Creating a Safe Outdoor Space for Pets | Building a Deck with an Easy DIY Kit | Tips for Deer-Proofing Your Yard | Ep #2225

TOM: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: And we are here to help you take on the home improvement, the home décor, the home remodeling projects that you want to get done around your house. Help yourself first by picking up the phone and calling us with your how-to questions at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. Or you can post your questions online just by clicking the blue microphone button at MoneyPit.com.

Coming up on today’s show, for family pets the backyard is a place to relax and burn off some energy and play with friends, both human and furry. We’re going to share four tips to help you improve your outdoor spaces to keep pets safe in summer and their humans happy.

LESLIE: And outdoor-living spaces have never been more popular. And one of the best ways to start creating that space is by building a deck. We’re going to share a new kit that’s available to help you do just that.

TOM: And if your yard’s become an all-you-can-eat buffet for deer and wildlife, you might want to try out some of our humane ideas for stopping all the chomping. We’ll tell you what you need to know.

LESLIE: But first, we want to know what you want to know. What are you guys working on? Reach out to us so that we can give you a hand and maybe even give you some tools to help you get that job done.

TOM: Yeah. From Arrow Fastener, we’ve got the Summer Project Pack. It includes the GT300 Glue Gun – our favorite glue gun – which my kids think are so dorky that I’ve got a favorite glue gun. Hey, listen, it’s a tool. I’ve got a favorite hammer, I’ve got a favorite saw and yes, I have a favorite glue gun.

So that’s going out to one caller drawn at random, along with a TacMate Staple Gun, worth 65 bucks. So if you want to win it – and this way, you can have a favorite glue gun, too – give us a call with your question at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or post it online at MoneyPit.com.

LESLIE: Heading out to Delaware where Harry is dealing with a dirty kitchen floor.

Tell us about what you see.

HARRY: Over the years, it’s become quite dingy and rough-looking. I wonder if you have any suggestions or recommendations on a product to bring it back, brighten it up again.

TOM: So, Harry, with a 20-year-old floor, I don’t think you’re going to be sprucing it up to the point where you’re feeling like you’ve achieved what you want. I mean that floor doesn’t owe you a dime, buddy. It lasted all those years and I think it’s time for an update.

And the good news is that there’s plenty of floors available now, that weren’t in existence 20 years ago, that are great for kitchens. A whole bunch of different products that are out there for wet locations, places that are really durable. You can choose from a laminate floor that have – there’s a product called “laminate.” There’s an AquaSeal product from LL Flooring where the laminate boards seal together and won’t let water come through. You can use an engineered-vinyl plank, you can use an engineered floor if you like real hardwood or you can use a stone-hybrid product. These are all products that are really, really tough and great for a kitchen space.

And you know what? The installation has gotten a lot easier, especially with those vinyl products. They just snap together and they fold on top of what’s there. So all you have to deal with is really the transition to whatever room is adjacent to that and maybe a little trim around the side. And that’s it. You’re good to go.

So, I think that’s really the best solution now. I don’t think we’re going to be able to give you any other grand ideas for a 20-year-old floor that’s going to be able to bring it back.

LESLIE: Alright. Pat in Michigan, tell us what’s going on with the leak.

PAT: Yes. We had some shingles that blew up and the water got underneath and it leaked and then onto my ceiling. And we had high winds with – like we call “side,” you know.

And so I’ve had the roof repaired but I still have some leak – water stains on my ceiling. And I’m trying to figure out how to cover them up without having to paint all of the ceiling. And my ceilings have never been painted; it’s just raw drywall but it’s been textured.

TOM: Now, since this was storm damage, did you think to call your homeowners insurance company?

PAT: No. Because it’s – there’s only three little – like one is a dime size, one is a quarter size and the other one’s a dollar-bill size.

TOM: Well, just for future reference, whenever you have shingles that blow off and leaks occur, that is why you pay for homeowners insurance. So, small or big, that’s the kind of thing that’s covered.

