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So there you go.
All right, We're doing an all calls weekend on this rainy it's pouring outside right now. I am loving every minute of it. This rainy Southern California Sunday morning playoff NFL playoff day. Yeah, Yeah, that's my dreamy afternoon in the rain here with some warm stuff inside, watching the playoffs. It's going to be good anyway. I want to get back to the phones.
By the way.
The number to reach me eight three to three two. Ask Dean eight three three the numeral two. Ask Dean. I am thrilled that you are on board. We've got room on the collar board for you if you want to call in, But right now we're going to.
Talk to Dan. Hey Dan, welcome home.
Hi Dean, thank you. How to help you?
I well, I'm in Burbank and after the winds, I found a lot of shingles laying around on the ground.
So I was kind of alarmed and thinking.
I've got bear wood on the roof showing with embers floating around. So I called some roofers right away, and two of them came out and gave me estimates. The first one was a big, big corporate company with brochures and all that. In fact, they advertised on your station and they wanted to look in the attic and inspect that, and they gave me their estimate. They said there was two layers of shingles already there and they would need to rip those off. They don't put shingles on top
of shingles, so they gave me their estimate. The second one was a kind of morph, a regular mom and pop kind of roofing company.
They said there was four layers of shingles on the roof, and they said that my roof is.
Made of one by eight boards, and Burbank code requires them to put plywood over the whole roof before they put shingles and so and then they said there's an a frame kind of structure they have to put behind the chimney.
So that water doesn't settle behind the chimney.
So I'm like, Okay, I didn't hear anything about this from the other one, so I'm kind of confused as too.
Am I just you know, being taken.
Or And then the second part of that question is, can I, if I've put plywood on the whole thing, that's obviously going to be a lot more expensive, can I put another layer of layer of shingles on top of that and would that meet code?
Okay, let's break it all down for you here, okay, and you can trust this. You can take what I'm about to tell you to the bank or you know, from the bank, depending on how much it's gonna cost you. But here's the truth, my friend, here's the truth. Okay, it's not about burd bank, it's not about roofers preferences. The the code in California is and this is this is actually true everywhere, right. This is part of the International Building Code, but ratified in California, absolutely for sure.
So the code in California for roofing material is you can have up to two layers of roofing material on your roof, but two is the max. Okay, So if you had a single layer roof up there, you wouldn't have to, necessarily, your choice, tear it off. You could add another layer to it. But once you've got two, and whether you've got two or four, it's irrelevant at this point. If you are going to update your roof and put on new roof on, it is a tear
off first, absolutely, without question. It's not legal to do it any other way. A tear off. So you are going to be removing all of the roof that's up there in order to put a new roof on. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing because it makes that new roof give it its best start possible. Okay,
that's question number one. Number two, your your home, being an older home, originally had and now you have asphalt shingles up there now, Yes, okay, so your home originally, originally, originally very likely had wood shake shingles up there and was followed up with asphalt at some point. That's why the one by six or one by eight slats with gaps in between them is up there, because that's back in the day, that's how it used to be done. That is now also not code. So when the tear
offf happens, yes, you are good. The part of putting the new roof on by code will be to resheathe the roof in solid sheathing. Okay, Now they don't have to tear off. In fact, they won't tear off the one x six is or the one by eights that are there. They will tear off the roof down to that, and then over on the top of that they will ply apply very likely OSB. We call it, you know, you can call it plywood. Technically it's not plywood. It's a different kind of board. But yes, it's the same
kind of thing. OSB chipboard, oscillted strand board, that's what it stands for uh. They will cover the roof in that material, and then that solid material is in fact the very best base possible to apply a new asphalt composite roof that's going to last you for decades. Okay, that's number two. So tear off has to happen, The
resheting of your roof has to happen. And then during the resheeting process, okay, and right before the roofing is handled, any obstructions and penetrations through the roof have to be flashed properly, properly with flashings, metal flashings, okay, flashings around any of the pipes that are coming up, the vents, the plumbing vents that are coming up through your roof, or the power supply, a goose neck that might be coming up through your roof.
Or.
Vents from a water heater, or a fern is coming up through your roof, or and or the chimney as it sits up against the roof, because that flat area right behind the chimney, if the roof is pitching down onto it, creates a place for water to sit and if water sits, inevitably, water will find its way through.
So we don't want that all right.
