Most Annoying Neighbors | Limiting Heat in Your Home | Foundation Cracks | Ep #2233

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: What are you guys doing? What are you planning? What are you working on? If it’s your house, well, you’re in the right place because that’s what we do.

Pretty much, this past week, I’ve been doing it with every spare minute of time, working on some projects that just got to get done. If you’ve got some projects like that, maybe you’re stuck in the middle of one or maybe you need some advice or direction or inspiration to avoid the perspiration associated with getting something done around your house, well, reach out to us. It’s easy. Just call us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or post your questions at MoneyPit.com. Click on the blue microphone button.

Coming up on today’s show – this is a riot, Leslie – do you have neighbors that are downright annoying? A recent survey says you’re not alone. We’re going to share the most annoying neighborly habits, just ahead.

LESLIE: Alright. I can’t wait to hear that dish.

Well, now that we’re in the hottest days of summer, I always feel like as the summer’s ending it just gets unbearable. One of those keys to avoiding the excessive heat and staying cool and safe and comfy at home is to limit the amount of heat that actually gets into your house. So we’re going to share a few easy ways to do just that, in today’s Tip of the Day presented by Kohler Generators, just ahead.

TOM: And finding a crack in your foundation can be quite disturbing but not all cracks spell disaster. We’re going to share how to sort out the minor from the major and what to do if you find yourself unsure of what you’ve got.

LESLIE: But first, we want to help you out with those last-minute summer projects. So what are you guys working on? What are you tackling? Is it a yard project? Are you maybe fixing something around the deck or improving the front entry? Whatever it is, let us give you a hand and let us give you some ideas to start tackling once the fall weather moves in. So give us a call.

TOM: And let us give you a great tool we’ve got to give away from our friends at Arrow. We’ve got the E21 Cordless Electric Light-Duty Staple Gun, with a year’s supply of staples, going out to one listener. This has got a battery that lasts 3 hours, which is fantastic because it’s a lot easier to operate than the manual staplers.

So if you want to win it, reach out to us with your questions at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or post them at MoneyPit.com. Just click on the blue microphone button.

Let’s get to it. Leslie, who’s first?

LESLIE: Jamie in South Dakota is on the line with a vaulted ceiling with a crack in it.

Tell us what’s going on.

JAMIE: We’ve been living in this house. It’s (audio gap) built in 2000 and I believe it was a modular that was moved onto a basement foundation. And a few years back, we noticed it started to crack. And my husband tried to fix it but apparently, whatever he did didn’t work.

TOM: OK. Well, let’s give him a little break on that. He can probably try it again but maybe he didn’t take some of the right steps.

Now, first of all, cracks in vaulted ceilings are very, very common. There’s a tremendous amount of expansion and contraction that goes up there, not to mention the fact that it’s, you know, one of the warmest places in the house, especially in the summer.

So, what you want to do to try to fix this is to sand over the area where the crack is so that you remove any loose paint, dirt, debris, that sort of thing. Next, you want to cover that with a piece of perforated drywall tape. It looks a bit like netting, it’s a little sticky and it comes on a roll. And on top of that perforated tape, you want to add three layers of spackle. You start very narrow at about 4 inches and you work out to maybe 6 or 8 or 10 inches, in terms of the width of the spackle blade.

That netting actually bridges the crack and makes sure it doesn’t come through again. If you were simply to go up there and spackle it, the crack really isn’t fixed. So, the next time the ceiling expands and contracts, it’s going to show up again. Does that make sense?

JAMIE: OK. Alright. Well, thank you.

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

LESLIE: Now we’ve got Patrick on the line who’s got a roofing question.

How can we help you today?

PATRICK: I had a question about a metal roof versus a shingle roof. Our roof is about 17 years old and it’s ready for – it’s ready to change.

LESLIE: Now, is it ready to change because you don’t like the way it looks or is it failing in some way?

PATRICK: Oh, no. It’s actually fine; the shingles are fine. But I was kind of wondering about the cost benefit of spending twice as much for a metal roof versus a shingle roof for another – you know what? How long will the shingle – how long should that metal roof last? What’s the gauge of the metal? That kind of thing.

