Show Notes
In this show, get expert advice on creating a simple landscaping plan to transform your outdoor space, maximizing your deck’s potential by installing an under-deck drainage system, and cleaning delicate window shades without risking damage. Plus, stay tuned for answers to more home improvement questions to create your best home ever!
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Window Shades: Get tips on how to clean delicate window shades without damaging them.
- Underdeck Drainage: Add dry, usable outdoor space with an underdeck drainage system.
- Landscaping: Design a stunningly simple landscaping plan for your home, lifestyle, and budget.
Top Questions & Answers
- Driveway Repair: Water is pooling in sunken areas of the driveway. Joe can use a blacktop patching product and then reseal the whole surface.
- Moisture: To reduce moisture building up on interior walls, Laura should run the A/C consistently, direct bathroom and kitchen vents outside, improve exterior drainage, and install a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Creaky Floor: Kevin’s floor is creaking under the tiles. He gets info on how to find the movement from the basement and use shims to tap into the floor gaps from underneath.
- Noisy Pipes: There’s a loud banging in the basement whenever the water is used. Nicole learns it may be water hammer or the well pump going on and off.
- Electrical Wiring: Jay’s electrician said he can just split the circuits and use an arc fault breaker instead of replacing all the old wiring. We confirm that’s excellent advice.
- Roofing: Should Tina remove the old roof shingles before installing a metal roof? We agree it’s a bad idea to leave the shingles because of the heat factor.
- Concrete Stains: Is there a way for Garland to remove battery acid stains on his garage floor? We recommend covering the garage floor with epoxy paint.
- Wall Paint: Diane wants advice on applying a Venetian plaster effect to her walls. It’s a unique look that may take practice and we suggest using it on a focal wall.
- Sump Pump: Bob has questions about a sump pump that runs through the carport. He should install a check valve so water can’t back up and a curtain drain to direct the water.
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript
Read Transcript
| 00:00:32 | TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 00:00:38 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
| 00:00:39 | TOM: And we are thrilled to be with you on this beautiful spring day to help you tackle the projects that you want to get done around your house. Wherever you live, house, apartment, co-op, condo, yurt, we don’t care if you’ve got a place you call home and you want to decorate it, you want to improve it, you want to make it more functional, more comfortable, more efficient, more fun. You’re welcome. You are in the right place because that’s what we do. And we love to talk with you about your projects. But your job, your first job on that to-do list is to call us. You can do that by calling 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or better yet, just go to moneypit.com slash ask and click the blue microphone button. Coming up on today’s show, whether you have a green thumb or need to hire out the job, sprucing up your landscaping is a great way to step up your space. We’re going to have tips on how you can create a simple landscaping. For a beautiful exterior to your home. |
| 00:01:32 | LESLIE: And Zillow says an outdoor living space is the most popular feature for today’s home buyers. If you’ve got an elevated deck, you can double your functional outdoor space with an underdeck drainage system. We’re going to explain how adding one can open up a lot of possibilities for this formerly wet and damp space. |
| 00:01:50 | TOM: And when it comes to spring cleaning, one thing that often gets ignored is the shades. That’s because today’s cellular pleated shades are delicate. So we’re going to share some tips on how to clean those shades without damaging them and freshen up your space at the same time. |
| 00:02:04 | LESLIE: But before we get to what we want to talk about, we want to hear what you want to talk about. Whether you’re planning a small decor project or maybe diving into a full-blown renovation, we’ve got you covered. |
| 00:02:15 | TOM: That’s right. From fixing leaks to sprucing up your space, we’re here to help you every step of the way. So call us right now at 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or better yet… Go to MoneyPit.com slash ask and click the blue microphone button. You can record your question. It’ll come right to us and we will get back to you with an answer. So let’s get started. Leslie, who’s first? |
| 00:02:40 | LESLIE: Heading to New York State where we’ve got Joe on the line who’s dealing with a driveway issue. What’s going on? |
| 00:02:45 | CALLER: Yes, I had a driveway put in, oh, maybe five, six years ago, an asphalt driveway. And it’s developing what’s called, what I call birdbaths in it. |
| 00:02:55 | TOM: Birdbaths, yes, of course. Sunken in areas where the water comes in. |
| 00:02:58 | CALLER: Yeah, where you park. Not so much where you drive up and down the driveway, but where you park. One area in particular has quite a few of them. And I didn’t know if there was something new on the market that can be filled in with, traveled in. We do have it sealed every other year. So that doesn’t fill in that area. But I didn’t know if there was something new on the market that that could be used for. |
