mark foster

A good source:  http://watershapes.com/

I agree with the other posts, especially Andrew’s point about getting the client’s “buy in”.  
If you suspect the client is nervous about the expense of the build, you have every right to ask them what their budget is.  

Kelly,
Of the dozen jobs I have had, I only got one through a traditional channel (advertised, interviewed etc), and it sucked.  The best ones came from people I met while doing something else.
Great advice by everyone here–especially about networking and face time.  I would add that your best channels are not the folks hiring, but the folks w…[Read more]

Anything which requires repelling skills by the maintenance staff is probably not a good idea.  

The devil really is in the details.  Unfortunately, with gov cuts (planning) and the rest of us working 60 hrs to make the same as the old 40, those with much to gain are taking the process over–changing the meaningful things and leaving the window dressing.  Noble initiatives get morphed into faintly recognizable marketing tools. 

I think it’s mainly the numbers–we are a tiny profession.  Also, most of us can’t say what we do in one sentence.  

From a growing media perspective, I have found the plastic pavers (i.e. “grass pave”) perform better than the concrete ones.  Some of this may be due to the lime leaching out of the concrete (especially at first).  It also seems that the concrete pavers cause the medium to dry out more quickly–probably acting like a wick.
The only drawback to p…[Read more]

Time to get out my “I WILL!” shirt.

You may want to consider Japanese honeysuckle.  Loves heat.

Hi Mike,
I took a good hard look at this several years ago, and was amazed how large a percentage of overhead it represented.  And, I don’t think your 50% “closing the sale” figure was much different than mine at that time.
The best thing I did was to charge for anything past the first meeting (we specialize in construction, so most projects need…[Read more]

I have worked with a few. I even worked with an ayurvedic practicioner once.  Overall, I had good experiences and learned a few things, but I found the principles a little too rigid–It can get a little frustrating when one of their do’s or don’ts conflict with common sense space planning.
I remember one instance where the consultant…[Read more]

You may want to consider Serviceberry (Amelanchier).

Their website is very awkward.  It makes them appear all residential, but they have a division which produces and engineers what you are looking for:  urban scale components and systems  (pumps, led rings, dmx control systems, music sinc etc.).  
They have a truly revolutionary 24 volt on-demand pump, which replaces the huge horse…[Read more]

“when all was said and done, more was said than done”  author unknown.

Anthony,
“Looking back on your experiences and the current state of the profession, if you were to return to school to enhance your knowledge and degree, what would your focus be?”
Something I was sure of.
“Currently, I am interested in resort design, but for a graduate focus I am interested in a Masters in Urban design (Architectural and Urban…[Read more]

So…. why is a third centrist party out of the question?  
We have never had one.  Maybe it’s time.

Hi Ernst,, just for you….
Sorry about the poor attempt at humor–the photo looked like a glam shot to me and I couldn’t resist.
I did not mean to suggest a forgery, or to demean anyone’s enthusiasm about this subject.  
 

Three things will happen:
1. the loosing party will come to the wrong conclusion that they did not go far enough to the left/right
2.  the winning party will come to the wrong conclusion and decide they have a mandate to go further to the left/right.
3.  we will deal with the debt, or it will deal with us.  either way, both parties will blame ea…[Read more]

Laburnum photoshopsis

Is it any wonder we are playing a guessing game about a possible Republican administration?  
State republicans ran on economy and budget in 2010, and they gave us union busting, abortion restrictions, and voter suppression.  Not exactly truth in advertising.