The Money Pit Home Improvement Podcast

SHOW NOTES: Welcome to The Money Pit! As the holiday season kicks into full swing, our homes start working overtime, whether we're hosting guests, cooking festive meals, or just trying to keep the utility bills manageable. This week, we're here to help you get your biggest investment running smoothly – from laundry room prep and crucial plumbing repairs to dealing with smoke damage and rescuing your holiday budget. - Laundry Room Maintenance: We discuss preparing your laundry room for the influx of guest linens and cozy sweaters by sharing smart maintenance tips for washers and dryers. - Safe and Effective Cleaning Solutions: Bruce Yako, the CEO of Jaws International, joined us to explain how their Just Add Water system uses reusable bottles and concentrated, EPA Safer Choice-certified pods to provide streak-free cleaning while reducing plastic waste. - Holiday Budget Plan: We offer a Holiday Budget Rescue Plan, suggesting simple actions like lowering your thermostat by a degree or two to save on heating costs and switching traditional holiday lights to LEDs, which use up to 80% less energy. - Water Valve Precautions: As a crucial safety measure, homeowners should locate and test the main water valve to ensure it works properly, and always remember to turn off the water supply valves to the washing machine when leaving home for an extended period to prevent burst hoses. Q & A: - Jackie from Michigan is converting an old tub into a tile shower and needs to know how to handle the pipe that previously went to the tub faucet. We advise that she cannot just cap the pipe; she must install a shower valve to get water to the shower head, and should also include a pressure balance valve to maintain constant water temperature. - Richard from Illinois has dealt with a damp spot in his brick chimney for 50 years, despite having previously replaced the flashing and chimney liner. We suggest that the highly porous brick is likely absorbing heavy rainfall, and he should apply a vapor-permeable masonry sealer to slow absorption. - Brenda’s 1908 Kansas home has crumbling poured concrete basement walls, and she cannot lift the heavy block house to replace them. We stress that because this is a significant structural issue, she must hire a structural engineer who will design the precise fix, create specifications for contractors, and inspect the repair upon completion. - Jack emailed us about copper pipes in his apartment buildings that are developing pin holes and leaking. This deterioration is caused by highly acidic water, so he should consider replacing the damaged copper sections with PEX piping, which better resists acidity. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome to The Money Pit! Home sweet home is the biggest investment you’ll ever make, but it doesn't have to be a bottomless money pit. We know you’re busy at this time of year with holidays and projects, but we’re here every week to help you handle those improvements, whether you have questions about painting, plumbing, home safety, security, or curb appeal! - Smart, Damage-Free Ways to Decorate for the Holidays: We emphasize the importance of using plastic light clips instead of nails or staples to prevent damage to your siding or roof. We also stress power safety, recommending outdoor-rated lights, weatherproof extension cords, GFCI outlets, and smart plugs or timers to control usage. - Simple Strategies to Keep Your Home Safe While Traveling: Make your house look lived in by using varied timers on lights and having trusted neighbors check on packages and park in the driveway. Key safety measures include locking all doors and windows and setting the thermostat to 55-60 degrees to prevent pipe freezing. - Must-Have Winter Checklist: We run through a must-have checklist of essential items to stock up on now, such as ice melt that’s safe for concrete and pets, snow tools, furnace filters, and emergency items like batteries, flashlights, and extra phone chargers. - Hide Messy Wires: Finally, we cover smart and simple ways to hide messy TV wires for a clean, modern media setup. Q & A: - Karen in Pennsylvania needs a sturdy way to install a railing post into a prefabbed hollow concrete porch step. We advise using blue Tapcon screws specifically designed for masonry surfaces. - Pete in Ohio and his wife want to install canned lights in their finished, two-story home ceiling. We caution that this is an advanced electrical project requiring special tools, making it a job best handled by a professional electrician. - Lori in Missouri asks about a less messy way to remove her popcorn ceiling to achieve a flat surface. We suggest she first test for asbestos, then use the "wet scrape" method by spraying the ceiling lightly with a garden sprayer, letting it soak for 10–15 minutes, and scraping it off carefully with a wide spackle knife. - Robin in Wisconsin was refinishing her basement floor and has areas of carpet glue residue that resist sanding. We explain that sanding warms up adhesives and makes them stickier, advising her to choose a more rigid vinyl plank with an underlayment to bridge the small areas of uneven glue instead of trying to scrape or sand further. - Rich in Illinois has cedar siding that is weathered and untreated, and he seeks advice on how to secure and treat it. We recommend applying an oil-based anti-tannin primer first to prevent the natural oils from leaking, followed by a latex-based exterior stain to achieve a durable finish that could last around 15 years. - Ronnie emailed from New York City, asking if he should close off the five HVAC vents in his unused basement to save money. We advise against shutting off a large portion of the system, as it may strain the 15-year-old HVAC unit by forcing it to work harder. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Coast to coast and floorboards to shingles, this is The Money Pit! As we enter this wonderful, thankful time of year, we are focused on making sure your home is prepped to look nice and stay safe before the holiday guests and cooking sprees begin. Listen in for this week’s home improvement topics and calls, including: - Refreshing Your Home's Exterior: Fall provides crisp, dry weather that is perfect for refreshing your exterior paint. We’ll give you some tips on how to boost curb appeal and better protect your home. - Preventing Holiday Plumbing Disasters: Before guests arrive, take steps to avoid kitchen clogs and toilet backups, such as avoiding putting grease, potato peels, or bones down the garbage disposal. - Essential Fire Safety for the Season: Holiday lights and decorations can increase fire risks, so use surge protectors and avoid daisy-chaining extension cords, which can overload wires. Also, always remember that unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires. - Quick Clean-Up Preparation: Since spills are inevitable during big meals, prep a quick grab-and-go stain-fighting kit with essentials like paper towels, a carpet-safe stain remover, white vinegar, and a scrub brush. Q & A: - Cameron has a 100-year-old home with counterweighted windows, and he needs to restring the weights. To fix this, he needs to carefully remove the interior trim/casing to gain access to the cavity behind the sash, making sure to use a utility knife to cut the paint seam first to avoid damage while repairing the window. - Nicole is dealing with loud banging pipes in the basement every time water is run. The noise is either "water hammer" from loose pipes shaking against the wood framing, or the well pump turning on and off too frequently. - Linda wants to build a single concrete structure that can serve as a patio in the summer and a covered carport for her collectible car in the winter. To get a solid, permanent base, we recommend consulting with a professional. - Bill installed a new LED light fixture and noticed there is a 1.5 to 2-second delay before the light actually comes on when flipped. This behavior is actually normal due to the complex internal circuitry required to bring the light up and maintain the correct level. - Gail emailed to say she recently moved and asked how to stop the stains left by falling acorns on her concrete driveway. The recommended solution is to stay on top of maintenance by scrubbing the stains with a strong solution of oxygenated bleach. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome back to The Money Pit! It’s getting chilly out, so we’re focused on preparing a cozier home for the colder season ahead. Give us a call now at 888 Money Pit, but first, listen in for this week’s topics and DIY caller questions! - Fireplace Safety Check: Before striking that first match for a cozy fire, pay attention to our quick fireplace safety checklist. We’ll walk you through tips to tackle before lighting your first log. - Pre-Winter Power Washing: Before winter wraps your home in a snowy blanket, it’s a great time to give your exterior a deep clean. Coming up, we’re talking about the power of power washing! From removing grime and mildew to making your walkways safer and your house sparkle for the holidays, we’ll share why this quick weekend project is the ultimate pre-winter refresh. - Smoke Detector & Cold Prep Reminders: Changing the clocks is a perfect reminder to replace the batteries in all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and to swap out any units that are more than 10 years old. Other quick prep tasks include reversing ceiling fan direction, inspecting weather stripping, and cleaning the HVAC filter. - Wallpaper Accents: In Leslie's Last Word, we discuss how wallpaper is having a serious design moment and can be used sparingly and stylishly as an accent in small spaces like powder rooms or inside decorative molding for instant impact. Q & A: - Mara in Louisiana wanted to screen in or convert part of her two-story porch on her 1910 home, which has 22 large Corinthian columns. We explain that trying to work around or box in the unique columns would severely change the architectural style of her beautiful home, and recommend consulting with an architect for a major redesign. - David in Anchorage, Alaska, was preparing to tile a bathroom wall that featured a "knockdown" texture, and he needed to know what prep work was necessary. We suggest that he lightly sand the raised spots or score them with a knife to provide a clean, flatter surface for the tile adhesive. - Stacy in Minnesota wanted to update her 1968 fireplace by filling in the mortar between the bricks and then applying a lime wash. We explain that a lime wash won't absorb correctly into brick as it does with wood grain, and she should instead consider alternatives like tiling, using faux stone fascia, or applying stucco. - John in Florida stripped his entire house down to the studs and asked if "cocooning" his home with spray foam insulation was a good idea. We affirm that spray foam is an excellent method for achieving energy efficiency, especially since the walls were open, and we note that breathability issues are rare in existing homes. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome to The Money Pit! Home sweet home doesn't have to be a bottomless money pit, and we are here every week to take your calls and offer expert advice. This week, we’re getting festive with last-minute Halloween treats and tackling your scariest home improvement dilemmas! Topics this week include: - Last-Minute DIY Halloween Decor: If Halloween snuck up on you, there is still time to haunt your house with easy decor ideas like using cheesecloth or gauze draped over balloons to create floating ghosts, cutting black trash bags into spiderwebs, or creating spooky silhouettes from paper and cardboard. - Budget-Friendly Yard Frights: We share quick and clever DIY lighting effects to transform your yard into a haunted masterpiece, including using toilet paper rolls with cellophane and LED lights tucked into bushes to create glowing eyes, or setting up a glowing, smoky cauldron with a fog machine or dry ice. - The Best Way to Store Decorations: Once the spooky season is over, you should sort and label indoor decor, wrap string lights around cardboard to prevent tangles, and ensure all outdoor items (like inflatables and lights) are completely dry before boxing them up to prevent mold and damage. - Fall Home Maintenance Wins: Leslie’s Last Word offers easy projects to ready your home for winter, including draining off sediment from your tank-style water heater and swapping out the furnace filter to ensure warmer air and lower heating bills. Q & A: - John in Texas was questioning whether to install a metal roof over just 1x3 wood lath strips or over solid plywood sheathing on his new small home. Our recommendation is to use solid decking because it provides greater structural strength, reduces the loud noise caused by rain, and allows for better insulation. - Janet was looking for the best way to insulate a side entrance floor, debating whether to insulate from underneath or pull up the linoleum and plywood from the top. If she has access to the crawlspace, we advise inserting insulation between the joists from underneath, but note that the ceiling/attic should be insulated first. - Lauren asked if her neglected, ivy-damaged cedar siding was worth salvaging and what type of contractor to hire for the job. Our advice is to restore the siding by hiring a good painter to prep the surface and caulk seams, using a solid color stain for durability, and potentially hiring a carpenter to replace severely damaged boards. - Bosley emailed to say he wanted to remove a large bathroom mirror glued to the wall without breaking it and needed safety advice. The solution requires wearing protective gear and using a thin, strong wire, like piano wire or a guitar string, to carefully saw back and forth behind the mirror and cut through the adhesive. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Your home is the biggest investment you'll ever make, and we're here every week to make sure it doesn't have to be a bottomless Money Pit! Today, we’re tackling the projects you need to get done before winter arrives, from refreshing your home with a perfect fall paint job to reclaiming your basement space, plus lots more DIY ideas. - Fall Painting for the Perfect Finish: Fall is the perfect time to refresh your home with a fresh coat of paint, because cooler temperatures and lower humidity help the paint cure evenly and prevent streaking. We discuss trending colors and how to prep for a professional-looking result. - Transforming the Basement into a Bonus Room: If your home is shrinking or your basement is currently just a storage unit, we share creative tips for turning that blank slate into your home's best bonus room, which is one of the smartest ways to add square footage. - Durable Flooring for High-Traffic Entryways: Since the front entry is the hardest-working floor in the home, we break down the best durable and water-resistant flooring options to stand up to mud and foot traffic. Q & A: - Kim from New York reported discolored hot water coming from her old, oil-fired water heater. We think her unit is probably rusting and advise her to replace it with a much more efficient electric heat pump water heater. - Robin in Maryland was planning to install laminate flooring in her condo, but was worried about installing it over existing luan. She must first lift the feet on the dishwasher or remove the appliances to prevent them from being blocked by the higher new floor, and install a wide transition piece for stability in the high-traffic doorway. - Barry in Texas has an exterior wooden arbor where the paint keeps wearing off, and he is concerned about wood rot. We stress that the issue is poor adherence and give tips to prepare the arbor for painting. - Mirabel, via email, asked for suggestions on waterproof or damp-proof basement flooring options for a new home office. We suggest the best, most durable option is luxury vinyl plank or rigid vinyl plank that is 100% waterproof and can be layered with an area rug for a cozier feel. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome to The Money Pit! We're here every week to help you protect your biggest investment – your home sweet home – and make sure it doesn't become a bottomless money pit. We've got a busy hour planned, diving into seasonal home maintenance musts. Join us for today’s topics, including: - Reclaiming Your Yard with Hardscapes: Learn how Pavestone products can help you ditch constant mowing, weeding, and watering while boosting your curb appeal. We’ll discuss ideas for creating stunning, smart, and sustainable outdoor spaces. - Essential Garage Door Maintenance: The garage door is the biggest moving part of your home, and we'll share simple tips to keep it running smoothly, safely, and quietly before it becomes dangerous and expensive. - Winterizing Your Sprinkler System: Before the first deep freeze hits, we detail the crucial fall task of shutting down your in-ground sprinkler system to prevent serious and costly damage. Q & A: - Margaret’s home has ceramic bathroom tiles confirmed to contain lead, and she needs questions to ask contractors who seem unaware of safe removal requirements. We advise her to seek a contractor who is EPA certified in lead paint renovation or removal. - Gonzalo successfully reduced his home's air infiltration through air sealing, but is concerned there may still be leaks. We recommend using specific science to locate drafts rather than guessing. - Bobby in Virginia notices a small amount of water in his basement after heavy rains, which he suspects is due to hydrostatic pressure. We suspect the problem is caused by bad grading and drainage outside the foundation, and urge him to extend his gutters and downspouts farther from the house perimeter. - Lillian in Florida is dealing with worms that repeatedly crawl onto her screened-in patio! We explain that worms come out after heavy rain because they breathe through their skin and need oxygen when the soil gets too wet. - Allan in North Dakota wants to reseed his lawn and asked if seeding right before the snow falls is the correct timing. We confirmed that fall is the best time for reseeding, but advised him not to wait until winter is approaching. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome back to The Money Pit! Today, we are tackling those big fall projects, including protecting your home from the tough winter ahead and figuring out how to reclaim those spaces that feel like a lost cause. Let’s take a look at the main topics we are tackling this hour, plus home improvement questions from callers: - Weekend Concrete Repair: Winter is super tough on concrete, so with a few simple steps right now, you can save yourself from big repair bills later. We will show you how to seal cracks and protect your concrete surfaces with help from Quikrete, making this an easy and inexpensive weekend project. - Perfect Painting Tips: If you are ready to give your space a fresh look before the holidays, fall is actually the perfect time to pick up a paintbrush due to the cooler, drier weather. We will share seasonal tricks to help you choose the right color, prep your walls, and ensure your paint job is smooth and long-lasting. - Reclaiming Unusable Space: We know more than half of Americans say at least one room in their house is unsalvageable, but we are sharing simple, stress-free ways to declutter and reclaim that space. - Home Lighting: As the days get shorter and darker earlier, lighting becomes everything, so we are sharing simple ways to bring in light and give your home an autumnal glow. Q & A: - Ladonna in Alaska called us with a snow management question about her log cabin, wondering if placing tarps over her roof would prevent buildup. We advise her that tarps won't provide the relief she wants and suggest sticking with her snow rake, - Bill in Maryland has small cracks in his chimney crown and was told by a chimney sweep to cover them with plastic roof cement. We confirm that removing the crown is unnecessary, but strongly advise against the plastic roof cement because it traps moisture; instead, Bill should use a good-quality silicone caulk to seal the cracks. - Marilyn reached out because her daughter can hear her condo neighbors talking through thin walls. We suggest soundproofing solutions like adhering a second layer of drywall or implementing decorative solutions like long drapes or acoustical wall panels. - Shen in New Hampshire wants to tile a poured concrete wall in her garage staircase and asked about prepping the surface. We recommend first ensuring her gutters are directing water away from the wall to reduce moisture, then using an uncoupling membrane, such as Dietra, to prevent the tiles from cracking from differential movement. - Keith in Georgia has a very low crawl space and needs suggestions to seal the dirt floor to prevent moisture evaporation. The simple solution we suggest is laying polyethylene sheeting across the entire crawl space floor and up the walls to keep the space drier and prevent mold and mildew. ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices