Foundation Issues & Radon Awareness Print

More about keeping up with your New Year's Resolution:

• Point #1 - Drinks are the 1st of 5 things to avoid doing wrong. "Sports Drinks" are not healthy drinks.
• Point #2 - Eating carbs at the wrong time of day and the wrong type of carbs.
• Katie's preferred diets.
• Controlled portion sizes & a food journal can help you stay on track.

Rosie covers the massive snow storm on the east coast and encourages you to mail your friends a subscription to Arizona Highways Magazine.

Continuing with tips on staying on track with your New Years Resolutions:

• Point #3 - "Steady State Cardio" can be misleading and ineffective.
• More tips on when & how to workout.
• Fitness versus sports.....there is a difference and could be holding you back.
• Point #4 - Using Exercises Incorrectly. Katie's Pet peeve....incorrect workouts including "The Plank."  We discuss the incorrect way to exercise and the why she loves push-ups. 

Sign up for the Sanderson Ford Arizona Staycation!!!

*Best Western Plus Inn of Sedona and Designing Women of Arizona helped make our latest trip a success!

*Another winner loved her gift basket from Cerreta Candy Company and stayed at the Best Western Quail Hollow in Benson.

Continuing with Katie's common mistakes keeping you from staying fit:

• Katie talks more about misusing exercises and decreasing your results.
• Point #5 - Not Resting, Sleeping or Stretching enough.

You can always contact Katie at Katie's Fit Life. Get in shape this year!!!

Jay with Harper's Nursery & Landscaping joins the broadcast.

*Tips on watering this time of year and a tip on spotting a dry lawn.

Tip Of The Week:  It's time to prune roses & to get ready for the spring and summer heat. He goes through several issues that should be addressed now.

• Pre-emergent tips to avoid dealing with weeds in your garden and landscape.
• Reminder's on proper application for pre-emergent.
• Our expectations are for a great wildflower season.

Caller:

• Gary - He has ants all around the base of his orange tree. He tried a home concoction that didn't work well, so he wants advice on helping bring the tree back to health.

Recommendation - Jay reminds him that over-watering will be his biggest enemy. With no leaves, it won't need a lot of water because their is no foliage to support. Listen for specifics, plus we talk about controlling ants and misconceptions around them.

• We talk more about the east coast and why living in Arizona is great for gardener's.
• This is a great time of year for getting out in the yard!
• Plant now BEFORE the heat, so it can get established before being stressed.

Romey invites Erika from the Valley Permaculture Alliance to the show:

• Their mission and objectives.
• What they're up to at Scottsdale Community College.

More with Erika and the Valley Permaculture Alliance:

• 3 growing seasons....Fall, Spring & Monsoon.
• Veggies she recommends using, plus she reminds you to plant flowers for pollinators.
• Find events here.

Callers:

• Gabe - He bought a home and his neighbor told him that his palo verde tree "Is protected." What should he do?

Recommendation - We have a lot of fun with Gabe, but he shouldn't have a legal issue cutting down a tree on his own property. He should call the city and make sure he's okay, but it doesn't sound like it should be protected legally.

• Keith - He lives in Desert Hills and wants to know what types of nut trees he can plant that will do well?

Recommendation - Jay walks through a bunch of his options and talks through common issues with almond, pecan and pistachios trees. This will take a significant amount of water.

*Reminder to make sure the variety of tree you're being sold actually work in this area. Jay shows of his knowledge of peach tree varieties.  Plus, he explains what "Chill Hours" are.

Jay & Romey talk about caring for roses:

• Misconceptions.
• Tips on trimming.
• Fertilizing & pruning sealer tips.

Remember, you can find Jay at Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company!!!

• Rosie invites his friend from the East Coast on the phone to see if he's prepared for the storm according to a list of 12 things needed in case of emergency.

• Food, water, etc....funny stuff!

• Rosie is sending Arizona Highway's Magazine's subscriptions to his friends.

