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If you’re looking to go back for an MLA just to get a better job, I would agree with others that it would not be worth it.  The amount you would spend does not add up to what you will make. Also, going to a different program might bring you a new perspective on the field, but it also might make you go through a lot of what you learned already.…[Read more]

Thanks everyone for a good discussion. This is the first time I’ve used Land8Lounge as a forum and I have found it quite helpful, especially being a small business without lots of colleagues within earshot to bounce ideas off of.

Thanks for the original question. This is why this forum is so helpful. I just learned a lot!

Rick, Yes, yes, and yes. No changes were made to the design and it looks beautiful. I agree, it is a good learning experience. As we’re getting ready to plant tomorrow, my contractor phoned just now to ask about some plant substitutions. He asks about one I don’t care for, and it’s 15 gallon pots. It means his guy has to drive to a second nursery.…[Read more]

“I was hired to oversee construction”
Were there specific construction documents drawn up?  Did the contractor bid on those documents?  Were you involved in the contracting?  Since you were hired to be the project manager two things happened.  The “contractor” overstepped bounds and the “project manager” didn’t oversee very well if you had com…[Read more]

Mark, I’m in the same boat as well.  I am located in Colorado but have a ton of work planned in Florida.  I was hoping you can help me out.  My email is joewilson@gallowayus.com. Thanks for any help you can provide.

I was hired to oversee construction, representing the homeowner’s interests while they were out of town. There is an ongoing relationship, in fact, planting is tomorrow and I’ll be on site. Actually, what the homeowner owns is technically a one-time use “license” to the designer’s drawings. The designer retains the legal right to the drawings. The…[Read more]

Absolutely. In this case communication with the client was professional. I do not believe in throwing any contractor under the bus if it is someone with whom I have a relationship. But I did feel badly that the client was being put on the spot to do more when I knew they could not.

I think the biggest problem is being undermined by the contractor. The designer has the relationship and knows that the clients budget this year is to have x done and lighting in the future. It comes accross really unprofessional to have a contractor contradicting or stepping on the toes of the designer. Since even if it is a sub, to the homeowner…[Read more]

Having just studied for Section A of the LARE, it is clear from the ASLA code of ethics that the designer is not supposed to accept funds from more than one party without full written disclosure to the client, and if the client objects they must either drop the practice or that client.
 
Holy moly, are you licensed?
 
Of all comments so far H…[Read more]

Good comments Mark! You are right, these are grey areas, and interesting examples. In decades past, the designer/client relationship was much more long term. That’s no longer true. I like to think that there is an educational component in my work, so that (residential) clients get not only a design from me, but a way of thinking about their…[Read more]

That’s a good question Andrew. I’ll have to think about that. The closest thing I can quickly say, is that in the case of work that’s not quite right, I’m an advocate for my client, which is a situation I find easy. In the case of the contractor upselling the client (with the potential to change or distort my design without my knowledge, etc.), I…[Read more]

Cheryl’s situation seems pretty clear-cut–same project with contractor pitching an extra service is a no-no. I believe this would be true if it is sub or referral relationship.
Unfortunately, there are other grey areas.  What if the client contacts the contractor directly in the future for an expansion of the project beyond the original scope,…[Read more]

I very good friend of ours is the Chief Volunteer at Trinity Moscow Food Pantry, if you are interested in what they are doing. Shoot me an email if you want to connect with her.
 

But is not the course of action to communicate the same? Why would it be easier to tell someone that they did not build something right than to discuss not upselling clients. I don’t see why there would be an increase in discomfort. If anything, it would seem a lot less confrontational.
Why do you feel that it is different?

Different issue. When something isn’t done quite right, the contractor and I have easily discussed the problem and they have provided a suitable remedy. His lighting suggestion was a sales pitch, not a design, and it was not to me, but to the client.

I think there are a lot of opportunities like that around here. I did begin learning grant writing when I worked at the City and would have liked to become more proficient.
 

This last part is what I am confused about.

Hi Mike,
I am one of those fellas that yearns for just a thimbal’s worth of artistic ability.  I certainly agree with you that a designer that can draw effectivly and can communicate those designs well to the client can breeze quickly through the conceptual stage.  And I think we would all be better designers if more attention was paid to these s…[Read more]

How will you approached him if/when you don’t like the way something is built and he needs to take it apart and redo it? This discussion is all just about how to aproach him to discuss his suggestion about lighting?