Cheryl Corson

I received my MLA from the GSD when I was 38. It was my first LA degree, my BA being in Public Administration. In my first year working at a firm I brought in a client (an embassy job), which had not happened there before. I was great at participating in meetings having been director of a state public art program before grad school, and…[Read more]

Promo alert – but I went through the process from 2011 – 2013, taking the new Sections 3 & 4. After I failed and then passed Section 4, I created webinars to help others with Section 4, which is the toughest exam. These are now available through my website, http://www.cherylcorson.com. You can also see my article on Section 4 on Land 8…[Read more]

I use VW Landmark w/Renderworks, and subscribe to Service Select so I always have the current version. It’s taken me over a year to get comfortable in the program, but now I wouldn’t go back. I don’t understand why people would use SU in conjunction with VW, as the VW 3D registers all changes automatically and the new version has some SU-type…[Read more]

Well, I passed Section 3, though not Section 4 in December. There were lots of design related questions in Section 3 that came from Timesaver Standards in Landscape Architecture. The P2P book on the old Section C was helpful as well. Items included noise abatement, bike travel, parking lot layout and safety…For section 4 I will refocus on…[Read more]

Glad to find this thread. I will take sections 3 & 4 in December, and I too, am unclear as to what former Section D content will show up in 3. If little does, then there will be a lot crammed into 4 it seems.

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.

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, 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.

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]

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.

Andrew, First of all, no one was, or is upset. I do however, want to establish a clear protocol going forward. Had the contractor approached me, I would have said that I have an established relationship with a lighting designer, and that if the time came, I would supply the contractor with his lighting specs. Also, I would have very clearly told…[Read more]

Thank you for that language David. I think it will never be totally clear what was said and how. But I’ll have a face to face conversation with the contractor, whom I like, just to be clear for future projects.

Good idea to specify it in writing on the front end. Thanks Jordan. I’ll post a follow up when I discuss it with my contractor.