If it was a worn-out roof, that’s one thing. But if you have storm damage where shingles blow off and water gets in, then you could have had that whole ceiling repainted at the expense of your insurance company.

But OK, we’re past that now. So the question is: how do you deal with those stains? Whenever you have a water stain on a ceiling, you have to prime that spot. Since they’re small spots like that, you can spot-prime it, which basically means just to prime over those little spots themselves. And then you’ll paint over that.

You’ll have to – if you don’t have some of the original paint, you’re going to have to pick up something that matches.

PAT: There is no paint. This is just drywall – textured drywall – and they did not paint the drywall.

TOM: They never painted the drywall?

PAT: No. Ceilings here are not painted unless you ask for it.

TOM: OK. Well, all I can tell you is if you want to get rid of the stain, you have to prime it. You have to prime on top of it. If you don’t prime on top of it, anything that you put over that is going to leak right through. So it might be time to think about painting the ceiling, Pat.

PAT: Oh, boy. OK. Well, thank you very much. I certainly do appreciate your time.

TOM: Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

If you reach out to us, right now, with your home improvement question, you could just win yourself the Summer Project Pack from Arrow, which includes two tools: the GT300, which is a professional high-temp glue gun, and the TacMate Staple Gun. That staple gun is durable and powerful. It’s easy to use. It’s got a non-marring rubber tip that keeps the projects dent- and scratch-free and the staples load with just a push of a button.

The package is worth 65 bucks. Going out to one caller drawn at random. Make that you. Give us a call at 1-888-MONEY-PIT with your questions or post them at MoneyPit.com.

LESLIE: Alright. Heading over to Maryland where we’ve got Dave on the line who’s dealing with some problems with a new roof.

What’s going on?

DAVE: Yeah, we had a roof put on and I noticed, as I’m looking at the second story for the lower part of the roof – I knew it had problems because it was leaking down there, too. But the wood is all rotted out. The framework is. And they went and put new plywood on top of that rotten framework and then put the new shingles on. And I told them – I said, “No, don’t do” – I said, “That needs to be replaced. That needs to be totally redone.” “Oh, well, we don’t do that part. You have to get somebody else to do that.”

TOM: They expect you to take the new roof off now to replace the rotted wood that they put – that they covered already?

DAVE: Exactly. I’m like, “OK, so what’s up with that?” I didn’t think that it was possible to do that, but they just did it and they left. And I was like, “Wow.” The whole roof – the rest of the roof – yeah, looks great and everything. But I don’t know if any of that wood up on the top of the roof is rotted or anything. I couldn’t see it. But I saw on that bottom part it was really bad.

TOM: Can you get into the attic and look at the underside of the roof sheathing?

DAVE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The upper roof, it seems to be OK because I actually tore out all the drywall and pulled out all the insulation so I could see that stuff.

TOM: OK.

DAVE: And that looks to be OK.

TOM: OK. Yeah. So, the section below that had the rotted wood on it that they covered over, how big is that?

DAVE: It’s probably about maybe 5 feet, as far as from the house down to that part of the roof. Connected to the house, you know what I mean?

TOM: Right.

DAVE: And width-wise, it goes almost all the way across.

TOM: What was on there before that? Was it 1×6 or 1×8 solid sheathing? Was it plywood? When you saw that it was rotted, what were you looking at?

DAVE: The actual frame. Not the plywood that they put on top – but the actual frame itself was 2x4s.

TOM: So the roof rafters?

DAVE: Yeah.

TOM: So, here’s what should’ve happened, alright? Now, I get that these guys say, “Well, we don’t do the structural repairs.” That’s fair. But they did make the decision to go ahead and cover up all of that work. What they should’ve done is said, “OK, look. We’re going to do as much as we can do, which is the upper roof and these other areas of your house, but this area here, this needs a structural repair. So we either do that for you at an additional cost” – which also would’ve been fair.

DAVE: Right.

