Celebrating the 250th birthday of America is no small feat, and in this inaugural episode of the America 250 campaign, we're diving deep into the heart of American manufacturing with the dynamic duo from Evolve Stone, Greg Fritz and Dominic Rybak. Join me, Eric G, as we kick things off with a bang, exploring how these innovators are revolutionizing the construction industry one stone at a time. Evolve Stone is not just any stone—it's the world's first artificial stone that installs directly through the face with a 16-gauge finish. Say goodbye to the heavy lifting and complicated masonry processes; this game-changer is as easy to use as it is stunning to behold. We chat about how this product is perfect for DIY enthusiasts and contractors alike, making it accessible for anyone looking to amp up their home’s curb appeal on a budget. As we stroll down memory lane with Greg and Dom, we uncover the story behind Evolve Stone's inception. From a family-run construction business struggling with traditional materials to discovering a lightweight alternative that mimics the beauty of natural stone, their journey is a testament to American ingenuity. Not only do we discuss the product's aesthetic appeal, but we also dive into the nitty-gritty of its durability and weather resistance. With tests showing that Evolve Stone holds up against the harshest conditions, it’s clear this isn’t just a pretty face—it's a robust solution for homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor and indoor spaces. We even get into the technical side of how this product is engineered for perfection, ensuring that every piece looks as natural as the earth from which it came. But it’s not all serious business—oh no! We keep things light and playful as we explore the versatility of Evolve Stone. From outdoor kitchens to accent walls, this material can be used in a myriad of applications, making it the perfect choice for anyone looking to express their style. Plus, we sprinkle in some laughs and witty banter that makes this conversation not just informative but downright enjoyable. So, whether you’re a seasoned builder or a weekend warrior, tune in to discover how Evolve Stone is paving the way for a new era in home improvement, all while keeping it proudly made in America!

Takeaways:

• Evolve Stone's innovative product is revolutionizing the construction industry by allowing easy installation directly through the face, making it a game changer for homeowners and contractors alike.
• The America 250 campaign is not just about celebrating our nation's history but also about spotlighting American-made products that solve real problems in home improvement.
• One of the standout features of Evolve Stone is its moisture impermeability, which addresses the major issue of water damage in construction and ensures longevity.
• The technology behind Evolve Stone utilizes advanced composite materials, making it lightweight yet incredibly durable, which is a huge plus for both DIY enthusiasts and professional builders.
• Installing Evolve Stone requires no specialized tools; just your trusty chop saw, making it accessible for anyone looking to add a touch of elegance to their space without breaking a sweat.
• With the ongoing shortage of skilled tradespeople, Evolve Stone provides a viable solution that allows less experienced workers or DIYers to achieve professional-looking results.

Links referenced in this episode:

• aroundthehouseonline.com
• evolvestone.com
• rockthelocks.org

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Evolve Stone
• Horizon Builders

Thanks for listening to Around the house if you want to hear more please subscribe so you get notified of the latest episode as it posts at https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/listen

If you want to join the Around the House Insider for access to the back catalog, Exclusive Content and a direct email to Eric G and access to the show early https://around-the-house-with-e.captivate.fm/support

We love comments and we would love reviews on how this information has helped you on your house! Thanks for listening! For more information about the show head to https://aroundthehouseonline.com/

Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.

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Ready to turn your house into the home you've always dreamed of without the headaches or huge bills.

You're tuned to around the House, the nation's number one home improvement radio show and podcast.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, around the House is proud to launch our America 250 campaign spotlighting the best American made home products, tools and materials built right here at home.

Stay with us as Eric G. Kicks off this special series.

This is around the house.

America 250 starts now.

I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining us Today on this America250 segment of around the House.

We're celebrating American manufacturing and innovation that's solving real problems for builders, remodelers and homeowners.

Today we are joined by my friends Greg and Dom from Evolve Stone.

Welcome to the around the House show, guys.

Eric, thanks for having us.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Great to see you guys.

You guys have such a great American manufacturing story coming out of Winchester, Virginia.

Let's start out talking about what you guys are doing that's so much different than everybody else.

So cutting right into it.

Evolved Stone is the world's first ever artificial stone that installs directly through the face with a 16 gauge finish.

Now which is revolutionizing how the construction industry views traditional masonry.

Greg, how did this start?

What was the beginning of wow, I'm going to make something completely different.

We're from the mid Atlantic, Dom and I actually I've known Dominic since the day he was born.

And my father has a construction company in the mid Atlantic called Horizon Builders.