| 00:03:26 | TOM: Yeah, certainly. So first of all, it’s a shame that you had this done five years ago and you’re getting these kinds of sags. I think what a lot of folks don’t realize is that there are a lot of different ways to mix up asphalt. And what I hear from asphalt contractors is most people want to have a very smooth, attractive driveway. But that’s not the strongest driveway. The driveway mixes that have more rock in them, more chips in them, they’re a little stronger. So usually they try to split the difference. But it ends up where we get some driveways that are soft and you get these types of settled sort of potholes in that space. So there’s a common product called blacktop patch. It’s made by a number of different manufacturers. And you basically follow the directions. But they’ll have you scuff up that sunken area as it is now. Make sure you get any moss or mildew out of that. Make sure it’s not wet. And then you’ll apply the patch there and you’ll tamp it down and let it dry. So you do that in all of those sunken areas and then you reseal the whole surface. And it remains pretty invisible when you follow that procedure. You patch first, then you seal right over the patch. So it all looks the same when you’re done. Does that make sense? Yeah. |
| 00:04:33 | CALLER: Does that come in a bag or is it like a pail? |
| 00:04:36 | TOM: It’s premixed. It’s in a pail. I mean, you can buy a quart for maybe $15, $20. But I’m sure it comes in gallons and even five-gallon tubs. I would look at the Quickrete patching compound. It’s commercial grade. That’s good stuff. And that should work for you. |
| 00:04:51 | CALLER: Quickrete patching compound. Okay. Well, thank you very much. I’ll check that out. Good luck. |
| 00:04:55 | LESLIE: Lauren, Mississippi. Mississippi is dealing with a very humid home and it has a lot of moisture in the walls. What’s going on? Tell us about it. |
| 00:05:02 | CALLER: I was calling to find out what do you have to do to keep like moisture build up on the walls and the inside of the house that could turn maybe to old mildew. What do you have to do to keep that away? |
| 00:05:18 | TOM: So I think it’s a combination of things, Laura. I mean, first of all, if you have air conditioning, you want to make sure you’re running it consistently because air conditioning happens to be a problem. Pretty good dehumidifier. Secondly, if you have ventilation fans, these would be in your bathrooms and also in your kitchen. Make sure, absolutely sure they’re venting outside and not recirculating moisture back into the house in the case of a recirculating, say, fan, exhaust fan above your stove or in the bathrooms, just dumping it like into the attic. Make sure it’s moving that moisture outside. Now, if it’s still excessively humid, there’s a couple of things you can do outside your house. The more water that collects at the foundation. of your house, the more moisture is going to end up on the inside of your house because it evaporates into that space. So make sure you’re checking your gutters and your downspouts and getting that water away, making sure the soil slopes away. And then finally, if you’re still having a lot of humidity issues, you can install a piece of equipment that is called a whole home dehumidifier. Now, it’s not like the dehumidifiers that usually are, you know, maybe two foot by three foot. They sit in the corner and they have like a bucket. You have to like empty every now and again. It’s not like that. A whole dehumidifier fits into your HVAC system. It’s installed professionally, but these things can take out like 90 to 100 pints of water a day. So hopefully some of those suggestions will help you dry up this house. |
| 00:06:39 | LESLIE: Hey, you want to make our day? Well, go ahead and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and we’ll be jumping for joy. Plus, you guys, your feedback helps us make the show even better for you. Just go to moneypit.com slash review. |
| 00:06:52 | TOM: Well, hey guys, we have a terrific giveaway going out to one lucky listener. It’s from. It’s their first alert. It’s their 10-year battery, two-in-one smoke and CO alarm. And I love this because this new first alert detector we’ve got has got this precision detection system. It’s advanced sensing technology and that reduces cooking nuisance alarms. I’m not saying I’m a bad cook, but I’m just saying it’s a good thing to have, you know, burnt toast or burnt chili. It doesn’t matter. It’s going to reduce the nuisance alarms and focus in on providing early warning in the event you have a real fire. It’s also got two-in-one protection against both smoke and carbon monoxide. And best of all, it’s got a 10-year sealed battery. So you never need to replace the battery. Use it for 10 years, you throw it away, and you get a new one. And we’re also going to include a Wi-Fi water leak and freeze detector and a fire extinguisher all from First Alert for a total package value of $215. If you’d like to win those fine products from our friends at First Alert, reach out to us with your questions right now because we’re going to choose one listener drawn at random to send them to us. Send that First Alert package to that number again is 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974 or go to moneypit.com slash ask. |