TOM: “Or we have to stop the job right here and allow you the opportunity to bring somebody else in.” So, they didn’t do either of those things.

DAVE: Yep.

TOM: They just blew through it, covered the old, rotted wood with new wood. And so now you’ve got kind of a sandwich of rot there and you’re not – who knows what to do with that?

DAVE: And that part of the roof is hanging down and that’s where it’s leaking out down near the cellarway and everything. It’s a mess.

TOM: So is that sagging? Does it look structurally unsound where they reroofed it?

DAVE: It’s definitely structurally unsound, yeah. It’s sagging.

TOM: Now they’re, what, chasing you for – did you not make a final payment or something? They’re trying to chase you for the money …?

DAVE: Yep. Exactly.

TOM: Yeah. Well, listen. I think you owe them part of the job. And what I would do is I’d probably pay them for – because the rot’s not their fault, right? They just – they didn’t – I don’t know that they made it worse but they certainly didn’t fix it.

DAVE: No.

TOM: Maybe you pay them – you have to determine this on your own but maybe you pay them 75 percent of the project because they kind of really screwed up this last piece, you know.

DAVE: I paid 75 percent of it but the rest of it now they’re trying to get us for. And I’m like, “Is wasn’t done right.”

TOM: Yeah. Right. Well, tell them to come take the roof off and leave it like it was and then you can get it structurally fixed. So, I think you’re going to have to go ahead and hop on that. Make sure you do it in writing and you tell them it’s not that you’re not paying it; you have a dispute on the quality of the project. So they don’t send you to collection, say you’re just stiffing them for it. You’re not. “You didn’t do the job you were paid to do.”

But I do believe that when that was discovered, at that moment they had a responsibility to tell you what your options were. And this is not unusual for these guys. They’re in the business, right? They open up roofs all the time and tear off roofs.

DAVE: Oh, yeah.

TOM: And they find bad wood when they do that. I bet you – I don’t know, I haven’t seen your contract with these guys.

DAVE: I always replace stuff like that. When I see it, I replace it. I do home improvements myself but I just – we got somebody to do the roof and it was OK.

TOM: Yeah.

DAVE: So I’m expecting it to be done the way I would do it.

TOM: Yeah, yeah. Right. But when you open this stuff up and you find this, most roofing contracts that I see, they actually say in it, “If we find structural work that has to be done or plywood that has to be replaced, that that has to be done at additional price, additional fee.” They didn’t give you that option.

DAVE: Exactly.

TOM: So, I think this is on them. I think your complaint is entirely justified and I think you owe them part of the money for the roof but for the rest of it, I wouldn’t pay them. And I would make sure it’s very clear to them why you’re not paying them. This is not – you’re not stiffing them, you’re not looking for a discount. The fact of the matter is that they’ve created now a bigger problem for you that would’ve been much easier and much simpler to repair had it been done at the right time.

DAVE: That’s right, yeah. Well, I thank you for your concern. I thank you for your callback, also.

TOM: Well, you’re very welcome, Dave. And best of luck with that situation. We hope it works out for you.

LESLIE: Well, if you love spending time out on the deck or your patio in the backyard during this warm weather, that probably goes for your pets, as well. But pets can tear up a backyard space pretty quicky and even get into things that could hurt them if you’re not careful. So to help, we’ve got four ways that you can think about improving your outdoor spaces, that will help both the people and keep your pets safe, as well.

TOM: First, let’s talk about turf. You want to be selective, almost picky about choosing the right plants and grasses. Now, for grass, go for something hardy that can withstand a high volume of traffic. So, buffalo and Bermuda grasses are a good choice depending on your climate zone.

And if your lawn is torn up, fall is the best time to replant grass, so choose one that can really stand up to pet wear and tear. We always say, “Plant in fall,” because this way the roots get a chance to grow nice and deep before the following summer. And it gives the grass the ability to kind of stand up to all that heat because it has a deep root base that’s well established.