So family owned and operated 45 years and it caters to the very high end custom luxury residential market.

But they were building a grotto for the over this pool.

And we couldn't span the material, the natural stone couldn't span what we needed it to.

So we had to go the artificial rock route.

Found this company out of Central Massachusetts that makes unbelievably realistic rock in the theming world.

And we went up there and we were checking on it, checking on the project.

And we're looking at it and out of the corner of our eye we see someone taking this stone, this composite stone, and they're nailing it into this wall.

And at the time they were replicating like this castle.

Look, forget the Grotto.

We're 100% on board with what's going on here.

Ask the inventor of the material, hey, have you done this before?

And he goes, yeah, there's a dozen of these installs all around central Massachusetts.

You want to Go see them.

One thing led to another.

We fell in love with the product and ended up taking everything over a couple of years later.

And for people out there, it's interesting, people think of, okay, you're gonna nail stone on the wall.

This does not look like anything but stone.

And I think that's the amazing part of this, is that when somebody comes up and touches and feel it, feels it, they're betting that's rock.

And it still feels that way as well.

We found a way to essentially standardize randomness, which is something that the stone industries had a hard time doing.

Right.

It's always been that monotone looking color.

And our process is just very different from that.

And the technology is very different as well.

So the construction industry, when you hear the word composite, your brain goes to, let's say trim or decking.

And we like to say that uses water bottle technology.

Evolved stone is uniquely different because it uses advanced composite technology, which is more in line with the boat and the marine industry.

So uniquely different to be able to create this value proposition where you're using these advanced materials.

But because of the labor savings of the product with how it installs, we're able to actually be very cost competitive.

And in many cases we're saving good amount of money.

And I think it plays right into the shortage of trades out there.

Right.

I am out here in the west coast, you don't find masons as easily as you would, for instance, maybe in the northeast.

There's just not as much of it out here.

And I think having a product that is easily installed by a finished carpenter or a DIY or in everybody in between makes a lot of sense when you need to keep that project moving and have something that's going to be beautiful and withstand the test of time.

Yeah, your siding guy is pretty, pretty proficient at putting it up as well.

And you know, we're providing an alternative out in the field for siding guys to be able to put up and still get a, still get that stun look.

One thing that we love is, and we hear it from the trade schools all the time.

So we want to build the trades, right.

We're very much so in the construction industry.

We want the trades to continue to grow.

And one thing that we hear constantly about our product when it comes to the, let's say the kids in high school or the vocational schools that what, what the kids nowadays are look for someone who's interested in the trades, they need to be able to grab a product that is going to give a level of Instant satisfaction to a degree.

Like you don't want to sit there and wait months or years to be able to perfect your craft.

If you can take someone and find them, make it easy to use.

The young people coming out today are very brand loyal and if we can have them bite early, it's fantastic.

Everyone wins.

I will never forget, Dom, you and I standing on a stage in Florida and you threw that piece of ledger across the stage at me.

And I caught it like you were throwing, throwing a Nerf football.

And the people in the audience going, how did that just happen?

That never gets old.

I've done that.

I've like when someone comes up and they're seeing it for the first time, that never gets old.

The lightweight attribute of this is something that'll just blow your mind.

And a lightweight but strong.

Good luck getting this stuff off easily because when it's up there, this isn't like you're putting up a piece of plastic molding on the side of a wall.

This is something when it's nailed in, it's there big time.

And that's cool because how does it hold up in, in weather conditions?

East coast, you've got nor Easters and hurricanes and we've get similar weather out here, just a little bit less moisture.

But it's something that I think we should talk about because I think that that durability is key on any product that looks just like the real thing.

Sure.

Yeah.

I could nerd out on that stuff all day.

So the level of testing that we had to do to kind of get everybody on board and happy with a composite looking stone was insane.

Just our ability to put it on the wall with finish fasteners.

There was no available data for how that works.

So you have to do the, the negative pressure test.

You got to go in the hurricane tunnel essentially and try to pull this stuff off the wall.

And what we found is your wall is going to.

The shear panel is going to fly off the wall before the stone comes off the sheer panel.

And we proved that I don't know how many different times.

And you're looking about £400 a square foot of withdrawal resistance for that negative pressure.

And for us starting this business, one of the things that we underestimated was the importance of that holding power.

And when it came time to test, it's called ASTM E330.

I think that's burned into both of our brains because we, when we knew that test was going to happen, we said if this for some reason needs glue or something else, Besides those finish nails, the allure of this product is immediately gone.

