• The Doors of Perception Are Open! Plus, How to Ensure Your Furnace is Fungus Free
    Jan 31 2026

    Meanwhile, over in Burbank, a caller wants to put in a door that leads from his living room to his garage conversion and needs Dean’s expert design advice on placement and construction.

    A caller in Texas lives in a house that's just three years old, but the furnace has fungus! What can he do to remedy that?

    To more on copper pipes, one listener is wondering how a soft-water system can impact copper piping?

    When doing a bathroom remodel, is there such a thing as cabinets that aren't MDF but also not expensive, custom-made cabinetry?

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    34 mins
  • Is Your Solar Bipolar or Copper a Flopper? Dean’ll Fix It!
    Jan 31 2026

    Today on another beautiful all-calls Saturday, Dean’s first caller has solar power paneling, which she owns rather than leases, installed on her home, and it isn’t producing energy as it’s meant to, even though it’s only two years old.

    Our next caller is re-piping her house for a remodel and needs advice on copper piping vs PEX piping, otherwise known as cross-linked polyethylene?

    Got a funny egg smell to your water source? Our next caller does. He has a well on his property that emanates a sulfur smell and taste. He’s wondering if there is a water system that can fix this.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    31 mins
  • Today, It’s All About Bedrooms — It’s Where the Magic Happens!
    Jan 25 2026

    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.

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    31 mins
  • Bias Lighting Behind a Big-Screen, Replace Front Exterior Door
    Jan 25 2026

    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.

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    29 mins
  • Let’s Talk About That Proverbial Elephant in the Bedroom — Closets!
    Jan 25 2026

    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.

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    32 mins
  • Do We Have More Massive Marimba Mallets to Manifest This Hour? Only Xylophone Will Tell!
    Jan 24 2026

    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.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    32 mins
  • It’s Freezing Out There, Y’all! But not in SoCal Where Dean Takes Your Design Calls!
    Jan 24 2026

    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.

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    32 mins
  • Dean Delves Into the 4 Types of American Dwellings — And Yes, There Really is Just 4!
    Jan 18 2026

    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.

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    29 mins