transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] Spring Black Friday is on at The Home Depot. Save on grills and patio sets that will be sure to bring your hosting game up a notch. Fire up your feasts with help from The Home Depot and save on grills. Like the next grill, four burner propane gas grill was $249, now in special buy for $199. Or give everyone the best seat in the yard with the Hampton Bay Mayfield Park four piece conversation set for only $399. Save on grills and patio sets with low prices guaranteed during Spring Black Friday only at The Home Depot. Now through April 22nd, while supplies last. Exclusions apply to homedepot.com to get the best price match for details.

Speaker 2:
[00:30] This Old House is supported by TruGreen. A thriving Spring lawn doesn't happen on its own. It requires the right combination of seasonal maintenance, nutrient support and a plan tailored to your lawn's unique needs. TruGreen's lawn care experts understand exactly what your grass needs in Spring from proper feeding and soil preparation to treatment strategies designed to set your lawn up for long-term success. Whether you're tackling early season weeds, refreshing thinning turf or building a healthier foundation for the months ahead, the pros at TruGreen will ensure it's done right. As America's number one lawn care company, TruGreen has more than 200 branches nationwide, serving over 2.3 million customers locally. To learn more about TruGreen's range of lawn care services, visit trugreen.com to create a customized Spring lawn care plan that gives your lawn the boost it needs to grow greener, thicker and stronger this season.

Speaker 3:
[01:31] From LAist and APM American Public Media, it's This Old House Radio Hour. I'm Jenn Largesse. If your houseplants keep dying, it's time to change your approach.

Speaker 4:
[01:40] Probe your blunt object into the soil about 25 to 50%. See if it's moisture on the soil.

Speaker 3:
[01:48] Bravo's Carl Radke returns to the cramped Pittsburgh home of his youth that taught him to hide, to strive and to survive.

Speaker 5:
[01:56] Depending on how you frame it, there's a lot of good memories, there's a lot of tough memories and a lot of our family ups and downs were captured in that house.

Speaker 3:
[02:03] Choosing the right floor isn't just about looks. It's about durability, cost and making the right call between repair and replacement. Before small problems get expensive. All this plus we're answering your home improvement questions at 877-864-7460. Coming up next. It's This Old House Radio Hour. I'm Jenn Largesse. Houseplants can do a lot for a space. They can bring in a little life, they can soften the edges, and make a home feel more complete. But they also come with a lot of questions. And how do you actually keep them alive? Tanner and Erica Mitchell, the duo behind Tanner the Planter, are here to help you get it right. Tanner, what do you think is the biggest mistake that people make when they become new plant owners?

Speaker 6:
[02:56] Getting the plant that they want, and the story that repeats itself is, I saw on this show, the magazine, the Pinterest board, this plant. It's usually a fiddle leaf fig or an olive tree, something very bright, light, needy. People tend to choose plants that don't naturally go well in the home or the place that they're planning on putting them. And so it's a battle against nature, and nature always wins.

Speaker 3:
[03:21] Erica, what are your recommendations when people are looking to choose a house plant? How do you decide?

Speaker 4:
[03:26] So I would say a low-vite plant. Start with a low-vite plant. If you know that you're not a great waterer, then go with something very succulent in nature like a snake plant, because all that rigidity in the leaves is water storage. So you're watering very infrequently, but still have the joy of having that plant near you.

Speaker 3:
[03:45] And how do you actually know how often you need to water something? Is there sort of a foolproof way to tell if I'm overwatering or underwatering?

Speaker 6:
[03:54] I would say some signs to look out for for overwatering. There's no 100% way to know on the surface without actually looking at the roots, because overwatering is root rot. So the only way you can definitively tell is if you've got rotted roots, so you'd have to take the plant out. But one of the most prolific signs that you can almost guarantee is going to be root rot or overwatering is the newest growth on your plant turning yellow or brown, mushy. Whereas if the leaves are turning yellow or brown anywhere else on the plant, it's usually something else like regular die-off or pests.

Speaker 4:
[04:29] Tanner actually developed a method. We call it the chopstick method or the knitting needle method.

Speaker 6:
[04:35] Or the baking method.

Speaker 4:
[04:36] The baking method where you would probe your blunt object into the soil about 25 to 50 percent. Then check for it. See if it's moisture on the soil that comes out of it. Sometimes it's hard to tell. Tanner has been known to put the chopstick right here on your upper lip is a very sensitive spot and you'll definitely know if it's moist or not if you test it there.

Speaker 3:
[04:58] How do I figure out what kind of light I actually have in my home or my apartment? Can you break down the difference between maybe bright indirect light versus low light?

Speaker 6:
[05:09] So bright light, medium light, low light, these are not meant to be subjective terms. They have measurable units of light to them called foot candles. Foot candles is how bright it is one foot away from a candle. And so every plant has a certain amount of foot candles they need to be in to be able to achieve healthy growth. So you can get a tool and you can measure the light that your plant is getting.

Speaker 4:
[05:33] It's called a light meter. It's very simple and it makes it so easy for anyone. But there is also a DIY way to do it.

Speaker 6:
[05:40] Because not everybody wants to use tech, you know. And so what is actually making it brighter light? And what I realized was when I would point the sensor of my light meter towards the open blue sky, that's what got it to jump up very, very quickly. And so bright light needy plants need a wide view of the sky. If it's a bright light plant, you need to be able to get down to your plant's perspective right where the leaves are, because your leaves are what need to absorb the light. And bright light is when you can turn your head from the left, the center and the right and see unobstructed. That's a great DIY method as well. People think the health of a plant is really determined by the leaves and the foliage and the stems. The health of your plant is the health of your roots. That's everything.

Speaker 4:
[06:21] The only thing that the leaves do is kind of indicate what's going on under the surface.

Speaker 3:
[06:27] What does a healthy root look like?