TOM: How long do you plan on staying in the house?

PATRICK: Forever.

TOM: Forever. OK, that’s important information.

So, if you put a metal roof on this house, I think it can last, for all intents and purposes, forever. The metal roofs of yesteryear, when they were properly maintained, would easily last 50 to 100 years. The metal roofs of today will do the same thing and they can even do it more successfully because of some of the modern elements of technology that are added to it.

For example – you are in Florida? Is that correct?

PATRICK: Yes. Port Charlotte.

TOM: The one nice thing is that metal roofs have a reflective paint; it’s like a low-E paint. And they actually reflect some of that radiant heat back off of the roof. So instead of having a roof that’s like a heat collector, you’re going to have a roof that’s a heat reflector. So there’s also an energy-efficiency element to it, as well.

But I think that metal roofs last literally indefinitely, as long as they’re properly maintained. They don’t need a lot of maintenance. Of course, if there’s a storm and that sort of thing, they stand up a lot better; they don’t fly off like shingles do. And even though it’s twice as expensive, it’ll probably be the last roof you’ll ever have to put on that house.

PATRICK: If I do this $11,000 roof, will I report that to my homeowners insurance and will I get a benefit from that or no?

TOM: That’s a good question for your broker. Certainly, a metal roof is more fire-resistant. I also would look into energy – any energy-efficiency rebates. Because since it’s a low-E roof coating, you may actually qualify for an energy rebate. So I would look into that, as well.

PATRICK: And how would I look into that?

TOM: A good source is the Metal Roofing Alliance. That’s a trade association for the metal-roof industry. Go to MetalRoofing.com. And in fact, they have a section on their website about tax incentives, so they are available for metal roofs.

PATRICK: Alright. I appreciate your help.

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

LESLIE: Caitlin in Iowa is on the line and needs some help restoring an old bath. Tell us what’s going on.

CAITLIN: Hi. My husband and I moved into our 1917 farmhouse about a year ago. And our main bathroom only has a clawfoot tub and we would like a shower in it. So I was wondering if you had any tips on restoring the clawfoot tub and installing a shower kit.

TOM: So, you want to keep the tub, right? You don’t want to put a separate shower. You just want to basically plumb up a showerhead into that, correct?

CAITLIN: Correct.

TOM: Since it’s a clawfoot tub, if you disconnect the plumbing, then you can get that out of the house. Because the best way to refinish that or resurface that is to send it out to a company that does that. Because if you do it in the house itself, they can come in with acids and they can etch the old finish and they can add a new finish and then they can bring in heat lights and bake it on. But I’ve found that it doesn’t work nearly as well as basically sending it out to a place that’s set up to re-enamel a tub. And then you’re going to have one that really lasts for the long haul.

And after that, installing a shower kit to that is pretty much a plumbing project. Lots of places, like Restoration Hardware, have kits or you can find them online where you could basically plumb up the pipe that comes up and then arcs over for the showerhead. And you need a circular shower curtain – shower bar above it for a curtain – and all that’s easy. But the hard part is getting the tub re-enameled.

CAITLIN: OK. And how costly is re-enameling a tub?

TOM: It’s probably not as expensive as buying a new tub and it’s going to last indefinitely.

CAITLIN: OK. Well, thank you for your advice.

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

It occurs to me that even though we are still in the heat of summer, the heating season is not too far away. And that makes early fall a great time to insulate your home. And one of the tools you’ll need to do that is a staple gun, which is exactly what we are happening to be giving away today.

We’ve got the Arrow E21 Cordless Electric Light-Duty Staple Gun. Includes a year’s supply of staples. It’s a great project for insulation, for upholstery, for paper, for cardboard, for thin plastics. It’s got a battery that lasts 3 hours. And it’s worth 75 bucks but going out to you for free if you reach out to us with your questions at 1-888-MONEY-PIT. We will select one listener at random to provide that prize to.

LESLIE: Alright. Next up, we’ve got Ray in Minnesota who’s working on a decking project.

How can we help you?

