Handyman Jobs & An Update with the AZ ROC Print

• Rosie catches us up with Experience AZ Magazine.

Sign Up for the Sanderson Ford Arizona Staycation here!!!

• Thanks to great partners like Arizona Highways,  Lazy Trout Motel & Cabins and Coyote Oaties Cookies!

It's time for an update with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors!

• Sign up for the Arizona Construction Career Days here!
• The value and need for quality work in the building industries.
• Why the guys think construction workforce has declined over the last few decades.
• Precictions for the future of the industry.
• A sad story of a failed contruction project involving unlicensed work.

• Jeff tells us how the R.O.C. got started in Arizona.
• How they deal with complaints.
• Warnings on "storm chasers"

Thanks to Jeff Fleetham from the AZ ROC for stopping in for an update!

Jay is here! Co-Owner of Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company & plant expert, he's ready to tackle your questions.

• Why Jay loves winter lawns.
• It's prime time for almost any plant you can think of!
• Caterpillar's are prominent this year, so be on the lookout.

Caller:

• Eddie - He's considering knocking off the flowers on his loquat tree so that it will be even healthier for next year or should he enjoy them?

Recommendation - If it's healthy and doing well, he can leave it alone. He should just wait for the fruit and he could thin them out later on if it looks like it needs it. It could increase the quality of the fruit, he can thin them out.

• We discuss watering habits for this time of year. Start saving $$$ and quit wasting water.

Text From a Listener:

• How do you care for a damianita?

Recommendation - It's a very tough plant that can take full sun and doesn't need a ton of water. It stays kind of small and the one problem is that it's easy to over-water them. Don't trim it too much, either.

• Romey goes through a few options on pumpkin patches, including Apple Annie's, MacDonald's Ranch, Tolmachoff Farms, Schnepf Farms, Rocker 7 Farm Patch, Mother Nature's Farms, Mortimer Family Farms & a few other activities. You can find more about all of them on the Arizona Farm Bureau site. 

Caller:

• Tom - He wants to take about 6 feet off the top and about 2 feet off the circumference. Will he kill his citrus tree?

Recommendation - Maybe....it depends on what he exposes while cutting it back. Citrus needs to have some protection from the sun. It could damage the trunk and cause sunburn.

Text From a Listener:

• Do you need to buy cover for the seed on a winter lawn or just go straight into the ground?

Recommendation - If it's a healthy lawn, you don't. It won't hurt and they can fill in the bare spots, but it should be okay without it as long as it's healthy.

Caller:

• Frank - He's worried that the chemicals he had someone use to kill his bermuda lawn got onto his Texas Ranger bushes and now they are dying. He tried to flush them with a drip system. Will they be okay?

Recommendation - It sounds like he's done everything he can do by flushing the root system. He'll want to cut the water back to avoid over-watering them and just wait. Don't do anything to see if they comeback.  (early spring)

Text From a Listener:

• They are letting their lawn go dormant for the winter, but don't want any weeds. What should they use?

Recommendation - Don't let it go dormant yet. It's too early for that. Jay would feed it one more time & keep it green as long as they can until nature makes it dormant. It's a great time to use pre-emergent herbicide.

• Can you use ashes from a grill for compost?

Recommendation - Sure. It doesn't help or hurt that much.

• He has some type of vine that looks like oleander, but smells like onions when you cut it but he can't kill it. (even roundup hasn't worked) Do we know what he's dealing with?

Recommendation - Jay thinks it might be vine milkweed. It usually lives off of another plant, so it might need to have the other plant and root system removed.

Caller:

• Scott - He's a fire fighter & he's been saving the leftover burned wood scraps & building planters with them. Is there any reason these could be bad to use for planters?

Recommendation - We don't see any issue with using them, unless they were treated with something that's toxic. It should be good to go.

• More tips on a succesful winter lawn.

Caller:

• Glen - He has a palm tree that produces a lot of dates. Are they edible and when can he harvest them?