Speaker 4:
[06:29] They're rigid. They don't smell bad. Root rot has a very specific smell. And every once in a while, you'll go to repot a plant that shows no sign of anything that matter with it on the foliage. You'll take off that pot and immediately the smell, you know, yeah.

Speaker 6:
[06:46] It'll blow your hair back.

Speaker 3:
[06:49] Are there any plants that you should stay away from if you have pets?

Speaker 6:
[06:52] House plants are going to go in three different categories. Non-toxic, self-limiting toxic, and deadly toxic. Your deadly toxic plants are mostly going to be true lilies. I'm not talking about peace lilies. I'm talking about a true lily. A calla. Things like Diphonbacchia. But in any case, you should always look up the plant to confirm or consult with your vet. But most house plants fall into the category of self-limiting toxic, which is like alcohol for humans. If your pet eats too many leaves, it's going to throw it up, but it's not necessarily deadly. Then there are some that are just non-toxic. They can munch on them and nothing happens.

Speaker 4:
[07:30] Some are even made for them like spider plant and cat grass. Spider plants actually have a hallucinogenic quality for felines.

Speaker 6:
[07:41] Yes, if you see your cat constantly going back to the spider plant, you've got a little junky cat on your hands.

Speaker 3:
[07:50] Do you ever recommend wiping off their leaves?

Speaker 4:
[07:53] Absolutely. If you leave dust on your plants, then that's one more barrier for the plant to be able to photosynthesize.

Speaker 6:
[08:01] Yeah, if you get too much of a layer of dust, it's like sucking a milkshake through a really tiny straw.

Speaker 4:
[08:05] Coffee stir.

Speaker 6:
[08:07] For the plant, trying to absorb all that light.

Speaker 3:
[08:10] What would you say is the best entry-level house plant for people who maybe don't have much experience or if they're like me and they seem to always be killing plants?

Speaker 4:
[08:20] I'm going with the snake plant. The snake plant is just really good practice because it teaches you how to keep your hands off of the plants. They're very slow growers. In most places where we place them indoors, they can tolerate low light.

Speaker 6:
[08:35] My choice is golden pothos because you can put it in bright light, medium light, or low light, and it does perfectly fine. And we water when about 25% dry, but this is one of the toughest nails plants that everybody has in their house for decades and decades for a reason because it's so easy to grow.

Speaker 3:
[08:52] We thank you so much for this information. I think it'll help a lot of people get more comfortable and have success in caring for their houseplants.

Speaker 4:
[08:59] Absolutely. That's always our hope.

Speaker 3:
[09:01] Thanks for being here.

Speaker 6:
[09:02] Thanks for having us.

Speaker 3:
[09:05] That was Tanner and Erica Mitchell. Tanner's book for the love of houseplants is out now. For more tips like this, follow them online at Tanner the Planter. Right now, we're answering your home improvement and DIY questions. Call us at 877-864-7460. That's 877-864-7460. Hello, you're on This Old House Radio Hour.

Speaker 7:
[09:32] Hi, this is Sandy Mane from Parishville, New York.

Speaker 3:
[09:36] Hi, Sandy. What's your question?

Speaker 7:
[09:38] Well, I have a farmhouse that was built in 1868. Wow. The floors are kind of cold. So we were thinking about doing spray insulation on the ceiling in the basement, which would cover up some gorgeous hand-hewn beings. But we don't really hang out in the basement that much. It's got a dirt floor. It's more of a storage area. So we were just wondering what kind of things we should be concerned about if we go ahead with this plan.

Speaker 3:
[10:19] Absolutely. Well, we've got Zack Dettmore, General Contractor for This Old House here on the line to help us out.

Speaker 8:
[10:24] Okay, Sandy. So you've got an old house and the basement's cold and you want to isolate the first floor from the second floor. So I think the main thing to understand about spray foam is it makes all subsequent renovations more expensive and more risky. Because it's not the type of insulation like cellulose or fiberglass that you can just simply remove, place on the floor, and potentially reuse. It's sticking and encapsulating everything, and it does a tremendous job of hiding things, right? A place where I don't want to use it is maybe a house that's old, and there's a lot of electric in the ceiling and plumbing, and the home owner is telling me, yeah, in 10 years, I'm thinking of doing a kitchen remodel. I know that kitchen remodel is going to be more expensive because potentially wires that I need to modify are buried within the spray foam, or maybe when I'm cutting through the spray foam, I accidentally cut through a pipe, and now I have to charge them to repair the pipe or take that loss myself. If you think we're never touching this, then spray foam is a good idea because not only is it an insulator, but it's also stopping air movement, which is a big component of an old house, is making things airtight. If you do think you're going to be doing something with the basement at some point, then I would use a bat or a vapor open insulation, and just put it in place, and then you know you have a more forgiving, renovation-ready house. And I think it is important to know that this house has been standing for hundreds of years. You weren't the first person or the second person, or maybe even the third person to be a caregiver for this house, and you don't want to do anything that is going to hurt people in the future. So think about your needs, but also think about what are the next needs of the next 100 years. And if you find yourself thinking someone is going to need to modify this, or potentially finish the basement, or potentially redo the kitchen, or make it add a generator, then I think your answer is, maybe this product isn't the right choice for me. Maybe I should do something that's easier to modify in the future.

Speaker 7:
[12:49] Okay. We have a wood stove in the basement, and we use it when the temperature dips below minus 20. We're in the northern Adirondacks, and sometimes we get minus 45 in February. So that heats our basement. But I was wondering if that could have any kind of ill effect with the foam, and also gassing off. Is this going to create some indoor air pollution for us on a long-term basis if we use the spray foam?

Speaker 8:
[13:27] If it's done correctly, there should be no long-term off-gassing, but if it's done incorrectly, there will be long-term off-gassing, and there would definitely be short-term off-gassing, at least within the first 48 hours, where you shouldn't be in the house with spray foam. The other thing is, if you're treating your basement as a space where there's a wood stove, you cannot leave spray foam exposed. So you need to either cover the whole ceiling with some sort of fire retardant, or you have to paint on a fire retardant onto the spray foam, which I think is another argument to be made for a type of insulation that doesn't need that added treatment.

