How do you make a small room look bigger? Having trouble organizing the clutter in your room? How do carpenters make redecorating and designing an indoor or outdoor space work?
TLC's 'While You Were Out' carpenter Andrew Dan-Jumbo was online Friday, Sept. 26 at Noon ET to answer your questions.
The transcript follows.
Dan-Jumbo will be appearing at the Capital Home Show at the Dulles Expo Center this weekend. He was named as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in May 2003. He also cofounded a commercial and residential construction company that specializes in restaurant and new home developments in Buffalo, NY.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Andrew Dan-Jumbo: Hello! I'm here and hope you are all having a great day! Thanks for taking the time to come online today. For those of you who don't know, I'm in Chantilly, Va. just outside of D.C. for their annual Capital Home Show expo. I'll be onstage today (at 3 p.m.) and Saturday (at 7 p.m.). So come on down! I'll be happy to answer your questions!
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Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.:
I have a wall that I'd like to use for floor to ceiling bookshelves, so we're talking like 11 feet by 8 feet. I actually want to use the shelves for books, not knick-knacks or assorted decoration, so they have to be able to support weight without sagging. I'm thinking something attached to the wall would be best as the floors are uneven. But what material? I've been told that pressboard or 1/2 plywood with a veneer is the way to go but I'm dubious.
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: A lot depends on the aesthetic of the shelving unit. If you are looking for a rustic farmhouse country look, then you might use five quarter to an inch and 1/2 knotty pine boards. They are full of character and remarkably strong and therefore require few supports. If you are looking for a more finished piece for a contemporary space, then I would strongly recommend three quarter inch cabinet grade plywood -- as it is constructed from 7 or more layers of wood laminent and results in a very strong surface which would be free from sagging. Try to avoid materials such as particle board or MDF unless you propose to include additional supports. Most of the manmade boards can only span distances 30 inches or so without sagging.
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Bangkok, Thailand:
Since moving here we miss your show. A few questions: do you have an off-camera crew helping you with carpentry, as they do on Trading Spaces, or is it just the on-camera staff? It always seems that A. you are really busting your hump, and B. you make a mistake in measurements or cutting that requires a last second fix. Is this to add tension to the show, or are you just overworked? And finally, how did you end up in Buffalo of all places?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: There is no one behind the scenes to assist with carpentry. It's down to Leslie and myself to complete all the carpentry projects. We do have limited help for tasks for clearing furniture from rooms and garbage cleanup, etc. I am always under the gun and every show always seems to come down to the wire. With regards to my making mistakes on the show, there is a lot of time spent for cameras to shoot a sequence and as a consequence I'm unable to return to a space to remeasure and basically I go with a measurement that I think I have in my head correctly. So it often appears that I make a lot of mistakes but there actually are few and far between but for editorial purposes, they like to keep it in for the added drama.
I have family in Buffalo and that's why I'm there!
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Falls Church, Va.:
Hi Andrew,
I absolutely love the show! I've seen the new episodes and was wondering, what happened to the old host, Teresa?
And I have another question.. do you really do all the carpentry work or is there people in the background to help you out?
Thanks!
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: Teresa found it hard to sustain the concentrated filming schedule with everything else that she has going on in her already hectic life. We currently spend 220 days on the road. And with all her other television related activities, it left her no time to pursue the normal things in life. It was sad when I heard she was leaving. She helped make "While You Were Out" what it is today and we all miss her dearly. Teresa is a close friend of mine and we stay in touch regularly.
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Washington, D.C.:
Andrew, love you and the show. What's it like with the new host? How has the dynamic changed? I have to admit, I was a huge Teresa fan.
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: It's hard to replace Teresa. She brought a tremendous sense of humor and remarkable insight to the role of host on While You Were Out. Since her departure and the transition to our new host Evan Farmer, there have been many additional changes to the show. The show feels very different to me now with a different chemistry between myself and the host. It still remains a lot of fun and of course, working with Leslie, my partner in crime is always a delight.
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Reston, Va.:
Andrew,
We've noticed lately that there seems to be a bit of tension (and flared tempers) among the crew. This has been most apparent in the past few episodes with Leslie being visibly upset about being excluded from carpentry (and showing glee when Evan botched his carpentry task) and Chayse...well, being Chayse.
Is this done to make more interesting television, or are there members of the crew that just do not get along?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: This is a reality based show and as such what you see is actually what is taking place. We endeavor to get along as a team but as in any workplace, tempers fray and things go wrong. We are for the most part travel as a family unit and as with any family, there is a level of dysfunction from time to time.
We go out for a bite to eat and have a drink and since we have 60 shows to film a year and we understand that you've got to kiss and make up or you don't have hope to make it through the season. Plus all the arguments that we have are quickly swept under the rug after we are done filming.
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Alexandria, Va.:
Andrew, you do amazing work!! Kind of makes me wonder why it takes so long to get something done when I try, since you seem so quick and talented.
Do you ever get frustrated that you have such a short time to do the projects? I get frustrated with seeing the shortcuts that are required to get the job done in time--but that could have been of much higher quality if the designer and your team just had another day or week to do things right (that's usually related to the finishes, not your work).
How do you get your finish work to be so professional? Whenever I paint or stain woodwork, it just looks like my kid did it--not so smooth and high quality as furniture I can purchase.
