[Leslie B Wagle]

Joseph makes good points and I wanted to add to my “give a call” comment…that having to go pick up or buy a copy of an ordinance is not that common any more. A lot of ordinances and regulations are provided by the area’s government website, usually under planning or development. It’s the place to start, and will give advice on other special regulations. If you start there and get confused or puzzled, you can still call for clarifications. If the town/county has GIS layers, find the parcel on their map and look for the zone it is in and other overlays that affect it. Also special zoning cases with their own peculiar requirements (sometimes actually written for an area as small as a parcel) will have some case number shown, and the staff can provide a copy of the zoning conditions. Special conditions could be issues that won’t affect you like types of use allowed, building height, signage etc. but you don’t want to proceed unaware of extra loaded landscape buffers or for that matter invisible access or easements etc. Such things stick to the land unless formally removed. You do run into clients/owners totally unaware of what was set up in past history and they will expect YOU to lead them and research such things.

[Leslie B Wagle]

It’s usually not that hard to find out by a call to the city (planning or inspections department)….but generally if they don’t review new single family, & it’s not an expansion of the house, adding of a pool, or in a special zoning district (historic, watershed, scenic highway etc.) then you’re free to do grading and to design hard surfaces and plant materials. Things that trigger permits are when there is a separate review board for appearance issues, extensive clearing or pavement affecting runoff, adding driveway access into public roadways, etc. that affect other people. In more rural areas, that could include new septic field layouts. Still, be aware of tall mature tree heights near utility easements, evergreens affecting sight distances near intersections, etc. and be sure the owners aren’t in a neighborhood with a Homeowner’s Association that could have its own guidelines and sometimes formal review.

[Leslie B Wagle]

That sure wouldn’t have passed basic level courses at any point in history I know of. So….the mysteries will always be there.

[Leslie B Wagle]

Downtown Greensboro, NC has a space that has been renovated a couple of times and the latest one includes performance, play, dog area, and games. I would imagine someone in the planning department might know the designer(s) and have some plans still on file.

LeBauer Park https://www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/parks-recreation/parks-gardens/lebauer-park-center-city-park

[Leslie B Wagle]

I think Andrew just wants younger people to know they can find a niche eventually even if they don’t have ”powerhouse” skills in all areas, and roaming a bit at the start can help in understanding oneself. So I guess I am in the middle where I think we should try to both find our way with who we are, but also address any weak places. For example, not long ago I decided to research a way to have some 3D capability without a steep learning curve and investigated several software alternatives. Even there, not all approaches will seem comfortable and useful to every practice. But I was comfortable with one choice after several ”experiments”, and I’m going to have a first try with a real client pretty soon. So, there is the tension between “know yourself” and “strech and grow.”

The people who are wizzards already are out there and they tend to pile on proposals where 3D skill shows off well and using it often will help them continue to get better, as with all skills. That is their niche, not one I really want. For me, 3D is not a frequent a need, but I just hated feeling inadequate, below what might be possible if I would just cross that first rough patch. I think like Bob that a true LA should be broad in well-developed skills, but some skills are going to dominate in some people. We just have to keep a watch on ourselves and ask whether what we need is to stretch or focus.

[Leslie B Wagle]

Yes I was trying to say I have puzzled over the same things but decided for so many services and products, the examples that puzzle me might just have what someone else wants that we can’t perceive or that we value less. But that odd success also gets some form of rejection where another makes a sale. All of us are in that kind of boat (various versions and brands). We don’t all present the same strong suits but if you kid yourself too much, and blame the market without any willingness to improve skills for a wider array of clients, then you may not have the volume of work you aspire to. But there is the option of preferring a sub-realm anyway.

[Leslie B Wagle]

I think quite a few don’t have additional tests but the ones I am familiar with ALL want some record of experience and references (even if not a letter itself). Just like applying to jobs, it’s something you may have to just put up with, so get it streamlined to be as little burden as possible.

[Leslie B Wagle]

We expect some bad in any craft or profession but hope that licensing will weed them out, or the marketplace. I think the answer is just that like bad dentists, vets, etc. a few make it through and maybe a school wasn’t that strong 20 years ago or a state didn’t even have an exam requirement. On the other hand, the person may be sharp enough to have good technical skills but not the same artistic ability, or little experience, or just happened to work at a part time level and was able to satisfy a few people here and there and now wants to return to more activity, all kinds of explanations. At least people with degrees can’t be as bad as complete and total impostors. There are different paths of struggle and clients have different tastes and even the best in a field someties ”fail” certain customers. People just don’t get recognized or rewarded exactly like one might expect – talent gets discouraged and wasted, mediocre abilities with enough stubbornness and lucky positioning can improve or hire gifted help. Think of all the completely contrasting (grade 1.0 to 5.0) feedback scores on Amazon for various products and movie reviews.
It’s just a strange world that way.