Speaker 7:
[14:05] I see. Okay. So we could choose to take the wood stove out of there too, if we had the foam, because we probably wouldn't-

Speaker 3:
[14:14] I mean, if you said negative 45, you might want to keep your wood stove.

Speaker 8:
[14:17] Sounds like a good idea. I think I'm not loving the spray foam, if I'm honest. I feel like something that's renovation proof is really going to work in your favor, and that open insulation is going to do a better job than the permanent fixed-in spray.

Speaker 7:
[14:35] All right. Well, thank you so much. Take care.

Speaker 8:
[14:38] Take care.

Speaker 3:
[14:39] Coming up, we answer more of your home improvement and DIY questions. Call us at 877-864-7460. That's 877-864-7460. It's This Old House Radio Hour.

Speaker 1:
[15:02] Spring Black Friday is on at The Home Depot. Save on grills and patio sets that will be sure to bring your hosting game up a notch. Fire up your feasts with help from The Home Depot and save on grills, like the next grill for burner propane gas grill was $249, now in special buy for $199. Or give everyone the best seat in the yard with the Hampton Bay Mayfield Park four-piece conversation set for only $399. Save on grills and patio sets with low prices guaranteed during Spring Black Friday, only at The Home Depot. Now through April 22nd, while supplies last. Exclusions apply to homedepot.com/pricematch for details.

Speaker 9:
[15:32] It seems like just yesterday when I captured my son's first steps or when we recorded his soccer games on VHS tapes, those moments are gone. But the old home movies and pictures don't need to be. That's why my son created Legacy Box.

Speaker 10:
[15:46] That's right, mom. Over a million families have used Legacy Box to digitally preserve their old home movies and photos.

Speaker 9:
[15:52] Simply fill Legacy Box with your old camcorder tapes, film and photos. They will professionally digitize and send them back on DVDs, thumb drive or the cloud.

Speaker 10:
[16:01] With Mother's Day around the corner, it's the perfect time to get your Legacy Box and save your family's history. After all, few things are as important as protecting your precious memories. Give your mom a Mother's Day present she'll never forget. Take advantage of our Mother's Day sale, which starts now. It's our best deal of the year. Save up to 60% off. Visit legacybox.com/keepsake and for a limited time, get an incredible 60% off your order. That's legacybox.com/keepsake for 60% off. legacybox.com/keepsake.

Speaker 3:
[16:31] Today's episode is supported by Quo, spelled Q-U-O, the modern alternative to run your business communications. Quo understands just how much the basic stuff matters, like how you should talk to customers and keep your team on the same page. Their cleaner, more modern setup can make everything feel smoother and bring the level up mindset to your business. Quo allows your entire team to handle calls and texts from one shared number, so there's no more missed messages or disconnected conversations. Since everyone sees the full thread, replies are faster and customers feel genuinely cared for. Make this the year where no opportunity and no customer slips away. Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to quo.com/thisoldhouse. That's quo.com/thisoldhouse. Quo, no missed calls, no missed customers. If you're listening to This Old House Radio Hour, I'm Jenn Largesse. Right now, we're tackling your home improvement and DIY questions. Call us at 877-864-7460. That's 877-864-7460. Or you can leave us a voicemail anytime. Hello, you're on This Old House Radio Hour.

Speaker 11:
[17:49] Hi, this is Matt Wagner from New Haven, Connecticut.

Speaker 3:
[17:53] Hi, Matt, what's your question today?

Speaker 11:
[17:55] Yeah, so I moved into a new house a year ago, but it's an old house, 1886.

Speaker 3:
[18:02] New to you.

Speaker 11:
[18:04] Yeah, new to me. In the front of the house, there's a large, very large, white oak. And originally the house, the main entrance was the front of the house. In the 90s, there was a big addition in the back, and the side became the main entrance. But what's remaining next to the white oak is some hardscaping. So there's some stone and concrete steps. So the steps are now at about a 25 degree angle, and they're kind of embedded into the base of the tree. And also the stone walkway is partially embedded into the base of the tree. So essentially, my question is, is there any risk to the tree of removing the stone steps and the stone walkway? Exposing the inside of the tree.

Speaker 3:
[19:08] Yeah. Well, we've got Jenn Nawada, luckily, a landscape contractor for the show here to help. Jenn, have you ever seen a tree just grow around something like that?

Speaker 12:
[19:18] Yes. Hey, by the way, how's it going? Yeah. I mean, it happens, I mean, especially in old, old homes. I would say it's detrimental to the tree to try to pull it off because it's kind of grown in as part of the tree. So if you pull that concrete off it in a way, it's going to leave essentially an open gash wound, and then it could, if it's a main leader to the tree or one of the main root systems, it could damage and invite rot in everything.

Speaker 3:
[19:49] What does it mean, leader to a tree?

Speaker 12:
[19:51] Well, like one of the main roots that supports the tree structurally as well. And if that is disrupted in a big storm, it could cause the tree to also fall over if those roots are not intact into the ground. I mean, is there any way you could chip part of the steps out and maybe start to grow ground cover around it and mask what's there? Because nobody uses, does anybody use this as access?

Speaker 11:
[20:17] Well, I put up a sign. This is like visitors and deliveries to the side entrance. I put a little wrought iron gate in front of them. I removed the wooden steps to go up to the porch, and I closed off the porch railing. But believe it or not, I still occasionally see delivery guys walk right past the sign, around the gate, up the steps, and then they toss the package onto the porch. One good idea that someone gave me, I thought it was a good idea, was to put a bunch of potted plants.

Speaker 12:
[20:51] Yeah, potted plants or get some ground cover established to start to cover the stones without removing them. I would do that, like visually deter someone.