Recommendation - We're not convinced it's a date palm that is actually edible. We'll need a picture to determine.

• We discuss granular vs. liquid application pre-emergent herbicide.

Caller:

• Keith - He had aritificial turf installed and they put it right up to the base of his trees. What should he do to fix it...cut it back and what to do about the irrigation system?

Recommendation - Jay's experts never want irrigation under the turf because repairs are so hard to make at that point. It might not be that big of a deal to have the turf right up to the trunk.  We walk through his options.

• Jane - She thinks she over-watered her palm trees and is considering putting in a lawn. Will that damage the palm tree too?

Recommendation - It should not be an issue. Watering seed should not damage the trees in that short amount of time.

Call or stop by Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company all week!

• Tips for seeing great fall colors across Arizona.
• Recent hail damage has hit the state and Rosie warns listener's about dealing with "storm chasers" from outside Arizona.
• "Rosie's Consumer Guide on Choosing A Contractor"
• All the ways you can get Rosi'es news articles and blogs full of homeowner information.

Caller:

• Lori - She has cracks in her foundation from the smaller earthquakes near Fountain Hills. At night now, she's hearing really load sounds. 

Recommendation - We get a lot of this during this time of year. The big swings in temperatures during the day/night causes it. Rosie talks through warning signs with foundation issues, but she's probably okay.

Text From a Listener:

• They heard us talking about the Cracking and Popping during the last segment and is wondering if "Super Cooling" his home could cause that.

Recommendation - Yes. It's the same concept with the home changing temps throughout the day.

Caller:

• Ed - He wants our opinion on building with block wall systems and the interior materials to use too.

Recommendation - Rosie describes his & Jennifer's "Dream Home" that includes all the reasons why and how the maintenance is very minimal. Outside walls, interior walls, doors, windows, roofinge, etc.

• Rosie gives a shout out to Sanderson Ford for a recent award for a huge donation to the Special Olympics.

• Jennifer interviews experts from Water Use It Wisely and their Drab to Fab Competition. Listen for their mission, tips on proper watering and choosing the right plants for a succesful and water-friendly backyard.

• The team talks about an upcoming trip to Louisiana & have you heard of Boudin? I hadn't until today!
• All the different ways you can take advantage of our Contractor Referral Network.

Caller:

• Manny - He wants to add a water re-circulating pump in his home. Do we recommend a certain brand?

Recommendation - The one brand Rosie's seen his plumbers use is Grundfos Circulators.  We talk through the settings to make sure he's got a warm shower every morning and doesn't waste energy.

We're talking about when you can use a handyman! 

• Why it's so hard to find a quality handyman.
• Our Phoenix metro handyman is Handyman Connection.
• The laws behind the "handyman excemption" and how it works. What it does/does not include.

• Are Free Estimates going away?
• Romey shares a story about a meeting between the Arizona Painting Company at Pinnacle Roofing.
• The #1 rule when you can use a handyman.
• What about permitting?

Caller:

• Rory - He has a water leak under his island sink. He's needs some repairs to finish up the paneling after the plumbers did their work. Do we think it's a good idea to use a handyman for this type of project?

Recommendation - All of it depends on the cost of materials he wants to put in for cabinets and the sink. It sounds like he should be okay to do it with a handyman. 

*Rosie talks about puting in a waterproof lining in each of these islands so you avoid the major water leaks that cause big damage $$$.

• Rosie got in trouble with the R.O.C.....if you're using a plumber, you need a licensed contractor.

Caller:

• Stuart - He's replacing all of his tile and found a crack in the foundation that runs the length of the rooms. The gap is filled with silicone and wants to know what he needs to worry about and do before he lays the tile down.

Recommendation - You'll need to listen to get the full story as we talk Stuart through what to look for and how to avoid pest issues. He'll need to treat for termites.

Join Rosie On The House Every Saturday Morning!!!