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What is 'career cushioning?'
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Kfi AM six forty. You're listeningto Dean Sharp, the house Whisper on
demand on the iHeartRadio app. Welcometo home where every week we help you
better understand that place where you live. I am Dean Sharp, the house
Whisperer, custom home builder, customhome designer, and your guide to turning
(00:25):
your ordinary house into a truly extraordinaryhome. Whether you're listening to the local
broadcast right here in sunny southern Californiait's not sunny today, it's cloudy and
rainy, but you know, youknow the stories, or whether you're streaming
us live from anywhere or if foryou, this is another episode of the
(00:48):
House Whisperer podcast. I'm just soglad that you are here. Welcome aboard
and welcome home. The home teamis here for you as per usual.
Ed Nelson Legend is on the board. Good morning Ed, Good morning Dean.
Welcome home, Welcome home, Tina, and thank you to all the
KFIM six forty listeners as well asanywhere on the iHeartRadio app. And I
(01:11):
got to give a shout out Deanto all the on air personalities, all
the DJs yesterday. Every since theystart creating these hashtag dates. Yesterday was
National DJ Day, so all myon air pressure personalities, all my DJs
shuts out to you and happy happyNational DJ Day. There you go,
there you go, all right,thank you, bro, thank you?
(01:33):
And yet and what's your what isyour DJ tag? My DJ tag is
dj E iHeartMedia. That's my Instagram. So if anybody out there listening you
want to follow me my radio broadcastcareer. I've been here at iHeart KFI
for about eight to nine months,and I'm super excited every time I come
(01:53):
and break this mic. And that'swhy I have to acknowledge and thank you
every morning, every Sunday morning,Dean for allowing me to share my voice
in you know, clear the airwavesand get my radio career going here in
southern California. And this is myhometown where I was born and raised.
So I'm super excited to be righthere on the airwaves. There you go,
and I'm glad you're here. Bro. It's all about just sharing the
(02:15):
love. That's what we do everySunday morning, sharing the love. Speaking
of sharing the love, producer MistySalbert, today is Misty's last day with
us. She is moving on togreener pastures, just just just killing it
(02:38):
and Misty's moving on. She hasbeen such a wonderful friend and such a
wonderful human being to work with,and such a wonderful producer. And no
she's of course she's not near amicrophone. No she's not. Nevertheless,
everybody, let's just give it upfor Misty. Right An, You're gonna
(03:02):
miss your Misty. Congratulations on yourendeavor. It is what was that,
ed? She's just telling Misty we'regoing to miss her. You know,
it's a bittersweet that she's leaving withcongratulations on the next chapter of her career.
Absolutely, absolutely, we're totally goingto miss her. I'm not going
to miss her quite as much becauseshe's coming over for dinner in a couple
(03:23):
of three weeks, I think,right, Tina, Yes, She's like,
yes, yes, okay, Soso we're still hanging but uh,
this is the last day we're goingto be working with her on the program.
But speaking of working, what Mistyis ready to do is to take
your calls because of course, asalways, we're going to be going to
the phones today talking about whatever isgoing on with your home. I have
(03:46):
an agenda. We are continuing ourseries of how to build your dream home
today or this weekend, I shouldsay step two in that process, talking
about design this weekend a favorite topicof mine. But Misty, when it
comes to calls, of course,is ready to take your call on any
(04:06):
topic whatsoever. So if you wantto talk to Misty and wish her well
in her future endeavors and say you'regoodbyes, then make sure you do that
when you call the number to reachme eight three three to ask Dean eight
three three, the number two askDean A three three to ask Dean.
(04:29):
We're going to be going to thephones in just a bit. Misty has
opened up the phone. She isstanding by, ready to pop you into
the queue and wish her well whenyou speak to her. Sandy Wells at
the news desk, Good morning,Sandy, Hey there, how are you,
mister Dean? I am well.How are you, sir? How
is Sunday morning treating you? It'streating me pretty well. I mean I
(04:50):
was had the wincheld Wiber's online.I first was traveling here early in the
dark, but it looks like it'sbeen pretty oft and on, so I
think it's going to be a littlelight until we get to this afternoon.
I think the weather guy's saying we'regoing to get some heavy showers tonight.
Well, that remains to be seen. Yeah, oh that works for me.
(05:11):
We have a little bit of sunpeeking through right at the moment,
but yeah, the clouds are definitelythere. So it's all closing in and
Sandy Wells is going to keep usabreast of any changes as well as all
of the breaking news as today's programprogresses. Sitting across the table from me,
wouldn't you know? There she ismy better half, my design partner,
(05:35):
the co owner, co founder ofHouse Whisper, the real boss around
here, let's face it, andmy best friend, thankfully in all of
the universe. Tina is here.Welcome home. You have a look on
your face like you're just not havingit today. Oh well, maybe little
(06:00):
headache still you still have a littlebit of a head a headache. Yeah,
I just I can just sense that'ssomething just a little like beep,
just a little a little the bubbleis just a little out of level.
Just yeah, a little bit pep. You're like, yeah, thankstein for
drawing everybody's attention to that. You'reawesome. You are awesome. All right,
(06:23):
Now would be an excellent time,of course, to pour yourself a
warm comfort beverage. Here, I'lldo it for you. There you go,
There you have it. Ed's gotone, I've got one. We
were already talking about the fact thatwe're nursing our coffees this morning. Now
you have yours, and let's getto it. It is step two today
of our ongoing series. If youdidn't know, we are taking our content
(06:48):
a little different. At the beginning, at least of twenty twenty four,
I have built for you a stepby step guide on building your dream home.