[Leslie B Wagle]

“…any design idea is ‘automatically’ good and not questioned regarding practicality.”

Is what you cite more a characteristic of high budget top visibility (sort of corporate image etc.) type work versus mid-range type? Or committees doing the approvals and waving something on to the next stage of details, not seasoned real estate and construction-savy type clients?

This may not be the place to attach a related concern of my own but here goes: the growing assumption that since we now have great 3D and rendering software…that a great-looking rendering proves the viability of a design. I’ve seen some that almost hurt when I try and imagine walking through them (huge expanses of unrelieved pavement in very hot environments etc.) and almost feel sorry for users, therefore the clients who get amazed by the visualizations and have trouble grasping how they will play out in reality. That in turn pulls designers themselves in the direction of “effects” over practicality.

[Leslie B Wagle]

I’d look carefully at what you’d actually GET. For example, the 2 employees may not stay or may not work that well with you. If you kept the current business name, but the person with that name departs, won’t you be explaining the switchover to a lot of former clients? And if you rename it, won’t you be starting new just as if you opened a fresh practice?

I can grasp the value of buing a dental practice where the equipment is in place, and there are deep records of people’ history on file. But without some ongoing projects that you could handle and take over that would support your survival for awhile, it’s harder to see the advantage of jumping into a stream of small ever-changing unpredictable projects that arrive from incoming unknown inquiries, etc. You’d be pulling the extra stress of the payments to the retiring person from the income stream; and the location of an office isn’t that relevant to a design firm since we don’t get walk-ins. Work usually arrives by active marketing or a few referrals, and the referrals would hark back to that retiree and his/her reputation. Odds might improve if you had been an associate for awhile who knew and liked how this individual worked, had deep familiarity with the interal operation of the practice, and could believe you would replicate the former success.

I guess this is almost a personality question, but I think I would hunt down my own contacts and build my own profile and reputation instead. Is there any alternative option such as pay this person for some guidance and mentoring, along with targeted introductions?

[Leslie B Wagle]

Wouldn’t it be a problem something like collaborations on google drive or dropbox? These can get messy though, lol but so can an individual left to oneself. I think the key is having a clear folder for each project, then subfolders (used with some discipline) holding background info (client notes, maps etc.), preliminary designs, design elaboration drawings, and final presentation graphics. Same for estimating, etc. And then letting each other know regularly when there are revisions and updates to be shared.

[Leslie B Wagle]

I think back to the original issue, however you hand over the results, the process is basically to start from the FFLs, analyze where the places are around the perimeter or edges of natural areas that you have to match or want to save, then work on the most critical surfaces (pedestrian entries, approaches), next the the moderately critical (drives, parking which can warp lots of ways to inlets), then allow the most flexible areas to accomodate the others (lawns and ground cover areas, etc.) trying all along not to rely on expensive fixes like retaining walls. Depending on the project, you may even get to tweak the FFLs. Gradually by relating all the components to each other, it will come together. Even with a responsive software, that would be my guess about the guiding hand part of it, and it gets more intuitive with experience.

[Leslie B Wagle]

Learn some desktop publishing (a few years ago it was QuarkXpress, now maybe InDesign) and you may be able to get on a late shift at a magazine or similar place. Other graphics possibilities may exist like website support on a freelance basis for small companies who don’t want to manage their own, and that can benefit you as a side skill to LA. It can help beef up your resume in applying for work or to support yourself. In the meantime, expand on such skills as 3D and rendering for the same reasons.

[Leslie B Wagle]

Wow, I goofed up – I meant for this to go into the “internship” topic, if a moderator wants to move it….

[Leslie B Wagle]

Here is something maybe a little to the side but I stumbled onto. These are suggested characteristics for architects to have and I think would be the same for LA’s, considering them both as designers in the environment. And besides being traits to look for being going into the field(s), they would apply to having what it takes to stay and grow in the field:

10 Signs That You Should Become an Architect

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