And.

And then when it performed exceptionally well.

And then to your point also about the weather and the durability, two things we'll call out.

One, we also have a commercial playground company that makes climbing boulders and climbing trees and stuff like that.

And we say if it's durable enough for kids to climb on all day, it's certainly durable enough to be an ornamental cladding on the side of your house.

And then another big thing that we call out about the product is it's moisture impermeable.

And so when we as builders look at what is the most damaging function in the built world, it's water.

75% Of what's causing those problems.

So to have a material that's moisture impermeable is impressive because you think about it, we spend all this time creating systems and water management to keep that water out.

And then we turn around in many cases and we stick cladding directly up against that, that absorb water and evolve as just very much so different there.

Let's talk about the applications guys too, because you can use this inside, outside.

I put it in my outdoor kitchen, which seems crazy, putting a literally bright white stone around an outdoor kitchen, that's going to get everything dripped on it from grease to oils to everything else.

And it just wiped up clean and was never an issue.

You can use this just about anywhere, can't you?

An easy starter project.

If you have a contractor who's interested in it, we'll get them going on like a fireplace for his own house.

Like, I can't tell you how many times contractors are like, I'd like to use this on my own outdoor kitchen or on my own fireplace.

And that's like the gateway drug of evolved stone, I would call it.

And then you get them going on some siding, siding projects and they get really happy with it there.

So side columns, columns are really big.

It's a great way to ornamentally pull the house together.

When you got some stone on a water table, then a column, and then maybe inside you got a fireplace or an accent wall or just something you're trying to dress up.

Split level homes have that stairwell and people have done accent walls in there and all kinds of things to really just bring beauty to a job by bringing stone to the inside or the outside.

Yeah.

And that really solves so many issues for design wise.

Because I tell you what, there is nothing like having to bring another trade on the job site.

Whether you're doing it as a homeowner or you're an architect that's specking out a project.

I think it's a really great thing.

Around the House show.

We'll be right back with more from Evolve Stone.

Welcome back to the around the House Show.

To find out more about our Made in America 250 series, head to aroundthehouseonline.com now let's get back to talking with a great Made in America company, Evolve Stone.

Everything's engineered in the box, right?

And we've got great little videos.

The QR code on the box of just an overhead of a guy just kind of clicking the stones together randomly.

And like Greg said earlier, we can't actually make the same sound twice, whether that's color or impression or whatever the case may be.

We've perfected randomization so you won't see it in, in the panelized world, sometimes you, you're going to see repeats.

And then in ours, it's just, it's almost a free for all.

You get to pick where you want to start, whether that's nice and level at the bottom of the windows or somewhere that's level on the job.

You can scatter up and down there.

Cause there's no weight to the stone.

So you're not really concerned with I got to start at the bottom and work my way.

Always work somewhere comfortable where you can kind of get into a groove and don't have to put the nail gun down Nice.

And the stuff holds up so well.

The secret of this seems to be all of the substrate behind it to make sure that you've got that waterproof just like any other outside cladding project.

That goes back to our roots as builders and the passion for building science.

We took a different approach, a systematic approach where we're going to tell you the right way to install this.

And the process is very simple and it's geared to the US market as well.

So you're gonna have your 716 OSBR plywood, followed by your type 1 or type 2 WRB.

And then the key to the entire system, the building science behind it, is that three 16 inch rain screen.

And that is your continuous drainage drying gap.

So if and when water does get back there, it has one, a clear path to get out and two, a the ability to dry.

And this is really honestly just a cheap insurance policy rain screen behind everything.

Stucco, brick, stone, vinyl, fiber, cement.

It's just, it's a great product.

It's the best safety out there because you see what happens as we go by apartment complexes and stuff that you see out there, those commercial buildings that weren't built with that, seven or eight years later, they're up there ripping the siding and the decks off of it, trying to fix where water got where it wasn't supposed to and doing that.

I think it also works well with your product because you've got an uneven back a little bit.

So it does take up a little of that and makes it even a stronger install.

I think that's right.

Or people will say, hey, I've got a four foot overhang.

Well, do you get wind?

Because if you leave your boots out.

On the porch and they get wet when it's windy, then you're going to have.

We got to fight moisture here.

One of the things that I think is the easiest with your product to using it myself is the just the basic cutting of it.

You're not getting a stone saw.

You can use your favorite chop saw with a great vacuum, it seems, and it'll get the job done.

Yeah, no, no specialty tools there.

I've had so many instances where guys are just so curious about, oh, what kind of blade are you?