So there's going to be forever inour podcast, in our home improvement
reference library, and live week forweek as we go, not necessarily without
(07:08):
interruptions, but nevertheless building your dreamhome from step one to step Z one
to z. There you go,a step by step guide. Today we
continue the conversation we started yesterday steptwo what I call pre design. Yesterday
(07:30):
I spent a lot of time.If you missed the show, definitely catch
us on the podcast Home with Dean. I spend a lot of time underscoring
the importance of you getting your headwrapped around the idea of engaging a creative
professional to help you with your design, because design matters most. It's eighty
(07:51):
percent of the result that you're goingto get. So if you miss yesterday's
show, definitely go back and listento that so you understand and where we're
starting with today, because today we'regoing to get into the nitty gritty of
how you pick that designer, andhow to look for a designer, and
how to work with a designer thatand of course your calls and it's all
(08:16):
coming up right after the news yourHome with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharpon demand from KFI AM six forty.
Whether you rent or are the lordof the manor as it were,
you got ten million bucks in yourpocket or ten bucks, doesn't matter.
(08:37):
I am here to help you takeyour home to the next level. Period
the end. Boom, There yougo, we are talking. We are
in a conversation in our continuing seriesof how to Build your Dream Home Building
your Dream Home a step by stepguide. Last week we started it all
(09:01):
off with step one last weekend,building a profile for your property. All
the homework that you do ahead oftime to find out where all the limitations
are, Where are the edges theboundaries within your building process. In other
words, show me where the linesare that I have to get creative inside
of. You want to know everythingyou can possibly know about your property from
(09:26):
every possible source. And if youare just joining us on the series and
you want to be a part ofthat, then you've got to go to
the podcast. You got to goand listen starting last week step one,
this weekend, Step two and whatI call pre design pre design. What
is pre design, well, predesign is the work that you do to
(09:50):
get ready to actually dive into thedesign process itself. And that is two
steps essentially one talked about yesterday,which is as a homeowner, getting your
head around the idea that it's reallytrue design matters most that design, design
(10:11):
is good or bad, the thingthat makes or breaks your project, Not
the materials, not the workmanship.It is ultimately, first and foremost,
in a much larger part, thedesign. Okay, and I I'm not
going to share this again with youreal quick. The reason I say that
(10:31):
is for a very practical reason.Tina and I do a lot of design
consults for people. We get calledin to whisper a lot of properties.
And I will tell you from myown experience over decades, of all the
hundreds upon hundreds of homes that Ihave seen and walked inside of and been
asked to whisper to analyze, Iwould easily say, and I think it's
(10:56):
conservative to say that the biggest problemseighty percent of the time, the problem
is essentially design issues. Okay,Yes, of course there's such shoddy workmanship.
Yes, there are failing materials,and there are materials that could have
been you know, that could havebeen better. Sure, sure, of
course you know. I'm also abuilder. I get that stuff. I
(11:18):
totally get it. But I'm tellingyou right now it is design that makes
or break the project. And Isay that to encourage you to push you
into a different zone, out ofyour the envelope that you have been kind
of brought up and trained to theway to think about that that somehow the
(11:39):
fancy design is for big, fancy, expensive houses and not yours and not
you. Okay, that's not true. Design matters most on every single level,
okay. And I say it toencourage you as well, because a
really, really great design can actuallymean that you don't have to throw as
(12:00):
much money down the sink on materialsas you go. I always want I
always want you to pay for craftsmanship. I always want you to pay for
quality work. But as far asmaterials go, I say this, if
design is eighty percent of the resulta really good idea, a really good
design idea, then we can discussafter we've got that thing in the bag
whether we build this project out ofpaper or cardboard, or fiberglass or marble
(12:24):
or gold. But the reality is, if the design is like spot on,
then whether it's gold or plastic inour material choices, you know,
not so much weight on that becauseit's still going to communicate, it's still
going to drop jaws, it's stillgoing to make people say, hmmm,
(12:46):
this is great. So that's whatI'm talking about. A good design can,
ultimately, if you want, saveyou money along the way. Okay,
So now are you left to yourselfin that process? No, because
there was a whole world of designprofessionals out there that I want you to
begin to embrace the idea of bringingalong as your team. It's not just
(13:11):
about you deciding I want to remodelthis part of my house. I should
call a contractor. Yeah you shouldeventually, but not until you get the
story worked out and there is anotherprofessional to add to the process. And
I know some of you roll youreyes and say, ugh, it's expensive
enough as it is, but that'swhat I'm trying to say, just to
(13:33):
underscore it again. The right design. Okay, I'm not going to say
that it saves you money, butit takes your money, it takes your
budget, and it makes the mostof it, Okay, the long term
result, the most of it.I used to say this, I've said
I used to say this years agoon the program, and you know,
(13:54):
little phrases get moved aside and replacedwith others, but it's still true.
The work ship. You can havethe best workmanship, you can have the
most expensive materials, but if it'sall going into a poorly thought out design,
then guess what you have in theend. You have a really well
built, really expensive, bad designand it just doesn't matter at that point,
(14:20):
it just doesn't matter. So that'swhat I was spending yesterday, kind
of underscoring and pushing you towards.And there are more details along those lines
that I want you to go backand listen to. On the podcast,
But for today, for today's episode, let's say that we've got our head
around that, and let's move onnow to the big question. All right,
(14:43):
Dean, how do I find adesigner? What do I look for
in a designer? How do Ivet a designer? How do I work
with a designer? What kind ofdesigner should I be looking for? To
begin with? Yeah, that's wherewe're going next, and we will start
right after the news your Home Homewith Dean Sharp, the House whisper You're
listening to Home with Dean Sharp ondemand from KFI AM six forty. You
(15:09):
are Home with Dean Sharp, theHouse Whisperer. Here we are together on
this cloudy, cool southern California Sundaymorning. If you are elsewhere in the
country suffering from freezing temperatures, pleasestay warm and get yourself another warm beverage,
cuddle up to the fire, turnon the old RCA set and continue
(15:30):
to listen. That sounds like weare living in the nineteen fourteens and fifteens,
but nevertheless, you get it,you get it. Just relax a
little bit. Everything's good, Everything'sgonna be just fine. Warmer weather is
coming your way. By the way, I don't know what's coming for us,
But does it really matter when youknow, like the coldest it gets
around here is like a chilly fortydegrees. So there you go. All
(15:54):
right, we are moving on bythe way, coming up in just a
bit, we're gonna go to theI want to hear what's going on with
your home today? The number toreach me eight three to three two.