| 00:08:07 | LESLIE: We’ve got Kevin from North Carolina on the line dealing with some creaky floors. What’s going on? |
| 00:08:13 | CALLER: We’re a full basement. I’m the first on the floor there. I got like in the kitchen. I got 12-inch tiles on the floor. Okay. And right where it gets a lot of pressure is like right in front of the refrigerator. Right. Where I guess everything’s planned. And it’s got, I’m hearing the creaky floor. Okay. I haven’t broken any grout yet or tiles, but I figure if I don’t find the solution for that movement in the floor, the underflooring, I’m going to break grout and tile. |
| 00:08:47 | TOM: And do you have an exposed ceiling so you can see the floor joists? Yes. |
| 00:08:51 | CALLER: It’s a wooden I-beam floor joists. |
| 00:08:53 | TOM: T-J-I’s. Okay. Yes. All right. So what you do. Is you get a partner. I do this with cell phones. I always call my partner and they’re in one part of the house and I’m in the other. And then slowly but surely start stepping on those areas where you’re hearing that movement. And you’re going to see in the basement where the floor is moving. And there’s going to be probably a small amount of space between the top of the T-J-I and the underside of the plywood subfloor. Once you identify that, take shims. I like to use wood shingles like undercourse, like cedar shingles. They’re easy to cut and split. And you start to, you put a little glue in them and you start to tap them into those spaces. Now you don’t want to overdo it because you could, the opposite problem could happen. You could try, you could raise that tile and crack it that way. But you want to fill in those gaps from below. Snug it up. And snug it up. Right. Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to put it off forever, but I think it will buy you some time. The fact that you’ve got movement now tells me that the base was not put down properly. Whatever’s supporting that now. It should have been on a mud floor. On a mud floor or something that was super stiff, like three-quarter inch plywood. Right. Because if you have large tiles like that and they’re starting to move now, eventually they’re going to crack. Right. And the other thing is that there’s a membrane that goes under tiles now that helps with any movement of the tile. And so without that membrane there, you’ll also continue to get some movement. But the way you fix those kinds of floors when they’re moving and you’ve got to finish the floor on top is by shimming the space between the top of the TJI, in your case, the joist, and the underside of the plywood subfloor. Okay? |
| 00:10:25 | CALLER: That will make sense. I sure do appreciate the call back and help me with that. And that’s exactly what I’ll do. |
| 00:10:32 | TOM: All right. Good luck with that project. |
| 00:10:35 | LESLIE: Well, landscaping is one of the most cost-effective improvements that a homeowner can make. But whether you are starting from scratch or you need a total yard makeover, planning that space on paper before you put your shovel in the ground definitely helps make sure that it comes out perfectly. Yeah. |
| 00:10:50 | TOM: Now, there are really four things to consider. First, what will the space be used for and by whom? I mean, are we talking about a kid’s play space, a garden, a casual, relaxed area, or a real showpiece? And next, you’re going to want to prioritize your wish list. You want to compare your needs versus what you might like to have so you can make some practical decisions on which way to go. |
| 00:11:11 | LESLIE: Now, next, you’ve got to decide how much time you’re willing to set aside for maintenance of this area. And this is a big one because the best-laid plans will not pan out if you are not willing to put in the time and the effort to maintain it. And, of course, budget. Budget is a huge factor here. So how much do you want to spend on that project and how much do you want to spend on that maintenance to, you know, keep it looking great all those years to come? |
| 00:11:34 | TOM: You know, landscaping is really one of the best ways to quickly increase a home’s value with relatively little cost. Even just planting some colorful flowers and landscaping beds, grooming your lawn, or adding potted plants can create a drastic transformation and a higher perceived value. And now is the time to do it. While we’re still smack dab in spring, plan that landscaping. Landscaping makes some improvements, and you’re going to really have the entire summer and fall to enjoy it. |
| 00:12:01 | LESLIE: Now we’ve got Nicole from Connecticut on the line who’s dealing with some noisy pipes. What is going on? |
