QUESTION: My sidewalk is all pitted with tiny holes, and I want to know if there is something I can do to cover it up instead of ripping it all out with an air hammer and laying new concrete?
ANSWER: Don’t bust up the concrete and replace it. One solution: You can put an overlay of thin concrete pavers over the old sidewalk. You may, of course, have to put in a step transition where the driveway ties into the sidewalk. Or you can call a resurfacing company that can update and upgrade your sidewalk by putting an acrylic coating over it.
Q: I recently heard about a few citrus farms that were going out of business and selling land to a developer. Some of the citrus trees in those farms are 60 years old. If I could get some of those trees boxed up, could I replant them and would they survive?
A: They might survive, but you’d have to weigh the benefits of removing them versus planting a new tree. Citrus trees do have a production lifespan; those trees could be at the end of the time when they will bear fruit. It might be easier to put in a new, young tree and grow it to maturity. But if you’re really interested, you might talk to a tree moving company.
Q: I grew three peach trees from pits a few years ago. For the second year now, I have gotten a great crop of peaches. So I tried again this year and planted more pits. But this time the stones got infected with mildew and rotted away. What happened?
A: Rotting can be due to too much watering. But the fact that you have succeeded in having a good crop from a tree grown from a peach stone is very remarkable, especially in a tough climate like Arizona.
Q: Should I co-sign for a mortgage so that my son can buy a house in a neighborhood where he grew up? He has just graduated from college, and a house in the area where he wants to buy would generally be out of his price range. And if I do co-sign, how will that affect my credit score and chances to get some kind of loan in future?
A: Harold Perkins of the Galaxy Lending Group of Arizona told us the following about this question: “The father’s credit score will be affected by the son’s mortgage regardless of who makes the loan payments. However, the son’s mortgage payment would not count against the father’s qualifying debt ratio for a new mortgage once the son makes 12 months payments on the co-signed mortgage. If the son eventually can refinance and get a new mortgage on his own, the father would be completely out of jeopardy.”
Special household tips for November: This is the season to have your heating system checked out, before it gets really cold and other homeowners rush to call their heating and air conditioning companies. It’s also a good time to have the wood-burning chimney on your fireplace cleaned and checked out so that you can use it on those chilly nights when there is no ban on burning.