LESLIE: Alright. Now, speaking of turf, you want to be careful when you’re using fake grass. Now, artificial turf that never needs mowing and looks really attractive year-round, sure, it’s a great idea. But if you’ve got pets, some of the turf can get very hot during the summer. And it’s also challenging to clean.

Now, I don’t know if I’ve told you guys but I just put turf – artificial grass – in the backyard of my house. But my yard is, in its entirety, 16 feet by 20 feet. And I was just tired of the kids with the Slip ‘N Slide and the soccer goals and the yard always having ruined patches everywhere, especially being that it was so small. Well, it looks awesome. It feels great.

But that yard gets a ton of sun. And even though I didn’t use that black rubber mulch sort of as that filler underneath – we used an antimicrobial white sand – it still gets super-duper-duper hot. So if you’ve got pets or small kids, you have to make sure that that grass, you hose it down. Make sure you’re cooling it before everybody goes out there to use it. So it’s really important because it does get super hot.

Now, it’s also important that if you’re adding plants or anything around the yard, make sure you avoid ones that are toxic that could possibly make your pup sick. Now, if you got to the ASPCA website, they’ve got a list of toxic and nontoxic garden plants, so check that out.

And if you’re updating the landscaping, you want to choose soft yet sturdy foliage near your walkways. And save the delicate, decorative flowers for elevated flower beds or the patio pots, whatever. Just because – I’m telling you, if you have a beautiful flower, I know my dog’s going to find his way immediately to it. So I just kind of keep everything out of Sherman’s way.

TOM: Good idea. Now, you also want to check for hazards and eliminate them in the yard. Some paved or sandy surfaces may get too hot for your pet to walk comfortably on in the summer. Look at things like tiny pebbles, thorns or gravel. They can get caught in the paws.

And check your fence line, the interior of it, to make sure it doesn’t need any repairs. Because a lot of dogs will sort of patrol the edges of the yard and make a path near the fence line. So plan for these sort of predictable paths in your yard. And if you find them that need any work, make sure that you take care of that. If they’re rough on the paws, you can add a more gentle stone or mulch path.

And while you’re at it, your dog will also need a pet-friendly place to relax after a busy day of play. So make sure you’ve got some space set up for some shade and some napping.

LESLIE: Yeah. And if you want to get all out making your yard a dream for your doggy, too, go for it. Here’s some fun ideas that you could do: a splash pool for the pup, a sandbox for your dog to get in and dig away, which is way better than digging in the flower bed. Sherman has a favorite spot under the bushes and behind the peonies, where he digs a hole in the middle of the summer and likes to sit in and stay cool. So, a sandbox for your dog is a great idea. Or you can add a puppy pergola, give them some shade.

Just be creative. Your canine is going to be so happy that you’re doing this to make everything safer and better for them. So just have fun and everybody can enjoy that space.

TOM: Hey, we’ve got some great tips on building safer spaces for pets on MoneyPit.com. Just head on over and search “pet safety.”

LESLIE: Erin in Ohio is on the line and needs some help with a playground.

What can we do for you?

ERIN: I have a swing set/playset. It’s made out of treated wood and it’s about 10 years old. The flat surfaces, they’ve turned black and the wood is cracking. I’m wondering how I can best clean that up.

TOM: Well, the best thing to do is to use a wood cleaner. But let me ask you this: is it pressure-treated, this wooden playset?

ERIN: I believe so, yes.

TOM: Because pressure-treated lumber has sort of fallen out of favor as a playset, because of the chemicals that are in the pressure-treated lumber leaching out of the lumber, getting into the soil and so on. So, I’d just give you a bit of a warning on that.

But if you want to clean this, Flood makes a product called Flood Wood Cleaner that works really well. Basically, you wet the lumber down, you apply the wood cleaner, you let it set for 20 or 30 minutes. You don’t let it dry – you may have to remoisten it again – and then you kind of scrub it clean. You can use a pressure washer after that to scrub it clean. It does a pretty good job of brightening up the finish, taking away the dirt and the grime and lifting up any of that old, gray sort of oxidation that settles on the wood or the black oxidation that settles on the wood.