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: I get very frustrated at the brief amount of time that we have to work with the pieces on the show. I often find myself having to take short cuts to build a piece of furniture that would ideally require several more days to complete in an ideal world. Because of my years of construction experience and the requirement for me to sell my services as a carpenter to the general public prior to the show, I endeavor at all times to maintain acceptable standards of craftsmanship for the homeowners that we make over these rooms.
With regards to the finishes on the furniture, on many occasions the pieces that we stain or paint go into the room still wet because we are running out of time. So while the stain or the painting look good, it may in fact still be wet and whatever the designer decides to dress the piece of furniture sometimes will stick to the furniture. This is the price you pay for a 48 hour makeover!
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Washington, D.C.:
I love that you're not afraid to criticize some of the zany concepts the designers have come up with. What is the worst design or design element you've seen?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: The worst space that I've ever seen in my opinion was the New Orleans jazz room. I love Steven Saint-Onge's designs. I think he is brilliant. However I just couldn't get into this space at all and spent the whole show ridiculing it to a degree that Steven stormed off the set. Sorry Steven! Funny enough, the returning homeowner loved the room.
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Aspen Hill, MD:
Time to confess, do you and Leslie really hate Chayse Dacoda?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: Leslie and I definitely do not hate Chayse. She is a very close friend of mine and probably the designer I speak to on a regular basis more than any other. However, on camera, Chayse can frustrate with her insistent desire to question every step of our construction projects. This can slow us down and often lead to tempers fraying. But it makes for entertaining tv!
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Washington, D.C.:
Hi there. Strange question: Is it feasible to build built-in bookcases without much experience or room/money for major power tools? Any good resources you could recommend for tips and ideas? Thanks.
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: Yes absolutely it's feasible to see a project such as this without power tools. You'll need to take careful measurements and have your lumber cut at Home Depot. As far as designs for a built-in bookshelf there are numerous publications available at Home Depot or your local library that will steer even the least experienced homeowner through a project such as this. Go for it!
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Silver Spring, Md.:
In the very limited amount of free time you get, what do you do for rest and relaxation? Also, what is the biggest lifestyle change for you since you've been on the show?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: My passion is surfing but because I live on Lake Erie, I jet ski instead. When not out on the water, I like to spend time on my 1971 Triumph TR-6, a British sportscar that I had been restoring for some years now.
The biggest lifestyle change is living out of a suitcase. We spend 220 days on the road, so it's taken a while to get used to room service. The celebrity aspect of my role on the tv show has been a lot of fun. I can't go into a building these days without being recognized... now I know how Ty feels!
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Gillette, N.J.:
We're currently struggling with transforming a room with furniture we already own. Is there 'always' a way to make things work, or
do you sometimes just have to go with newer/different pieces?
Thanks ...
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: While it's nice to try to reuse existing furniture, sometimes there is no substitute for a change especially if the pieces that you are trying to integrate don't match or compliment the theme that you are proposing to create. So, it's time for a garage sale!
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Washington, D.C.:
I have a question that I (and all my friends) have wondered about the show in general -- Do homeowners get ANY SAY in the designer that is assigned to redecorate their home? Do they even get to rank their top three for producers to choose from? That said, have any homeowners ever found out which designer was coming for the job, and then either backed out because they had seen their work previously and didn't like it -- or is that allowed? Do you sign a contract saying "I agree to let whichever designer is assigned do whatever they feel to my home" and then stick it out? Yikes! THANKS! (by the way -- you're super hot -- are you by chance, single?)
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: No, the homeowner has no say in which designers they get. It is totally random. We have not yet had a homeowner back out of a show because they found out who the designer was. We have had homeowners who have showed a preference and we have elected to keep from them the name of the designer on their show so that when they get a knock on their door the first day, they are pleasantly surprised to see that they are getting the designer that they wanted. All participants on the show have to sign contracts removing rights to pull out of the show because of a designer conflict, etc.
Yes I am single.
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Washington, D.C.:
I want to install laminate floors in my duplex. Is it as easy and cost effective as it appears to be? What tools will I need?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: I am not a big fan of laminate flooring although we use it on the show because of its ease of installation. It really isn't a lot cheaper to buy than hardwood flooring. My advice to you is to go to a web site called lumberliquidators.com where they sell discounted pre-finished hardwood flooring which is easy to install and will last a lifetime and looks a thousand times better than any laminate flooring. You don't need many tools either.
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Arlington, Va.:
Hi Andrew. What has been your favorite project on "While you were out"?
Andrew Dan-Jumbo: It's hard to have a favorite. I have currently filmed 76 episodes but there are some pieces that I have built that spring to mind. All of which were designed by John Bruce. There was an amorphic desk that I built for a stay at home dad in Phoenix. It was very fluid in its shape and had to house not only his computer but kid friendly in that he had twin toddlers. It ended up being a very cool piece and really looks good up close. I have had many requests to build that piece. I recently finished a show in Burlington, Vt that will air in October where I built a chair that was made up of entirely of sticks of wood glued together to form a lattice work structure -- wherever the sticks overlay I would glue them. It took me all day to build but it was really cool!
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Andrew Dan-Jumbo: Thanks for watching the show and it's because of your support that the show has done so well. There are many more fun and exciting shows to come and my hope is that we inspire you in some way to tackle some projects around your home. See you at the Capital Home Show today or tomorrow!
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