#2464 – Sound the Alarm: Safer Smoke Detectors | Finding the Right Contractor

Show Notes

In today’s show, we’ve got you covered with pro tips on choosing the best contractor, updates on the latest smoke alarm standards, and a step-by-step guide to hassle-free closet organization. Listen in for all the tips, tricks, and tools to bring your home improvement goals to life!

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]

Show Notes
Top Questions & Answers
Ask Your Home Improvement Question
Podcast Transcript

Smoke Detectors: Sound the alarm and protect your home with safer smoke detectors.
Contractors: Nail it the first time by hiring the right professional for your home improvement project.
Closet Space: Less mess means less stress with closet organization that works.

Ask Your Home Improvement Question

Do you have a home improvement or decor question? Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here.

Podcast Transcript

Read Transcript

00:00:24	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.
00:00:30	TOM: Hey, you guys have a project you’d like to get done? You need help solving a problem? You have a decor dilemma? Whatever’s on your to-do list, here’s your opportunity to move it right on over to ours, because we’re here to help you take on projects around your house. Reach out to us right now with your questions at 1-888-Money-Pit, 888-666-3974. Got a great show planned for you. First up, have you ever needed to hire a contractor and it kind of made you nervous? Maybe you’re wondering if you’ve got a good guy or not? Well, the key to hiring the best pro for your project is knowing what to look for. So we’re going to share step-by-step tips to help you choose the best contractor for any type of job.
00:01:09	LESLIE: And are you tired of smoke detectors that just go off every single time you try to make French toast? Oh, wait, is that just me? Never mind. It happens, you guys. If there’s a whiff of smoke, you know these smoke detectors can kind of go off. So UL has just released new standards to eliminate those annoying false alarms and offer you better protection for your home. And then maybe you can eat French toast again.
00:01:31	TOM: And if your closet is looking a bit messy, closet organization might be in order. It’s a good project for this time of year. And it’s one project, though, that ranks right up there with dental work as something you look forward to. So we’re going to have some step-by-step or, shall we say, shelf-by-shelf tips to make this job go easy.
00:01:47	LESLIE: But first, let us help make your home improvement dream a reality.
00:01:53	LESLIE: We’re going to share the tools, tips, and tricks that you need to get the job done.
00:01:58	TOM: That’s right. So whether you’re doing or dreaming, home improvement is a fantastic adventure, and we are here to help you get to the other side. So let’s get to it. The number again here 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. You can record your question. It’ll come right to us, and we’ll get back to you quickly with an answer. So let’s get to it. Leslie. Leslie, who’s first?
00:02:23	LESLIE: Heading over to Alabama where we’ve got Linda on the line. How can we help you today?
00:02:27	CALLER: A couple of years ago, we stained our porch with some, well, it was a dark stain. We had etched it before, and then we put a polyurethane on top. Now, part of this porch is not under cover, but the majority of it is. Well, the stuff is peeling off, looks terrible. So what we want to do is get this mess off and maybe use some cement paint, just paint it with cement paint.
00:02:57	TOM: So I’ve got some other suggestions for you that would be much more attractive than paint. There’s a manufacturer that makes products for covering concrete that look like stone because they actually have stone built into them, and they’re absolutely beautiful. They have a terrazzo version of it. They have a product called roller rock. They have a product called spread rock. I would take a look at daichcoatings.com. It’s D-A-I-C-H-C-O-A-T-I-N-G-S, daichcoatings.com. These products work really, really well. We’re getting great feedback on them, especially this terrazzo product, which is just gorgeous. You could apply this terrazzo product literally in an afternoon and be ready to walk on it the next day, and it’s going to look a heck of a lot better than paint, and it really stands up. Okay.
00:03:47	CALLER: Now, what do you do to prepare for that?