| 00:12:06 | TOM: Every time we flush the toilet and use a shower or wash a load of laundry, there’s a well here, and we hear loud banging in the basement where the well, you know, water comes in through the basement floor. There’s two things I’m thinking. I’m thinking that could be causing this. The first one is pretty straightforward. It’s called water hammer. And water hammer occurs when some of those plumbing pipes in the basement are loose. If they’re not well attached to the wood framing, you know, usually the ceiling joists in this example, then when you open up a faucet or close a faucet or flush a toilet, that water movement through the pipe suddenly stops. But sometimes the force continues to shake the pipe. And that is what we call. It’s called the water hammer. And because they’re metal pipes, they tend to transmit that sound quite effectively all over the house. You know, we get calls from folks that are, it makes them so miserable because if somebody goes to the bathroom, you can hear it in the dining room during dinner because the pipes are making such a racket. So water hammer is one possibility. But because you also have a well, it might also be that what you’re hearing is the well pump go on and off. Now, it shouldn’t go on and off every time you run the water. If you have. If you have an expansion tank near it. So the expansion tank basically holds the water and then you sort of feed off of this tank when you draw water and it has to go down to a certain point before it refills with more water that gets served through the pipes. So I would just tell you to do a test, have mom or you stand in one location, the other person near the well, and then run some faucets and turn them on and off and so on and see if it is that the well is going on every time it draws water. Because that’s not supposed to happen. That’s a lot of wear and tear on the well pump. It’s a lot of expense in terms of energy. And if you had the right type of tank in there next to it, that could stop that from happening. If it’s not the case, then it’s most definitely going to be water hammer. And again, you can secure those pipes to the underside of the floor joist structure. There’s hangers for that. Or in the worst case scenario, there’s also a plumbing component called a water hammer arrestor, which you can think of as a shock absorber. And it goes on the end of some of those water pipelines. And basically takes. Some of that excessive pressure and settles it down so it doesn’t shake the pipe as much. |
| 00:14:29 | LESLIE: Okay. |
| 00:14:30 | CALLER: Wonderful. |
| 00:14:30 | LESLIE: Thank you so much for all your help. We’ve got Jay from Virginia on the line who’s got a wiring question. What’s going on? |
| 00:14:36 | CALLER: Well, I just recently purchased the old family home place. Awesome. Built in 1950. Actually built by my grandparents. When I say built it, I mean they built it other than the bricks. I’m looking to do some updating. The house is very good structurally. We’ve recently replaced the old oil furnace with, you know, modern heat pump. So we’re good to go there, but the main part of the house still has the original non-grounded 1950s wiring in it. Okay. There is an addition in the back that was added about 30 years ago, and at that time, 200 amp service was brought in, and I guess a modern circuit breaker. So everything just kind of is sub-fed from that into the house. Okay. So I had an electrical contractor come in last week, look around, and I was thinking, all the wiring would just need to be replaced, and he said no. He said if the wiring itself isn’t causing any problems, then he would advise that you simply put arc fault circuits in the breaker and maybe split out a couple of circuits if needed, and I should be okay, and I wanted your opinion on that. Yeah. |
| 00:15:43 | TOM: You’re dealing with a real professional there. That’s excellent advice. I mean, your wiring is grounded through the neutral, the 1950s wiring, but it doesn’t have a separate third ground wire. But what he suggested was, you know, if you’re going to have a circuit breaker, you’re going to have to have a circuit breaker. Yeah. It’s a very common application where essentially, if you put the arc fault breaker, which for those that are unfamiliar, a ground fault detects diversion of current to ground source, which is what happens if you’re getting a shock. And arc fault does that, plus it monitors the wiring for overheating and turns it off. So that’s a really smart thing to do. And by putting it at the panel, it can be wired in such a way that it covers the entire circuit. So that is a smart thing. It’s going to save you some money and make the house a lot safer. |
| 00:16:18 | CALLER: Sounds great. So once he does that work, if I get that done, then I can go to the outlet. And I have replaced them over the last few months with brand new two-prong outlets. But could I then replace those with three-prong and be safe? No. |
| 00:16:34 | TOM: No? Because you don’t have three-prong outlets. You don’t have a third wire. So you’re always going to have the two-prong outlets. |
| 00:16:40 | CALLER: Okay. Okay? Got it. Got it. Sounds great. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much. |
| 00:16:45 | LESLIE: Now we’ve got Tina in Tennessee on the line who has a roofing issue at Hermione Pit. What’s going on? Yes. |
| 00:16:50 | CALLER: We need to replace the shingles. Some of them have come off. And it’s an Ogre Home two-story. It’s got plywood under there. And then the shingles. So I didn’t know. I kind of wanted to put a metal roof back on. And I was wanting to know, do you have to take the shingles off all the way down to the plywood? Or would it be better, you know, sometimes they do that and strip that with the planks or plywood or whatever. Or would it be better to remove all that? Or could I leave it on? Or how’s the best way? |