Speaker 11:
[21:03] Okay, so the other half of the question is just leaving it that way, is that also going to cause harm to the tree?

Speaker 12:
[21:12] I think it's already in there, right? You know, it's already, it would just be like, you opening up a huge wound, right? And this is probably the stability of the tree too, because sometimes oaks are vulnerable in these huge windstorms to tip over, like the street trees. This isn't a street tree, right? This is in your yard?

Speaker 11:
[21:32] Yes, in the yard.

Speaker 12:
[21:33] Okay. Yeah, I would try to mask it in a way, and I like the idea of pots that could maybe turn it into the garden and celebrate all the people that probably used to walk on that walkway. You know what I mean?

Speaker 11:
[21:50] Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea.

Speaker 12:
[21:53] Yeah, but it sounds like you respect your house, and that sounds fantastic.

Speaker 11:
[21:57] Yeah. Okay. That's the way I was leaning, but I wanted to get your opinion.

Speaker 12:
[22:02] That's my opinion. Don't disturb it. But have fun with us and send us a picture.

Speaker 11:
[22:08] I'll send in a picture. Yes, I'll do that.

Speaker 12:
[22:10] Awesome. Yeah, I'll be looking for it, okay?

Speaker 11:
[22:12] Okay.

Speaker 3:
[22:13] All right, Matt, thanks for the call.

Speaker 11:
[22:14] Bye-bye.

Speaker 12:
[22:15] Bye.

Speaker 3:
[22:16] Call us now to have your home improvement or DIY question answered. 877-864-7460. That's 877-864-7460, or you can leave us a voicemail anytime. Hello, you're on This Old House Radio Hour.

Speaker 13:
[22:33] Hi there, this is Ryan Lowe calling from Denver, Colorado.

Speaker 3:
[22:36] Hi, Ryan, what's the question today?

Speaker 13:
[22:38] We have a 1941 house with a basement bathroom that has recently had all of the under-concrete plumbing taken out, and we're in the process of redoing that basement bathroom. And so I was really trying to figure out what are my sort of steps that I want to take for working on the basement bathroom, putting in the floor, putting in the walls, covering the walls, plumbing, et cetera. I'm kind of what my step-shot should be taking in order.

Speaker 3:
[23:08] Absolutely. We've got Zack Dettmore, a general contractor for the show here on the line. Zack, we need you to clock in here as our project planner.

Speaker 8:
[23:16] I could do that. So, Ryan, you're doing like a do-it-yourself replacement of the basement bathroom. Is that correct?

Speaker 13:
[23:24] Yeah, that's the plan. As much as we can do ourselves, we're hoping to do ourselves.

Speaker 8:
[23:29] Okay. And where does it sit right now? Like, how much work has been done?

Speaker 13:
[23:36] So, when the plumbing was replaced, we got to the whole bathroom and so we're looking at basically just a blank concrete room with the rough plumbing in place through the concrete walls.

Speaker 8:
[23:48] So, there's like a drain for the toilet, there's a drain for the shower, and there's pipes sticking out for the vanity right now, and that's it?

Speaker 13:
[23:55] Yep, exactly.

Speaker 8:
[23:57] Okay. Have you selected your finishes yet, such as your vanity, your sconces, your toilet, your shower, whether you're going to tile the shower or is it going to be a shower pan, all that stuff?

Speaker 13:
[24:10] Only a little bit. We did decide that we were going to go with a shower pan, assuming that was just kind of the ease of use, and then but we hadn't actually selected the finishes. It was sort of going to be a long-going project, as I'm sure most of our house projects become, whether we like it or not.

Speaker 8:
[24:28] All right, perfect. Well, I would encourage you to do that first, because if you want to make a short project into a long project, the best way to do that is to not select everything, because that sets you up for failure. How are you supposed to put the wire in the wall and sheetrock over it if you don't know where the light is or how big the light is or how the light is going to interact with the mirror, or is the mirror going to be too low because it's behind your faucet or we don't know what faucet because we don't know what vanity. So I wouldn't do any construction at this point. I would make all of those decisions. Seeing them all compiled together is going to allow you to understand the total investment you need to make on the finishes. And then you can backpedal your way out to figure out, well, say you had a $10,000 budget and you spent $4,000 on the finishes, you would know you had $6,000 left over and you could decide how much of that is going towards drywall and insulation and how much of that is going towards an electrician or a tile installer, for example. So I think with any DIY project, there can be a propensity to say, well, I'm not on a huge time constraint here, so I'm not going to get super organized with it. But know that at some point, you will have decided all of these things. So I beg the question, why not now? Actually answer that. Why not now?

Speaker 3:
[25:57] I'm on the spot.

Speaker 13:
[25:58] I feel like that will be the fun part to actually pick out finishes and steps. That'll be a nice first step.

Speaker 8:
[26:04] Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[26:05] Your two-month project has turned into a year-long project. Trying to make decisions.

Speaker 8:
[26:10] Yeah. So I strongly advise doing that. And then once you've done that, then you have this box, and it's then time to lay out everything. So that means you should have picked your toilet paper holder, you should have picked your hand towel, you should have picked everything, and then you could put plywood or blocking in the wall, so you make sure you're fastening to that solid surface. And if you have kids, they can swing off of it, not rip it off the wall or rip molly bolts through the wall or whatever. And you're just setting yourself up for success because it means everything that's coming after that is going to be easier and works together as a system. You know, you put the sconce in, you can put the box in the wall, you can cheat or rock over it. So here's the process of events. Select everything, gather the specifications for everything, lay out the bathroom based off those specifications. You don't necessarily have to have the thing on site, but you need to make sure you know where the shower pan drain is and that it works with where your existing drain is so you're not breaking up the concrete, right? Then you're going to typically work getting your rough and plumbing completed. Then you can move to getting your rough and electric completed. Then you can move to your blocking, so that's going to be supports for the vanity, the mirror, the light fixture, the grab bars, whatever. Then you can put in some insulation if you're going to do that. Then your drywall, drywall finishing, tile happens shortly after that. Then you move on to trim carpentry, trimming out the whole room, and it should look pretty much done. Then you get as much painting as you can get done, as physically possible, and then your finishes go in. So it's going to be your vanity, then toilets, plumbing fixtures, accessories. And then you just grab a towel and you're off to the races.