You can find that at most home centers and hardware stores. And again, it’s called Flood Wood Cleaner.

ERIN: OK. Once I have it clean then, am I better, do you think, to stain it or paint it?

TOM: No, you’re better to stain it. What you want to do is use solid-color stain, as opposed to semi-transparent stain, because it’ll last a lot longer. The solid-color tends to fade a little bit better and doesn’t peel like paint would.

ERIN: And the same – like we have a swing – a porch swing – that I’d like to put on there, as well. Same thing then with that to clean it up? It’s been outside for some time.

TOM: Yes. If it’s natural wood, that’s a good product to clean it up with. And the same advice applies to the porch swing.

Now, is that also made out of pressure-treated lumber or is that something different?

ERIN: You know, it’s about the same age. I believe it is.

TOM: Alright. So, again, use the solid-color stain.

ERIN: OK. Very good. Thank you.

TOM: You’re welcome, Erin. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

Well, outdoor-living spaces have never been more popular. And one of the best ways to start creating that space is by building a deck. Now, Trex and Lowe’s are now making it easier and more convenient than ever before to add a deck to your home, with the introduction of the Trex Transcend Deck Kit.

LESLIE: That’s right. And the new kit includes all the Trex that you’ll need to build a 12×16-foot deck. And it can be ordered with the click of a button on Lowes.com. So, with us to talk about that are Trex experts, Steven Phillips and Evan Schartow.

Welcome, you guys.

STEVEN: Thank you.

LESLIE: So, Steven, let’s talk about what’s happening in outdoor living. Based on what we’re hearing from our listeners, it seems like everybody is looking to add to or expand, I mean just improve their outdoor-living spaces. What are you guys seeing?

STEVEN: Explosive growth. Through these last couple years, people have kind of been stuck at home, staring at their backyard project they may have been putting off. And it has led to a ton of investment in those outdoor-living spaces.

You also hit a couple of key points. Trex is eco-friendly, our products are very low maintenance. And we have a brand, right, that people have heard of. So, all of those things are positively impacting our demand.

LESLIE: Now, I think it’s interesting. Because as much as people want to have these beautiful spaces outside, they kind of don’t want to do much to keep it looking good. So, Steven, can you explain what the benefits of composite decking are as far as low maintenance?

STEVEN: Yeah. So, it’s an engineered product. It’s not – wood’s a natural product, to use that as a comparison point. And wood requires some level of maintenance. I mean it depends on where you live and what kind of wood you have and those kinds of things. But sanding and staining and/or painting and taking care of the wood is critical to keeping it looking as good as it can and lasting as long as you can make it last. So, with wood plastic-composite decking, you get a beautiful deck board that really only requires soap-and-water maintenance. It’s really very easy to take care of. It’s almost just like washing your car, to use that analogy.

Long-lasting, durable product. Our products have a 25-year fade-and-stain warranty, so they’re not going to change color over time. So, it’s just a – it’s a strong value proposition for somebody who wants to spend time enjoying their deck instead of cleaning it and maintaining it.

TOM: Trex decking is also eco-friendly, right? Don’t you have a very high percentage of recycled and reclaimed materials in the product?

STEVEN: Yeah. That’s how the company got started and (inaudible) sort of an industry got started was through that recycling effort using low-density polyethylene, which is like the grocery sack that you get at the grocery store, and hardwood flour. You combine those two materials together in an extrusion process and it creates composite decking.

So, our products are 95-percent recycled. We like to say we’ve never cut a tree down to make a Trex deck board. That’s still true. And we’re really proud about that and how much material we keep out of landfills. We recycle more than 900 million pounds of materials for our manufacturing process.

TOM: Hey, let’s talk about decking as a realistic DIY project. It’s a project that a lot of people want to tackle themselves. Is that possible and how are you guys making it easier?