00:03:51	TOM: There’s going to be instructions with all of these products, but basically you have to get off the loose paint that’s there, whatever the material is you put before. If it’s binding, if it’s stuck in there and not coming off, then it’s fine, but if it’s loose and flaky, all the loose stuff has to come off. And there’s also some products that they offer that you can use to clean those surfaces and etch them surfaces before you actually apply the products. But follow the instructions. Again, go to daichcoatings.com. Check them out. We’ve worked with these guys for many years. They’re really, really good at this stuff, and I think you’ll be surprised with all the options you have. Okay.
00:04:25	CALLER: Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
00:04:28	TOM: You’re very welcome. Good luck with that project. Okay.
00:04:29	CALLER: Thank you.
00:04:31	LESLIE: Heading out to Brian in Pennsylvania who needs some advice on how to remove a door from the hinges. That is a project. What’s going on?
00:04:37	CALLER: How’s the best way to take a door off its hinges and, more importantly, to put it back on its hinges? I’ll be doing all this work by myself. What I’m doing is replacing the bottom. I’m going to do the bottom sweep.
00:04:48	TOM: Well, it’s actually not that difficult. What you want to do is this. The exterior hinges are going to have a hinge pin that runs through them, and that hinge pin will be accessible from the bottom of the hinge. So you take a nail set and your hammer, and you gently tap that pin up from the bottom of the hinge until you see it start to come out of the hinge at the top. You may need some help to do this. I typically like to do this with the door in the fully closed position because it helps support the door, but I will pop out that hinge pin from all three hinges. And then I will turn the handle and then lift that door or lean it towards me and take it out of its opening that way. Now, you mentioned that you want to cut this door, trim this door, do some work on it. I strongly recommend that when you get this out and you lay it on some sawhorses that you mark the bottom because the top and the bottom of a door, when it’s out of the frame, look surprisingly similar, and you wouldn’t want to cut the wrong size. Don’t ask me how I know that. You just wouldn’t want to do it, okay? So I’ll pop those hinge pinches out just like that by tapping them out from my hinge. So I’ll pop those hinge pinches out from the bottom of the nail set, and sometimes if you can’t get the nail set under the lip of the hinge pin, what you could do is use like a screwdriver and just tap the screwdriver a little bit to get it to come out the rest of the way. When you put it back together, remember to put a little WD-40 on those pins and it’ll go back together very, very easily.
00:06:05	LESLIE: Hey, you want to support our podcast and help us grow? Well, go ahead and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and we’ll be forever grateful. Plus, you’ll be helping other homeowners discover our show. Just go to moneypit.com. All right, we’ve got Lauren on the line who’s got a question about some siding issues from some overgrowth. Tell us what’s going on.
00:06:24	CALLER: Last year, my husband and I moved into a split-level ranch that was built in 1957, and at the time that we moved in, it had been vacant for a while and it was somewhat neglected, and there was a lot of ivy and other plants that had grown up against the house. So when we moved in and had those removed, we noticed that there was a lot of damage to the siding underneath. The siding is cedar siding, and as far as we can tell, it’s not been well-maintained, so we aren’t sure when it was sealed last or painted last, missing a lot of caulk, a lot of gaps, in addition to the damage that the plants have done to it. So we’re wondering if cedar siding is always worth siding. Is it worth salvaging, or if we should maybe consider a different siding material? And then the other question is, if the cedar siding is worth saving and fixing up, who would we contact to do that? What type of contractor? Would we contact a painter? Are painters usually equipped to also do cedar siding repair?
00:07:33	TOM: You know, ivy always seemed like a good idea when it’s first planted and it’s so cute. It’s so pretty, too. Yeah, right. It’s pretty when it’s on a brick building. Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:41	LESLIE: Even then, it’s not so great, but it’s beautiful to look at.
