Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romeroβs radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
QUESTION: The master bedroom in my two-story house is located over the garage. So during the summer, the bedroom becomes very warm because the garage below is so hot. Can replacing the garage door with an insulated door help?
ANSWER: It would be better to cut a hole in the sheetrock and fill the floor cavity of the master bedroom with insulation. Having a bedroom over a garage is a very popular floor plan that you see in many two-story houses. But in these situations the bedroom is always very hard to cool off. If you insulate the garage door, the garage might be cooler, but the bedroom will not change.
Q: I live in a house built in 2000 that has whatβs often called a pony wall or half wall that partly separates the living room and kitchen. It runs north and south like the roof beams. Iβd like to remove it and wondered if itβs safe to do so. The planning department in the city where I live doesnβt have any engineering drawings on file for my house.
A: Even though itβs only a half wall, itβs important to make sure itβs not some kind of load-bearing support. It sounds as if it isnβt. But you really need to take photos and a sketch of trusses above the wall to a structural engineer to have them reviewed. Take your measurements along as well.
Q: Whenever our house undergoes some dramatic temperature changes, for example when itβs really cold outside or when the air conditioner really cools off the house, there is a loud popping sound on the roof. Itβs so annoying that Iβm thinking of installing foam insulation on the bottom part of the attic. Will that solve the problem?
A: Thatβs always a tough situation to resolve; the problem can be very annoying and almost sound like a glass bottle exploding on a concrete floor. I donβt know if adding insulation would work because the popping is usually caused by roof decking that has been put on too tightly, and itβs often just one joint in the roof sheathing thatβs responsible. You might try spraying insulation foam on the attic ceiling. You may also want to consult a residential structural engineer.
Q: My daughter has a building lot with beautiful bushy trees on it that are blooming with pink and white flowers. Iβd like to know what kinds of trees they are and whether they can be moved. Theyβre about 7 to 8 feet tall. Can I severely prune them back and then transplant them? They seem to have been growing wild.
A: They could be ironwood or desert willow or maybe even an orchid tree. You can take a sample branch with blossoms on it to a nursery and workers can identify it for you. If you can dig up a good part of the root ball, you may be able to move them, but that can be more expensive than buying a new tree. It would be hard to dig up the root ball by hand. But it is possible to hire a large spade truck that can get them out more easily.