STEVEN: Yeah, it’s very possible. It does require a little bit of skill. You can’t – you have to be able to use a saw and use a drill, maybe in a backyard around things like that and measure things accurately. But with basic DIY skills, yes, an average deck – and a “deck resurface,” we call it is easily a weekend project with help from a friend.

We also see the need for more guided information in helping people understand how to do things the right way. And so we started a website – or addition to our website – called Trex Academy. We’re offering curated videos that are directly aimed at the DIYer, to try to help make that project go as well as it possible can and kind of answer those questions before they’re asked.

TOM: We’re talking to Steven Phillips, the product manager at Trex, and Evan Schartow, the customer-development specialist, about the new Trex Transcend Deck and the new deck kit that’s available at Lowe’s.

LESLIE: It’s such a nice project.

How else are you, with Trex, making this process easier for homeowners to achieve that dream deck?

EVAN: Trex is always looking for ways to make it easier for the consumer to make the Trex decision. Recently, we partnered with Lowe’s to introduce what we call the “deck kits” that include the Trex components needed to build a 12-foot by 16-foot deck. The kits include everything from decking to trim, fascia, hidden fasteners, all pre-selected in the appropriate quantities. So with just one click of a button, you can add everything you need to your online cart and have it ready for pickup at your local Lowe’s store or shipped directly to the job site.

The kits are available in both Enhanced and Transcend; Transcend being the one that we most recently added to Lowes.com. Transcend is our flagship offering. Features high-definition grain patterns and rich, saturated colors. The deck kit is offered in the Transcend Island Mist color, which is a cool gray, variegated board to mimic the weathered look of driftwood.

LESLIE: That’s amazing. Now, what doesn’t the kit include? Because I think a lot of people are expecting to have just everything you need to build a deck from scratch.

EVAN: Right. So the kit includes all of the Trex components needed for the 12×16-foot deck but it does not, however, include the substructure or the railing. Those materials easily can be added based on the project needs, though.

TOM: Now, I want to talk about the fact that you can not only build a deck from scratch – so if you had no deck, you could order a Trex deck kit and build one, having all the Trex material that you need there in that kit. Or you can do, I think you called it a “resurface” before, where basically you have an existing wood deck and you’re just tired of the constant staining and the checking and the cracking and the splinters coming off and decide you just want to convert it to a Trex deck. You can do that very easily, as well, correct?

EVAN: Correct. Yeah, so the kit includes everything to build it from the ground up, if you want to add the substructure and the railing. But if you’re just re-skinning the deck and you rip off the old wooden boards, it also is perfect for that, too, as long as you’re looking at that 12×16 footprint.

TOM: Absolutely. Now, I’m actually tackling that project with the Trex Transcend Deck right now. And what’s interesting about my project is I’m using an existing deck that’s a little bit bigger than the 12×16 size. So I was able to add additional material to cover the existing deck, even though it didn’t exactly match the footprint of the 12×16 kit. So that’s always an option, too.

EVAN: Right. Yeah.. And that’s the beauty of this collection page on Lowes.com. It gives you a starting point to get your 12-foot by 16-foot deck. But if you know that you’re making something a little bigger – maybe a 16×20 or a 12×20, whatever it might be – you can add those boards in there pretty easily by just clicking up and down on the quantity box there, on Lowes.com.

TOM: Well, it’s a terrific system. It’s a great way to bring Trex to the consumers in a way that, really, everything that you need from Trex is kind of included in the kit. So it makes it a very convenient way to build a beautiful deck.

Steven Phillips and Evan Schartow from Trex, thanks so much for stopping by The Money Pit.

And remember that the Trex Deck Kit is available exclusively at Lowes.com. And you can also learn more by going to Lowes.Trex.com. That’s Lowes.Trex.com.

Thanks, guys.

STEVEN: Thank you.

EVAN: Thank you.

