Hey, y’all!

Don't miss Rosie's interview with handywoman Marie Leonard on Saturday in the 10 a.m. hour of Rosie on the House on KNST

Men don’t have a lock on the do-it-yourself market; more women are learning more about home improvements, repairs and remodeling.

In the 10 a.m. hour of this Saturday’s Rosie on the House show, my special guest is Marie Leonard, author of Marie’s Home-Improvement Guide. The show airs from 8-11 a.m. on KNST.

Tune in!

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

Whether you’re hiring a general contractor, an interior designer or an architect, the best way to find one is to ask others which ones they like.

I’m glad to give my my recommendations. I’ve been broadcasting the Rosie on the House show for 20 years, and in that time, I’ve met an awful lot of local contractors. I’m extremely picky about which ones I recommend, and I screen each one to make sure he or she has a license, is bonded, does top-notch work, is reliable and offers outstanding customer service.

In fact, I won’t recommend anyone to you who I wouldn’t hire to work at my own house.

Here’s my list of trusted, quality local contractors. you can tap into it for free.

Hire professionals who:

• have all of the required licenses from the state. A note: Arizona does not license interior designers.
• have memberships in industry associations.
• have experience and the proper education for the field.
• are willing to give you the names of past clients. Call those clients and ask for recommendations.

Listen to the Rosie on the House show this Saturday from 8-11 a.m. on KNST. We’re going to talk about hiring and working with contractors and design professionals.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

A design professional will make sure your space will be easy to use and beautiful. Photo courtesy of Legacy Design Build Remodeling

If your home-improvement project is simple and you know exactly what you want and can afford when it comes to materials, finishes and products, you might be able to work directly with a general contractor and skip the expense of hiring a design pro. But most contractors steer clients to architects or designers for most jobs.

When you’re spending $20,000 or $30,000 on a bathroom, it’s a good idea to seek the advice of a design professional.

Homeowners have so many options these days when it comes to flooring, countertops, cabinets, hardware and even paint that narrowing it down to just the right finishes, textures, colors and materials can be overwhelming.

You might think you can simply duplicate a look you saw in a magazine, for example, but if your room is smaller or bigger than the one in the picture, the whole project changes. Likewise, your budget makes a huge difference when it comes to how similar your room can look to the one in a glossy magazine with lots of resources.

Still not sure if you need a designer? Ask for an initial consultation. You might have to pay for one hour of the designer’s time, but you can get an idea during that meeting of whether your project will go better if you bring one on board.

Tune in to the Rosie on the House show on KNST this Saturday from 8-11 a.m. to learn how to work with a design pro for the best results. I’ve also got a big announcement to make. Don’t miss it!

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

Get your team in place before you start your remodeling project, and you'll be happier with the result.

Step 1 in any major remodeling project: Get your team in place.

Before you pry a single tile off of an old backsplash or even pick out your new paint color for your remodeled kitchen or bathroom, assemble the best team of contractors and designers you can find, and make a plan.

The biggest mistake you can make when you start a major home-improvement project is to wait until after the construction begins to realize that your chosen finishes clash or the wall you want to move is holding up the ceiling.

Tip: Hire a general contractor to serve as a project manager who will find and hire subcontractors like plumbers, fabricators and installers–so you don’t have to. Choose a contractor who has relationships with architects and interior designers as well, so all of the people you’re working with know and work well together.

Your team is the most important piece of any remodeling project. Having a trusted group of pros in place–and seeking their advice every step of the way–will help ensure you get the result you want and add value to your home.

You’ll find a list of the Tucson contractors I personally recommend in my Referral Network.

I hope you’ll tune in to the Rosie on the House show on KNST on Saturday from 8-11 a.m. We’ll be talking about working with pros on your home-improvement project, and I’ll also be making a big announcement. Rosie on the House has some exciting news to share!

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

Ice cubes can help sharpen your garbage disposal's blades.

Want to keep your garbage disposal working well? Two words: ice cubes.

Every month or so, load your kitchen sink drain with a cupful of ice cubes mixed with white vinegar. Run the disposal. The disposal will crunch and chomp, but it’s OK; the pulverizing of the ice cubes will sharpen its blades.

After the ice cubes are gone, pour a capful of cooking oil into the drain. The oil will clear away leftover noises and rough spots.

Give a listen to the Rosie on the House show on Saturday morning from 8-11 on KNST. We’ll be talking about keep your house humming.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

Your role in maintaining your air conditioning or heating system is just as important as the job of the service technician who performs your annual maintenance inspection.

Between visits:

• Change your furnace and air conditioning filters once a month. This is especially important during the summer when dust and allergens circulate. Even if the filter’s manufacturer recommends changes every other month, do it every month. Arizona’s dusty air can clog a filter in a hurry.
• Remove plants, fallen branches and debris from your outdoor HVAC equipment. Objects that are too close can prevent adequate air flow.
• Vacuum registers and air vents regularly. Heating contractors say simple dust and dirt cause almost half of their service calls.
• Move furniture and drapes away from registers.