00:07:45	TOM: That’s true. But when you put it on a house that’s got wood siding, oh, man, it thinks the siding is like the dirt, and it just will go in between the boards, and if it gets bad, it can pop them off the wall and cause leaks. And so I’m so glad that you got rid of that, Lauren. But as to your questions, look, cedar is absolutely beautiful. Yeah, sure, it’s more maintenance than, you know, vinyl siding and some other sidings, but it’s gorgeous. I don’t think the fact that you’ve had some damage to it means that you should, you should completely go in a different direction. What I would suggest is you get a good painter to work on prepping that material. It’s going to have to probably be wire brushed, sanded, scraped, whatever it takes to get it ready to accept new paint. When you do that, then at that point, you’ll know how many boards have to be replaced. The painter may be able to do that, but you probably will need to hire just a carpenter to come and take care of that piece of it. Then in terms of staining it, I would recommend that you prime it, and then use a solid primer. You can use a solid color stain, because that’s going to last the longest and after it’s stained then you can go ahead and caulk the seams and that’s or caulk it around the windows and doors and that’s something that the, that the painter will definitely do. But if you do decide to take it all off, I would probably recommend that you go with a hardy plank siding because hardy is a composite material. I have it on my old house on the garage and it actually matches the original cedar shingles that are on the house pretty darn well. I like the fact that it was factory painted. And I’ve had it for like, I don’t know, probably 20 years now. I haven’t had to touch it with a paintbrush, I’ll tell you that, it still looks as good as the day it was installed, but it’s expensive. So, you know, those are your options. I don’t think you have to tear it all out just because the ivy got a little too close to it. I do think you can restore it.
00:09:25	LESLIE: It’s so interesting when you see like all the little suckers from the ivy. Yeah. Like the remnants of what it leaves on the siding, whether it’s brick or any other material, it’s just amazing how strong it is. Yeah.
00:09:35	TOM: And it can grab into anything. But when you have cedar, it’s like a perfect medium for it. Yeah.
00:09:41	LESLIE: I even have the, you know, the hardy shingles on the side of the house and it got underneath it on the side as I was cleaning stuff up. I was amazed it for sure. I was amazed at how quickly it got in and around and under things.
00:09:52	TOM: Well, if you’ve been thinking about hiring a pro for a project, half the hiring battle is matching the right pro to the job. And some of the confusion actually begins with the word contractor itself.
00:10:04	LESLIE: Yeah. You know, we do. We toss around that word contractor a lot. But technically, a trade professional is who you want working on your home’s mechanical systems. Now, even seasoned DIYers hire these pros for services related to the heating, the air conditioning, electricity, also water, sewer issues, natural gas line work. I mean, truly, I can tackle a lot of stuff around my house, but those are the things I just don’t mess with.
00:10:27	TOM: Yeah. And you probably shouldn’t. Trade professionals are typically educated at technical schools and go through an apprenticeship in the field. And some are subject to state and local licensing. They tend to be mom and pop businesses, literally with mom answering the phones and paying the bills and pop out on sales and service calls.
00:10:43	LESLIE: Now, a remodeler, on the other hand, they either specialize in specific rooms like the kitchen or the deck or they operate as generalists doing a variety of interior and exterior work. Now, a remodeler acting as a general contractor, the person who coordinates the project, can also work with you to create a plan or work from a plan created by an architect or a designer.
00:11:05	TOM: True. But way before you get to the stage where you’re hiring the building or mechanical pro, you want to consider employing an architect or a designer. These pros work alone or for small firms. And generally, they design the space and deliver an accurate set of specs, which is short for specifications for a contractor to work off of when the bidding of your project begins. That’s really important because otherwise you’re not going to have contractors bidding equally on the same job. They just follow the specs. And, you know, an apples to apples comparison will be absolutely possible.
00:11:34	LESLIE: You know, guys, we strongly recommend getting these pros when it comes to those larger projects, structural changes and also assuring that expansion is going to fit with the character of your neighborhood. Their work is truly valuable and you can definitely benefit from having their services. Brian in Delaware is on the line looking for a water softening solution. Tell us what’s going on.
00:11:54	CALLER: I have hard water in my house. I need a conditioning system. I don’t know a ton about them. I know there’s a salt based systems that have been around forever. And then you research some ionized type systems. I’m not sure which one is the best. Which one is the best route to go?
00:12:07	TOM: So if you’ve got hard water, that’s really tough to live with because it is not good on your clothes. It doesn’t feel good on your skin. It always feels like it came out of a salt water bath when you take a shower.