So that a frame structure that you were telling me about. It doesn't It's not a big fancy thing, Okay, it's a very very small It amounts to a couple of pieces of cut plywood put in a triangular fashion there, and then the roofing is run over it and it's flashed with metal. It's called a cricket. And you can write that down because you can talk to your next
roofer estimate about this. But yeah, typically we will install if it wasn't one, there already a cricket behind the fireplace the chimney extension, because we don't want water to run up against the chimney and run down that said, we just wanted to shed to the side so that there are no leaks. So, yes, you have to have a tear off because you've got more than two layers. Yes, you have to have solid sheathing. And of course they're gonna build some crickets and or flash the roof properly
for the new roof that goes on. This is all the truth. None of it is crazy heroic costs. This is everything I've just described to you is a standard tear off and reroof that's what you can just call it. It's a standard tear off and reroof and you should take a couple three more estimates from from roofers who are well vetted in your area and judge them all by that information that I just gave you.
Okay, that that makes sense. That's what they told me is the right thing I should. How do I know that it was put on properly? Afterwards? Do I check?
Well, they're gonna they're gonna pull a permit, my friend. That's the point the roofer.
You won't. You don't have to do it. You don't have to go down to the city and do it.
But they part of this thing that again you double check with them to make sure you like, this is going to be permitted, all right, So they're going to go pull a roofing permit. Once the membrane is on, it will get inspected. After the tear off, it'll get inspected, and it'll be inspected and signed off by the city once it's all done. And that's what the city is there for, to make sure that they have done everything according to code in a workman like manner.
Okay.
And the pay sper material old membrane they put down is there something I should a kind I should use, or a kind I should avoid.
I would avoid roofing paper. And I've got to go here because we're pushed up against a break, but I would avoid roofing paper. That's very, very old school. A lot of roofers still use it. I like self ceiling membranes as the underlayment underneath a composite asphalt underneath ball roofs. Actually, I like self sealing membranes, membranes where the layers seal onto themselves and any penetrations, like all the roofing nails seal onto or seal around the nails as they are.
You know, because your roof's gonna have a million penetrations from all the staples and or nails running through it. I like the membrane to seal around all of that. So some elastomeric, stretchable, givable self ceiling membrane underneath your shingle material. Make sure that they're bidding that as well.
Dan.
Thanks, thank you for your call, my friend. Good luck on that.
I know you're going to get it right now because we've pointed you in the right direction. All right, everybody, more of your calls when we return.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty.
So this is going to be a quickie. I don't know.
I'm not going to rush through the next call. I'm just gonna tell you right now ahead of time that we may get part way into it and then have to take a break because because we want to get back on our timing. Here, it's all my fault. It's totally my fault. I take full responsibility. All right, let's go to the phone's rocky, welcome home.
How you doing, Dean?
I'm good, I'm good. I'm enjoying our time talking on the phone this morning. How can I help you?
Okay, So I got a problem with low water pressure in the kitchen, and I guess in the house it's not that great as well. But since the fires, the water pressure has even gotten worse.
In the kitchen.
I've started messing around with the valves underneath the faucet there, and sure enough, that made it worse and we can't I've taken apart all the filters and we still have the problem there.
It's just dripping out.
Where do you live? Where's your house? In relationship to the fires, we.
Live in someone California, so Eden's you know, not far maybe fifteen sixteen miles.
Okay, yeah, shouldn't that you shouldn't have too much direct effect there.
I was going to say.
I mean, if you live, you know, adjacent to one of the heavy fire areas, that wouldn't surprise me at all if you're having water pressure issues because there's all sorts of infrastructure that's all torn up.
There still leal.
Our pressure throughout the house is all right, but in the kitchen it's like.
It's not doable.
Okay, So all right, I got you, I got you, I got your boo, we got you covered here. I'm going to make two suggestions to you, but we're going to do it on the other side of the break. So can I pop you on hole real quick?
Sure? Thing? All right?
My friend Rocky, you hang tight. Everybody else hang tight.
Uh.
And when we come back, we will we will address low pressure issues.
And I have a suspicion about what's going on in Rocky, so we'll figure it out, all right.
But right now, you're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from kf I am sixty.
You are Home with Dean Sharp. The house whisper.
That's me and you have found us right smack dab in the middle of an all Calls Sunday morning. It's raining outside, it's cloudy, it's overcast, it's cool. It's exactly the weather that's southern California needs right now. And we're just taking a little pause from all the craziness and we're just talking about your home. Anything you want to talk about. Eight three three two Ask Dean is the
number to reach me at eight three three two. Ask Dean does not preclude talking about fire stuff if you want, but anything else at all.