 I hope you’ll tune in to the Rosie on the House show on Saturday. We’ll be talking about easy ways to keep your home running smoothly.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

Keep your sink drain flowing freely with just a few minutes of attention every month.

Here’s the best way to keep your kitchen sink drain clog-free.

First, dump a half-cup of baking soda into the drain. Pour a quarter-cup of vinegar into that. Cover the drain and let it sit for 15 minutes; the mixture will foam. Then flush the drain with cold water.

Do this periodically to keep your drain flowing freely.

Avoid using chemical drain cleaners, especially if your home’s plumbing is old.

I hope you’ll tune in to the Rosie on the House show on Saturday. We’ll be talking about easy ways to keep your home running smoothly.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

It's not as hard to remove a stubborn toilet-bowl ring as you might think.

Few problems around the house are as unsightly as a dirty ring in the toilet bowl. And the longer you let it go, the harder it will be to clean.

Try this simple tip for getting rid of stubborn rings:

• Pour one cup of white vinegar over the stained area of the toilet.
• Sprinkle one cup of Borax over the vinegar.
• Let the mixture stand in the toilet for two hours.
• Use a toilet brush to scrub the area, and then flush.
• If you need to scrub harder, use a pumice stone; look for it where you buy your mops and cleaning supplies. Caution: Use a pumice stone only when the bowl and the pumice stone are wet; if you scrub while they’re dry, you could scratch the toilet.

To prevent rings in the future, pour a cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl once a week and let it sit overnight. Flush in the morning to keep your toilet free of stains and odors.

Tune in to the Rosie on the House show every Saturday morning on radio station KNST from 8 -11 for tips, talk and tried-and-true solutions to all of your home-improvement challenges.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

Hey, y’all!

Avoid holes in drywall and crooked artwork by attaching picture hangers to a stud behind the wall.

Before you hang a picture, mount a TV or install shelves on a wall, find a wood stud behind the wall to attach them to.

A stud is a two-by-four or two-by-six wooden beam that “frame” a wall. Over top of that wood frame is a layer of drywall, which is painted and makes up the interior wall of your room.

If you try to hang something heavy on drywall, it eventually will fall to the floor and could rip a hole in the drywall. That’s neither safe nor attractive.

So nail your hooks and hangers into studs. You can’t see them because they’re behind the drywall. Here are four ways to locate them:

1. Make a fist and knock on the wall with your knuckles. In some places, you’ll hear a hollow sound. Other areas will sound more “solid.” The “solid” sound indicates you have knocked on a stud. Measure 16 to 25 inches away from either side  the first stud and rap on the wall again to hear if you’ve hit another one. Studs are located 16- to 24-inches apart. This is a fairly reliable way to find studs, but not the best.
2. Invest in an electronic stud finder; it costs less than $20. It’s a tool that measures the density of a wall and beeps or blinks when it touches a place where the wall is thicker because it’s reinforced by a wooden stud.
3. Before there were electronic stud finders, do-it-yourselfers used magnetic stud finders (they cost a couple of dollars), which locate nails and screws. Studs contain nails or screws.
4. Look for an electrical outlet. It’s probably fastened to the side of a stud. The stud runs the vertical length of the wall, so you can estimate where it is by following that line up to the spot where you want to hang your picture.

Once you’ve found a stud, use a power drill with a tiny drill bit to poke a small hole in the wall. You’ll be able to tell if you hit wood if you feel pressure against the drill bit.

Tune in to the Rosie on the House show on radio station KNST on Saturday mornings from 8 – 11 for tips, talk and great ideas for your home-improvement projects.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!

A torn sreen is an eyesore. If you don't have time to replace the screen, patch it in the meantime.

Step 1: You can buy a small piece of screen mesh from the hardware store, or you can salvage mesh from an old window screen if you have one lying around. Best bet: Because screens come in different colors and could be nylon or aluminum, buy a piece of screening that matches yours.

Step 2: Cut a square or rectangular piece from the new screen. It should measure at least an inch longer and wider than the damaged area you’re going to replace. Do not cut the damaged screen; you will cover the tear without removing it.

Step 3: Bend all edges around the cut-out piece of screen so they face the same direction.

Step 4: Pull a long wire from the leftover screening to use as sewing thread, or buy invisible, ultra-strong finishing thread from a sewing store. Thread it through a curved upholstery needle with an extra-wide eye.

Step 5: Lay the patch on top of the tear on the old screen. If you don’t want to remove the screen from the window, tape it into place so it stays still while you stitch the patch over it.

Step 6: Sew the mesh to the original screen by pulling the wire/thread through both screens. Fasten the two screens together as closely and tightly as possible. Tie off the thread with a double knot.

Tune in to the Rosie on the House show on radio station KNST every Saturday morning from 8 – 11 for talk about all of your home improvement projects. Call me on the air at 888-ROSIE-4-U.

‘Til next time, pass yourself a dose of joie de vivre!