And just the blade that kind of comes on the saw is great.

And I use, I do plenty of fireplace demos and things like that.

So I'm working on the interior.

I just hook up a little vacuum.

There's not much dust.

You barely have to sweep up at the end of the day.

The product is color all the way throughout.

So when you do cut it, you're not dealing with this white aggregate substrate or something that the manufacturer is requiring that you come back and seal.

That's completely unnecessary because the colors through and through to the point where if you actually took a piece of the stone, sanded it with like, let's say a belt sander, sanded it smooth, it actually looks like a marble or a granite.

That's cool.

And how do you deal with that cut edge?

Because you've got this random texture on the stone, but you've got a really smooth, sharp edge on the end of that.

When you make a cut on a.

Guy's first day, he might get a little smart and take that cut edge and flip it around to the profile of a stone that's a little bit thicker and have cut edge kind of butt into it and then you don't do anything.

If you do have an exposed cut edge or say I make a mitered corner and I've got a. I got a beveled edge, I might decide to burnish that edge a little bit with maybe some sandpaper.

Or the screwdriver or something along those lines.

And I can touch it with a little bit of Thompson's clear water seal, and it just brings that patina forward and makes it look like a million bucks.

Wow.

And being that it's not stone, you don't have to worry about the water and sealing and all those kind of things as well.

And that just makes it for a more consistent color all the way around.

So what got you guys into building this product here in the United States?

I know it's one thing to be growing, but so many companies out there will get to the point where they go, all right, we're cranking now, and then they build it overseas.

And you guys have kept that right here in the United States, and I love that.

Yeah.

It's important for us to the quality of it, to control every aspect of it.

The domestically sourced materials.

And just how we've been able to take things from almost out of the ground to a finished product has really allowed us to do things that other people couldn't.

Like, let's say when the tariffs hit, a lot of people were concerned and struggling and how that was going to happen.

And that literally had no effect on evolve.

Just because of how it manufactures things, it allows us to do things that others can't.

During COVID a lot of people were on allocations.

Right.

They just couldn't get it.

We very much so take that very seriously.

Yeah.

And with fuel prices out there being high, that's just one less thing you have to worry about trying to get it into the United States.

Because those surcharges I'm seeing out there in our industry today are pretty substantial.

And for our.

For the cementitious counterparts in the artificial.

So the manufactured stone veneer guys, weight's a big driver of cost.

And evolve with how it ships and how light it is, that really isn't an issue.

So, for example, I could go ahead and ship you right around 20,000 square feet of stone from east coast to west coast for pennies on the dollar, where if another traditional MSV company tried doing that, it would just kill the economics of it.

Yeah.

Now you're talking semi trucks of material almost.

And that stuff adds up very quickly.

Very quickly, man.

So what's next for Evolve Stone?

You guys keep coming out.

It seems like every year, new colors, new patterns, new stuff.

I like the continued innovation that you have with the latest styles.

You have anything that you can share.

With us today, this is one of many applications that, that we can make out of the material.

So down the road, something we're working on right now, is a system where our product will hold true to nailing, but it will work over top of CMU or masonry back things.

So what?

We can't lead too much into that right now, but anything that you can think of that would be an exterior, whether it's siding or brick, other different types of systems, it's all, it's all fair game.

That's exciting because that's really going to be big in some of these southern markets where, like Florida, for instance, where those CMU concrete block homes are so.

Prevalent over the years, we've learned.

And where's the product being used then?

With any product, where's a pinch point?

Where's a shortfalling of it?

And not being able to obviously to nail this over concrete, Even though we've had many people try come back and go product.

It worked great when I nailed it over a piece of plywood in my garage.

And now I can't get to go in the wall.

And you're just wondering what's going on?

What's going on?

You find out someone's trying to nail it into the brick.

And we have solutions, we have solutions for how that works.

Now in reality, how do we make that easier?

How do we make that simpler?

And that's kind of what we've done with this product from the very beginning.

So, guys, where do you find your products out there?

If you're listening to the show right now going, oh my gosh, this sounds awesome.

It looks beautiful.

Do I find it?

Just do a search on our website, ballstone.com you've got a dealer search there.

You can find somebody set a radius 25, 50 miles.

And we're just about everywhere.

Yeah, fantastic.

Dealer network, national distribution.

You're going to find it quickly.

And I will say, a lot of times, seeing is believing.

And you might need to see those little samples.

And what we did, Eric, was we created a promo code.

So around the house or ATH 26.