00:12:19	LESLIE: And you can’t get the soap off of yourself. Right. Terrible.
00:12:21	TOM: Yeah. Shampoo and soap doesn’t suds up. Right. So you’re right. You are going to need a water softener. And there are two types, generally salt type water softener, which is traditional and it’s been around for a long time and it works really, really well. Basically, the way a salt based system works is it uses sodium to reduce the mineral concentrations and in particular, it gets rid of the calcium and the magnesium. That is what could damage your plumbing system or your boiler or your skin or your hair. It’s also really bad when you have a tankless system because the tankless tubes are really, really small and they can get caked up with the hard water. So salt based systems are good. They’re tried and true. There’s a misconception that using a salt based water softener adds sodium to your drinking water. It really doesn’t. It’s a chemistry thing. Just take my word for it. It doesn’t do that. The other option, of course, is salt free. What that really does is it crystallizes. It doesn’t remove those minerals. It crystallizes them so that theoretically they won’t be embedded into the water. The best way to think about it is, you know, when you have magnets and you try to touch the positive side against the positive side of another one, it bounces it away. That’s kind of what it does. It charges the hard water particles and causes them to repel each other. So you don’t have that persistent feeling of the hard water in the water. But in terms of the entire house, generally, I would use those if I had maybe a smaller house. But if I had a whole home and I was dealing with this, I would definitely use a salt based system. So I think that’s the best solution.
00:13:52	LESLIE: All right. Now we’re going to chat with Ainuan who listens to the Money Pit podcast in Valencia, Spain.
00:13:57	CALLER: Welcome. I love your podcast. Thank you for all the answers you give. The situation we have is around our yard. We recently bought a house and we have a yard surrounded by cypress trees. We don’t really like them, but it’s very typical in this area to have an enclosed garden, not opened up like in some places in the US. And we don’t really like it. But we understand there may be a need to keep some sort of fencing. Now, our main concern is that we believe the cypresses are just harvesting mosquitoes. Basically, the area is very prone to mosquitoes near the coast and rivers, but we cannot get rid of them. So we are thinking about just eliminating the cypresses, putting some sort of fencing and maybe getting rid of the yard as well and put in the official grass. Any ideas could be helpful. We are desperate about the mosquitoes. It hasn’t been fun with that, but we would love to have a nice yard and then hopefully not having to do a complete renovation.
00:15:05	LESLIE: You know, Ainouan, I don’t know that getting rid of the trees is going to cure this mosquito issue. It seems like there’s a lot of things that are going on. And definitely the cypress are a beautiful addition to a yard and they truly do define the space and they look great in your local landscape as well. As far as fence options go, there’s a lot of options out there that aren’t as obvious as you think a fence might be, you know, going with traditional wood or a white vinyl or white PVC rather is going to be very obvious. But if you go with something that’s black or, you know, even wrought iron or a black link, it can be very subtle and it can actually disappear. So there are options if you’re interested in putting in a fence that aren’t going to be so, you know, so much of an eyesore.
00:15:50	TOM: Yeah, I totally agree. The black fencing is very transparent. And we put a little landscape around it. It’s not quite as sort of there, it’s not as obvious and it works well to provide the protection. For the garden that you’re seeking. Now, in terms of the mosquitoes, though, I totally agree. I don’t think you should be taking those beautiful cypress trees out of that. There’s really no evidence that they actually add to a mosquito problem. In fact, they do produce natural oils and synthetics that can actually repel mosquitoes. It’s much more likely that your mosquitoes are the result of all of the water that’s accumulating in this area. You mentioned that you were near rivers and streams. You have some standing water. All of that needs to be dried up. If you have gutters on your house, they must be clean and free flowing. You cannot let water collect. Because mosquitoes can breed in as little as a week or two and start to become a real problem. So you need to focus on that grading and the drainage to try to dry up as much of the area. There’s also a trap that you consider. It’s called a Dynatrap, D-Y-N-A-T-R-A-P. It’s the kind of trap that you set up at the beginning of the season. Like in the States, I set mine up in March and leave it up till around Halloween. And 24-7, it basically is working at reducing the mosquito populations. They come in different sizes based on how much acreage you want to cover. But I found they worked really, really well because I also am near standing water and have had a serious mosquito problem, which we consider here in New Jersey the state bird. So by adding the Dynatrap, it actually has worked very well. So I would keep the trees, certainly wouldn’t tear out your lawn. And I would focus on the drainage issues in terms of the fencing. Go with a darker color like black, and I think you’ll be really happy. Thanks for listening to the podcast and good luck with that project.
