good contraption repair person is another essential.
TOM: How about the little stuff, though, right?
LESLIE: Yeah, it’s clearly good to have a handyman. You always find parties that are like, “I need a handyman.” But a handyman is such a general period. It are available to something from coating to amending a stair stride: material that some homeowners can undertake on their own. But a lot of people just need help with this little stuff.
DAN: Yeah. When you find a great handyman, hold onto him or her for dear life. They can direct all of those disaster restores, plus the thousands of those little things that come up: installing a light fixture, coating the guest room before your in-laws came to see you the weekend.
TOM: Alright. So let’s review. A plumber, heating-and-cooling contractor, gadget repair and of course, a handyman. Those four pros. Reach out now, pattern those relationships because you are most likely going to need them at some object during the year.
And as you learned, Leslie, only recently , nothing better than having such relationships before the heating system fails.
LESLIE: Oh, my goodness. It feels immense "when youve got" bumped up on that list. You’re in dire straits, so have such relationships and keep them.
TOM: Dan DiClerico, huge advice. Thanks so much better for stopping by The Money Pit.
If you’d like to learn more or find pros to start building your own Rolodex, go on over to HomeAdvisor.com.
LESLIE: Alright. Dan DiClerico, thanks so much better for affiliating The Money Pit.
Just ahead, fall is a great time for some really big planting and patio assignments, like building rock gardens, paver patios, flame opposes, laying brand-new turf or even planting trees. We’re going to have gratuities on how you can get those professions done, even when you have no idea how you’d get all those big and heavy materials to your home to start with, in today’s Better Get a Truck Tip presented by Hertz, after this.
TOM: Making good dwellings better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
Give us a call at 888 -MONEY-PIT presented by HomeAdvisor. Find out what it costs to do your home campaign before you hire a pro and instantly journal one of HomeAdvisor’s top-rated pros for free.
TOM: 888-666-3974.
LESLIE: Sal in Massachusetts is on the line with a question about an asphalt driveway. What’s going on? SAL: Last time, I had a driveway asphalted. They made out the old driveway and put it in a new.
TOM: OK.
SAL: And this year, I noticed that there were some crannies starting to evolve along the back- the leading edge of the driveway. But they were going into the asphalt and looked like a concave trough in the top of the driveway.
TOM: It was almost rectifying?
SAL: Exactly.
TOM: It sounds a great deal like the company that did the driveway for you didn’t prep properly. Because if they didn’t compact the evaluate underneath that driveway as one of the purposes of this or if they didn’t leant enough asphalt, then that’s going to happen. So, I think you need to go back to the company that did the original installation, because I think this is something that ought to have been warrantied. It’s indicative of inadequate workmanship, in my view.
SAL: Oh, OK. I didn’t realize that. I did call the original contractor and he came out, looked at it. And he said it was chipmunks. I said, “Wait. Is wrong with you? ” I said( inaudible ).
TOM: Chipmunks? You imply groundhogs?
SAL: So I said, “I’ve never heard of that before.” And he said, “Oh, yeah.” He said he got a lot of announces on that. So I said, “Well, he knows better than I do. So, he’s got more know than I have.”
TOM: Ugh. Listen, I’ve had abundance of groundhogs in dwellings that I’ve owned. And I ultimately get rid of them since we are use grub hold on the clay, on the grass. But this kind of a decide like this, it voices bigger than what the fuck is happen if there was a passage from a groundhog. Yeah, I think it wasn’t prepped properly. But it’s a very creative excuse. I’ll give him that.
LESLIE: It only doesn’t seem possible.
TOM: Alright. Sorry we don’t have better story for you. Good luck with that programme. Thanks so much for calling us at 888 -MONEY-PIT.
Well, fall is the perfect season for working outside and taking on some really big planting and patio campaigns, like building rock gardens, paver patios, flame pits, perhaps laying new turf or even embed trees. But if this is a project you’d like to get done or if you’re even wondering how you’d get all those large-scale and heavy information to your home to start with, we’re was just going to share some ideas in today’s Better Get a Truck Tip presented by Hertz.
LESLIE: Yeah. First of all, let’s talk about building a flame oppose. This is one of the greatest projects to do this time of time. And it’s genuinely not that difficult to do, which meets it a win-win for everybody.
Now, the most important step, though, is picking the privilege locale. You’re going to be aiming for a sweetened distinguish not too far away from the back door but not too close where those activates "re coming" flying off the barrage and land on your home roof or where the hot can soften the siding.