Now on hold.
My friend Rocky has been having some water pressure issues, especially in the kitchen. Rocky, you still with me. I am all right, okay. So from time to time, water pressure may vary coming into our home, depending on stuff that's going on with the city, stuff that's going on with our local utilities, and so sometimes there can be variations in water pressure, especially during disaster periods in which
water gets diverted into different places. But you're you're far enough away from the fires that you shouldn't be experiencing that.
Now.
You did mention that pressure in the kitchen lately has been low and that you fiddled with the valves underneath the sinks and it got worse. And so here are a couple of things to take into consideration. Number One, if you've had a lower water pressure situation lately, whole house kind of dropping, then you should take a look at your pressure.
Regulator on the outside of the house.
Some most of the time when a pressure regulator fails, it fails to resist high pressure. But there are times when pressure regulators can go in the opposite direction and they get stuck or they kind of you know, they sort of collapse inside in the wrong way, and they
actually reduce pressure as it comes into the house. So right by the main line coming into the house, not out the meter, but by the main line near the house, there should be a kind of a cone shaped thing with what looks like a bolt coming out the top of it. That is your pressure regulator for your whole home. And you should attempt to fiddle with it a little bit, throw a wrench on it, give it a couple of turns, or so see if you can't boost the overall pressure
in the house. But to be aware, we don't want the overall pressure in the house to go above eighty PSI. I had a pressure regulation call yesterday too, so just to let everybody know the way to easily test your pressure, your water pressure in your home. There may be a spigot right there. I mean, you know, a hose bib right there connected to the mainline and so on that you could actually screw a very very inexpensive like ten dollars at the hardware store or the big box or
water pressure gauge onto. It's just a dial gauge and it screws on like a hose maybe there, or you may have one on the side of the house or on the back of the house. The key is not something out in the yard that's part of the irrigation system. What we're looking for is a hose bib that's coming out of the side of the wall of the house. That one is likely tied into the water pressure that the rest of the house is at, so you can gauge your pressure that way. That's number one. Number two.
If it's one area specifically, like the kitchen sink, you got good pressure everywhere else, but the kitchen sink has lower pressure. Yeah, you could do what kind of a look through and see is there any weird kinks. Have you know, has the waterline been smashed, you know, up in the attic or somewhere relative to the kitchen sink.
That's pretty rare. It actually is pretty rare.
And it doesn't matter how far the kitchen sink is away from everything else. Pressure is pressure builds in the entire system. So it really should be the same as the rest of the faucets in the house. So if you find that it seems like pressure is lower at the sink, it may actually not be pressure. It may be flow that's lower. You mentioned you fiddle with the valves. Those are called angle stops under the sink, and it got worse. That is so common. I can't even tell
you how common that is. And I'll tell you why. Those valves are very very simple, screw based, washer based gate valves, essentially the angle stops, and those valves sit there for decades, sitting there open. They never get used, they never get turned off. I mean, the only time you've ever closed those valves and opened them back up again is if you've installed a new facet. Otherwise, they just sit there, and they sit there, and as they
sit there, they age, even though they're not moving. Kind of think of it like age, like an old person needs to move otherwise you're gonna just freeze up, and that's what happens. And so chances are, my friend, that you went down there and close started to close the valve open, closed the valve down, and then you thought
of trying to reopen it and it got worse. Well, chances are you probably did close the valve down partially and then when you tried to reopen it, now the handle is just spinning or somehow it's actually not reopening. So you may have accidentally shut down, you know, a portion of the flow to the kitchen faucet because of
those old angle stops. Those old angle stops probably at this point should just be replaced, and you might be handy di wire and be able to do that yourself, or you call a plumber out and you say, listen, I need the angle stops under my sink replaced with brand new, nice, full flow functioning ones and then boom again, we've got the flow back, and then you'll feel the pressure again. Okay, that is my suspicion about the kitchen sink.
It's my suspicion, but it's not a guarantee. And that and then finally, finally, if the whole house is suffering from low water pressure, as as a lot of houses do actually in their area, they're like.
Oh, our pressure sucks. It's terrible. It's the worst.
If it's important to you and you want more, you can have more. It's a little bit of an investment. It's about the last time I looked at about three hundred dollars for the unit itself. But again, out on the main, near the main as the water is coming into the house, you can actually put a pressure pump there that basically detects when pressure falls below a certain level the incoming pressure, and actually it will it'll turn over and actually pump and increase the pressure in your home.