00:17:27	CALLER: All right. Now we’ve got Sarah on the line with foggy windows. What’s going on? We have Anderson window on our sliding door and our patio. The rest of the windows in the house, we can’t seem to find a brand, but they fog over. We have dealt with this for two or three years. I have to clean them every day to keep the moisture off them. Do we need to get new windows or how do we solve this?
00:17:54	TOM: So unfortunately, Sarah, this is pretty common with windows. When you have thermal pane windows and you have a failed thermal pane seal, it’s a seal between the glass, then moisture gets in between the glass and then it condenses on the inside of the surface and it leaves some of its mineral salts behind. And that’s why you get this kind of ugly, gray, dirty looking fog. There is nothing you can do to remove that. It’s inside between the panes of glass. And the reason you’re getting condensation is because that window is now not insulating. See, when these windows are built, normally they have a seal inside and the seal basically keeps that interior of the window between the glass in a vacuum. And to supplement that vacuum, manufacturer adds an insulating gas like argon in there. So you’ve pretty much eliminated all that in these windows at this point or the windows have eliminated, I should say. And as a result, the warm, moist air inside your house hits that cold glass. It cools and releases its moisture. And that’s why you’re always kind of mopping up after these damp windows. Unfortunately, I think the best thing to do here is to replace the windows. I don’t think while it’s possible to find a manufacturer that can make new sealed thermal paint sealed windows for you, it’s probably not going to be, it’s probably going to be more expensive than actually replacing the window. There’s a lot of options in replacement windows today. Generally, you know, they’re a lot easier to install than they ever were before. And you don’t have to do the whole house at once. Do the north side first if you’re concerned about cold and trying to keep warmer. Do the north side first. And if you want to cut down on the air conditioning, do the south side first. That’s kind of the way you should approach this systematically. And one more thing to look for. If you’re in any of those windows, just make sure you get in a window that’s Energy Star rated. That’s going to mean it’s real efficient and will definitely do the job going forward and hopefully those windows will last a lot longer without any seals failing again. Well, with the colder months ahead, fire protection becomes even more critical. To help, UL just announced updated smoke alarm standards that will make your home safer than ever. Now, UL, which stands for Underwriters Laboratories, that’s the organization that sets the safety and performance standards for millions of products that the manufacturers follow, including smoke detectors.
00:20:00	LESLIE: Now, the new requirements for smoke alarms and detectors can help prevent dangerous situations in your home. And one of the most innovative developments is a test to eliminate those annoying cooking related false alarms, which we all know can cause people to then go and disable their alarms. And then that’s something that can have a deadly consequence.
00:20:19	TOM: Yeah, these new alarm standards are also designed to detect faster burning fires, particularly those fueled by modern construction materials like polyurethane foam, which is found in furniture and mattresses. It helps address the increased fire risks in today’s homes where open floor plans and synthetic materials make these fires burn faster.
00:20:38	LESLIE: Yeah, you know, another important change is the enhanced sensitivity of the new alarms. They’re equipped with advanced technology that uses multiple sensors and algorithms to differentiate between real fire threats and everyday smoke, like from a candle on a birthday cake. And this also reduces false alarms and ensures that your alarm stays active when you need it the most.
00:20:58	TOM: Yeah. And let’s not forget, time is crucial during a fire. Research shows that 40 years ago, you had about 17 minutes to escape a fire. Now, thanks to these faster burning materials we were talking about, that window is reduced to just three minutes. So these new smoke detectors that give you the early warning you need to act fast are a great addition to your home.