Ask Dean eight three to three,the numeral two ask Dean design construction,
DIY. Whatever's happening with your house? Whatever question you have, give me
(16:14):
a call. We'll put our headstogether, we'll figure it out. All
right. Before the break, Iwas telling you that it is time now
to look at how to vet adesigner, how to find a designer,
what to look for in a designer. Let's start with this. Who is
your design team going to consist of? Okay, well, there's a number
(16:36):
of different possible players, and sothis is not going to be consistent for
every single project, clearly, butjust so you know what the possibilities are.
So your design team will consist of, as necessary, A architects and
designers and or designers okay, Bengineers. A. You may need a
(17:00):
structural engineer. You may need asoils engineer, you may need a civil
engineer to do a surveying of theproperty decorators. Okay, that may be
part of your design process and yourdesign team products specialists. Now what does
that mean. That simply means thatas we reach out for the materials that
(17:22):
we're going to implement into the project, whether it's the salespeople or the material
representatives, or the folks down atthe appliance store, whatever the case may
be, they are part of ourdesign process as well because they possess critical
information that we need and also,you know, perspectives and understanding of certain
(17:47):
options that we may not know exists. Finally, at the end of that
list, not by the least inany means, crafts people and trades people,
other words, the people who aregoing to be working on your home.
Now, I know what you're saying, Dean. Every week, it
seems like you are telling us thatyour contractor is not a designer, and
(18:11):
that your electrician is not a lightingdesigner, and not to rely upon your
builders to design the house. Andso what's the truth. Well, that
is the truth. Your contractor isnot a designer, likely not likely a
(18:33):
designer. Your electrician is not trainedin lighting design. Okay, they are
the experts at getting that stuff builtinto your house, So I don't want
you to lean upon them for yourdesign. However, that doesn't mean that
they don't have critical information even designperspectives from their experience that we shouldn't be
(18:56):
listening to. So they are acomponent of your design team. They should
not be your sole members of yourdesign team, but they are definitely components.
So we listen to everybody, andwe take into account and into our
perspective everybody's view on how this isgoing together and so that we can ultimately
(19:19):
make the best decisions possible. Okay, so let's get back to the thing
that you're least familiar with them architectsand or slash designers. Okay, there
is a difference. Obviously, adesigner can come from a number of different
disciplines, a number of different fields. Architects are licensed architects with specific If
(19:44):
you are called an architect in thestate of California in this day and age,
it means that you've done the workin school, you have earned the
degree, and you've gained a licenseto do that. Now in the residential
world. There are massively brilliant architectsout there, and there are you know,
okay architects out there, and thereare architects who are more like drafts
(20:06):
people than they are actual artists.And I have immense respect for the architectural
community, but I also want totell you the absolute truth about what is
out there waiting for you, andwhy it's important that you vet and take
time to get to know and understandan architect that you might be thinking about
(20:29):
hiring. Okay, this goes forarchitects and designers both. But the reason
I'm saying architect is that I don'twant you to just simply think because there
is a degree and a license therethat somehow that represents the pinnacle of creative
prowess. Okay, it doesn't necessarilyIt doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't that
(20:52):
this person isn't super creative. Itjust, you know, here's how I
equate it. It's like any trueart. Yes, there are schools,
Yes, there are degree programs.Yes, it's great to know that somebody
has done the work and has awide field of knowledge. But you know,
(21:14):
that does not make an artist areal artist, a truly creative person.
School can enhance that creativity. Schoolcan help magnify, train, and
hone that creativity. But school doesn'timbue that creativity, right, It is
not the source of that creativity.It's like going to film school. You
(21:40):
know, you probably before you gosee a film, you probably don't say,
well, did the director what filmschool did the director go to?
Okay? What acting school did theseactors graduate from? Because you understand that,
you know, that's not where artcomes from. Okay, it can
(22:02):
help, it certainly does help mostof the time, but it is not
the source of the art. AllRight, You get the idea, right,
So I just don't want you tobe baffled or confused or maybe dazzled
by that. All Right. Theyare fantastic, fantastic architects out there,
and there are less than let's say, creative architects out there who are basically,
(22:23):
you know, real good technicians anddrafts people, but aren't the most
creative people in the world. Right, And the same is true across the
board. A designer, honestly,honestly, a designer with a great reputation
is likely more likely to be acreative artist than not, because that's how
(22:47):
they made their name, they're notleaning on anything else other than that,
other than the quality of that work. At the same time, though,
designers can get into the same kindof ruts that an architect in the architectural
community can get into, in thatyou might find that they are really good
at one thing, that they havetheir little formula, their look, their
(23:08):
one design look. You know,there are some famous designers out there right
now who are on TV who doa lot of design work, but essentially
just about everything they turn out ismodern farmhouse. And so if you want
to see modern farmhouse, yeah youknow where to turn. You can see
some great examples of it. Butif you ask them to do something very
(23:29):
very different, if you ask themto do French provincial or something else,
then you might find that there's nota lot to offer there. So again
the question is fitting the creative toyour project. Okay, the right creative
for your project, and just fyifrom a legal sense, and this still
(23:52):
holds true in the state of California, and there are different regulations in other
states, but in the state ofCalifornia, you could design your own house
legally if you wanted to. Okay. Secondly, in most municipalities in California,
with some exceptions because of some difficultiesor some prevailing special circumstances, But
(24:14):
in most municipalities in California, youare not required to employ a licensed architect
to design your plans, or submityour plans, or design your home if
your home is a residence and itis less than three stories in height three
stories or less I should say threestories or less. If you are building
(24:38):
a commercial building, architect required,skyscraper architect required, just given it's automatic.
