Andrew Garulay, RLA

I use AutoCAD LT which costs about $900.

There are many Intellicad programs out there which are full ACAD clones that run around $300.
 
there are free photoimaging programs like paint.net or Gimp, but they are not the same as photoshop – maybe good enouh for what you want to do or maybe not.
 

The 500, as you pointed out, is not a good choice if you like very fine lines.
 
I am paying per print to use a Xerox laser in a CEs office. It is a good alternative if you have a good enough working relationship to someone who will let you use their equipment.

The Designjet 500 is the 24″ wide form. I bought one for a design/build back in 2002 and it is going strong still (not used every day). We had one at a CE firm that did use it every day. It did well for a few years, but they moved on to a laser plotter/scanner. They are not pigs on ink and it is very reasonably priced.

That’s helpful?
 
Why complicate things?
 
I am a solo practitioner as well with a store bought desktop (windows 7) and a store bought laptop (for portability, redundant data storage, and as a backup). Both are set up with the same stuff on them. I backup on a portable hard drive (drop box sounds even better). If/when my desktop dies I will get…[Read more]

 I am a self employed LA. I have a desktop and a laptop (neither are Mac). I use the desktop all of the time and use the laptop mostly unrelated to work, but it is convenient to ne mobile sometimes.
 
I expected that I would use the laptop more for work than I do. I run ACAD LT on both and don’t have performance issues with either. (both run w…[Read more]

Not too many employers that I know would have you work on your own computer. …. unless you know that you’ll be doing some freelance subcontracting. Get the one that you want for your own use and let your employer worry about what you will do work on.

U Idaho ’97

What do you see yourself doing in the next year?
(basically, what do you perceive the job being offered  to be)

What do you see yourself doing 5 years from now?

What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?

No, that has architect written all over it.

Think how frustrating it is for the landscapers ….. they are denied the ability to make mulch volcanoes.
 

I don’t think young people are that much different in 2013 as they were when I got out of high school in 1980. Some are/were respectful, studied hard, and worked hard and some …. not so much. However, I do believe that adversity forces motivation and that there has always been easier times and harder times that affect generations in general…[Read more]

I now recall having to get two LAs to send something to me in a sealed envelope that I had to send in with my application to the state. That was a bit awkward and it would be more awkward 10 or 20 years later … if they still existed.

4,000 over 13 years is only 6 extra hours a week. I don’t find that too ridiculous, but I guess that some weeks were a lot more and some were a lot less.
I’ve only had 40 hour jobs as an LA except when I was apprenticing (for lack of a better word) when they put me on salary and then had me work 6 days at 10 hours each (taking advantage of the r…[Read more]

Is there a reason that another organization can’t be put together to serve the same purpose as the Council Record??

There are reasons to do it and reasons not to. I don’t think anyone is telling anyone else what they should or should not do. The whole idea of discussion is to share our experiences and let people make their own decisions for themselves.
 
I think Craig is not only saying that it keeps the record for him, but he gave a great example of his…[Read more]

The only reason I had to do more time under an LA is that the state that I was licensed in (ID) did not require any and Massachusetts required 2 years … which I was short on. Once I applied, it came through quickly, but it is a long time ago and I don’t remember exactly how much time.
I can see that it would be worth $175 per year if you are l…[Read more]

Just how hard is it to get reciprocity without CLARB? I applied for it in 2000 and had no difficulty at all. I went from an easy state (ID) to a tougher state. I did have to do more time under a licensed LA before applying for reciprocity, but once I did that it was an application to the state (MA), some statements signed by LAs who knew me (form…[Read more]

There are lots of ways and it depends if you want to be rigidly accurate or not, and how big the area is. I often have to do mitigation planting plans with a requires x’ o.c. If they are little areas, I’ll sometimes draw the plant symbol to equal that spacing (ie., 3′ in diameter for 3′ O.C.), then I just copy them so that they are just barely…[Read more]

Two years ago we put out an ad to fill a position as an entry level or engineer in training for site design. We hired the person who was close enough to commute. It turned out that the kid is awesome, but we really found that out later. No one wanted to have someone move to the area for the job because we did not want to make matters worse for…[Read more]

A couple of observations that I have made about where I am and what makes things work here got me thinking and having lived and landscaped in the town that Roland is in also got me thinking.
 
First, Moscow, Idaho is a great place to live and a lousy place to be a landscape architect. It is too small, the demographic does not lend itself to a…[Read more]

I always heard the first part as “God is the architect of mankind”. That may help it sink in a little.