RAY: Yeah, I just bought a house and it was built in 2008. And I have a big wraparound porch and it looks like it’s never been really maintained since they built it. And so, especially with the Minnesota winters up here and the weather, looking to seal it but not really sure what to use and also not really wanting to have to do it every single year, you know? So, just wanted to get some advice about what I could do.

TOM: So, is the porch flooring a finished floor or is it like a deck, like pressure-treated?

RAY: It’s pressure-treated wood; it’s a deck.

LESLIE: And is there anything on it currently?

RAY: No.

TOM: So, what you can do is you could apply a solid-color deck stain to that.

RAY: OK.

TOM: And a solid-color stain is going to last longer than a semi-transparent or certainly a transparent stain. But you use a deck stain because deck stains also have some durability to them.

LESLIE: Yeah, the benefit of the solid-color stain is that because it’s a stain, it’s actually going to penetrate the surface of the wood, so the color will actually get into the lumber itself. And then a solid stain, obviously, has more pigment to it. So, given the fact that your deck has had nothing on it for however many years, it probably looks a little worn in places and maybe worse for the wear. So a solid stain is going to sort of cover all of that up while giving you some color and still act as a stain, since that’s what it is.

And generally, if you apply it correctly, you’re going to get about 5 years on horizontal surfaces and about 7 years on vertical. It really depends on the weather conditions, the application, how you prep it, is the wood totally dried out when you’re putting it on. But a solid stain is probably the best bet.

RAY: OK, OK. I had one question about it. I’ve seen some commercials for some new products that are more kind of concrete-based, almost like a – more of a paint-type thing. What about those? Are those good or would you recommend using something like that or …?

TOM: Don’t do it. I think you’re talking about the products that are like liquid siding and things of that nature. If you were going to consider a product like that, I would Google the name of that product and the word “complaints,” because we’ve seen a lot of complaints about those products, that claim to encapsulate the surfaces that they’re applied to, just not working very well. I would stick with the basics. A good-quality, solid-color stain from a good manufacturer is going to last a long time and you certainly won’t be doing it every year.

RAY: OK, great. Well, I really appreciate the information and the help. Thank you, again, for taking my call.

TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Well, are you frustrated by your noisy neighbors with barking dogs or early-morning weed-whackers? Well, you are not alone. In a survey of more than 1,200 people by LombardoHomes.com, more than half reported having an annoying neighbor, no matter what type of house they lived in.

TOM: Yeah. We all know what it’s like to listen to late-night parties and barking dogs. So it may come as no surprise that noise was the number-one complaint people had. And we’re talking about all kinds of noise: loud talking, loud pets, loud kids, loud exterior work. You might want to keep those DIY projects under control during those early-morning hours, because loud is definitely out of favor.

But beyond noise, the top 20 beefs included being nosy, unkempt landscaping, overflowing garbage and yes – I love this one – being overly nice peaked as another annoying habit.

LESLIE: Geez. You just can’t win.

TOM: You just can’t win.

So, what are the options to deal with annoying neighbors? Well, 75 percent of Americans say they talk to their neighbors. But 45 percent say they don’t want to talk to their neighbors. And another 40 percent say they’ve confronted troublesome neighbors face to face, while others simply let a note – which I’m sure it was quickly ignored.

LESLIE: Now, 17 percent asked chose not to renew a lease due to a frustrating neighbor. One in five filed a formal complaint against a neighbor. Now, that’s not a good way to make a good neighbor.

TOM: Make friends. It’s not very neighborly of you.

LESLIE: And get this: 14 percent just packed up and moved. “I’m over this. We’re out of here.”

TOM: Well, listen. Whatever your neighbor’s quirk may be, there’s wisdom in the old adage that good fences make good neighbors.

LESLIE: Stephanie in California is having a heating-and-cooling issue. Well, specifically, a cooling issue in the bedroom.

What’s going on?

STEPHANIE: Oh, we don’t know. Right now, we live in a four-bedroom house. Every room in the house, except for the master bedroom, gets cool in the summer. We have not done a winter yet. This bedroom – the master bedroom – is at least 5 to 7 degrees warmer than any part of the house.

