Jared Chase

At first I was a little worried using a laser for measuring but I’ve found them very accurate.  I’ve used the Bosch model in construction and it works very good.  I’ll have to try it on locations now also!  I’d definitely recommend the Bosch as well.

I recently taught myself to use Autocad and here is what helped me. Start here, http://www.cadtutor.net/tutorials/ .  The tutorials are a basic overview of the program and will help you get familiar with the program.  They also have a message board if you have any questions.  There are also many other CAD sites on the internet.  Some that helpe…[Read more]

I haven’t read through everything else but I’m sort of in the same situation as you.  I haven’t taken Mike Lin’s workshop but I attended a workshop put on by graphicsteacher.com last month and will be attending another one this weekend.
 
What it comes down to is, what is it worth to you?  I know the classes are expensive but for me, they are to…[Read more]

Thanks everybody for the help. It took me a long time but I was able to solve my problem without too many issues. I think I’m finally starting to understand how to design swales. I’m still having problems finding out how far to set my HPS away from the slab but for the most part, no major issues.

Anyways, as far as books go. I found Grade Easy to…[Read more]

Keith, I’m not really having any problems specifically. I’m more so just looking for reference material to study and refer to when a problem arises.

Thanks Kellie, I will definitely look into some of those books.

I will check those books out. Fortunately I found that our library at school has copies of both of those books.

Steve, I’m not exactly having issues with any particular area but if I get stuck on a problem, I don’t have enough reference material to work out the problem. The book we are using in class has helped me a lot but sometimes it doesn’t…[Read more]

That is part of the issue. We receive on average 15-20 inches of rain a year here. To me, that is enough to justify inspection. I think the biggest issue is that their is a lack of inspection in many different areas here.

Yeah, plastic sucks! I have been to many projects where plastic was used by the previous landscaper and it is always a pain in the butt. The plant roots are almost always right on top of the soil and there are never any deep roots. It almost always ends up showing and it doesn’t allow any organic matter to break down into the soil like you said.…[Read more]

It’s not in the landscaping section but more so in the painting and home sections. It’s 6-mil black poly plastic that is made for painting, vapor barriers, covering equiptment, etc. Here is it also used by a lot of companies for a weed barrier. I hate the stuff. Here is the best picture I could find of this stuff. http://www.rd.com/how-to-choose-a-…[Read more]

Nick, the black stuff is actually landscaping plastic, not typar. I’m not a huge fan of typar either it is a much better option than the plastic that is being used around here. In my opinion, the plastic is the worst thing that can be used. It allows no gas exchange, water percolation, and like you said, doesn’t help with the weeds over the long…[Read more]

While I’m not a landscape architect(I graduated this December with a degree in Horticulture/Business), I had the same problem finding a job in the industry. There isn’t much out there right now.

So what I did was take a job at a construction company as a laborer. It’s not glorious, the hours are long, the work is hard, but it does pay well and it…[Read more]

Thanks again. I’ve heard a lot of different things but there is a consensus about one thing: Don’t spend too much.

I’ve decided that I’m probably going to but a table that has already been made. I would build my own but I don’t really have the time and all of my power tools are back at my parents home. Craigslist would be a great option but I…[Read more]

Thanks a lot for all of the replies! Now I’ve got something to think about but at least I’ve heard a lot of different opinions and some that I never would have thought about. Clay was right though that I’m looking for a table for my house and not the studio. Sorry for not pointing that out before.

I think that biggest issue with my “drafting…[Read more]