| 00:17:19 | TOM: So, I mean, I think a contractor will tell you you can leave the shingles on, but I think it’s a bad idea. There’s no purpose for them to be there. But they tend to act as sort of like a heat sink. You’ll get a lot hotter roof as a result of that. And then that heat radiates down through the house, increases your air conditioning cost. If you leave a layer of shingles on and put asphalt on top of that, then the upper layer of roof shingles don’t last nearly as long as the original because now, again, they’re just being heated an excessive amount of time. So I would recommend that you go right down to the plywood. Metal roofs are always a great choice. They are a lifetime roof. They’re very expensive. But once you do it and if you do it right, you pretty much never have to replace that roof. Or if you want to try to just go with a roof that’s going to last you, say, 20, 25 years, I would take those old shingles off and I would put a good quality asphalt shingle back on there and then just enjoy the next quarter century with that roof. |
| 00:18:10 | CALLER: If I put the metal roof on, I still need to probably take the shingles off. |
| 00:18:14 | TOM: I recommend that. Yep, absolutely. |
| 00:18:16 | CALLER: All right. Thank you. |
| 00:18:18 | LESLIE: All right. Now we’re going to head over to Yuma, Arizona, where Garland is on the line. How can we help you? |
| 00:18:23 | CALLER: Well, I was filling the batteries on my golf cart on my concrete and it overflowed and there was some battery acid on my concrete and I sprayed some water, but it looked like it stained a little. Is there any way I can remove that stain? |
| 00:18:43 | TOM: Do you have any finish on the concrete now? Is it painted or anything of that nature? |
| 00:18:47 | CALLER: No, it’s not painted, no. |
| 00:18:49 | TOM: Well, now would be a great time to do that. You know, I don’t think structurally it has any effect on it, but when you do like an epoxy paint for concrete slabs for garages, typically what you would do is you would use an acid wash first. It usually comes in the kit. So you’ve already started. |
| 00:19:07 | LESLIE: |
| 00:19:08 | So you started, right. I mean, you’re partway there. Okay. So I wouldn’t worry too much about that. And also, you will find that a painted garage floor with epoxy paint is beautiful and easy to clean. It’s outside under my carport. Yeah, that’s totally fine as well. But you’ll find that that painted concrete, if you use an epoxy paint, there are also terrazzo finishes now for concrete that are gorgeous. It just looks great and it’s a lot easier to clean. So what I would do is I would take a look at the products that are made by Daich Coatings. That’s D-A-I-C-H, DaichCoatings.com. They are a leader in this space. Their products are very well made, family business, and we love them. Okay. And you’ll find them also at Lowe’s and Home Depot. But go to DaichCoatings.com, take a look at the website, and you’ll be able to see the variety of coatings that you can choose from. Okay. |
| 00:20:06 | CALLER: Thank you. |
| 00:20:06 | TOM: Good luck, Garland. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-Money-Pit. |
| 00:20:11 | LESLIE: Now we’re going to talk about plaster wall finishes with Diane from Tennessee. What’s going on? Hi. |
| 00:20:16 | CALLER: I want to do a Venetian plaster effect in my movie room. Okay. And I bought the product from Lowe’s with Valspar. So I’m not sure if it’s a true Venetian plaster, but it’s supposed to be probably an easier way to do it. And I wasn’t sure if I should do it on a focal wall only or do the whole room or if that would be too much. |
| 00:20:36 | TOM: Let’s see. What is Venetian plaster in its original form? |
| 00:20:40 | LESLIE: So I believe that it’s plaster with the color tinted into it. And when you put it on, it’s sort of burnished in a way. So you get areas with like a shine. And then you get areas that are, I don’t want to say porous, but they kind of look like you’ve skipped a spot. But I guess porous is the right answer. So you’ve got areas that look almost like coral where it’s like kind of rough and pocky. And then you’ve got some that are super polished. So it’s a technique in the product and how you put it up. |
| 00:21:09 | TOM: So does it provide a texture or is it pretty much flat? |
| 00:21:13 | LESLIE: It’s kind of a combination of both because in the areas where you’ve got the smooth, shiny burnished parts, that’s super flat. And then right next to it where you have these sort of like openish spots, while it’s flat, it still has like almost divots in it. So it’s kind of a mix of two textures in the process of install. |
| 00:21:30 | TOM: And you know why I’m asking that? Because I can’t tell you, Diane, how many calls we get in the show about textured surfaces that people are tired of and they want to get rid of. And it’s hard, you know? |
| 00:21:40 | LESLIE: I mean, it’s beautiful. And it’s a finish that if you like and you’re going to be in that house and it’s a process that you’re willing to either learn how to do or pay the expense. Of having it installed for you and you’re going to enjoy it. I say go for it. I mean, I’ve seen it more popular several years ago. I don’t really know of its popularity currently, but it is a very specific look and the color can be sort of rich and muted at the same time if that makes sense because of the burnishing. It really is a lovely finish. |
| 00:22:08 | CALLER: I’m thinking I just want to do maybe two focal walls instead of the whole room. But that’s what I wanted your advice if you had anything to add to that. |