TOM: OK. Well, there could be a number of reasons for that. First of all, what side of the house is it on?

STEPHANIE: It would be on the south side of the house.

TOM: The more sun, you know, the more cooling you need. So it’s not unusual for a room on the south or the west side to need more cooling power.

So let’s talk about what you could do to try to improve this. First of all, I would check the airflow at the registers to make sure you’re getting good airflow at all of the A/C registers. In some cases, systems can be balanced so that they supply more air to one room and less air to another.

Just as important is to check the return registers, Stephanie, because not only do you have to push cold air into the room, you have to pull the air back so it can be recooled. If you don’t have a return in the bedroom itself, it’s going to be a central return – like in the hallway, perhaps – outside of the bedroom. If that’s the case, you want to make sure that when you close the door of the bedroom, that there’s at least a 1-inch gap under the door because that’s how the air gets pulled back and again, recirculated.

Other things that you can do would be to increase insulation over this particular room. So if there’s an attic access above, for example, you could double up the insulation over that and that would also help to keep it cooler.

So I would speak with your HVAC professional, initially, to try to get the balance working a little bit better. And then if that doesn’t work, think about adding some additional insulation. And if that doesn’t work at all, the other thing that you could do is you could add supplemental cooling to that.

I have a room, for example, in my house where I have a split-ductless system because it happens to be on the west side, in my case, and it overheats. It’s far away from the air conditioning-system supply and so I never quite get enough cooling air into this one room to make it comfortable. So we have a split-ductless system in there that supplements it.

So those are all good options to help even out the temperature of that room in the house. Stephanie, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Now we’ve got David from Illinois on the line who’s got a question about a well system.

How can we help you today?

DAVID: It’s my son’s well. He has a well in his house and it – the water system has air pockets in it quite often so that the water will be running and then an air pocket will expel water.

TOM: OK.

DAVID: And sometimes, it’ll shoot out of the sink or what-have-you. And so, I was wanting to know what you can do to get rid of the air pockets in a well system.

TOM: Does the system have a pressure tank on it, David?

DAVID: It has a pressure tank, I believe.

TOM: That sounds like a problem with the pressure tank. If the pressure tank is missing or if it’s not installed properly or if the bladder has failed, then you’re not getting a chance to build up pressure and then feed off the tank. You might be feeding directly from the well, which could account for the air blast.

So the first thing I would do is look at the pressure tank, see what kind of condition that that’s in. That’s most likely what’s causing the air getting into the lines. I think that’s the best step, OK?

DAVID: OK.

LESLIE: Linda in Ohio, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

LINDA: Well, I had an old garage torn down, so I had a prior cement pad. And I had a steel building put up. I have gaps now from – the steel building is not – the metal is more like a corrugated – it’s got a little ripple in it? And where it meets the floor and they put a 2×4 base around the inside to screw the metal to it, well, I’m getting chipmunks in there and everything like that in between. What can I use to seal it but still keep it so when the cold weather comes, it expands like it needs to?

TOM: You must be having some pretty big gaps there if the chipmunks are getting into that.

LINDA: Yeah.

TOM: How much space are we talking about?

LINDA: Some spots it’s not very big at all. But some it’s like maybe 2 or 3 inches high.

TOM: Oh, wow.

LINDA: Because the cement pad was not really leveled or throughout the years, too, it could have sunk down in certain areas. I don’t know whether to put another board …

TOM: Yeah. So, listen, if you’ve got 2 or 3 inches of gaps, you’re going to have to add some additional sort of siding-type materials to cover that gap. You could actually use additional galvanized metal and form it to fit in that space.

If you have smaller gaps, those could be filled with, say, spray-foam insulation or you could use steel wool. Sometimes, when we’re trying to plug up little gaps, especially when it comes to rodent prevention, I’ll have folks put steel wool in there that they are not apt to chew through. But you can’t have a gap that big and not expect those types of animals to get by.

LINDA: Awesome. I’ll try that: the steel wool and the foam.