Now, to build it, you want to use landscape stones. These are large bricks about two to three times as big as a regular brick. And they come in shapes to build either square or round fire pits.
Now, to install them, you’re going to need to prepare a solid and position basi of well-packed gravel. Then simply load the big-hearted scenery stones on top of each other and give seriousnes do the rest.
TOM: Now, another great projection for this time of year is to build a rock garden or even a water peculiarity. The weather is perfect for this kind of heavy-laden part and it’s easier to get it done now and maybe only have to add embeds or finishing touches when the springtime arrives.
Now, before digging out what you already have and laying in the rocks, the stone or even a few bags of concrete, there are a lot of heavy textiles to deal with. So remember that Hertz does trucks and vans and has a great selection that can help do those materials home quickly and easily.
LESLIE: Now, the part of this project that often comes DIYers tripped up is figuring out the best layout. Well, here’s a gimmick that we found that can really assistance and all you are required to is a rope.
Now, you just want to use the rope to define the borders of the rock garden, sea feature or any other element that you want to build. And formerly it’s down, believe about whether it lookings good in the garden and if it also works with the flow of everything else that you’ve came out there.
You know, think about, for example, if the cliff garden is along a path. Is still remains to going to be enough office so that you can walk by? Are you going to need to run a lawn mower over the direction? Can the machine fit? Taking the time to think through these various scenarios and how the layout impacts that is really going to help you make sure that the number of jobs get done right and works well for your opening over time.
TOM: And that’s today’s Better Get a Truck Tip presented by Hertz. For any home assignment, store pickup or a move that needs more than your gondola can manage, remember HDTV: Hertz Does Trucks and Vans. Book now at Hertz.com.
LESLIE: Carol in Texas is on the line with a few questions about a ceiling rift. How is impossible to help you?
CAROL: I have a crack right in front of my figurehead opening. It’s a slab. It was the porch and then it was[ made into]( ph) the chamber of representatives. It’s more like a sunroom. We spread the outside of it all the way to the ends of the house, so it’s about 33 hoof across. And I think what happens is that it gets baked- the grime get baked- and so now we have a crack in that ceiling.
And we is looking forward to threw our house on the market next year. Being a realtor, I don’t actually want that rift picturing, because people get alarmed. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about but I don’t like the regards of it. So would you tell me what to do and get it on right?
TOM: So, the ceiling cloth in the porch is made use of what?
CAROL: It is sheetrock up there with the finishing so that you- it’s not popcorn or anything like that. It’s smooth finish on the ceiling.
TOM: And the fissure is - you said it’s 33 feet long. So is it a ...?
CAROL: No, no, no. The fissure croaks across the other direction.
TOM: Oh, OK. So it’s- good.
CAROL: It goes from a- yeah, it moves the other way.
TOM: So it’s not 33 feet long. Alright.
CAROL: Yes, sir.
TOM: So here’s what happens. The cracks reform because people generally spackle them. And then they expand and contract and it kind of registers through. The privilege nature to do it is to sand over the area of the rift so you get some rough surface there. And then you situated a piece of fiberglass amend strip across it, which is kind of like a mesh-looking kind of sticky-backed drywall tape. And it’ll contained there by itself and then you applied spackle on top of that so the fiberglass mesh actually bridges the divergence across the crack. And once that’s done, it’s a much stronger seam. And as the ceiling expands and contracts, the cranny doesn’t reform. It makes three or four good hairs of finish to get that done but that really is the sizzling ticket.
CAROL: And then you go ahead and decorate it white, just like your ceiling white paint?
TOM: Paint it. Yep, yep. Absolutely. Uh-huh. That’s correct.
CAROL: And I really don’t want it registering. I’m not really worried about it because it’s a very, very small hairline crack. I really- I know that it’ll alarm beings and so ...
TOM: Yep. Sure. Altogether understand. And I think that that’s mostly the right thing to do. OK?
CAROL: I appreciate that. And thank you for your help.
LESLIE: Alright. Thanks so much for calling The Money Pit presented by HomeAdvisor.com. You’ll never have to worry about overpaying for a profession. Really use the HomeAdvisor True Cost Guide to see what others have paid for similar programmes. It’s all for free at HomeAdvisor.com.
Coming up, did you know that the expanses you sleep on can "ve got a big" impact on whether or not you’re was just going to get a full night’s sleep? We’re going to have tip-off on my very best pillow for going some shut-eye, when The Money Pit continues.