00:21:19	LESLIE: All right, we’ve got Tony on the line who’s dealing with a super noisy neighbor. Tell us about it. And hopefully we can help quiet things down.
00:21:25	CALLER: Oh, well, I mean, she just likes to start. My ceiling and just trying to figure out what I can do to make it a little bit more quiet on my side.
00:21:34	TOM: A ceiling stomper, huh? I tell you what, that is tough. Is this a new problem? Did she change her flooring or anything like that?
00:21:40	CALLER: She says she didn’t. I confronted her and the landlord and, you know, she wears it down. She didn’t, but we couldn’t see it.
00:21:49	TOM: Well, listen, I got to tell you, it’s very difficult, if not impossible to do anything when you’re underneath a noisy neighbor like that. The what could be done is on her side of it. And that would probably involve a new type of flooring that has a sound resistant underlayment underneath it. You’re never going to get rid of all the sound. Now, if she doesn’t, you can’t do that. You could put down throw rugs, area rugs, that sort of thing. But again, you’re kind of asking people to do this just for the good of the order. And there’s no way to force them to do it. So I don’t have any good solutions for you because sound deadening usually starts above. You know, you I mean, even if you were to insulate that ceiling, you would that wouldn’t be your job to do if it’s an apartment. And I would take an investment on the part of the of the landlord. And I doubt the landlord is going to want to do that.
00:22:41	CALLER: Did I mention that on my side is a ceramic tile?
00:22:44	TOM: Ceramic tile where? On your floor?
00:22:47	CALLER: In my living room. Yes.
00:22:48	TOM: Yeah. Well, look, if you want to soften some of that sound. Leslie, probably having some furniture or wall coverings would kind of help you deal with that echo issue, right?
00:22:57	LESLIE: Yeah. And I mean, you didn’t mention having area rugs. So with a ceramic floor like that, having an area rug is just going to help sound dead in your own space. It kind of just absorbs a lot of that sound that’s going on and the reverberation from what’s going on upstairs. So definitely add a rug or two if you can. You know, if you don’t have any window treatments, put some up. The more things you have in each room. I’m not saying get it all cluttered. I’m not saying make a mess of your space. I’m just saying add some soft goods that can definitely help absorb some of that sound. And I know a lot of guys are like, but I got a leather sofa. That’s also like a ceramic tile floor. Leather’s just going to send it right back into the space again.
00:23:36	TOM: You’re messing with the guy’s man cave lesson.
00:23:38	LESLIE: I know. I’m sorry. But definitely think about things that can help absorb some of that sound and, you know, the softer, the better.
00:23:45	CALLER: OK, well, thank you very much.
00:23:47	TOM: Good luck with that project. I hope that you will decide to quiet down for the good of the order, Tony.
00:23:51	CALLER: Me too. You guys have a good day. Bye bye. Bye.
00:23:55	LESLIE: Kate in Minnesota, you’ve got the money, but what can we do for you today?
00:23:58	CALLER: I live in a 50s Rambler in Minnesota, and when I moved in, the inspector said that our kitchen plumbing vent had been covered. So this summer I went up there to uncover it. But the cap came off and it’s still welded across the top. Is there a reason that this would be sealed off like this? And what’s the easiest way to uncover that for a DIYer?
00:24:29	TOM: Hey, Leslie, I’ve actually seen this before. When plumbers put systems in, sometimes they do cap it so that they can check the pressure on the whole system. They’ll blow air in it and see if they have any leaks. Problem is that this guy forgot to take the cap back off. So in your case, Kate, you could cut off that end of the pipe to basically restore your vent. But I’m not sure where it is. If it’s probably up in the attic, you really should extend it through the roof. Now, having said all that, you know, if it’s been like this for a long time and you’re not seeing like a sluggishness of the drains or hearing any gurgling or anything like that, you know, it’s probably working fine. It’ll be pulling air from other places in the plumbing system, and you might just want to leave it alone. But if you decide to cut it, remember, you got to extend it up and out through the roof. You’ll need a piece of plumbing vent flashing to do that. You got to go on the roof. So it is kind of a potentially treacherous job for a DIYer that’s not used. They’re used to working in that environment.