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

LESLIE: Well, now that we’re in the hottest days of summer, it’s a good time to talk about how to avoid excessive heat and stay safe, cool and comfy in your house. We’ve got a few easy ways that you can do just that, in today’s Tip of the Day presented by Kohler Generators.

Well, with temperatures like this – and they have been a lot of crazy high temps this summer season – there are a lot of things that you can do to limit the amount of heat that gets into your house.

For example, if you’ve got blinds and curtains, close them. Keeping your window coverings closed during the day will significantly reduce the amount of sunlight and heat that enters your home. Now, this is particularly important on the south and west sides of your home because those areas get the most direct sun.

Now, if you feel like you’re never going to close those shades or curtains as the sun is getting into the house, there are actually smart window coverings that are available and they can do that for you. They can be like, “Ooh, the sun’s coming this way,” and close themselves. So, maybe that’s more your speed.

TOM: I love that my smart devices are smarter than me sometimes.

LESLIE: I know, right?

TOM: Speaking of which, you can also adjust your thermostat and during summer, you can save up to about 10 percent on your energy bills by turning your thermostat up about 7 to 10 degrees from its normal settings for 8 hours a day, ideally when you’re away. And I’ve got a smart thermostat that does this for me; it actually detects when I’m in the house and not. It has a motion sensor. And so, when we’re in the house, it sets it at its normal, cool setting. But when we’re away, it kicks it up so we save big on our air-conditioning costs.

LESLIE: Alright. Another thing you can do is protect your power. You can protect yourself from the inevitable power failures by investing in a standby generator. And that’s going to make sure that you always have air conditioning, even in outages caused by extreme weather.

You can also think about adding reflective window films. They’re easy to install and they’re effective at reflecting the sun’s rays and the heat away. They’re available in clear or even in a tint. And as an added benefit, keeping the sun’s UV rays away from the house will stop that fading that occurs on your furnishings, on the carpet and even the wood floor. I mean it’s amazing what the sun can do.

And lastly, you want to think about limiting the use of heat-generating appliances. Ovens, dryers, any other kind of appliance that creates heat is going to add to your home’s indoor temperature. So limit the use of those appliances to the nighttime when the temperatures are cooler. You never want to roast a turkey in the middle of the day when it’s 100 degrees outside because your house – think about how hot it would be.

TOM: And that’s today’s Tip of the Day presented by Kohler Generators. Kohler Generators are sold via authorized Kohler dealers. Request your free quote at PoweredByKohler.com. And check this out: right now through September 15, you can receive a free, comprehensive 7-year extended warranty, worth almost 700 bucks, with the purchase of a 10- to 20-kilowatt Kohler generator when you go to PoweredByKohler.com. That’s PoweredByKohler – K-o-h-l-e-r – .com. Kohler, backup power from a name you can trust.

LESLIE: Give us a call, shoot us an email. Whatever it is, however you like to communicate with us over here at Team Money Pit, we’re giving you a great reason to reach out to us. We’ve got up for grabs the Arrow E21 Cordless Electric Light-Duty Staple Gun with a year’s supply of staples.

This really is a must-have staple gun for any kind of project with upholstery, fabric, paper goods, cardboard, any kind of light-duty project but definitely effective. And you will have so many projects to tackle around your house, I promise. It’s got a battery life up to 3 hours. And it’s available online or in stores for $75. But it could be yours for free.

TOM: It’s going out to one listener drawn at random. If you want that to be you, give us a call at 1-888-MONEY-PIT or post your questions, right now, to MoneyPit.com. Just click the blue microphone button.

LESLIE: David in Texas is on the line and is dealing with some unwanted issues from a dog.

What’s going on?

DAVID: It’s a mix between a terrier and a lab. And she tends to shed. And we’ve got wooden floors downstairs and carpet upstairs. And tried everything. I walk around the house with a shop vac trying to vacuum her fur that’s all over the place. And I’ve got her fur also embedded in the carpet. And sometimes, the vacuum cleaner doesn’t get it up. That’s when I go against the grain of the carpet and I drag the fur out of the carpet. So I’m just wondering if you guys have any secret recipes that I can utilize to help me with this – solve this problem.