| 00:22:15 | LESLIE: I mean, is this something you’re doing yourself? |
| 00:22:17 | CALLER: Yes. |
| 00:22:18 | LESLIE: Yeah. So you’re going to find that it’s definitely a trial and error. Maybe do some work on a sample piece of drywall that you’ve sort of prepped first to sort of get that technique down so that you feel comfortable before you apply it to your walls. And then I would definitely keep it as a focal wall or an area above wainscoting or something like that, depending on the room. But definitely try a sample part first and make sure you’re comfortable with the process and you’re happy with the results. Okay. |
| 00:22:45 | CALLER: Thank you so much. |
| 00:22:46 | TOM: Well, according to Zillow, a functional outdoor living space is designed to be a place where you can live in your living space is the most sought after amenity among today’s homebuyers. And if you have an elevated deck, you can actually double your functional outdoor space by putting in an underdeck drainage system. |
| 00:23:01 | LESLIE: Yeah, definitely. Because without a drainage system, that area becomes so gross. It’s like damp and moldy and muddy. Yeah. |
| 00:23:08 | TOM: It’s like a no man’s land. You really can’t use it. Yeah. |
| 00:23:11 | LESLIE: It’s really no good. But if you have or are planning to build an elevated deck, a good underdeck system to consider is Trex Rain Escape. Now, it’s going to create a dry usable space beneath an elevated deck and extends the life of your deck by protecting the foundation from moisture damage and decay. And the way it works is really interesting. Now, the system has an integrated network of troughs and downspouts that all work together to capture rain and funnel it away from your deck. And that’s going to keep the space underneath dry so that you can use it as a patio or extra storage or pretty much whatever. Yeah. |
| 00:23:47 | TOM: Now, I’ve looked at a number of these systems, Leslie, over the years and they’re not all the same. Most drainage systems install below the joists of the deck and that leaves the wood and the metal structure exposed to the elements. I mean, the water has to fall through the deck boards and to get to the drainage that’s underneath. The difference here with Trex Rain Escape is it installs above the joists between the framing and the deck boards on the deck surface and that allows it to protect that entire substructure. So we’re talking about the floor joists, the hardware, the joist brackets, all the important parts, and then keeps that space beneath the deck safe from water penetration. |
| 00:24:23 | LESLIE: Now, once protected, that space beneath the deck can be enclosed for storing lawn and garden equipment, pool toys, yard games, or you can even outfit it with furnishings and accessories to create an outdoor room that you can use. You can even run gas or electrical lines safely between that deck surface and the soffit ceiling so that you can power lighting, a ceiling fan. A grill, an appliance, pretty much whatever. |
| 00:24:46 | TOM: It’s a total outdoor room. It’s really pretty neat. The Trex Rain Escape system is easy and efficient to install on a new deck or when deck boards are being replaced. You basically only need three tools, a utility knife, a staple gun, and a caulk gun. So it doesn’t get any easier than that. It’s backed by a 25-year limited warranty and it’s available through specialty decking dealers as well as online through Lowe’s and the Home Depot. Go to trexrainescape.com to find a dealer near you. Hey, Leslie. Great giveaway this hour, right? |
| 00:25:16 | LESLIE: Yeah, we sure do. We’ve got the First Alert 10-year battery 2-in-1 smoke and CO alarm. And it’s great to have a combo unit and it’s even better to have one with a 10-year battery built right into it. So you don’t have to worry about when you have to change a battery or every time changing the battery. Just literally write the date on the side so you remember 10 years from now, time for a new one. It’s going to give you 2-in-1 protection against both smoke and carbon monoxide. It will definitely help keep your family safe. And we’re also including a Wi-Fi water leak and freeze detector. Home fire extinguisher from First Alert for a total package value of 215 bucks. |
| 00:25:50 | TOM: Going out to one listener drawing at random. If you’d like to win it, you got to be in it by reaching out to us with your questions. We will pick one name in a Money Pit hard hat and if it’s you, we’ll send that First Alert package right along. The number again is 1-888-Money-Pit. That’s 888-666-3974. Or better yet, just go to moneypit.com slash ask and click the blue microphone button. |
| 00:26:13 | LESLIE: Heading up to the northeast. East where we’ve got Bob in Connecticut on the line dealing with a carport issue. What’s going on? |
| 00:26:19 | CALLER: I have a sump pump hole, you know, attached to a swamp in the back. And I have to really think about a way of sealing that area because there is a pipe that comes from the swamp area and floods my carport. There are also cracks in the flooring of the floor. |
| 00:26:39 | TOM: Of the carport? Yes. |