So ATH 26, if you go to evolvestone.com, go to samples, pick whatever samples you want.

Put that code in ATH26.

You'll get some free samples sent to your house.

Try it.

Cut, cut, cuts like a soft wood, I'd say like pine or balsa.

And once that saw goes through it and you can find that, you can manipulate or varnish that edge and you can put, you get your nail Gun right.

And set.

It just helps people become comfortable.

So go get some samples.

We also have some pretty cool Volvestone themed America 250 shirts, some 4th of.

July themed around the house show.

We'll be right back with more from Evolve St.

Not from anybody.

Welcome back to the around the house show, your trusted source for everything home improvement.

I'm Eric G. Let's get back and wrap up with our friends with Evolve stone and our America 250 campaign where we're celebrating companies like them that are making things here in the USA.

And then, then we'll dive into our solid top 10 tips for getting your home ready for 4th of July weekend.

Put that code in ATH 26.

You'll get some free samples sent to your house.

Try it.

Cut, cut.

Cuts like a soft wood, I'd say like pine or balsa.

And once that saw goes through it and you can find that, you can manipulate or varnish that edge and you can put.

You get your nail gun right and set.

It just helps people become comfortable.

So go get some samples.

We also have some pretty cool Ballstone themed America shirts, some fourth of July themed.

So we're going to be handing those out as well.

I think it's the first hundred people that put in that code will get these pretty darn cool limited edition shirts.

And everyone out there, whether you're that finished carpenter, home builder, architect, or diy, grab some samples, take a look.

You want to see how this is going to look.

It's one thing to go on a website and say, oh, that's kind of cool.

You need to touch and feel this stuff to play around with it.

And like you said, Greg, put it on the saw.

See how it, it cuts like butter with a decent blade.

Yeah.

And I've got some blades that have some good use out of them and you can throw it up on it and it still cuts clean.

And I think that's some of the brilliance of the product.

Yeah, absolutely.

All right, guys, is there anything that I missed Talking about our America 250 program and celebrating people like you guys that are, well, of Stone.

I could hang out with you for hours and.

Yeah.

And catch up.

Hey, we really appreciate the time and, and the support and what you're doing for American manufacturers here, bringing light to them.

Appreciate it.

It's, it's, it can be a tricky world out there and all the support we can get is fantastic.

So thank you.

Thank you so much, Eric.

Thanks, guys.

All right, everybody.

Evolve Stone.

Check them out.

Head over there, look at the samples.

Order some.

And hurry up and get that T shirt.

I'm Eric G. For my friends, evolvestone.

You've been listening to around the House.

Speaking of that, we are coming up to 4th of July weekend, Independence Day, America 250.

We are out there, we are having fun.

And you know something?

This is going to be the year of backyard barbecues having fun, fireworks where they're legal and everything else out there.

So I thought, guys, let's talk today about what do we need to do to get ready for Fourth of July weekend.

So my first on the list is a big one, fire safety.

First, create that defensible space around your home and barbecue.

Remove the dry leaves, debris, overhanging branches, and anything flammable within 10 to 30ft of the house or fire features.

Have a hose, fire extinguisher and water bucket ready for fireworks.

Designate a safe launch area away from structures and never leave them unattended.

And then, of course, always check to see what local burn bans, restrictions, sanctions, and of course, fines if you do it wrong.

Because there's a lot of places out there you can't do fireworks anymore.

Now here's the thing.

The one thing that always gets forgotten, it seems, are those gutters.

And if you're in a dry area like here in the Pacific Northwest, we might not get rain for weeks on end.

And we'll have all those pine needles, leaves, everything that's in the gutters jammed up solid from the last windstorm we had.

And that is just like kindling ready to take off and create a fire.

So make sure that you clean all the gutters out.

And if you're not safe doing it, you don't feel safe getting up on the roof and doing it yourself.

Hire somebody to come over.

There's so many different roof and gutter cleaning people out there.

And with fireworks, it's really important because all it takes is some neighborhood kid with a bottle rocket or a roman candle out in the sidewalk, and who knows what could happen to your place.

So let's make sure that we get the fire safety down right off the bat.

So we're good to go.

Now here's the one.

If you're cooking, time to prep your barbecue and outdoor kitchen.

So days before and preferably at least one cooking before, time to get that grill cleaned thoroughly, burn off the residue, scrape the grates, empty the grease trap.

One little tip that I've got for all of you, you know, propane barbecue people out there.

