Aging In Place Print

Rosie shares a letter from a recent Sanderson Ford Arizona Staycation winner.

Thanks to Sanderson Lincoln, Arizona Highways, The Cactus Candy Company & the London Bridge Resort for making Dottie's trip a success!

Sign up for your chance to win here!

*Jennifer shares more happenings.....including geo-caching, one of Rosie's favorite family activities.

Romey shares the benefits of Bonide Products you can find at Treeland Nurseries in Mesa, SummerWinds Nursery in Phoenix or Watter's Gardens in Prescott.

*More events for you to join!

*We follow up from last week's show and Steve with Advanced Home Systems had a different take on the solar report from last week.

Caller:

• Tom - He wants our thoughts on "Off the Grid" living and recommendations on insulation after finding out spray-on foam will cost him extra.  

Recommendation - After finding out Tom's done some great things to his home already, we give a few tips on cutting back on the foam, while still keeping his home energy efficient.

More Arizona Happenings, including Home Shows, Park Activities and Seminar's!

Caller:

• Helen - Do we know anyone who's good at taking care of pigeon's?

Recommendation - Yes! Call Blue Sky Pest Control! If you're in Tucson, call 5 Star Pest Control.

John Eisenhower with Integrity Tree Service joins us to take questions on trees!

Tip of the Week:  March and April is a great time to prune shrubs in Arizona. John shares ways to trim bushes to look more natural and common mistakes made.

1. Hard Pruning
2. Two-Step Method of Hard Pruning
3. Rejuvenation Method

Find out which method is right for your landscape.

Callers:

• Art - His landscaper trimmed back his orange tree more than he would have liked. He's wondering if he should paint his trunk white or what we think he should do to ensure the tree stays healthy.

Recommendation - Let the new growth on the bottom of the tree. John talks about the white tree paint and what it is good for and not. Tree wraps are a great option too.

• Tony - He has a mature olive tree in his front yard and wants to know if it's edible and how to care for it.

Recommendation - The olives are edible and need to be treated, but he can find out how to do it online.  Be careful not to over-prune this tree and be very selective when cutting back.

• Scott - He got pretty scratched up pruning his jujube tree and wants advice for next time he has to trim it.

Recommendation - Wear long sleeves and this is a very rough tree. No tricks, just a thick jacket or call a certified arborist. 

*John shares more tips on pruning small trees in your yard.

Callers:

• Colleen - Her bottle brush shrubs is getting too big for her liking and she wants to know if she can cut them way back or not?  2nd Question - She has a new back patio and wants advice on black slate for a patio in her yard?

Recommendation - Yes, it can be cut back.  She'll need to do it correctly and sometimes the plant is simply too big to contain and it might be better to replace it. 2nd tip - Go with a lighter color Belgard Paver from Oldcastle Superlite. 

• Marylou - She has an older pecan tree and some of the pecans are bitter and is wondering if fertilizing it would help and when/how?

Recommendation - A good basic fertilizer would help. John says she should call Jay at Harper's Nursery for advice.

More tips from John on proper pruning on shrubs.  Learn what "Lion Tailing" is and why you should avoid this with your trees. 

Find a certified arborist in your area here.

Callers:

• Beth - She has a peach tree and a few citrus trees.  Her sprinklers are hitting the trunks and wants to know if she should paint the trunk or if that will damage it?

Recommendation - Salt in our water can damage the trunks, but it shouldn't be a concern if they are otherwise healthy.  Painting wouldn't hurt.

If you need your trees trimmed or have questions for John, call Integrity Tree Service!

Rosie shares a scam involving security systems that's happening here in Phoenix.
**When in doubt......Verify, Verify, Verify!! 

Letters from Listeners:

• Steve - He had Babcock Plumbing out to work on his home and wanted us to  know how much he loved their work. 

• Steve - Ran into Tekna Security & wanted to know why he couldn't find them on our website. Romey shares what happened and how the revamped website will improve the users experience.

• John - He's building a custom home in Prescott and wants our recommendations on contractors.  