TOM: I don’t think I have a good solution for shedding dogs.

LESLIE: The only issue outside of vacuuming is: are you brushing your dog? They make certain brushes that help you get to the undercoat so that you’ll remove the hair before the dog actually has a chance to shed it. So if you’re actually on top of the brushing, that might cut down on the shedding.

DAVID: Fortunately, she has – she’s a mix between a lab and terrier. So she’s got really short hair. But to your point, Leslie, I haven’t done that. I just assumed that it would take care of itself but apparently it hasn’t.

LESLIE: Well, it is. It’s taking care of itself, just not in a way that you like. It’s a special brush that allows you to get to the undercoats.

DAVID: OK.

LESLIE: And certain times of year, a dog is going to shed more than other times of year. They get that second layer of fur in the winter months. So it’s – maybe you don’t have to brush every day. But I would start with that and see if you can make any progress that way.

TOM: And also, if the only way you can get this dog hair up is with a shop vac, you might want to think about getting a better vacuum. I’ll share with you that I know both Leslie and I have the same vacuum, because she recommended it to me. And that’s a Miele.

LESLIE: It’s amazing.

TOM: It really works well. It’s very light but super powerful and it does a great job picking up the dog hair around our house. I’ll tell you that.

DAVID: Well, that’s wonderful. Thank you. I should’ve thought about that but I just assumed – anyway, thank you so very much.

TOM: You’re welcome, David. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.

LESLIE: Well, you might not realize it but your home is always moving. It’s expanding, it’s contracting, it’s settling. And sometimes, that movement can result in cracks to the foundation. But even though cracks are common, they can be pretty disturbing for most homeowners when you find them.

So, Tom, how do you kind of know if a crack that you see is serious or just the result of some normal house movement?

TOM: Well, I think, first of all, it’s good to be concerned about cracks. But keep in mind that just about every home has its shares of cracks. And they don’t necessarily mean that you have a major problem on your hands.

Now, there’s a number of reasons why crack happens. First of all, the soil may not have compacted before the foundation was installed and so it’s shifted a bit. Or sometimes you get organic material, like tree stumps, for example, or cutoffs from the framing. That may have been mixed in with the soil under the house. And when it decays, the soil above it collapses to fill that void or a part of the foundation will drop down.

And finally – and I think this is the most common reason – if you simply have too much moisture around the house. Think about this: when it rains heavily and you walk across your yard, you are more apt to sink into the ground, get into the mud, because the wet soil is just not as strong as dry soil. And that happens to your house. If you’ve got poor drainage and what’s happening is the water will just soak in and it will sort of disrupt the structure under the foundation. And over time, that could cause some significant cracking.

LESLIE: Alright. Now, how can you determine a major crack versus something that’s minor and fixable? Well, one way to tell that is the direction of the crack. If it’s vertical, horizontal, diagonal, that really gives you a hint.

Now, static or non-moving cracks are usually small, they’re hairline, they’re vertical or they’re randomly-oriented. And these types of cracks can be repaired fairly simply and do not extend to the full thickness of the wall.

Now, an active crack, on the other hand, can be very serious. And these are typically horizontal or diagonal and they seem to get worse every year or over time. And for those, it really is best to have them evaluated by a structural engineer. So, how do you fix a crack like that?

TOM: Yeah. I think that’s really key because if you just go to a contractor, they’re going to give you a contractor solution. But if you got to a structural engineer, they’re going to design an appropriate solution. And this way, you can take this engineer’s design, then give it to the contractor and have them fix it, have the engineer certify it. And this way, you kind of have a pedigree on the professionalism of that repair. And if you go to sell the house, it’s not going to be an issue.

Now, if you want to fix cracks like those, if they are DIY – so, for example, if you had some minor vertical cracks or minor horizontal cracks and the cracks open, I don’t know, a 1/16- to an 1/8-inch, I would simply fill the crack. I would use a good-quality silicone to stop the water. And then just watch it for movement, monitor it for movement. And if you think it’s continuing to move, that’s when maybe you need to kind of dig deeper into this and figure out why that’s happening and what the next step might be in terms of a repair.