So if you've got that propane grill, one thing you can do is there's usually that bottom tray that drains into a grease bucket, pan, cup, something.

What I do is when I take it out and clean it, I wrap that in aluminum foil.

The heavier duty, the better.

Then the next time that you have to clean it, you can just get it dialed in and clean to just tear it off, rewrap it and you're good to go.

It also gives a little bit of extra protection down there.

And it's nice just to be able to clean that up that way.

And you can really see because when you look down there and you don't see the aluminum foil anymore, it kind of shows you that, hey, maybe it's time to get that thing cleaned up again.

Now what I say is never clean this right before your big barbecue.

Do it at least one burn beforehand.

So that way if you've got any tastes or sometimes you'll unseason things like the grate, if you're cleaning up problems or you've got that griddle that you're trying to do, that's a great way to do it.

So just take your time, get it cleaned up well and have it ready to go.

Now the other thing is clean underneath it.

Take a look around.

Drips.

All those things can put grease into batteries.

And you never want to have that where it's going to catch on fire.

So make sure you got it dialed in.

Make sure you got all those tools, accessories cleaned.

Have your cleaned up work zone.

Keep it safe.

And if you're using an old school Weber barbecue, one of the charcoal ones, always make sure you know where you're placing that.

Place it on a concrete pad.

Don't put it out in the grass because so many times I've seen, I've had the Weber barbecue out in the grass and made a big mistake with that because all of a sudden little gust of wind came through, oh, five, ten miles an hour, nothing big, and it blew some coals right through the little round vents in the bottom and landed right in the grass and caught it on fire.

That was something that happened about 30 years ago.

And I tell you what, you'll never forget it once you've caught your yard on fire.

So make sure you're putting that in a safe space.

Make sure that you're doing it on something that's not flammable.

So they make a lot of nice little pads you can put down on the ground.

Just make sure that you're very safe with that.

And make sure that you got a battery in that thermometer so you're not serving undercooked food.

So next one here is an important one.

That deck patty and outdoor living area tune up.

Check the deck for loose boards, rot, weak railings, pressure wash surfaces if you need to have concrete, that kind of stuff, it's great to do that.

Reseal the deck if needed, and arrange furniture for flow.

So just make sure you got a good, safe flow.

And then add shade.

Some of the umbrellas, awnings, those sails, those can be really easy and create that comfortable seating area.

And then if you're going to be out there in the evenings, I tell you what, great lighting, whether it's string lights or some outdoor landscape lights, can really make that turn around.

Those are those little details you can do that'll make things look really good.

Now, there's a little asterisk on this.

When you're dealing with light outside is you need to make sure and follow your local building code.

Because there's a couple hundred cities across the US that are Dark Sky International certified, which means they've got a strict outdoor lighting ordinance that minimize light pollution.

So you have to be really careful with what light fixtures you're using.

I don't want to see anybody go out and go, hey, I got this all dialed in for 4th of July, ready to go.

Then all of a sudden you get the nasty gram or you get a letter or a fine in the mail.

Nobody wants that.

So make sure you're following those.

We've got areas out here in the west that we see.

In my area, you have to be really careful, like out at Cannon beach or Sisters, Oregon, Sun River, Oregon.

A lot of these are places where they've really got a lot of rules and laws to make sure that you're not putting too much light out there.

And yes, I see the irony talking about the fourth of July and independence in trying to make sure you follow your local codes.

I get that.

But these are just the rules.

I don't make them up.

And it is kind of nice to be able to see the sky outside when it's really cool out there, because in those cities you do get a better chance of seeing, you know, Aurora Borealis if you're up north and the sky looks a lot prettier.

But I also do like a greatly lit lawn and all the landscaping done right.

So these are things to consider.

Just make sure you're following the building codes.

I don't want to see anybody get in trouble over this one.

That could get expensive.

All right, guys.

Now if you want to find out more about us head over to aralonline.com we're going to be bringing back the around the House Northwest television show that's going to be coming up.

That is super exciting.

And new sponsors, a lot of great stuff happening.

So make sure you follow us.

You can always find out more about us [email protected] you can send me or Johnny a message right there.

We'll get back to you as soon as we can.

All right.

Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and if you're listening on the radio, we appreciate every single one of you out there in our radio audience from coast to coast.

Now when we come back, I'm going to bring out the rest of my tips here for this last segment to make sure you've got the best 4th of July independence Day party on the block.

Around the House where we're returning just after these important messages.

Don't change that dial.

Welcome back to to the around the House show, your trusted source for everything about your home.