That's the way it's got to be. Okay, But a residence of
three stories or less, then youcan turn to an architect, a designer,
or any kind of creative who knowswhat they're doing and has the experience
(25:00):
to give the municipality what they want. Okay, when we come back,
what kind of designer or architect,I'm just going to put them all under
the category of designer because that's whowe're looking for essentially, whether it be
architect or just a designer. Butwhat kind of design creative are we looking
(25:22):
for, in other words, theperson themselves. What kind of attributes are
we after for your custom home project. We'll do that when we return your
home with Dean Sharp the House Whispers. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp
on demand from KFI AM six forty. Hey, thanks for joining us on
(25:45):
the program. We are continuing ourconversation about in our larger series of Building
your Dream Home, a step bystep guide. This week's step two pre
design, we're continuing our conversation aboutdesigners your design team. Okay, so
I just spent some time talking aboutarchitects and designers and who's who and what's
(26:06):
what and what to be looking for. At the end of the day,
I want you to find somebody whois professional and creative and the kind of
creative that you are looking for,and the kind of personality that you're looking
for, be it designer, decorator, architect, whatever the case may be.
I have no biases toward any orall of them. I want you
(26:29):
to find a creative person with visionto be able to help you get the
design of your home right. Andwhatever the project is, whether it's a
brand new home from the ground up, whether it is a major renovation,
a major remodel, whether you're justworking on one area, I want you
to get the design right. Sowhat kind of individual Now, now we're
(26:51):
not talking about titles. Okay,we're talking about the person themselves. This
is, of course entirely subjective frommy point of view you, but I
hope it will be helpful to youand I think you can glean from it.
Okay, I want you to doyour best to hire an unvested designer.
Unvested what does he mean by that? I just unvested means that they
(27:18):
do not have a vested interest inone or two particular parts of the project,
or to sell you something, orwhatever the case may be. I
want them to have a broad focusand one one and only one priority,
and that is to help you creativelysolve your design problems. And I mean
(27:41):
that unvested in sense of a broadfocus, in the sense that I don't
want them to have a narrow specialtyinterest. Now, I just gave you
a list of people who will bea part of your design team, and
that list includes product special crafts people, and trades people who by definition have
(28:04):
narrow specialty interests. And that's fine. We don't want to ignore the advice
coming from those places. But I'msaying that that is not the tip of
the spear. That is not ourmain focus. Okay, there's this old
phrase, right that for somebody whoonly has a hammer, every problem is
a nail. Okay, so youunderstand cabinet makers can be a brilliant cabinet
(28:33):
designers. But cabinet makers solve problemswith cabinets, plumbers solve problems with plumbing.
Okay, so you got to know, is your kitchen designer actually a
cabinet salesperson? Okay, just kindof understand how that works, right.
Limited interests give limited advice. Vestedinterests offer vested advice. So if we
(28:59):
want you're a designer to be vestedin any way, we want them vested
in only one way, and thatis that they are there for you for
the whole project, for the macroof the project, which also means,
and I gave an example of thisyesterday, seeing the project as a whole,
seeing the home as a whole.Okay, this is the second thing
(29:21):
that I want you to look forin a designer, Even though you may
be specifically saying, listen, allI want is for you to help me
redesign this bathroom. And maybe that'sthe case, Okay, I still want
your designer to walk in the doorseeing your home as a whole. Because
There is no working on just onearea of your house without taking into account
(29:47):
the whole house. It is inthis sense one thing, one thing.
So to work on one area wejust we can't. I don't. I'm
not saying we should work on otherareas necessarily. I just want, from
a design and creativity perspective, totake other areas into account, take it
all into account. The example Igave yesterday and you should go back and
(30:08):
listen to it on the podcast,was the fact that we ended up solving
a kitchen expansion problem not by juststaring at the kitchen, but by looking
at the entire downstairs as a whole, and by redefining and rearranging the use
of a couple of rooms, solveda major kitchen expansion problem and freed up
(30:30):
a half of the budget in orderto go back into the esthetics that the
homeowner really wanted. So taking thewhole house into account, Okay, as
you go. Your designer should alsobe an extremely good listener, Okay,
(30:51):
a really really good listener. Andagain we touched on this yesterday in that
the most important thing that you bringto the table for your design team is
the why not, the what not? Oh I want my kitchen to be
this with these kinds of counters andwrap around over here like that. And
that's all well and good if youhave those ideas, but you need to
(31:12):
be open for more than that,and most importantly, underneath the skin of
those suggestions, you need to beable to communicate to them the why,
what is it about your experience thatyou want to have in this space?
They need to dig for that inyou until they find it so that they
understand, Okay, I know whathe or she is saying, but about
(31:36):
they think that the room should golike this, and that should look like
that, But underneath it all,what they're really after is this experience,
and from my creative perspective, Ithink there's another path to get to it.
