[Cheryl Corson]

Sounds great. I have a Ziplevel. How does it compare?
Cheryl Corson

[Cheryl Corson]

Chris, Thanks! You are correct. The issue stems from the client’s visual preferences not the runoff on their 28 acre lot. I like your chip seal suggestion and will look into that. I’ve not heard that term before. She won’t go for concrete and the grass pave idea probably won’t hold up to the traffic except for in the overflow areas. I appreciate your comments and will report back!

[Cheryl Corson]

I know, the blade catching the edges of large floating concrete slabs is a concern. I’m against impervious surface for that much road (2,500 sf). At this point my solution can wait until winter as they just delayed the barn construction. I will keep you posted and greatly appreciate your time and attention.

Cheryl

[Cheryl Corson]

Much appreciated Walter. the client doesn’t care about the high heels issue, she just doesn’t want to see that much hardscape (non-green). The new parking is for two barns over 100 feet from the house (cars, tractors). If I do the concrete pad option, do you think I could go 10′ square without any control joints? Then they have to create separate forms for each one. Would that break the bank? But then I could do grasspave in between, which she would like. We are in Zone 7 so snow plowing is a consideration. (All the photos the client has put on her Houzz account for me are from projects in much warmer climates.) Your thoughts are appreciated.

[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 investigating problems and solutions. What I was not at all good at was sitting at a desk all day cranking out drawings. I eventually started my own firm and became licensed long after graduation. Am I better suited to running my own company because I was an older LA grad, or just because that’s how I’m wired? Can an older grad fit in with a firm’s culture and other much younger entry level hires? Again, I think it’s more than age related. But, do you bring special gifts to the table due to your experience before school? If so, how might they benefit a firm that’s hiring? That’s valuable self-knowledge to have and effectively communicate.

[Cheryl Corson]

I find “Law and Practice for Architects” by Greenstreet to be excellent (including for landscape architects) and available used for about $45.

[Cheryl Corson]

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 – https://land8.com/profiles/blogs/5-tips-for-passing-section-4-of-the-lare 

Best of luck in your preparations!

Cheryl Corson

[Cheryl Corson]

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 features. In VW, I love being able to make simple adjustments while the file is in 3D and automatically see the changes, and only have to do it once without any version control issues.

The plant lists, once you work out the kinks, works really well, especially once you create many of your commonly used plants. And the heliodon tool to see sun/shadow for any location and day is awesome and you can export quicktimes movies to send to clients. I use a PC with two monitors, and recently switched back from a laptop to a desktop.

 

[Cheryl Corson]

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 lighting, irrigation and concrete work. Pass rates for Section 3 were 68% and for Section 4 only 45%.

[Cheryl Corson]

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.

[Cheryl Corson]

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.

[Cheryl Corson]

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. I persist. He is amenable. One of the things I love about this work is precisely the collaboration with all sorts of contractors. I learn so much. “Complete Control” is an illusion anyway. Cheers, C

[Cheryl Corson]

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 homeowner cannot resell the design, for example.

[Cheryl Corson]

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.

[Cheryl Corson]

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 property that will empower them to make solid future decisions. Should they wish to continue their project without me in future seasons, that is their choice and I would not feel they, or any contractor was obligated to involve me.

 

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.

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