Speaker 13:
[27:56] Excellent. Gotcha. Thank you so much.

Speaker 8:
[27:58] No problem at all. Good luck with it.

Speaker 13:
[28:00] Thank you. Thank you guys.

Speaker 3:
[28:02] You're listening to This Old House Radio Hour. Call us now at 877-864-7460. That's 877-864-7460, or you can leave us a voicemail. Hello, you're on This Old House Radio Hour.

Speaker 14:
[28:17] Hi, this is Nancy Sue McDonald and I live in Mason, Michigan. Yeah. Hi. Hi.

Speaker 3:
[28:23] Is it Nancy or Nancy Sue?

Speaker 14:
[28:25] Well, you can call me either one.

Speaker 3:
[28:28] All right, Nancy, thanks for calling in. What's your question today?

Speaker 14:
[28:31] I have an old house. It was built in 1920 and when I bought it, Flippers had just flipped it. It had been abandoned for like 15 years, so then Flippers bought it and then I bought it from the Flippers. From day one in the master bedroom at night, I could hear this weird noise coming from the corner of the room. It sounded like a tree branch or loose wire. When I would remember, I'd go outside to check and I couldn't see anything scratching against the house. I've just been pretty much just puzzled for about two years. I'd forget about it during the day. But finally, recently I got up and it's actually coming from the cold air return vent that's on the floor in the corner of the room. It's coming from there and then I thought, geez, maybe it's a critter. So I stomp my foot on it and it doesn't stop. It's not a continual sound. It's kind of intermittent. I've gone down in the basement and looked up in that corner to see if I can see anything hanging down and I don't see anything. So what could it be?

Speaker 3:
[29:49] Well, we've got Zack Dettmore, General Contractor and Ross Trethewey, a building engineer for the show, both here to help us out. Guys, what could it be?

Speaker 8:
[29:57] I don't know what it is, but you use the dirty word, the F word. We don't like using that word on the show, flip. It always means we don't know what's wrong, but we know something's wrong. Something's always wrong in these flips.

Speaker 3:
[30:10] I was wondering where you were headed with that.

Speaker 14:
[30:12] I'm a little nervous. I'll say.

Speaker 3:
[30:16] The family shows that.

Speaker 14:
[30:20] Yes, I've discovered everything that looks so nice has something wrong with it.

Speaker 8:
[30:25] Yeah, so I think we can triangulate this.

Speaker 3:
[30:27] She says the sound is that of a like a scratching. Is that right? You said a tree branch or a critter.

Speaker 8:
[30:34] Can you make it for us right now?

Speaker 14:
[30:38] Yeah, let me see if I can try to make the sound for you. Hold on.

Speaker 8:
[30:41] Come on, Nancy Sue. You got this. All those voice lessons.

Speaker 14:
[30:47] Can you hear that?

Speaker 3:
[30:51] Yeah, like a scratching. Yeah.

Speaker 8:
[30:55] Like my dog when I leave him out in the yard and he wants to come in.

Speaker 14:
[30:58] Yes, absolutely. Something wants to come in my old house.

Speaker 3:
[31:03] I think we need Ross.

Speaker 15:
[31:06] Ross, what do you got? So yeah, I need more information. So this is a furnace or air handler in your basement that's doing the heating and cooling of the house single zone?

Speaker 14:
[31:15] Yeah, it's like the cold air. There's a grate on the floor, but there's another grate on the sideboard on the other side of the room where the heat comes out. So this is just the cold air return, I think they call it.

Speaker 15:
[31:31] So it goes in, the cold air goes in there, it goes to the furnace to get reheated and it comes back out through the other vent and blows warm air out of the other vent. Right?

Speaker 14:
[31:38] Right. Absolutely. Yes.

Speaker 15:
[31:40] And then the noise, you said it's intermittent. Does it have any cadence to it in terms of when the heat has been running for a long time or when it starts up or when it cools down or when it shuts off? Is there any, have you thought about the?

Speaker 14:
[31:57] I have tried to see if there's any pattern. I used to think it was only at night, but now I realize it's off and on during the day as well. I just never just sit in my room silently. I only really hear it at night when I'm laying there, but it does happen during the day too. But other than that, I have not figured out a pattern.

Speaker 8:
[32:21] How are you Nancy Sue with Morris Code? Would you be able to figure out if someone's trying to tap out a message to you?

Speaker 14:
[32:30] Maybe it's the previous owner.

Speaker 8:
[32:34] Have you maintained the filter on this unit? Have you changed that regularly?

Speaker 14:
[32:39] Yes, yes I do. Someone suggested that maybe it's actually coming from the furnace and I'm just, you know, the noise is coming through the vent from further away that it's not just in that corner. Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 15:
[32:55] Yeah, if it's coming from, if the noise is coming from the furnace, you probably are going to hear it in your other cold air returns that are connected to the same duct system back to the furnace. So I would want to listen and put your ear to some of the other cold air returns on your system and see, do you get that same noise in other rooms and other areas of the house? That would be one thing. The other thing, too, I'd recommend is removing the grate of the return air grate. And that does two things. One, sometimes the return air grates can have a slight rattle that only happens when the fan is ramping up or shutting down. So it's like, one only happens like intermittently, but it's a rattle of a metal. That might not be the sound that you're describing, so that might not be it, but that may be part of it. But at least by removing the return grate, the metal grate, letting it run, and seeing if you still get the same sound when it's removed. The other thing you can do is you can hopefully peek your head in there, and maybe use your phone or a camera with a flashlight and just see where that return goes. There's obviously, is there a critter in there? You know, if it's critter related. But, you know, is there anything else that looks out of line, right? In terms of what's going on in that duck system.

Speaker 14:
[34:08] So you're asking me to be brave.

Speaker 15:
[34:13] Nancy, I'm asking you to be brave.

Speaker 14:
[34:16] Be brave.

Speaker 15:
[34:17] Remove that grade.

Speaker 14:
[34:18] Oh no. I can do it. I'll be brave.

Speaker 15:
[34:22] You can do it. You can do it.

Speaker 3:
[34:24] We believe in you.

Speaker 8:
[34:25] I think that's a good idea, Ross, to take it off. Because maybe if there's something dangling that's sort of tapping the side of the duck or something, maybe that great will change the air flow. So that either maybe makes that apparent or something. But yeah, start with that, Nancy. Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[34:40] If she did call an HVAC company, could they put a camera down there and just see if there's something in there that is just got in the vent that's creating a scratching sound every time that fan kicks on?

Speaker 15:
[34:52] I would start with some of the basic stuff. And then if needed, she could call an HVAC company. Acoustical items, noise issues are very hard and can be very hard to track down, right? So, but if you can do some of your own homework first, then I think you can maybe point in the right direction to get it solved without calling in the professional. But if you can't, then maybe you have to call the HVAC company.

Speaker 14:
[35:11] All right, I will do that. I've got my homework assignment.

Speaker 3:
[35:15] We wish you luck.

Speaker 15:
[35:16] All right, Nancy, good luck.

Speaker 14:
[35:18] Thank you so much.

Speaker 3:
[35:19] If you have a question for us, leave us a voicemail on our hotline, 877-864-7460. And we can answer your question next time. Coming up, Bravo's Carl Radke shows us his old house.

Speaker 5:
[35:33] There was always kids that would make jokes about, oh, we can't go to Carl's because it's too small. My house was the size of their garage.

Speaker 3:
[35:40] That's next on This Old House Radio Hour. It's This Old House Radio Hour, I'm Jenn Largesse. Coming up, choosing the right floor for your home, your lifestyle and your budget. But first, we go to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home is supposed to be a place of comfort, but for a lot of people, it's more complicated than that. It can carry pressure, comparison and even things you'd rather keep hidden. Bravo's Carl Radke is taking us back to a place that shaped it all.

Speaker 5:
[36:26] This is Carl Radke from Bravo's Summer House and the author of Cake Eater. And this is My Old House. I was born in Chicago. Sadly, my parents' financial situation was not in a great place, so the house was foreclosed and we moved to Pittsburgh, which is where my dad grew up. I want to say I was in second grade, probably seven or eight years old when we moved into that house. There was two bedrooms, one bathroom. There's a two-story house. The second floor was one big open room. So you'd come up the steps, you'd turn left, there'd be an open space. You turn right, it's an open space. There's no doors whatsoever. So to the left was where my brother and I had bunk beds. The other side was like our dressers and like a couch. Over time, my brother wanted his own bed, so we separated the bunk beds. And he had the other side of this upstairs space. It was a very small home. I mean, I'm six foot five right now. I don't know if I could stand upstairs fully without hitting my head on the ceiling. We had posters on the wall of Michael Jordan. My brother loved baseball and other sports. So it was like between sports and then music. My brother took over a lot of the decorating of the space because he was older than me. Depending on how you frame it, there's a lot of good memories. There's a lot of tough memories and a lot of family ups and downs were captured in that house. But I don't think anybody's house had all perfect things happening. I don't think I realized the financial insecurity until later on, 12 or 13. You'd get a call from a bank, you'd get multiple calls from credit collectors. That's why I started to piece together. Maybe this isn't what I thought it was. I didn't really know my parents house was foreclosed on until maybe six years ago. It was a family thing that was never really talked about a lot. Your parents do a lot to try and protect you from the world and do whatever they can to support you and give you every opportunity to succeed in life. My parents did that. What I noticed is we didn't have what other people had. There was always kids that would make jokes about, oh, we can't go to Carl's because it's too small. My house was the size of their garage. The cars that were in their driveways were nice and brand new, and we had cars that would need to get fixed or get worked on, that would get parked in the backyard, and would just sit in the backyard, because my dad didn't have the money to get it fixed, but didn't want to sell it. My dad joked, it was like, we're rednecks in this wealthy community. But it's a pretty friendly community. The community is very safe. I don't think I ever once in 18 or however many years I lived in that house, ever locked the door. We didn't start locking our house until my brother started getting in trouble because he was the one breaking back into the house. I lived in a house with my brother who I adored and looked up to, but he struggled with addiction and mental illness, and anybody who's ever lived with someone with addiction issues, it's not easy. Now, the place came a lot. I told a story in my memoir about a time I had friends over on a Saturday. We were watching NFL football. I didn't always host people because our house was small, but my close friends would come over occasionally. We'd order pizza, we'd have drinks, and watch sports, and play around. That particular afternoon, my dad got a knock at our front door, and my dad opened the door, and I look out, and there's police officers and five police cars parked out on the street in front of our house. The police enter the house, my brother comes downstairs. I'm in the living room with my four little friends. We're 12 years old. Police turn him around and handcuff him right in the living room. My dad called the parents of my friends and said, can you come pick up your boy? That was definitely a traumatic experience that I couldn't really talk about even among my guy friends who were there that day. I don't know if we've ever really talked about it ever again. That was one instance of police activity over the course of many years of his ups and downs. My parents had been married 34 years and my dad is like, yeah, I'm going to move out. So my parents divorced. My mom met a really great guy. They hit it off. My mom and my stepdad had a wedding day scheduled for August 1st, 2020. Ten days after my mom got married, my brother passed away from a drug overdose. I drove back to Pittsburgh from New York City for the funeral. I went to the house that I grew up in and I hadn't been there for quite some time and my mom and my dad were standing on the front yard waiting for me. It was a really beautiful moment because my parents came together for my brother. We came together as a family, but there was closure because my mom moved out of that house right after my brother's funeral. The chapter closed at that house. What's really beautiful is my last day ever at that house, I was with my mom and my dad and we were hugging in my brother's memory. Kind of surreal, but I'm proud that we could come together that day, have some closure with my childhood house. I've got homes in different places, different meetings, different histories, but I think that's what makes humans so dynamic and interesting is, we may have been born in one city, raised in another city, we may have lived in multiple houses or multiple apartments, but it's all these things that have shaped who I am and what I desire for my life moving forward.