You want a really really good listenerto understand what you are asking for
and also to understand the fact thatwhen you say I have one hundred and
(31:59):
fifty thousand dollars to spend on this, that they don't bring back a design
to you that costs two hundred andfifty thousand dollars. All right, they
really really listen to you along theway, all right. More to come
when we return to this subject.But when we get back from the news,
we are going to the phones.You are listening to Home with Dean
(32:20):
Shark, the House Whisper on KFI. This has been Home with Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper. Tune into thelive broadcast on KFI Am six forty
every Saturday morning from six to eightPacific time, and every Sunday morning from
nine to noon Pacific time, oranytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Kfi AM six forty. You're listeningto Dean Sharp, the house Whisper on
demand on the iHeartRadio app. Welcometo home where every week we help you
better understand that place where you live. I am Dean Sharp, the house
Whisperer, custom home builder, customhome designer, and your guide to turning
(00:25):
your ordinary house into a truly extraordinaryhome. Whether you're listening to the local
broadcast right here in sunny southern Californiait's not sunny today, it's cloudy and
rainy, but you know, youknow the stories, or whether you're streaming
us live from anywhere or if foryou, this is another episode of the
(00:48):
House Whisperer podcast. I'm just soglad that you are here. Welcome aboard
and welcome home. The home teamis here for you as per usual.
Ed Nelson Legend is on the board. Good morning Ed, Good morning Dean.
Welcome home, Welcome home, Tina, and thank you to all the
KFIM six forty listeners as well asanywhere on the iHeartRadio app. And I
(01:11):
got to give a shout out Deanto all the on air personalities, all
the DJs yesterday. Every since theystart creating these hashtag dates. Yesterday was
National DJ Day, so all myon air pressure personalities, all my DJs
shuts out to you and happy happyNational DJ Day. There you go,
there you go, all right,thank you, bro, thank you?
(01:33):
And yet and what's your what isyour DJ tag? My DJ tag is
dj E iHeartMedia. That's my Instagram. So if anybody out there listening you
want to follow me my radio broadcastcareer. I've been here at iHeart KFI
for about eight to nine months,and I'm super excited every time I come
(01:53):
and break this mic. And that'swhy I have to acknowledge and thank you
every morning, every Sunday morning,Dean for allowing me to share my voice
in you know, clear the airwavesand get my radio career going here in
southern California. And this is myhometown where I was born and raised.
So I'm super excited to be righthere on the airwaves. There you go,
and I'm glad you're here. Bro. It's all about just sharing the
(02:15):
love. That's what we do everySunday morning, sharing the love. Speaking
of sharing the love, producer MistySalbert, today is Misty's last day with
us. She is moving on togreener pastures, just just just killing it
(02:38):
and Misty's moving on. She hasbeen such a wonderful friend and such a
wonderful human being to work with,and such a wonderful producer. And no
she's of course she's not near amicrophone. No she's not. Nevertheless,
everybody, let's just give it upfor Misty. Right An, You're gonna
(03:02):
miss your Misty. Congratulations on yourendeavor. It is what was that,
ed? She's just telling Misty we'regoing to miss her. You know,
it's a bittersweet that she's leaving withcongratulations on the next chapter of her career.
Absolutely, absolutely, we're totally goingto miss her. I'm not going
to miss her quite as much becauseshe's coming over for dinner in a couple
(03:23):
of three weeks, I think,right, Tina, Yes, She's like,
yes, yes, okay, Soso we're still hanging but uh,
this is the last day we're goingto be working with her on the program.
But speaking of working, what Mistyis ready to do is to take
your calls because of course, asalways, we're going to be going to
the phones today talking about whatever isgoing on with your home. I have
(03:46):
an agenda. We are continuing ourseries of how to build your dream home
today or this weekend, I shouldsay step two in that process, talking
about design this weekend a favorite topicof mine. But Misty, when it
comes to calls, of course,is ready to take your call on any
(04:06):
topic whatsoever. So if you wantto talk to Misty and wish her well
in her future endeavors and say you'regoodbyes, then make sure you do that
when you call the number to reachme eight three three to ask Dean eight
three three, the number two askDean A three three to ask Dean.
(04:29):
We're going to be going to thephones in just a bit. Misty has
opened up the phone. She isstanding by, ready to pop you into
the queue and wish her well whenyou speak to her. Sandy Wells at
the news desk, Good morning,Sandy, Hey there, how are you,
mister Dean? I am well.How are you, sir? How
is Sunday morning treating you? It'streating me pretty well. I mean I
(04:50):
was had the wincheld Wiber's online.I first was traveling here early in the
dark, but it looks like it'sbeen pretty oft and on, so I
think it's going to be a littlelight until we get to this afternoon.
I think the weather guy's saying we'regoing to get some heavy showers tonight.
Well, that remains to be seen. Yeah, oh that works for me.
(05:11):
We have a little bit of sunpeeking through right at the moment,
but yeah, the clouds are definitelythere. So it's all closing in and
Sandy Wells is going to keep usabreast of any changes as well as all
of the breaking news as today's programprogresses. Sitting across the table from me,
wouldn't you know? There she ismy better half, my design partner,
(05:35):
the co owner, co founder ofHouse Whisper, the real boss around
here, let's face it, andmy best friend, thankfully in all of
the universe. Tina is here.Welcome home. You have a look on
your face like you're just not havingit today. Oh well, maybe little
(06:00):
headache still you still have a littlebit of a head a headache. Yeah,
I just I can just sense that'ssomething just a little like beep,
just a little a little the bubbleis just a little out of level.
Just yeah, a little bit pep. You're like, yeah, thankstein for
drawing everybody's attention to that. You'reawesome. You are awesome. All right,
(06:23):
Now would be an excellent time,of course, to pour yourself a
warm comfort beverage. Here, I'lldo it for you. There you go,
There you have it. Ed's gotone, I've got one. We
were already talking about the fact thatwe're nursing our coffees this morning. Now
you have yours, and let's getto it. It is step two today
of our ongoing series. If youdidn't know, we are taking our content
(06:48):
a little different. At the beginning, at least of twenty twenty four,
I have built for you a stepby step guide on building your dream home.
So there's going to be forever inour podcast, in our home improvement
reference library, and live week forweek as we go, not necessarily without
(07:08):
interruptions, but nevertheless building your dreamhome from step one to step Z one
to z. There you go,a step by step guide. Today we
continue the conversation we started yesterday steptwo what I call pre design. Yesterday
(07:30):
I spent a lot of time.If you missed the show, definitely catch
us on the podcast Home with Dean. I spend a lot of time underscoring
the importance of you getting your headwrapped around the idea of engaging a creative
professional to help you with your design, because design matters most. It's eighty
(07:51):
percent of the result that you're goingto get. So if you miss yesterday's
show, definitely go back and listento that so you understand and where we're
starting with today, because today we'regoing to get into the nitty gritty of
how you pick that designer, andhow to look for a designer, and
how to work with a designer thatand of course your calls and it's all
(08:16):
coming up right after the news yourHome with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper.
You're listening to Home with Dean Sharpon demand from KFI AM six forty.
Whether you rent or are the lordof the manor as it were,
you got ten million bucks in yourpocket or ten bucks, doesn't matter.
(08:37):
I am here to help you takeyour home to the next level. Period
the end. Boom, There yougo, we are talking. We are
in a conversation in our continuing seriesof how to Build your Dream Home Building
your Dream Home a step by stepguide. Last week we started it all
(09:01):
off with step one last weekend,building a profile for your property. All
the homework that you do ahead oftime to find out where all the limitations
are, Where are the edges theboundaries within your building process. In other
words, show me where the linesare that I have to get creative inside
of. You want to know everythingyou can possibly know about your property from
(09:26):
every possible source. And if youare just joining us on the series and
you want to be a part ofthat, then you've got to go to
the podcast. You got to goand listen starting last week step one,
this weekend, Step two and whatI call pre design pre design. What
is pre design, well, predesign is the work that you do to
(09:50):
get ready to actually dive into thedesign process itself. And that is two
steps essentially one talked about yesterday,which is as a homeowner, getting your
head around the idea that it's reallytrue design matters most that design, design
(10:11):
is good or bad, the thingthat makes or breaks your project, Not
the materials, not the workmanship.It is ultimately, first and foremost,
in a much larger part, thedesign. Okay, and I I'm not
going to share this again with youreal quick. The reason I say that
(10:31):
is for a very practical reason.Tina and I do a lot of design
consults for people. We get calledin to whisper a lot of properties.
And I will tell you from myown experience over decades, of all the
hundreds upon hundreds of homes that Ihave seen and walked inside of and been
asked to whisper to analyze, Iwould easily say, and I think it's
(10:56):
conservative to say that the biggest problemseighty percent of the time, the problem
is essentially design issues. Okay,Yes, of course there's such shoddy workmanship.
Yes, there are failing materials,and there are materials that could have
been you know, that could havebeen better. Sure, sure, of
course you know. I'm also abuilder. I get that stuff. I
(11:18):
totally get it. But I'm tellingyou right now it is design that makes
or break the project. And Isay that to encourage you to push you
into a different zone, out ofyour the envelope that you have been kind
of brought up and trained to theway to think about that that somehow the
(11:39):
fancy design is for big, fancy, expensive houses and not yours and not
you. Okay, that's not true. Design matters most on every single level,
okay. And I say it toencourage you as well, because a
really, really great design can actuallymean that you don't have to throw as
(12:00):
much money down the sink on materialsas you go. I always want I
always want you to pay for craftsmanship. I always want you to pay for
quality work. But as far asmaterials go, I say this, if
design is eighty percent of the resulta really good idea, a really good
design idea, then we can discussafter we've got that thing in the bag
whether we build this project out ofpaper or cardboard, or fiberglass or marble
(12:24):
or gold. But the reality is, if the design is like spot on,
then whether it's gold or plastic inour material choices, you know,
not so much weight on that becauseit's still going to communicate, it's still
going to drop jaws, it's stillgoing to make people say, hmmm,
(12:46):
this is great. So that's whatI'm talking about. A good design can,
ultimately, if you want, saveyou money along the way. Okay,
So now are you left to yourselfin that process? No, because
there was a whole world of designprofessionals out there that I want you to
begin to embrace the idea of bringingalong as your team. It's not just
(13:11):
about you deciding I want to remodelthis part of my house. I should
call a contractor. Yeah you shouldeventually, but not until you get the
story worked out and there is anotherprofessional to add to the process. And
I know some of you roll youreyes and say, ugh, it's expensive
enough as it is, but that'swhat I'm trying to say, just to
(13:33):
underscore it again. The right design. Okay, I'm not going to say
that it saves you money, butit takes your money, it takes your
budget, and it makes the mostof it, Okay, the long term
result, the most of it.I used to say this, I've said
I used to say this years agoon the program, and you know,
(13:54):
little phrases get moved aside and replacedwith others, but it's still true.
The work ship. You can havethe best workmanship, you can have the
most expensive materials, but if it'sall going into a poorly thought out design,
then guess what you have in theend. You have a really well
built, really expensive, bad designand it just doesn't matter at that point,
(14:20):
it just doesn't matter. So that'swhat I was spending yesterday, kind
of underscoring and pushing you towards.And there are more details along those lines
that I want you to go backand listen to. On the podcast,
But for today, for today's episode, let's say that we've got our head
around that, and let's move onnow to the big question. All right,
(14:43):
Dean, how do I find adesigner? What do I look for
in a designer? How do Ivet a designer? How do I work
with a designer? What kind ofdesigner should I be looking for? To
begin with? Yeah, that's wherewe're going next, and we will start
right after the news your Home Homewith Dean Sharp, the House whisper You're
listening to Home with Dean Sharp ondemand from KFI AM six forty. You
(15:09):
are Home with Dean Sharp, theHouse Whisperer. Here we are together on
this cloudy, cool southern California Sundaymorning. If you are elsewhere in the
country suffering from freezing temperatures, pleasestay warm and get yourself another warm beverage,
cuddle up to the fire, turnon the old RCA set and continue
(15:30):
to listen. That sounds like weare living in the nineteen fourteens and fifteens,
but nevertheless, you get it,you get it. Just relax a
little bit. Everything's good, Everything'sgonna be just fine. Warmer weather is
coming your way. By the way, I don't know what's coming for us,
But does it really matter when youknow, like the coldest it gets
around here is like a chilly fortydegrees. So there you go. All
(15:54):
right, we are moving on bythe way, coming up in just a
bit, we're gonna go to theI want to hear what's going on with
your home today? The number toreach me eight three to three two.
Ask Dean eight three to three,the numeral two ask Dean design construction,
DIY. Whatever's happening with your house? Whatever question you have, give me
(16:14):
a call. We'll put our headstogether, we'll figure it out. All
right. Before the break, Iwas telling you that it is time now
to look at how to vet adesigner, how to find a designer,
what to look for in a designer. Let's start with this. Who is
your design team going to consist of? Okay, well, there's a number
(16:36):
of different possible players, and sothis is not going to be consistent for
every single project, clearly, butjust so you know what the possibilities are.
So your design team will consist of, as necessary, A architects and
designers and or designers okay, Bengineers. A. You may need a
(17:00):
structural engineer. You may need asoils engineer, you may need a civil
engineer to do a surveying of theproperty decorators. Okay, that may be
part of your design process and yourdesign team products specialists. Now what does
that mean. That simply means thatas we reach out for the materials that
(17:22):
we're going to implement into the project, whether it's the salespeople or the material
representatives, or the folks down atthe appliance store, whatever the case may
be, they are part of ourdesign process as well because they possess critical
information that we need and also,you know, perspectives and understanding of certain
(17:47):
options that we may not know exists. Finally, at the end of that
list, not by the least inany means, crafts people and trades people,
other words, the people who aregoing to be working on your home.
Now, I know what you're saying, Dean. Every week, it
seems like you are telling us thatyour contractor is not a designer, and
(18:11):
that your electrician is not a lightingdesigner, and not to rely upon your
builders to design the house. Andso what's the truth. Well, that
is the truth. Your contractor isnot a designer, likely not likely a
(18:33):
designer. Your electrician is not trainedin lighting design. Okay, they are
the experts at getting that stuff builtinto your house, So I don't want
you to lean upon them for yourdesign. However, that doesn't mean that
they don't have critical information even designperspectives from their experience that we shouldn't be
(18:56):
listening to. So they are acomponent of your design team. They should
not be your sole members of yourdesign team, but they are definitely components.
So we listen to everybody, andwe take into account and into our
perspective everybody's view on how this isgoing together and so that we can ultimately
(19:19):
make the best decisions possible. Okay, so let's get back to the thing
that you're least familiar with them architectsand or slash designers. Okay, there
is a difference. Obviously, adesigner can come from a number of different
disciplines, a number of different fields. Architects are licensed architects with specific If
(19:44):
you are called an architect in thestate of California in this day and age,
it means that you've done the workin school, you have earned the
degree, and you've gained a licenseto do that. Now in the residential
world. There are massively brilliant architectsout there, and there are you know,
okay architects out there, and thereare architects who are more like drafts
(20:06):
people than they are actual artists.And I have immense respect for the architectural
community, but I also want totell you the absolute truth about what is
out there waiting for you, andwhy it's important that you vet and take
time to get to know and understandan architect that you might be thinking about
(20:29):
hiring. Okay, this goes forarchitects and designers both. But the reason
I'm saying architect is that I don'twant you to just simply think because there
is a degree and a license therethat somehow that represents the pinnacle of creative
prowess. Okay, it doesn't necessarilyIt doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't that
(20:52):
this person isn't super creative. Itjust, you know, here's how I
equate it. It's like any trueart. Yes, there are schools,
Yes, there are degree programs.Yes, it's great to know that somebody
has done the work and has awide field of knowledge. But you know,
(21:14):
that does not make an artist areal artist, a truly creative person.
School can enhance that creativity. Schoolcan help magnify, train, and
hone that creativity. But school doesn'timbue that creativity, right, It is
not the source of that creativity.It's like going to film school. You
(21:40):
know, you probably before you gosee a film, you probably don't say,
well, did the director what filmschool did the director go to?
Okay? What acting school did theseactors graduate from? Because you understand that,
you know, that's not where artcomes from. Okay, it can
(22:02):
help, it certainly does help mostof the time, but it is not
the source of the art. AllRight, You get the idea, right,
So I just don't want you tobe baffled or confused or maybe dazzled
by that. All Right. Theyare fantastic, fantastic architects out there,
and there are less than let's say, creative architects out there who are basically,
(22:23):
you know, real good technicians anddrafts people, but aren't the most
creative people in the world. Right, And the same is true across the
board. A designer, honestly,honestly, a designer with a great reputation
is likely more likely to be acreative artist than not, because that's how
(22:47):
they made their name, they're notleaning on anything else other than that,
other than the quality of that work. At the same time, though,
designers can get into the same kindof ruts that an architect in the architectural
community can get into, in thatyou might find that they are really good
at one thing, that they havetheir little formula, their look, their
(23:08):
one design look. You know,there are some famous designers out there right
now who are on TV who doa lot of design work, but essentially
just about everything they turn out ismodern farmhouse. And so if you want
to see modern farmhouse, yeah youknow where to turn. You can see
some great examples of it. Butif you ask them to do something very
(23:29):
very different, if you ask themto do French provincial or something else,
then you might find that there's nota lot to offer there. So again
the question is fitting the creative toyour project. Okay, the right creative
for your project, and just fyifrom a legal sense, and this still
(23:52):
holds true in the state of California, and there are different regulations in other
states, but in the state ofCalifornia, you could design your own house
legally if you wanted to. Okay. Secondly, in most municipalities in California,
with some exceptions because of some difficultiesor some prevailing special circumstances, But
(24:14):
in most municipalities in California, youare not required to employ a licensed architect
to design your plans, or submityour plans, or design your home if
your home is a residence and itis less than three stories in height three
stories or less I should say threestories or less. If you are building
(24:38):
a commercial building, architect required,skyscraper architect required, just given it's automatic.