I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining us today.

Well, we're talking here about some of those things you should be doing to get ready for a big Fourth of July party at your house.

And one of the things that I always do just to save a little bit of money so I don't have to go out and buy a bunch of ice is the week before I start saving that ice in my gallon Ziploc bags, I'll run it through the ice machine, I'll get the ice machine and cycle it through, fill up the bag, put it in the freezer and it's a great way to do it.

You can also take just the unscented, clean like mid sized garbage bags and put that in as well.

So that way you've got something to store it.

But it's a really great way to fill up those coolers.

If you plan ahead a little bit, just keep throwing it in the freezer.

And then when you need to, you know, some ice for the cooler out on the back deck or patio, you've got something right there.

So if you do it a week beforehand, you just keep throwing it in there and you'll be good to go and you'll have more ice than you'll ever need.

And I'll save you that trip to the store of going to buy bags of ice.

Now that's not that big a deal, but it can save you five or ten bucks and that adds up if you do that a lot over the year.

So here's the thing.

Now is the time to get ready by cleaning up those kind of smart cleaning areas.

So high traffic areas, the floors, you know, for me I just run my robot cleaner, run it through twice in two days.

Make sure everything's cleaned up that way.

But it's a good time to get the bathrooms and everything else wrapped up.

Get that all cleaned up, ready to go.

Wipe down the outdoor furniture.

Maybe you didn't do that in the spring or it's been dirty enough this year.

It's not undercover.

Get that cleaned up and then take a look.

Make sure you've got pest control stuff taken care of.

So if you've got ants coming in places, put the bait out there.

If you've got mosquitoes or swampy areas around.

I don't really do too much spraying of chemicals because it's not great for the pets out there or kids playing.

But my rule is, is they make these little pucks that look like, almost like a rice cake.

And if I remember right, they're about, I don't know, they're probably 10 bucks at home Depot and they're these little dunks.

And if you've got any standing water.

They worked really well for me at my last house.

Well a couple houses ago that was on a canal and the canal came in and fed the lake.

Well most of the time that that didn't have a lot of running water through it is pretty stagnant.

So I would throw those over the back fence.

Non toxic, but it keeps the mosquitoes from building themselves back up again and regenerating.

So it really kills the larvae so you don't have to worry about it.

So it's not toxic, but it's a.

Basically it's a biological mosquito control that you can just pop into those water and it just keeps it from going and it's not something that's toxic.

Works really well and it's a great way to do it.

Now there's a ton of other ways out there to do this.

There are companies that'll come by.

You have new electronic stuff out there that works really well.

A lot of the new technology is pretty dang cool out there, guys.

I mean there are plasma things that will almost like bug zappers.

There are companies out there that will put in these electronic insect controls out there.

There's like the patriot pl plus 1 acre outdoor trap that works well.

And some of these options, if you've got a big mosquito problem, can be 3, 4, 5, 600 bucks.

But I tell you what, there are some good options out there.

So take a look.

You don't always have to just blow the chemicals around and kill everything you can go through and you know, either use repellent or some of these new capture kill things that work pretty well and they will really keep things under control.

And there's a lot of big companies out there that do it.

There's stuff that will you can mount around your home.

There's a lot of different options.

So take a look.

You'll be surprised how much stuff is out there.

Mosquito magnet has one too.

So there's just a lot of options.

So take a look and see what's going to work best for your area without having to go around and hit a bunch of chemicals around there that could make you or kids or pet sick.

So that's a big one right there.

I think it'll really help out and make it much more enjoyable outside.

So the next one here is I always go through and just make sure that I've got everything else cleaned up in the backyard.

All that fire stuff like we talked about in the last segment, but really just making sure that you've got everything cleaned up for fireworks.

You know, make sure there's no wood stacked up against the house that could have an errant firework land on it.

And then the next one here is just really going through and having a clear area to set up fireworks if you're doing on the street out front.

I've been many a house where we closed off the cul de sac and did it in the middle.

So it was a nice safe area to do it.

Talk to your city, see what's legal, see what's not.

We were on a private drive, so it was really simple.

We just put couches across the drive and and did it right there.

It worked out really well.

And then check your food safety plan for this stuff.

Use coolers with ice, perishables.

Keep hot foods above 140, cold below 40.

You know, have a dedicated dirty area for plates, utensils, and make it so it's really easy to clean up.

And then of course, just decorate.

Have some fun, guys.

I'm serious.

Have you seen the stuff that's online at even at Lowe's or Amazon or Home Depot or any one of your local stores out there.