Speaker 3:
[41:53] That was Carl Radke. His memoir Cake Eater is out now from Simon and Schuster, wherever books are sold. Floors take a beating from kids and pets, water and everyday wear and tear. Sooner or later, every homeowner has to decide, repair what you have or replace it entirely. Here to help you make the right call is Victor Tepala from Atlas Flooring and Design in Raleigh, North Carolina. Can you quickly tell us the difference between LVP, laminate, hardwood? Seems like there's so many options.

Speaker 16:
[42:30] Hardwood is gonna be the most traditional floor. It's been around for centuries. It's a wood floor. It has a finish on top that you put and it can be refinished multiple times. We also have a laminate floor, which is made of out of wood composite. It's basically pressed board together and has a very thick layer that's very scratch resistant. Now, most laminates today are also waterproof on top. So it can withstand like pet damage and water. And then we have the LVP, which stands for Luxury Vinyl Plank. Now the LVP is a plastic product and it's considered to be fully waterproof and it's extremely durable for like pets, children and dogs.

Speaker 3:
[43:12] Is there flooring that is like a composite material that has real wood on top? Is it, it's not hardwood all the way through?

Speaker 16:
[43:21] Yes. So laminate, they do make some engineered hardwoods like that, wood composite, and the top layer is a wood, but it's a very thin, thin layer.

Speaker 3:
[43:32] Yeah. I've heard some people say that there, there are specific laminates that have a hardwood layer on top that at times, if you get a really good one, can be sometimes sanded and refinished. Is that true?

Speaker 16:
[43:44] With engineered hardwood, you can, but it needs to be a thick layer. It has to be a thick layer. Now, the reason they came up with the LVP and laminate is because hardwood is usually the most expensive option. And with hardwood, the issue you run into is that it has water issues and it scratches much easily. That's why the market invented the more durable, more water-resistant products.

Speaker 3:
[44:05] So we have a few listener voicemails from our hotline who are looking for expert flooring advice. And remember, you can always leave us a voicemail on our hotline at 877-864-7460. That's 877-864-7460. So, Victor, here's our first voicemail.

Speaker 17:
[44:24] Hi, I'm calling in reference to a wood floor in my family room. I'm trying to see what should I replace it with. Because I did have a large husky and it has caused damage. Maybe when I put the pad down, so it's warped. And I'm trying to find out, can I replace part of the wood to have warped, or would I just be better going to a waterproof floor?

Speaker 3:
[44:47] So, Victor, it sounds like this caller already has a wood floor, but she's seeing what she's referring to as warping. Is that from the pet coming in and out and having wet paws on the floor? Obviously, we can't make our dogs always wipe their feet. Is that what would be causing the warping or do you think she has a bigger problem here?

Speaker 16:
[45:04] Yeah. So when the hardwood warps, that's usually indication that there's a moisture issue. Either the pets are bringing in moisture, either the moisture is coming from underneath the house, or maybe there's appliance that's leaking, and it's causing the floor to warp. If you cannot repair it, it's the best option is to replace the floor. She has a large dog, so she can have a really nice quality laminate floor or LVP floor.

Speaker 3:
[45:31] When you're choosing a laminate or an LVP floor, how do you know if it's of good quality?

Speaker 16:
[45:37] Yeah, so when we're picking a quality LVP floor, we're looking for three main things. First, we need to look at the overall thickness of the floor, and I recommend homeowners to look at a floor that's at least six millimeters thick and above. Then we want to look at the wear layer, which is how durable the scratch is going to be, and we want at least a 20 mil wear layer. And then we want to look at the locking mechanism. Locking mechanism is what keeps the floor together, and it's very important. And my recommendation for the best locking system is called uniline. And all those three things are going to be mentioned on the back of every box or the samples from any store you go to look at.

Speaker 3:
[46:18] Is there anything that you could read on a box or in the store as you're looking at it, LVP or laminate, that would let her know that it has a good waterproofing to it so that her wet dog may be coming in and out doesn't cause a problem again? Or are they all waterproof?

Speaker 16:
[46:34] The box is always going to say waterproof on it. Every box is going to say that.

Speaker 3:
[46:38] Got it. All right, let's move on to another voicemail.

Speaker 17:
[46:42] I was wondering about a rental space and kind of the best way to do flooring in our kitchen. We've played around with kind of the adhesive, vinyl wood flooring and also tiles. Curious about recommendations on vinyl flooring compared to tiles, which are renter friendly but also will help uplift the space.

Speaker 3:
[47:08] Okay. So it sounds like this caller had a type of flooring that she put down in her kitchen that is either lifting or isn't sticking as much as she had hoped. Are there any renter friendly options that she could use to replace this in an area like a kitchen that you know is going to have spills and need to be really waterproof and cleanable?

Speaker 16:
[47:31] Yeah. So it sounds like this homeowner probably purchased some cheap vinyl flooring from maybe like a big box store and it's not holding up very well. Now for renter homes, we usually recommend a luxury vinyl plank. It's very durable. If they're thinking of DIYing it themselves, it's fairly easy to install. And the other option would also be like a tile floor. A tile floor is also going to be very durable, going to be waterproof. It's not going to scratch, it's not going to damage easy. But my personal recommendation for a renter's home is probably going to be the LVP floor.

