Andrew Garulay, RLA

1. How did you know when you were ready to go solo?
I’m not overly reckless, so I made sure that I already had some flow of work coming to me. I did something similar to what you sound like you are about to do. I worked on the side for quite a while in order to develop a volume of plans with built work that went along with them. That builds a…[Read more]

Arran, this is a highly variable thing with so many factors that can influence it. The bottom line is how much does the person paying value what you are doing?

A huge issue is who is providing the prospective client – you or the installer? If the installer just needs you or someone else to draw up a more presentable plan to help with sales there…[Read more]

Leslie, I agree with what you just posted regarding the effort that you need to put in ahead of time is huge. The good thing is that you might be able to collect on that investment for quite a long time if the situations and competitors don’t change and if you keep paying attention and adapt to changes.

I think this subject also goes back to what…[Read more]

I would disagree that 1/3 of the total effort of a project goes into just getting the project. That only happens if you just market to the end client. It should be easy to gain referral if the homework and groundwork is done to make yourself more useful and more valued than the next person or firm looking to get that project. You have to sell…[Read more]

It is not enough to exist, it is more about being useful and valued. I don’t mean that in a philosophic way or in a general way. It has to be in specific ways to specific people. That is the essential part of success in Landscape architecture whether it is a big firm or a single person residential design shop such as mine.

It starts with…[Read more]

My view of the profession is that it is a lot more rewarding if you are not working for someone else and you have to put in your time working for others in order to position yourself to get out on your own.

It is not a great profession if you want to have a job working for others until you retire expecting promotions and increasing pay year…[Read more]

I actually did a photo overlay from google earth last week on the project that is in my new avatar photo. It was very poor even on only a 3/4 ac lot to the point where I could not use it.

I keep “Plan Notes” text on all of my plans that has some variation of “THIS LANDSCAPE PLAN IS BASED UPON PLANS BY OTHERS, TAPE MEASURING ON SITE, AND NOT FROM INSTRUMENT SURVEY. THIS PLAN IS SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF LANDSCAPE PLANNING AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. LOT LINES ARE APPROXIMATE.”.

Another really good source for…[Read more]

You are making my point. It is much more to do with the opportunities developers have to exploit holes in regulations than it is to do with those hired by them to do their design work whether they are landscape architects, civil engineers, or something else.
The development business is, whether we like it or not, very sensitive to controlling…[Read more]

Most communities have a Comprehensive Plan that is developed as a big picture of how to shape the community in many ways including physically. That sets the stage for all of the many boards and departments to focus on. Each board and department does their thing, …. each smaller box has to fit in the bigger box. There are a lot of constraints…[Read more]

I think we might need to talk to architects about widening doorways so that some landscape architects can fit their heads through them. There is 50″ of rain. You can design drainage all you want, but even the rivers can’t drain fast enough. You can’t drain to a place that is already filled with water that is higher than what you are draining.
I am…[Read more]

I found one for the U of Conn that I believe is adapted from AIA … page 23 has Landscape

http://www.aes.uconn.edu/about/cad_standards_docs/UConn_CAD_Standards_Guideline-April2011.pdf

There was a thread on this in the past:
https://land8.com/forum/topics/cad-layering-standards-for-las

I would not pay it, but if someone else wants to …..

Bob,
Relax. Look at it this way if it helps. It is an alternative place for people to go outside of bounds of where you think the profession should be. That will keep those that have a different perspective from crowding the “real” classrooms.
Why do I feel like Rodney Dangerfield in Sam Kinnison’s class in “Back to School Rodney”?

Reality is that it is such a diverse field that no one can even define what is and what is not Landscape Architecture. I don’t think that is a bad thing. An apples to oranges comparison is the “medical profession”. You have everything from beyond brain surgeons to CNA’s and Dental Hygienists. Each is important on their own, each has a different…[Read more]

I’m not a big fan of the “internship” but I get it that the intention is to promote experience. The reality is that it creates opportunity for exploitation. One can exploit while patting himself on the back for “giving back” and “giving a hand up” to aspiring LA’s.
I don’t know the answer, but I am a big believer in being paid what I’m worth to…[Read more]

I think it gets overlooked that it is not very time consuming for a principal designer to put together a conceptual plan and delegate it to staff. When that is the case, the principal first only needs production staff. A principal designer can begin a lot of different projects in a short amount of time. Each can stay on track with the right amount…[Read more]

My comments are pretty much based on some of the same reasoning Mark has. Like in any other business, an employer in the LA field hires in order to fill needs. Usually that is in production rather than in creative design. One lead designer can do an awful lot of projects through production staff making the need to hire or train “designers” ra…[Read more]