So you don't have to rely on what the city is handing you. As long as they're giving you water. The pump takes over and we'll take care of the rest and can keep your pressure at a higher level, at your preferred level, even though city pressure might be terrible coming into your home. So that was kind of a broad brush education about this as a whole. My suspicion is, if you've opened up all the faucets already and cleared out all the lines and check for debris
and all of that. If the kitchen is still acting up on you and it got worse when you fiddle with the angle stops, I would start there with those valves.
Okay, Dean, Well, I called a plumber and he was supposed to be here at nine o'clock and he's here at ten o'clock now, so all right here, all right. I wanted a little knowledge of what to ask him. And thank you, Dean.
All right, we'll get him on the case and let me know it turns out rocky. Thank you so much, buddy for your call. Appreciate you, and good luck with that. I think you're going to get it resolved. I do every I have every confidence that you'll get it worked out. But yeah, you just hold his feet to the fire and say, hey, nothing crazy, just show me the proof of our pressure and change out these angles stops.
He'll give you good advice. I'm sure.
I'm sure you got a good guy there. All right, y'all, when we come back more of your calls. We're having fun, aren't we. I am you are too, I know it.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from KFI AM six forty.
Thanks for joining us on the program today. I am here for you like I am live every weekend, talking about all things regarding your home, everything from basic construction all the way up through elegant, beautiful, hushed up design, the whole gambit. I am a custom home builder and custom home designer and just about everything in between, inside, outside, landscape. It's all good. I'm here for you. And this weekend
it's been an all calls weekend. We have pumped out a tremendous amount of fire related, disaster related info in the last two or three weeks. And we're just taking a just taking a beat, and I want to catch up with you. You set the agenda on the show today. We got a board full of calls. There's still room for you because I pick calls at random. So just know that eight three three two ask Dean is the number to reach me. Eight three three two ask Dean.
Uh.
And uh, you know, let's get back to the phones, shall we. Uh. Let's see here, bump bump bum, Let's talk to Judith. Hey, Judith, welcome home. I can I can how can I help you?
Can you hear me?
Yes?
Oh?
Hi, yeah, I have a question because you just talked about roofing and replacing a roof. I live in an association and when it's rained two years ago, I had a lot of water coming into the roof, so they patched parts of it. Now the association is planning to replace the entire the roof for everybody in our association. Somebody suggested that because they patched some of my roof, they could only replace half of it. Does that make sense or they really need to take off and replace the.
Entire roof all right?
Somebody from the h away is telling you that they because they've already patched some of it, that they aren't going to replace it all above your unit. Is that what you're saying or is that just a neighbor saying that There was.
Just a neighbor saying that. So I want to be ready because I really have some issues association in the past, and I don't trust them that much because they want to say much.
Always, homeowners' associations are amongst the most well loved and esteemed associations on the planet.
Are they not? Yeah?
No, no, they are not just speak uh no. I mean, here's the thing. If the HOA has uh they've done patches in the past. Oh, by the way, do you is it a sloped roof up there above your unit? Is it a flat roof? What's going on up there?
It's a slope roof.
Okay, it's a slope roof. So yeah, I mean here, here's the thing.
I don't think your neighbor is uh is probably I think they're probably sort of reacting in fear.
Uh.
Just just call the HOA and verify this with them that you guys are you're doing You're redoing everything, right, just everything because because and if they are, then then they are because honestly, honestly, there aren't. Okay, forget about the HOA for a second. Let's just talk about the roofer who is going to do the work and therefore have to stand behind the work and guarantee the work at least maybe not directly you, but through the h away.
There aren't any roofers out there, any qualified good roofers out there that I know, who are going to say, well, you know that little area has been patched already, we'll just tie into it with our new roof.
Nah.
Rufers hate to do that because tying into existing patches. It's one thing to patch a roof and trying to save the roof and stop a leak.
It's a whole other thing.
If we're redoing everything to say, well, we're going to redo everything except that section.
No roofer I know is going to want to do that.
And so my guess is they're just going to clear it all out and start fresh, and you're going to get you know, you're not going to get a patchwork quilt above you.
You're just going to get a new roof.
Okay, well that sounds better.
Okay, thank you, You're very welcome.
Judith.