TOM: Making good homes better, welcome back to The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Call us, right now, with your home progress question at 888 -MONEY-PIT or post it to The Money Pit’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ TheMoneyPit, just like Andrew in Colorado did.
LESLIE: That’s claim. Now, Andrew writes: “I recently realized that my second-floor bathroom exhaust fan simply transmits the aura from my bathroom directly into my attic. Should I worry about this? ”
TOM: Well, yeah. It’s a really bad idea. First of all, you’re sending hot, muggy air into a very cold space through the winter months, which means you’re was just going to get moisture, ocean, as in rot and decay and even mold. So, very bad idea to vent things into an attic. What you want to do is increase that duct to the exterior of the home.
Some houses don’t even have expressed fans, which is silly. They expect you to open the window in January to show out the bathroom. But in your case, you’ve got one. You simply need to extend it out to the side of the chamber of representatives. Probably through a gable wall at the end of the building is the most common place to do that.
So, definitely don’t live with that- especially in Colorado, Andrew- because you’re going to be starting some real serious moisture problems.
LESLIE: Alright. Next up, we’ve came Stan in Ohio who writes: “My timber garage door doesn’t seal when down. And anytime it sprinkles or snows, liquid comes in under the door. Constituent of the problem is that the flooring is ascent and doesn’t allow a ended seal. How do I deposit this? ”
TOM: Well, since it’s a timber doorway, what I would do is actually raise the door down to the what I presume is a concrete slab. And I would detect that floor direction onto the door and then mostly trimmed the door a little bit so that it now is flush with the angle of the flooring. This room, when you set a new close on it, it’ll fit perfectly all the way across that storey surface.
It’s simply like when you’re trying to fit a entrance. Sometimes you’ve got to cut the door to fit the opening. In such a case, you’ve got to cut the door to fit the floor.
LESLIE: Alright. Good tip.
TOM: Well, did you know that the expanses you sleep on can have a big impact on whether or not you’re actually getting a full night’s sleep? Leslie has tips on the best bedding for coming some serious shut-eye, in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.
Leslie?
LESLIE: Yeah. You know, comfort quilt runs a long way toward a good night’s sleep. But wading through all those thread tallies and fibers really is enough to procreate sure that you actually need a siestum right there.
But before you drop those dollars in upscale linens, you want to know exactly what each one offers and what their impediments are.
Now, bamboo sheets. They aren’t just soft. In fact, they’re sometimes compared to cashmere. And they’re actually going to get softer the longer you to be maintained. But if they’re from China- and most bamboo membranes are- there’s a chance that they are from an uncertified plant. So, hop-skip bamboo sheets if everything this doubts about where they are from is just going to help you stay awake more at night with the worry.
Another good alternative is organic Egyptian cotton sheets. They’re super sought after and with good reason. They’re soft, they’re sturdy, they’re breathable. They’re good for anyone who gets warm in the middle of the light. But if you adoration the sight of a crisp bed, you’ve got to pass on Egyptian cotton because it puckers very easily and it always appear a little bit unkempt. And I’m telling you, I’ve ironed more pillowcases and precisely the top one-quarter of a flat expanse to know that I don’t was intended to do that every day.
TOM: Exactly.
LESLIE: Now, other options, as these comfort sheets get, are nurtured silk expanses. And they’re the ultimate in softness. But even if you can afford to splurge on this item, the long-term cost might be more than you bargained for. Because silk sheets, they can be easily damaged by maybe a jagged toenail or a fingernail or even if you just have rough skin on your joints or your heels. And is everything all right, guys, everybody’s got bumpy heels. We all do. So silk sheets had not been able to the choice for you.
And forget about expending the washer and dryer to scavenge them. These membranes are going to need to be hand-washed or dry-cleaned. And then they’ve got to be air-dried, so that’s a lot of work. But I’m telling you, a silk membrane is wonderful even though it is you time use it for a pillowcase, because it does wonders for your fuzz and your skin on your face. Clearly worth noting. So if you’re going to invest in silk, maybe only stick to a pillowcase.
TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show on aura and online at MoneyPit.com. Coming up next time on the programmes, do heating costs send a chill down your sticker even when your house is heated? If you are sick of paying a bale to heat your place, we’re going to have gratuities for spending less, on the very next edition of The Money Pit.
I’m Tom Kraeutler.
LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself ...
LESLIE: But you don’t have to make love alone.
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