LESLIE: Reach out however you like because we have got all the answers that you need to get those projects done. But we’ve also got a great prize. We’ve got the Summer Fun Pack from Arrow. Now, that includes two tools: the GT300 Professional High-Temp Glue Gun and the TacMate Staple Gun. Both are going to last forever. They are super durable, they’re very easy to use. I promise that in a weekend, you will find lots of uses for both. But the glue gun definitely holds a special place in my heart. I feel like I’m always gluing stuff together with it and in fact, looking for things to glue together just because I enjoy working with it so.

Both of these prizes together is a prize pack worth 65 bucks. And this tool set from Arrow Fastener is going out to one lucky listener drawn at random,

TOM: Make that you. Give us a call with your home improvement question at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

Well, whether it’s the best-looking flower bed on the block or one that needs a little work, deer look at your yard and your garden and they think one thing: lunch or breakfast or dinner or midnight snack. I mean they are incessant.

LESLIE: Or all the snacks.

TOM: All the snacks. Exactly.

LESLIE: Yeah. They really do love to munch away on very specific plants around the property. So to keep those deer away, it definitely sometimes feels like you’re losing. But there are plenty of humane, chemical-free ways that you can keep them from moving into your space and kind of finding that next green yard.

TOM: Now, there are commercially available deer-repellants. Deer Off, I think, is one. They’re pretty effective at making your garden less tasty. They have an odor that kind of smells like rotten eggs. And deer will find plenty of other greenery much more appetizing. The problem is you’ve got to commit to it. You’ve got to do it on a regular basis; I think it’s about every 3 weeks. And if you skip a treatment, you’re kind of right back to where you started. Because the deer forget that they’re not supposed to eat that and they just go right back at it. So once you start with these types of products, you’ve got to keep them up.

LESLIE: Yeah. Now, if you’re looking for a fresher-smelling approach, soap. That’s another deer deterrent. You just have to buy a few fragrant, strong bars and then hang them from the branches of the plants and the trees that you’re trying to deter those deer from.

Now, you can also try draping fine mesh, nylon netting. Drape that over the hedges and the garden areas and that’s going to keep wildlife from munching on those areas, as well.

Or you can take the high-tech route and install a motion-detector sprinkler. Now, this is kind of mean and funny at the same time. Because when the deer then or whatever comes up to munch on the hedges, the sprinkler is going to come on and startle them and scare them away. Although, if it’s super hot, they may realize that this is what’s happening and be like, “Ooh, I’m going to go cool down and have a snack.”

TOM: Take a bath and have a snack.

Yeah. Now, if you want to just kind of give up on all that altogether, you could just think about replacing some of your landscape with plants that deer don’t like. There are some. They don’t like fresh-smelling things like lavender. We’ve done that a lot on our property. We also have a beautiful hedge line that is around the sort of perimeter of our yard. And it used to be a Manhattan Euonymus, which is this beautiful, deep green foliage.

LESLIE: Oh, it’s kind of green and yellow, right?

TOM: And it was really thick.

Well, you can get the green and yellow, which I didn’t like; that’s the variegated one. We got the one that was just pure green and it looked beautiful. And they were so thick and so strong. And then they just started getting decimated by the deer because we lived near an open field and the deer would just kind of head on up to the Kraeutler house for a little snackarooskie (ph) and go on back. And I’m telling you, all about 3 feet off the ground, it was all dug in where their heads just jammed in there and just ate everything they could.

So, we finally gave up on it and we decided to pull them all out and we replaced them with a type of arborvitae. Not just any arborvitae. It’s got to be Green Giant arborvitae. They also call it a – let me see if I can say this word right – it’s like thuja. It’s like t-h-u-j-something or other. You’ll see it: thulia or thuja. That’s the same one; it’s Green Giant.

And we’ve had them in for 2 years now. They’re growing like crazy. I bought 4-foot plants and I think they’re probably 7 to 8 feet right now. So they’ve just about doubled in height and they’re really filling in. And I decided not to trim them. So, for the first 2 years, it looked like we had a bunch of Christmas trees bordering our property. But now they’re starting to fill in. This fall, when the sun’s not so harsh, I’m going to trim them into a hedge shape and then sort of maintain them like that from there.