| 00:26:41 | CALLER: Okay. And it might be a very thinly, you know, laid out. It’s a very thin area of concrete, so I can’t really say it’s drivable. You can drive on it. But there are cracks, there are heroin cracks to seal. So it’s a two-sided type of issue. And then, of course, along the edge of the area which goes up against the concrete walls, you have that kind of, you know, seepage. So you’ve got seepage issues as well as flood issues. And it’s just on my card because I wanted to see what you recommend to seal that, you know, sump area. Okay. |
| 00:27:14 | TOM: And to help clarify this, you’ve named a number of things. So you have a carport. The concrete in the carport surface is questionable, as you mentioned, maybe fairly thin, has cracks in it. You also mentioned you have a sump pump. Is the sump pump inside your house foundation or is it outside? |
| 00:27:29 | CALLER: Outside, you know, in the carport. |
| 00:27:30 | TOM: A sump area in the carport, so there’s like a hole where a pump could be installed? Yes. |
| 00:27:35 | CALLER: Okay. |
| 00:27:35 | TOM: And you’re discharging this, you said, out into a marsh, is that correct? Yes. Do you have a check valve on the carport on the sump discharge? Do you know what a check valve is? It’s a one-way valve, so water goes one way, but it can’t back up. |
| 00:27:46 | CALLER: There is no check valve like that. All it is is like corrugated piping or solid piping. Okay. |
| 00:27:53 | TOM: So if you’re telling us that water is backing up into that sump through the same pipe that you’re pumping it out, you need a check valve for that. If you’re telling me that water is running from the swamp area, so to speak, towards the house, then there’s another way to intercept that. Is that a condition that you’re seeing as well? |
| 00:28:09 | CALLER: Well, yeah. There’s no check valve. It’s just piping that was… I think it’s towed with debris. Right. That’s it. I could even put a lot of concrete down there and seal it. |
| 00:28:20 | TOM: You’re not going to stop the water from getting in there. You can’t really seal it. You’ve got to manage the water. So if that pipe is not free-flowing, that’s the place I would start, and I would put a check valve in there so the water can’t back up. And if water is running into that house, because sometimes we have houses where the grade is higher than the house itself, in your case, higher than the carport. Okay. So what you use is something called a curtain drain, which basically goes at the low point to collect water as it runs towards that carport. And then it fills up a pipe which is below grade, and then that is discharging somewhere else that’s lower than where it started. So you’re kind of managing that water around it. So those are two things I can think of that would help you reduce the volume of water. And if the concrete is in poor condition and you’re going to tear it out and replace it, anyway, that would give you the opportunity to say… Yeah. …to enlarge that sump pit or take any discharge lines that are going across the carport and run them through the concrete and that. But I’m afraid that’s all we have for you. So good luck with that project, and thanks for calling the Money Pit. Yeah. |
| 00:29:26 | CALLER: Thank you. |
| 00:29:28 | TOM: Well, guys, when it comes to spring cleaning, one thing that often gets ignored is the shades, and that’s because today’s cellular or pleated shades are pretty delicate. So here’s what you need to know to clean them without causing any damage. Yeah. |
| 00:29:40 | LESLIE: First of all, a good dusting with a vacuum cleaner is usually done with a vacuum cleaner. That’s probably all that those pleated or cellular shades are going to need. It’s easier to remove the shade and lay them fully extended on a clean bed sheet spread out on the floor or even on a table so you don’t have to bend over. If you do leave them up, make sure you use your vacuum’s extension wand. Either way, lower that suction on the vacuum if you can, because most vacuums have a port on the extension that can be opened up to reduce that suction at the brush end, because that’s definitely a better way to keep those shades since they’re so delicate. |
| 00:30:10 | TOM: You know, I always wondered what that port was for. Because I couldn’t imagine I would want to have less suction out of a vacuum, but now I see why. It makes sense. Yeah. |
| 00:30:18 | LESLIE: Seriously. But it’s interesting because it just kind of diverts some of the suction air out, so it’s not really giving it the full power. Now, for a pleated shade, you want to use the soft dusting brush and go side to side along those honeycomb channels. For Roman shades with soft folds, you want to pop the upholstery tool on and clean from the top to the bottom, and then flip the shade over and repeat. I mean, it’s definitely something that requires a little bit of work, but you don’t have to do it every year. You know, do it every other year if it’s a pain in the butt. |
| 00:30:45 | TOM: Now to keep blinds working properly, you want to vacuum away any dust inside the open top headrail, and then spot clean the stains by dabbing the smudges with a cloth dipped in mild soapy water. Rinse and blot, and you’re good to go. So there you go, an easy spring cleaning project that you don’t have to do all that often. I love this weather, Leslie. I’ve got so many projects, almost too many to deal with. I’m breaking my own rules here. I’ve got a fence to build. I’m working on painting a kitchen. And we just picked up a greenhouse kit, which I thought was pretty cool, from Costco. It’s a beautiful wood building, and it’s about seven foot by eight foot. It’s a pretty good size. But I just looked at the installation instructions, 104 pages, 104 pages. |