00:25:25	LESLIE: Well, if your closet is looking a little messy, closet organization could be in order. But that’s one project that ranks right up there with dental work is something, you know, we all really love looking forward to doing. But a completely organized space might not be that far off.
00:25:41	TOM: Now, to begin, you want to have an idea of how you want to use the space and what you want to store inside of it is going to be a storage area, a place where you keep everyday clothes or maybe a spot to keep formal or off season garments. Now, once you figure that part out, take everything out of the closet, take it all, all the clothes, all the stuff that’s in there and then toss, donate or sell what you don’t want. You don’t need or use on a regular basis.
00:26:05	LESLIE: Yeah, this is what I always do. I always empty out the closet like totally on my bed and then get distracted by another project and then turn around and walk back into the room like an hour later. And I’m like, no, I forgot I started this. But once you have everything out, stay in the room, do the project, it’s time to organize everything and then select the components that will hold your belongings. And what you choose and how much you spend really is going to depend on your design priorities and the amount of closet space that you have to work with. You have to remember that a great closet system can be a positive selling point when it does come time to move on.
00:26:37	TOM: Now, there are a wide variety of closet organization components available at home improvement centers and organizing your closet can actually be a fun DIY project that’s going to give you incentive to keep
00:26:47	LESLIE: your newly organized space neat. All right, get this. I’m here to Tyler, Texas, to talk to Tyler, who happens to be doing a project in his bathroom right now. Let’s see if we can interrupt him.
00:26:58	CALLER: That’s funny. I’m under a sink while you guys are calling me.
00:27:01	TOM: That’s awesome. Oh, that’s perfect.
00:27:02	CALLER: Awesome. So, yeah, my question was, in what scenario does a homeowner need to worry about pulling permits when doing work on their house or if they hire somebody, what do they need to check to make sure that their person they’re hiring is pulling permits for?
00:27:17	TOM: That’s a great question. So generally speaking, if you’re doing a repair, then you don’t need a permit. But if you’re doing a replacement, then you do need a permit. So in terms of a contractor, if a contractor is working on your house, I think the same rules apply if it’s a repair. Like if a plumber comes in to fix a leak in the pipe, that’s a repair. If you’re making an improvement, like, let’s say you’re replacing your water heater, that’s an improvement and that needs a permit. So it really comes down to something as simple as that. But what you might do is give a call to the local building department office and I like to do this without giving them my address
00:27:57	LESLIE: so I can at least can figure out what the answer is going to be before I move on.
00:28:03	TOM: Well, they’re just a sneaky. They want to know where you are so they can watch your house. I learned that trick years ago when I was trying to replace a shed and I thought, well, it’s just a shed. You know, somebody just drove by the house and said, oh, that’s like you have to have a permit for that. So I applied for it and it took like months. It’s a shed, for Christ’s sakes. It’s a shed. I mean, it shouldn’t take that long. But it did. So I’m just a little more careful about what I say when I talk to those guys. And but listen, I’m not to say that it’s not to say that having a building is a bad thing. When you have an inspector from the town look at these things, they’re really good at making sure that it was done right. You know, we had a heating system done about a year ago and one of the pipes that was put in was wrong. And I didn’t know that. But this guy knew the specs and he called it out. My contractor had to fix it. So, you know, I think there’s a benefit for that.
00:28:50	CALLER: Makes sense. Makes sense. Well, yeah. Thank you all for the phone call. I appreciate it.
00:28:54	TOM: I have to point out that your name is Tyler and you live in Tyler, Texas. Yeah. How’d you pull that off?
00:28:58	CALLER: It wasn’t by design. It just happened.
00:29:00	TOM: Well done, sir. Well done.
00:29:02	CALLER: Yeah. Thank you. Well, I appreciate y’all’s program. It’s always informative and very entertaining.
