Bedrooms are among the least expensive places in the home to design and upgrade. Think of it as $10s of dollars per square foot. That room in and of itself is merely a space with walls and a floor, and yet it serves as a retreat. Does it need to be a big space or something more intimate and cozier?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s first caller is doing a remodel of the family room and is wondering about bias lighting behind a big-screen, flat-panel TV.

Next up, a caller was wondering how long you can keep your water heater beyond the warranty and before it leaks?

Another caller needs to replace her front exterior door and is wondering if she should go for fiber glass, timber, or whatever options Dean may recommend.

And what about water in natural gas? Does one need a dripline to mitigate this phenomenon?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bedrooms are among the least expensive places in the home to design and upgrade. Think of it as $10s of dollars per square foot. That room in and of itself is merely a space with walls and a floor, and yet it serves as a retreat. Does it need to be a big space or something more intimate and cozier?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following all this marimba and xylophone chitchat, Dean heads back to the phone lines. In the second hour, the first caller had safety concerns following last year’s big wildfires that devastated parts of SoCal. To that end, he’s been researching fire prevention devices for homes and is wondering if there’s a trade show that will offer all these tools and devices in one place? Spoiler: What rhymes with Shmas Shmegas? 

Next up, a long-time listener wanted Dean’s tips on Daikin cooling and heating systems that are placed on the wall of her Oregon vacation home. 

To more cooling questions! One caller was wondering if closing air conditioning vents in rooms that aren't being used will affect the airflow in other rooms, or the energy costs. 

Lastly, what to do if your old garage floor gets wet when it rains and you can’t find the source? Detective Dean may have the answer. 

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As half the U.S. freezes over with a diagonal storm swiping across the country causing a state of emergency in 16 states, Dean is grateful we live in sunny Southern California where icy weather rarely touches us. 

Today’s first caller has a question about Dean’s recommendations regarding the self-sealing vapor barrier that replaces traditional roofing paper. 

Our next caller has a beautiful timber fireplace mantle that gets so hot to the touch that it melts the ornaments and evaporates the plant water. What can DeeDee do about it? 

A listener from Northern California has tall grass growing in her roof shingles — what’s up with that? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to home design, there are hundreds of architectural styles and thousands of variations on those, but if you visit any home in any city or town across America, there will be one of four styles of home.  

So, what are those four types of homes? The first is the saddest, it’s the house of neglect. In Dean’s expert eyes, the second one is nearly as bad as the house of neglect — it’s the house of bad ideas!  

What’s the third kind of American home? It’s the one that makes you smile. The fourth house is not one that gets your attention for any of the reasons listed. In fact, it doesn’t get much attention at all because there’s nothing particularly memorable about it. It’s the filler house that longs to be more. And there are 10s of millions of ’em. Let’s talk about it.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's first caller has questions about the best type of flooring to place over a concrete slab to prevent mold. The next caller is installing an electric fireplace and wants Dean’s expert design opinion about mounting height and pop-out, plus recommendations on the best type of TV to mount over the fireplace.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to home design, there are hundreds of architectural styles and thousands of variations on those, but if you visit any home in any city or town across America, there will be one of four styles of home.  

So, what are those four types of homes? The first is the saddest, it’s the house of neglect. In Dean’s expert eyes, the second one is nearly as bad as the house of neglect — it’s the house of bad ideas!  

What’s the third kind of American home? It’s the one that makes you smile. The fourth house is not one that gets your attention for any of the reasons listed. In fact, it doesn’t get much attention at all because there’s nothing particularly memorable about it. It’s the filler house that longs to be more. And there are 10s of millions of ’em. Let’s talk about it.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Solar power? So many questions that Dean is ready to answer! Spoiler alert: Dean is a fan of solar energy, especially here in California, where it will still save you money. 

What can Dean tell us about acrylic stucco finishes? Turns out, a lot! 

The last caller has a dark corner in his bedroom and he is trying to figure how to bring in the daylight using LED lighting. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dean’s first caller is having hot-water troubles in her kitchen and needs to know what is necessary to get hot water to her sink, like, yesterday! 

The next caller is in his brand-new house. It sits on poured concrete slabs that are reinforced with metal bars, and there is a sign placed near the slabs by the builders that says “do not drill” — what does that mean? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.