• Richard - He's looking for a tile setter in Tucson.....we use this as an example to share how our 'secret shoppers' can help us in our referral network.

Caller:

• Chris - He was listening to Bob Brown from Arizona Foundation Solutions about radon and the conversation on smoking......Guess what!!!! He quit smoking last week during the show last Saturday. Congratulations Chris!!!

*Kate with Valley Permaculture Alliance joins us by phone to talk about their organization and events happening in Phoenix.  Find events here. 

(We're surrounded by food and often don't even know what's edible in our own yards)

Callers:

• Pete - He bought a 1400 square feet home with an additional 300 square foot patio. The home has an ac unit on the main home and another for the patio. Would it be more efficient to run additional air ducts from the main unit to the patio, instead of running both when they'd like to use the patio in the summer.

Recommendation - It sounds like he could be way over-sized on the patio. Rosie breaks down the costs and how the bigger units cost Pete and others like him more money. He should get an energy audit to verify what he has before making a decision. Find our AC Consumer Guide here.

*Rosie reminds you to sign up for the Sanderson Ford Arizona Staycation!  We read a letter from a recent listener and wanted to thank our partners, Sanderson Lincoln, Arizona Highways, Cactus Candy Company and London Bridge Resort.

• Ruben - He bought an acre to build a new home in Goodyear and wants to build something that's environmentally friendly. Do we have some recommendations on contractors?

Recommendation - It depends on Ruben's definition on "environmentally friendly." Each person is different. Rosie will follow up & report back.

*After getting another call on sustainable living, we talk about going "off the grid."

(We love geothermal, but there are some drawbacks for financing and we share all the factors be wary of)

We're talking about "Aging in Place" and what it means.......as you get older, there are remodeling projects that will allow you to live in your home as long as possible.

*Jennifer polled our contractors and got input from, Kirk Development, BC Renovations and TWD on how this topic is talked about and what they're doing.  There are many reasons to have these features that don't involve getting older and they don't have to look like something in a nursing home. They're much better looking than they used to be and blend into the home.

Lisa Reeves with Age-Less by Design joins us to tell us her story and share her experience.

Basic Principles to follow:

1. Equitable Use - works for a 3 year old and an 85 year old.
2. Flexibility - good for a wide range of people
3. Simple & Intuitive - Don't make a home smarter than you.
4. Perceptible Information - Sensory....lighting for blindness, etc.
5. Tolerance for Error - Don't make it hard for visitors to use.

Rosie shares a personal story on the benefits of a "balance bar" and why "aging in place" is great for any age.

Caller:

• Bill - He heard us talking about geo-thermal heating and cooling.  We stated that it's hard to get a loan for a home with this system. His sister in Wisconsin had no problem getting a loan and she's been there over 20 years, so it's possible to get a loan in other areas of the US.

Lisa Reeves joins us again and talks about the specific applications for the bathroom.

Callers:

• Carolyn - She wants recommendations on filling in a sunken living room. She'd like it to match the adjacent floors.

Recommendation - Filling it in with wood can create an opportunity for termite issues. We like to use concrete and Rosie talks her through the process. She can call Brad at BC Renovations in her area.

*Lisa Reeves with Age-Less by Design talks about her experience with sunken rooms and a sunken tub too.  Lighting is another common problem as we get older, so take that into consideration.  L.E.D.'s make it easy to retro-fit existing fixtures.

• George - He had a contractor who refused to install a balance bar into his corian shower. He wouldn't drill into it.  He doesn't want to use a suction bar.

Recommendation - You can drill into corian with a ceramic tile bit, but you need to find a stud behind the wall. The bar is only as stable as the support your attaching it to.  Use a stud-finder (We love the Franklin ProSensor 700 Stud Finder) and it should be no problem.

We discuss the benefits of Universal Design for Aging in Place.  It's great for all ages!

*Judy emailed us to talk about the suction type balance bars and why you should be careful.

Join Rosie On The House Every Saturday Morning!