There are so many cool made in America products.

There are a lot of great stuff.

Decorate your house up.

It's a two 50th.

We don't get to see that too often, like never and never again.

So enjoy it.

Have fun.

So that was our 200th.

I remember that when I was a little kid.

But in the 80s, man, we tell you what, around my town, we decorated everything up and then we've kind of gotten away from it.

So I think we can regenerate that.

We saw a lot of this stuff with the World cup out there, which is cool.

And that's something you can really think about.

That could really brighten the mood a little bit out there.

Enjoy it.

Celebrate.

Let's have some fun and spend some time making sure everything's good.

Now, one thing to do too is make sure you're H Vac systems working.

If you need to have, you know, you're gonna be probably.

If you got a bunch of people coming over and it's hot outside, you're gonna be putting that thing with the door open being a lot.

You're gonna push that thing into heavy duty.

Make sure you've got your service done on that.

Just talk to your local H Vac person that comes out.

Make sure that service gets done.

Just a couple hundred bucks usually for one of those service calls, and they will come out and make sure that you're good.

Sign up for their service plan if you can.

Many times if you sign up for that annual service plan, they'll come out a couple times a year.

Take a look at things.

A lot of great tips with that is sometimes depending on the company, you know, like with Pyramid Heating and Cooling, who does my work here at my house, those guys will come out.

And if you're on their service plan, it gets you priority scheduling.

So if it does go down and it's 105 degrees outside and everybody's bacon put you in the front of the line with the VIP people there, that can save you a lot of headaches.

And it always seems that Fourth of July, Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, those kind of things, even Easter, those are things that things break down and it's going to cost you the most because it's going to be a holiday service call and you might as well get that done.

And I just wrote a story about that for publication.

We'll see if it comes out.

Sometimes they publish, sometimes they don't.

But I tell you what, spending that time on the home maintenance and making sure that things are running great will save you a ton of money in the long run.

No sense spending $16,000 for a new system when you can go spend A couple hundred bucks a year and keep that thing running for as long as you want to and as long as parts make sense.

So a little bit of preventative maintenance right there goes a long ways.

All right, guys, I wanted to do a little house cleaning here before we go out.

And I tell you what, there is something that's going to be coming up here at the end of September that I hope to see you all.

There is a great music festival that I'm going to be taking part in.

I'm going to be working with these guys.

So we'll probably have some around the house events, meetups, something like that out here.

I'm going to give you guys plenty of time.

I'm going to be out in Umatilla, Oregon for the Rock the locks Festival.

Friday, September 25th, 26th and 27th.

Lots of great bands out there.

So come on out, hang out with me.

I'll be out there and we'll be doing some stuff out there, having a great time, gonna be camping.

So check those tickets out.

Rock.org a lot of great bands.

God Smack, Simple Plan, Leonard Skinner, Daughtry, Candlebox, Tesla Jackal, Theory of a Dead man, the Rocket Mafia, which is Ricky rocket from poison, Dorothy 7 dust.

A lot of great bands out there.

So it's gonna be a lot of fun.

I'm looking forward to it and it's gonna be just an absolute great time.

So make sure you follow us.

Probably gonna be giving some tickets away here later on this summer.

But I tell you what, it is gonna be a lot of fun.

So just head over to rockthelocks.org gonna be working with these guys out there.

A lot of great bands.

It's cool enough out there usually.

So it's a nice comfortable weekend, which I think is a lot of fun because that way we can keep it nice and cool and comfortable without it being 120 degrees out there.

Like if it was in the middle of August.

So this is going to be a lot of fun.

I love supporting these small independent music festivals like this where it's just a local group putting stuff together.

So check out rock.org and so it's going to be a great.

It's out at a outside festival, it's at a golf course so it's not dirty and dusty.

They do a great job with it out there.

I've been to it in the past, A lot of fun.

This time we're making an official.

We're gonna be working with them and we'll have some tickets given away.

I believe here in the next few weeks.

So stay tuned for that.

All right, everybody, have a great rest of your weekend.

We got a great show coming up for the 4th of July as well you won't want to miss.

I'm Eric G. Thanks for tuning in to around the house.

I appreciate every one of you.

Thanks for tuning in to the around the House show.

To find out more about us, head to around the House online dot com.

We will see you next time.

Just turn a frown upside down?

Don't be a stick in the mud?

Grab your buddy, grab your butt?

Take this good time and turn it up louder?

No one ever talks about the night.

They win the bed countenance?