That's the way it's got to be. Okay, But a residence of
three stories or less, then youcan turn to an architect, a designer,
or any kind of creative who knowswhat they're doing and has the experience
(25:00):
to give the municipality what they want. Okay, when we come back,
what kind of designer or architect,I'm just going to put them all under
the category of designer because that's whowe're looking for essentially, whether it be
architect or just a designer. Butwhat kind of design creative are we looking
(25:22):
for, in other words, theperson themselves. What kind of attributes are
we after for your custom home project. We'll do that when we return your
home with Dean Sharp the House Whispers. You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp
on demand from KFI AM six forty. Hey, thanks for joining us on
(25:45):
the program. We are continuing ourconversation about in our larger series of Building
your Dream Home, a step bystep guide. This week's step two pre
design, we're continuing our conversation aboutdesigners your design team. Okay, so
I just spent some time talking aboutarchitects and designers and who's who and what's
(26:06):
what and what to be looking for. At the end of the day,
I want you to find somebody whois professional and creative and the kind of
creative that you are looking for,and the kind of personality that you're looking
for, be it designer, decorator, architect, whatever the case may be.
I have no biases toward any orall of them. I want you
(26:29):
to find a creative person with visionto be able to help you get the
design of your home right. Andwhatever the project is, whether it's a
brand new home from the ground up, whether it is a major renovation,
a major remodel, whether you're justworking on one area, I want you
to get the design right. Sowhat kind of individual Now, now we're
(26:51):
not talking about titles. Okay,we're talking about the person themselves. This
is, of course entirely subjective frommy point of view you, but I
hope it will be helpful to youand I think you can glean from it.
Okay, I want you to doyour best to hire an unvested designer.
Unvested what does he mean by that? I just unvested means that they
(27:18):
do not have a vested interest inone or two particular parts of the project,
or to sell you something, orwhatever the case may be. I
want them to have a broad focusand one one and only one priority,
and that is to help you creativelysolve your design problems. And I mean
(27:41):
that unvested in sense of a broadfocus, in the sense that I don't
want them to have a narrow specialtyinterest. Now, I just gave you
a list of people who will bea part of your design team, and
that list includes product special crafts people, and trades people who by definition have
(28:04):
narrow specialty interests. And that's fine. We don't want to ignore the advice
coming from those places. But I'msaying that that is not the tip of
the spear. That is not ourmain focus. Okay, there's this old
phrase, right that for somebody whoonly has a hammer, every problem is
a nail. Okay, so youunderstand cabinet makers can be a brilliant cabinet
(28:33):
designers. But cabinet makers solve problemswith cabinets, plumbers solve problems with plumbing.
Okay, so you got to know, is your kitchen designer actually a
cabinet salesperson? Okay, just kindof understand how that works, right.
Limited interests give limited advice. Vestedinterests offer vested advice. So if we
(28:59):
want you're a designer to be vestedin any way, we want them vested
in only one way, and thatis that they are there for you for
the whole project, for the macroof the project, which also means,
and I gave an example of thisyesterday, seeing the project as a whole,
seeing the home as a whole.Okay, this is the second thing
(29:21):
that I want you to look forin a designer, Even though you may
be specifically saying, listen, allI want is for you to help me
redesign this bathroom. And maybe that'sthe case, Okay, I still want
your designer to walk in the doorseeing your home as a whole. Because
There is no working on just onearea of your house without taking into account
(29:47):
the whole house. It is inthis sense one thing, one thing.
So to work on one area wejust we can't. I don't. I'm
not saying we should work on otherareas necessarily. I just want, from
a design and creativity perspective, totake other areas into account, take it
all into account. The example Igave yesterday and you should go back and
(30:08):
listen to it on the podcast,was the fact that we ended up solving
a kitchen expansion problem not by juststaring at the kitchen, but by looking
at the entire downstairs as a whole, and by redefining and rearranging the use
of a couple of rooms, solveda major kitchen expansion problem and freed up
(30:30):
a half of the budget in orderto go back into the esthetics that the
homeowner really wanted. So taking thewhole house into account, Okay, as
you go. Your designer should alsobe an extremely good listener, Okay,
(30:51):
a really really good listener. Andagain we touched on this yesterday in that
the most important thing that you bringto the table for your design team is
the why not, the what not? Oh I want my kitchen to be
this with these kinds of counters andwrap around over here like that. And
that's all well and good if youhave those ideas, but you need to
(31:12):
be open for more than that,and most importantly, underneath the skin of
those suggestions, you need to beable to communicate to them the why,
what is it about your experience thatyou want to have in this space?
They need to dig for that inyou until they find it so that they
understand, Okay, I know whathe or she is saying, but about
(31:36):
they think that the room should golike this, and that should look like
that, But underneath it all,what they're really after is this experience,
and from my creative perspective, Ithink there's another path to get to it.
You want a really really good listenerto understand what you are asking for
and also to understand the fact thatwhen you say I have one hundred and
(31:59):
fifty thousand dollars to spend on this, that they don't bring back a design
to you that costs two hundred andfifty thousand dollars. All right, they
really really listen to you along theway, all right. More to come
when we return to this subject.But when we get back from the news,
we are going to the phones.You are listening to Home with Dean
(32:20):
Shark, the House Whisper on KFI. This has been Home with Dean Sharp,
the House Whisper. Tune into thelive broadcast on KFI Am six forty
every Saturday morning from six to eightPacific time, and every Sunday morning from
nine to noon Pacific time, oranytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
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