• Rosie is confident in Arizona's water supply.

Caller:

• Janet - She has two interior doors that won't stay open or closed when she would like them to.

Recommendation - There is a simple trick where you bend the pin in the hinges. Rosie describes how to do it and why it works.

Callers:

• Vicki - She just finished up a remodel and they're very happy, but she wants to do a sliding door on her shower. Did Rosie see anything that's an alternative that is fun or interesting to use?

Recommendation - The hanging barn door hardware has exploded and is everywhere.....Rosie would check with the tile company that installed the tile. Otherwise, she can contact True View  or Arizona Shower Door.

• Wes - He wants to do a renovations and wants advice on "how to start."

Recommendation - Rosie goes through the questions he would ask as the General Contractor & how he would get down to what the homeowner wants and what the homeowner can actually get done. Click this "How to Choose a Contractor" guide and he should be good to go!

• Fred - He's been treating his exterior door with teak oil once a year and wants to know if he should be doing anything else.

Recommendation - Teak oil is good, but with using a tongue oil once a year is a good idea too. That penetrating oil is a good idea. Otherwise, he could get a low-maintenance door from Pella Windows & Doors!

Caller:

• Harriet - She's considering putting new windows and doors in her home and she isn't sure what type of window to install?

Recommendation - Rosie loves Pella Windows & Doors Impervia Line of doors & windows. We love their wood interior doors and talk through all of her options and what it will do for her home. Family owned and American Made!

Bob Brown with Arizona Foundation Solutions is here to talk about the danger of Radon & Foundation issues.

• The danger of the radioactive gas, radon...how it was discovered and what it is.
• Home Testing kits are simple and inexpensive. We describe how testing works.
• How radon is measured.
• Simple solutions will keep you safe!
• Foundation issues Bob sees in different areas of Arizona.

Rosie asks Bob when should homeowner's should be concerned about foundation issues:

• Point 1 - You'll start seeing cracks in the drywall. Stucco can crack from a lot of issues. Slopes in the floor and doors and windows don't line up.
• Point 2 - Roughly 75 to 80 percent of the time it's the foundation HEAVING, not Settling. Rosie and Bob talk through how this happens and how destructive it is. 
• We talk about Arizona Foundation Solutions process to fix issues around heaving.

Callers:

• Jason - He's looking at building a home near a capped landfill. Will that increase his chances for radon and can he test it ahead of time?

Recommendation - Testing a lot before building will not be an effective way to test for radon. The landfill shouldn't increase the likelihood of radon but it can increase your dangerous gases in the ground. His system will mitigate the problem.

*Bob talks about installing a "passive system" under is home. It's simple and inexpensive to install while you're building.

• Bill - He has a crack in his foundation....is there a way to fix it?

Recommendation - He needs to make sure he knows why the crack is there before he gets it fixed. Fixing the problem and then he can fix the crack in his slab. Bob shares his methods on testing a homes foundation.

• Dave - He wants to increase his overhead room in a crawl space and wants to know if he can increase the height without damaging the foundation.

Recommendation - He needs to be careful digging around footings. If he does, he needs to use a 45 degree angle going out and that's the space you need to leave untouched. It's a complicated process and needs a professional.

• Harlin - His home is being built with a post-tension slab and there is a gap under the slab and the earth. His superintendent said it wasn't a big deal. Is this something he should be concerned about?

Recommendation - Post-tension slabs are floating slabs and could be fine with small gaps, but we'd need a site visit to confirm.

• Order a radon test kit for your home, here.
• How Bob recommends choosing a foundation specialist. Avoid conflict of interest!
• Training is important.
• Diagnosing foundation issues CAN NOT HAPPEN ON THE SPOT! It requires an enginner.

Thanks to Bob for stopping in today. If you have concerns about Radon or Foundations at your home, contact Arizona Foundation Solutions!

Join Rosie On The House Every Saturday Morning!!!