| 00:31:28 | LESLIE: Does it give you a time estimate? What does that equate to? Like 30 days? |
| 00:31:32 | TOM: Well, they say two people, two days. |
| 00:31:35 | LESLIE: But one tom, a day and a half. |
| 00:31:38 | TOM: Maybe one tom, a day and a half. We’ll see. We’ll see. That doesn’t include the foundation. I’ve got to pour a slab for it first. Okay. |
| 00:31:44 | LESLIE: Plus two days foundation work. |
| 00:31:47 | TOM: I’d like to get it done before the end of the spring, so we can get some stuff going here. And then it’s going to be great in the fall, because we can keep planting well into the fall because it’ll be in a greenhouse. So it’s something we always wanted, and I just saw it. It was on sale. And I’m like, why not? It looks pretty well built. Yeah. |
| 00:32:03 | LESLIE: Wait till Sue makes it a she shed. |
| 00:32:05 | TOM: Oh, it’s definitely a she shed. It’s never going to be a tom shed. All right. Well, I will be the benefit of the veggies she grows, but it will definitely be a Sue shed. |
| 00:32:13 | LESLIE: All right. A Sue shed. I love that. All right. Let’s jump into some questions here. I’ve got one from Gary in Illinois, who’s working on painting his windows. And he says, I do have one window that seems to be cloudy. Is there any way I can fix that, or do I have to buy a new window? I’m assuming he hasn’t painted all over the window, and he’s just been cleaning it, and no luck. |
| 00:32:36 | TOM: Yeah. Well, I’m thinking he’s got a thermal pane window here. |
| 00:32:39 | LESLIE: Oh, that’s my favorite. |
| 00:32:43 | TOM: The swiggle, right? That’s the seal between the two panes of glass. With an insulated window, you have two panes of glass, and then you have an insulated gas that goes in between those panes, usually argon. Then you have this rubber gasket that seals it in, called swiggle. And when it fails, that’s when you get condensation inside the window that forms that kind of misty color, that grayish, depending on the temperature differential, that grayish color. Sometimes it will just disappear. Distribute mineral salts on the inside of the glass, and the thing is, you can’t really clean it, no matter what. But the good news is, while it’s unpleasant to look at that cloudy window, it’s not costing you all that much in energy efficiency. Let’s be realistic about this. It’s just one window out of many. So if you can tolerate it, leave it. If you want to repair it, you’ve got to replace it. There’s no fix for this. So that panel has to come out. Depending on how old the window is, if it’s a name brand, like a Pella or an Anderson, you could probably go right to the company and say, well, it’s a Pella. You could go to the company and order a new one to go in there. If you have to go to a custom window place, that’s when it starts to get a little bit more expensive. So you’ve got options here, but it’s not a crisis, and it’s not going to get worse. When it happens, it happens, and that’s the way it goes. |
| 00:33:55 | LESLIE: All right. Well, there you go, Gary. Good luck with that. Now, Jonah says, I’d love to improve my attic ventilation. I presently have a ridge vent in my attic roof, but no soffit vents. I also have gable vents on either end. Will an attic fan help? No. |
| 00:34:08 | TOM: No. And here’s why. You don’t really need an attic fan. You should try to avoid an attic fan if you can, because attic fans will not only pull air from the attic, but they’ll rob air conditioning from your house, because they find little gaps and ways to do that. What I would do, you said gable vents. I would close those off, and I would add soffit vents, because then when you have soffit vents and you have a ridge vent, they work together, drawing air into the soffit, running it under the roof sheathing and out at the ridge, and that cycle repeats 24-7, 365, and it’s not a problem. It’s truly the best way to ventilate an attic space. |
| 00:34:41 | LESLIE: All right, Jonah, good luck with that project. Hope that all helps you out. |
| 00:34:44 | TOM: This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. We hope that you are enjoying today’s program on this beautiful spring day. If you’re taking on a project and you get stuck on that project, remember, you can reach out to us 24-7 at 1-888-Money-Pit or by going to moneypit.com slash ask. Click the blue microphone button. You record your question. It’ll come right to us, and we will answer you the next time we are in the studio. But until then, I’m Tom Kraeutler. |
| 00:35:11 | LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete. |
| 00:35:12 | TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself. |
| 00:35:14 | LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone. |
| (Note: The above referenced transcript is AI-Generated, Unedited and Unproofed and as such may not accurately reflect the recorded audio. Copyright 2024 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. No portion of this transcript or audio file may be reproduced in any format without the express written permission of Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.) |
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