But don’t panic if you just see a crack or two in your house. Because frankly, that happens to everybody. More foundations are cracked than not. I can tell you that for sure.

LESLIE: Ashley wrote in saying, “I need to replace my water softener and I’m debating buying one that uses salt and one that doesn’t. What would you recommend?”

TOM: Well, hard-water buildup normally comes from minerals that are in your home’s water. And it’s also called “limescale.” It sticks to your pipes, it sticks inside water-using appliances and shortens their life. I personally, though, am a fan of salt-free water softeners. I have worked with a product called EasyWater for a while, which is pretty cool.

You know how magnets, Leslie, repel one another when two positives are pressed together? You know those science experiments I’m sure your kids have been doing?

LESLIE: Yeah, yeah.

TOM: Well, EasyWater technology pretty much works like that. The water comes into your house and EasyWater creates a magnetic field within the water and it pushes those hard-water particles apart. This way, they can’t stick together. If they don’t stick together, then they can’t clog up your system. So I think that that’s probably a pretty good option. And it’s also a heck of a lot less expensive than using a salt system, which you constantly have to refill.

LESLIE: Man, you’ve got to love technology. That makes it so easy.

TOM: Well, summer vacation is a great time to redo a kids room. And Leslie has got some fun and easy ideas for sprucing up those spaces for your younger family members, in today’s edition of Leslie’s Last Word.

Leslie? Makeover for rooms or makeover for kids?

LESLIE: Maybe they’re kind of the same?
TOM: One of my children came to me in tears because she hated her room. So we kind of did make her over and the room at the same time and now everybody was happy.

LESLIE: And then everybody’s happy. Yeah.

TOM: Yeah, there you go.

LESLIE: I mean it’s an attitude adjustment, plus a room makeover. So, they go hand-in-hand.

TOM: Yep. It all works.

LESLIE: But you know what? This really is a good time of year to kind of tackle the redesign and the redo of your kid’s sort of attitude and outlook towards things. Because it’s – you know, school’s about to start. Everybody’s kind of in a new transitional phase. Maybe you’re switching schools, maybe you’re suddenly getting bigger, maybe you’ve outgrown the little-kiddie area of the room and you need a little bit more of kind of a big kid’s room. So it depends on where you’re at in this sort of growth phase. But the fall and back to school is kind of a great time to sort of jump into this makeover.

Now, you might have a kid that’s going from, say, elementary school to middle school and their room’s kind of still baby-ish. So, think about ways that you can make it a little bit more teen and cool but also make it functional to be kind of like a school workspace. So there’s a lot of great loft beds or beds that sort of have desks or bookcases built into the foot or off of the sides. Always think about these kind of multifunctional pieces, because that’s a great way to keep their room a lot more organized but also give them a place to do their work and really dedicate it to their work.

If you’ve got younger kids and maybe they’re outgrowing all the big toys and moving into the smaller toys that’s a lot of pieces, think about ways to sort of redecorate their space that adds in functional storage. And if you work on this with your child, it kind of helps them take ownership of where things go and helps them figure out – “Oh, I know where to go. I know where this gets put away. Because I picked out this awesome bookcase or this awesome toy storage unit.” Have them get involved because that really helps them understand why you make the choices you do, why the pieces function the way they do, how they can be of more than one use. But also allowing them to have the design input really makes them feel proud of their space.

So this is a good time of year to boost confidence, make those rooms more functional and send them off to the school year with a better attitude. And then parents, break out the wine because it’s nice to have those quiet days back sometimes. I’m just saying.

TOM: This is The Money Pit Home Improvement Show. Coming up next time on the show, do you love your outdoor spaces? Well, if those spaces are limited to the backyard, well, the Department of Energy says you might be missing out big. Because there’s a new trend towards what they’re calling “social front yards.” We’ll explain what it’s all about, on the very next edition of The Money Pit.

I’m Tom Kraeutler.

LESLIE: And I’m Leslie Segrete.

TOM: Remember, you can do it yourself …

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

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