Speaker 3:
[48:07] And when you're installing LVP or laminate, do they have floating options versus nailed down or glued down?

Speaker 16:
[48:17] Yeah, so for LVP and laminate, most of those floors are going to be floating. They do have a few options where they are glued down, but the best way to install it is like a floating floor. Hardwood is the only floor that does get nailed down.

Speaker 3:
[48:31] So from a renter's perspective, if she were to install a floating LVP or laminate plank flooring, how easy is that then to take back up if her landlord says, that wasn't approved in some way?

Speaker 16:
[48:44] Floating floors are extremely easy to remove. You just basically unclick the floor back and it comes apart extremely easy.

Speaker 3:
[48:53] So if you're a renter and you want to make sure you're not doing any permanent damage, is there anything you should stay away from?

Speaker 16:
[48:59] Yeah, so if you're a renter, I would definitely recommend staying away from the wood floors. It gets damaged very easily. It's a very hard installation. And if your landlord doesn't approve it, and you have to remove it up or take it up, it's going to be very difficult to remove it because it's either glued down or it has to be nailed down.

Speaker 3:
[49:18] So let's say you're not a renter, and you do want to replace the flooring in your kitchen. Is LVP, laminate, or hardwood the right choice for you?

Speaker 16:
[49:26] My recommendation would be to go with LVP or a tile floor. Usually in the main living areas, people have maybe like a hardwood floor. And if you put like a hardwood floor in the main living area and the LVP in the kitchen, it might look slightly off. So in that situation, I would just recommend doing tile floor because it's going to look better. It's going to be very durable. You don't have to worry about it getting damaged or scratched or having water issues.

Speaker 3:
[49:53] Yeah, I think doing anything that's a wood look next to another wood look or a real wood can get a little confusing to the eye doing them side by side. Let's move on to our next voicemail.

Speaker 18:
[50:05] I have a silt house that was built in 2022-23, and I have laminated floors by the front door and the back slider. The laminating is starting to separate a little and bubble up. I haven't seen any water come in. I don't know how I can prevent this bubbling or fix it, so I don't get mildew underneath my laminated floor.

Speaker 3:
[50:37] So Victor, when she says laminated floor, what's she referring to?

Speaker 16:
[50:41] Usually, the newer homes, it can refer to a cheaper laminate floor, or it can refer to a very thin engineered hardwood floor.

Speaker 3:
[50:49] Okay. And what would cause what she's referring to as bubbling?

Speaker 16:
[50:53] Yeah, bubbling or separation or delamination, she mentioned. It's the number one cause we notice is water issues. And because she didn't mention that it's at the exterior doors, this is the most common area we see this issue with. It's most likely water coming in from somewhere outside. Now, she might not notice it on top of the floor, but it might be seeping somewhere underneath the trim, and it's slowly deteriorating the floor.

Speaker 3:
[51:21] So, is there a way for her to fix this, or is this you have to remove and replace?

Speaker 16:
[51:26] It sounds like this might be a pre-finished floor, so if she has a few boxes left over, she can repair that area. Now, in order to make sure that this doesn't happen again, she would probably have to have a door specialist come out and take a look at her exterior doors to make sure that they're properly sealed so no water can get through it.

Speaker 3:
[51:45] Yeah, get to the root cause of the problem.

Speaker 16:
[51:48] I always recommend home owners if they get a floor. Even if you have three, five boxes left over, don't sell them, don't try to get rid of them. Keep them just in case you have an accident and you have to repair your floor.

Speaker 3:
[52:00] Yeah, we've run into quite a few discontinued items as we've been renovating our house and really wishing that we had some extra material on hand to make a couple of those adjustments.

Speaker 16:
[52:10] Yeah, it can save a lot of time and a lot of money.

Speaker 3:
[52:13] And if you have these extra boxes, where should you store them so that they maintain their quality?

Speaker 16:
[52:18] Yes, it's extremely important that you store these boxes in a conditioned space. Maybe, you know, in a closet, you don't use very often or just slide the box underneath the bed in a room you don't use. If you put it in like a garage space or an attic or a storage space, what can happen over time is the boards can shrink and expand. And when you go to repair the floor, they won't click in or lock in properly.

Speaker 3:
[52:43] Well, Victor, thank you so much. We appreciate all this information.

Speaker 16:
[52:46] Thanks so much.

Speaker 3:
[52:48] That was Victor Tapala from Atlas Flooring. Learn more about your flooring options at thisoldhouse.com. And now it's time for one last thing, my favorite tool.

Speaker 15:
[53:09] Hey, Jenn, it's Ross Trethewey. I'm the building engineer for the show. And one of my favorite tools is the Flowhood. So Flowhood is a device that actually measures air flow. And so when you are troubleshooting an air conditioning system, many cases we need to figure out how much air is moving through the registers into a room. So how much supply air is being provided to that room, and how much return air is coming back from that room. And the way to accurately measure that is with the Flowhood. It's a large hood that gets mounted up tight to the ceiling or the floor where the registers are, and the air from the register goes through that Flowhood. And there's a measuring device in there that measures how much air is moving through it. And we measure that in terms of cubic feet per minute, so CFM. And so that's a great tool that I use every single day to measure the air flow into and out of rooms.

Speaker 3:
[53:59] We'll see you next week on This Old House Radio Hour. Our show is distributed by and co-produced by LAist Studios and APM, American Public Media. This Old House Radio Hour was created and produced by Ember 20. Listen to new episodes of the podcast every Tuesday on your app of choice. You can follow This Old House on all the socials. At This Old House, all one word. We'll see you next week.

Speaker 19:
[54:31] Hi, I'm Maggie Smith, poet and host of The Slowdown. Each weekday, I share a poem and a moment of reflection, helping you turn listening into a daily ritual. It's five minutes to slow down, pay attention, and begin the day with intention. Find it in your favorite podcast app and make The Slowdown your new daily poetry practice.