But they’ve left them alone, with – the only thing they did is in the back of the house. We’ve got some bigger ones and the deer like to rub their antlers on during the mating season. Apparently, it’s a thing and they just kind of scratched away some of the bark, some of the branches. But they haven’t eaten it. So, I think we’ve convinced that it was a good move.

LESLIE: Alright. Well, I hope it’s the last thing that they’re going to chomp on at your house and never come back.

TOM: Me, too.

LESLIE: Now, Will writes: “I have a 12-foot by 40-foot concrete slab in front of my porch. I would like to put down a decorative flagstone for a walkway and I wonder what the best way would be to do this. Should I put down a layer of sand to lay the flagstone on or can I lay it directly on the concrete?”

TOM: So, you can actually put stone down on top of the concrete. The key is this: the perimeter of that slab has to be sort of locked in when you put those flagstones down. So there, you’re probably going to need to glue them down in place. You can use a concrete adhesive or a construction adhesive for that and then lay the flagstone in between.

You’re right: the tighter you get those together, the better you’ll do with that. And what I would do is I would probably use a crushed gravel in between them when I’m done. Because if you try to mortar it like a lot of people do, that just falls out. It looks bad and it falls out and looks kind of nasty. So I think I would use a crushed gravel to fill that in all together.

And then I think, once you’re done, you may have to do it a second time because sometimes it settles a bit. But that’s probably the best way to do it and I think that could be a really attractive slab when you’re finished.

LESLIE: Alright. Good luck with that project, Will. That really makes for a great, beautiful outdoor space.

TOM: Well, if I had a buck every time I heard my kids complain that they’re bored over the summer, I could probably have hired a contractor to give myself a break on projects. But that’s not happening, so why not let your kids help with projects around the house? It can be a positive and successful experience. Leslie will tell us how, in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.

Leslie?

LESLIE: That’s right. You know, with a list of seasonal projects ahead of you, don’t underestimate what your kids can bring to the table and what they can learn in the process. Now, a great starting point for home improvement togetherness is planning and shopping.

So you want to talk through your project solution and shopping needs with the kids and then head to the hardware store together. Now, you can read signs and product labels for the list of your items. And you can pick up a pair of youth-sized safety goggles while you’re at the store. Because your child should get in the habit early of wearing any of those safety measures that you need: safety goggles, work gloves, long sleeves if you’re working with something that could potentially be itchy or scratchy. All kinds of things. So get them in the habit of being smart now.

Now, when you get back home, you want to work together on your project prep. You want to put safety front and center. Let your child pass those materials to you and help with the measurements. And let them take on more age-appropriate responsibilities once they’ve proven their interest and skill.

Now, many a handyman and handywoman got their start when an adult let them help with a project. I know that’s where my love of all this came from and Tom’s, as well. So if it wasn’t for our parents getting us involved, we wouldn’t be as in love with it as we are today.

Now, once you get a sense of what these kiddos can do and what they can’t do, consider delegating easier projects around the house, like touching-up paint and trim in a room. And don’t forget to take a before-and-after shot so that your kids can feel really proud of their hard work and see the difference and the amazing results.

So, lots of fun projects that you can do. I’m still working on getting my kids to load the dishwasher. So, we’ll see where we go with that.

TOM: Start small.

LESLIE: Yeah.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time, if your garden is looking like it’s had a bit too much sun, one of the best ways to beat the heat and make sure your plants thrive is with micro-irrigation. Now, this is a system of drip tubing and really tiny sprayers that deliver water right where you need it and when you need it. We’ll explain how it all works. It’s something you can do yourself; it’s not difficult. We’ll cover those details on the next edition of The Money Pit.

Until then, I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …

LESLIE: But you don’t have to do it alone.

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