00:29:08	LESLIE: Celeste wrote in to Team Money Pit saying, my house is 20 years old and the plastic water pipe that enters the house is leaking at the connections. I do not know how to fix this without breaking something.
00:29:18	TOM: Help. Yeah, that’s a bit challenging. I have used JB Weld for quick fixes on pipes like that. They make actually a JB Weld plastic weld product that will be perfect for this. It’s a two part epoxy that works on several different types of plastics. Now, it comes in a roll. I always think it looks like a Hostess. What’s those treats called? Ho Ho’s or Swiss Rolls made by Little Debbie as well. There’s like a layer of cake and layer of icing. But in this case, it’s two layers of epoxy. And once you sort of slice off what you want, you roll it in your hand and kind of mix them together. And I’ve used this as a patch for small leaks in pipes or even rust outs with metal pipes with a clamp on top. It’s a really good option if it’s just the occasional repair. So I would recommend JB Weld. They’re a great company for products like this.
00:30:04	LESLIE: All right. Now we’ve got Vanjie who says, I have a faux finish on a bathroom and bedroom walls which have a glaze. I want to repaint. Do I need to do something special in order to paint over the glaze? Well, I mean, she also mentions texture. So I feel like you have to address that, too.
00:30:17	TOM: Yeah. I mean, when we talk about glaze, I mean, the issue here is really adhesion, right? If it’s too slippery, then when you put your next coat of paint on it, whatever kind of paint it is, it’s not going to stick, right?
00:30:28	LESLIE: Yeah. I mean, it really has to be prepped to make sure that you’re going to get coverage. It’s going to adhere and it’s going to stay put. So I would definitely start with trying to get some of the texture off down, whether you’re sanding it, scraping it, whatever you have to do to get that texture even or as smooth as possible, then I would definitely, once you clean up all that dust and make it ready to start painting, I would get a high adhesion primer, maybe even something like a Kills because that’s going to stick very well. And then once you’re ready to paint, depending on how that texture came off, how the surface of that wall looks, definitely don’t go for anything that has a sheen, because if there is any indentations or unevenness or something that’s kind of stuck around from the texture, you’re going to be able to notice it the more shiny that paint finish is. So definitely stick with like a matte or an eggshell. All right. Now we’ve got one from Jennifer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who says, I try to stay on top of my home maintenance and I’m finding your home maintenance for dummies book quite useful. I was wondering about my washing machine. Is there any kind of maintenance I should be doing for that?
00:31:29	TOM: You know, Jen, washing machines don’t need a lot of maintenance, but there are a few things to consider. First of all, obviously, you want to clean the lint filter after each use. Now, you also want to inspect the hoses for any leaks or wear. If they’re rubber hoses, be sure to replace them with steel braided hoses to avoid breaking and do that every three to five years. If you’ve ever had a washing machine hose break, you know it is a massive problem because the water just runs and runs and runs. That’s why those braided hoses are so much more effective. Now, the next thing you could do is to run an empty hot water cycle with vinegar or a washing machine cleaner monthly, and that will help remove detergent buildup and prevent mold and mildew. Just be sure to leave the door open after use. So you’re allowing plenty of time for the interior to dry and prevent odors. They just wipe down the drum, the door seal, the detergent dispenser regularly, and that’s pretty much all you need to do.
00:32:23	LESLIE: All right. Hope that helps you out. And thanks for getting Tom’s book.
00:32:28	TOM: We all appreciate it. This is the Money Pit Home Improvement Show. We are online and on air at MoneyPit.com. Thank you so much for spending this part of your fall weekend with us. We hope we’ve given you a couple of ideas, some tips, some advice, some inspiration to take on projects around your house. If you’ve got questions and you couldn’t get through to us, remember, we are available literally 24-7 when you call 1-888-Money-Pit. You can also go to MoneyPit.com slash ask. Click the blue microphone button, record your question, and we will reach back with you the next time we’re in the studio. Until then, I’m Tom Kraeutler.
00:33:02	LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.
00:33:03	TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself.
00:33:05	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.)