Yeah, regardless of what the hoa might want. But the fact of the matter is, by the way, the hoa is not going to be prone to wanting it that way either, because it's actually more labor intensive to kind of patch around existing patches and blend in stuff than to just kind of blow and go just to tear it all off, lay down a new waterproofing membrane and
just get those new shingles on. That's actually what is most cost efficient is in this case, what's most cost efficient and what's best for your roof are the same thing. And so that's why I have a certain level of confidence regardless of whether there's a penny pincher in the hoa. The fact of the matter is both of these things are pointing toward the same results. So I think that's why it's going to happen for you. All right, let's see if we can at least start another call. Let's
talk to Julie. Hey, Julie, welcome home.
Thank you for taking the call. I have a question regarding shower doors. I had glass shower doors installed in my home about twenty years ago, and.
I love them.
But the problem is I have to squeege ee them every time I take a shower in order for them not to accumulate all the spots. But I have heard that there are new shower doors now that have a film on them.
You don't have to do that, this is true.
Or you certainly don't have to do it as often, that's for sure as often.
Right, So that I was thinking of replacing them. Is there a company that just puts the film on or should I just replace the whole door?
Well, that's a great question.
The answer is yes and yes, and even there's another option for you as well. So you got three options here. One, there are companies out there who will put a coating on your shower doors for you. And and it's a what we call a hydrophobic coating, and it simply means that it beads water like crazy, and then therefore the water runs off of it. And by the way, let me just let me just qualify all this. Okay, there
is no miracle glass out there. Okay, there's no there's no there's no miracle glass or miracle coatings out there, in which so if anybody is saying you will never ever clean this glass again, okay, you just reject that.
One right out of the gate.
Okay, exactly here, I have never seen a piece of glass, and I've seen some pretty impressive coatings, but I've never seen a piece of glass where the water hits it and literally just like repels, it just jumps off, okay, and leaves nothing behind. So but there are lesser and greater amounts of that. And so, yes, there are coatings that can be applied after the fact to your glass. Yes,
that's true. Also true is you know, if you're in the mood to replace your shower doors and that's in your budget, then you can buy brand new doors with the you know, the latest and greatest hydrophobic coatings on them. And this is also the true, uh, the truth.
Three.
There are some if you're in the you know, di y mood, uh, there are some coatings that you can get right off the shelf at the local hardware store, the big box store that are hydrophobic coatings that you can apply yourself. It's not a film. Okay, if you think it's like a window tinting, that's not what it is. These coatings.
No, no, no, no no, I just want the coating.
Yeah.
So so you can find these hydrophobic coatings yourself, do a little research. You can find them on Amazon, you can find them at the big box store. Just do a little research around. There's a little elbow grease and prep work. You've got to make sure that glass is is clean as a whistle and ready to go. And you know, there are steps to take. But and chances are that coating will if you you know, under harsh cleaning, won't last as long as the coatings that come from
the glass shops. But that doesn't mean that they're going to disappear overnight. I mean they'll last a good long while. If you take care of that shower door and you'll be very happy with them. So that is yet another option. You have all three options at your disposal. But yes, there are coatings now available for just about anything, by the way, that that can make just about any material.
You know.
I actually saw once not too long ago, a demonstration I think it was at the Builder Show, of a of a hydrophobic coating in which they were basically spraying them on cotton balls and making cotton balls water resistant. And it actually was true. It was actually true. Okay, so well then.
That sounds is if cleaning it like every other week, would that be sufficient or should we?
Oh?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you can toss this, you can toss the squeegee.
Oh that's what I want.
All right, my friend, Thank you so much.
You are so welcome. And by the way, just a little tip. This is totally going to irritate some people, but I just figured i'd do it because I'm in the mood.
You know.
Uh, if if you've got guests coming over, don't hang a squeegee next to the shower glass with a sign asking your guests to squeegee your shower. You know what, Let it go, Let it go. No hotel hangs a squeegee next to the glass and says, uh, please squeegee this shower down. Please do our housekeeping for us while you're here. You just do that yourself. And you know, I kind of feel that way about taking off your shoes and squeeging shower glass. Not on the hospitality list,
just saying I know, I know. Now you're really pissed off at me. That's fine, that's fine. It's just my opinion. Come over to my house. I will never make you squeegee my glass. And that's not a euphemism, it's just straight up that's the way it is.
All right.
You're Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper on KFI. This has been Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. Tune into the live broadcast on KFI AM six forty every Saturday morning from six to eight Pacific time and every Sunday morning from nine to noon Pacific time, or anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.