Turf Design Build Magazine - October, 2012

DEPARTMENTS

Editor's Notes: Perspective

An old friend of mine used to work for Frito-Lay. He was in charge of the warehouse. He told me how there was a day when nothing was going right in the warehouse, which meant trucks weren't getting loaded on schedule, so they could not deliver on schedule. The whole situation had him stressed. Then, his boss came up to him and said, "It's just chips."

Though simplistic, it puts into perspective the pressure we put on ourselves.

Yes, it is important to do a job well. It's important to complete a job on time. It's important to work safely. However, there's always the chance that something will happen, something totally out of your control - late delivery of materials to the job site, a flat tire, weather - to take that carefully devised plan and blow it all to hell.

How you handle these issues affects you, your crew and your client.

If the materials are late showing up, call to make sure there wasn't a miscommunication, such as the driver going to the wrong address. If this puts your crew at a standstill, then have an on-site safety meeting or break early for lunch. Flat tire - notify anyone that may be waiting for you to show up, then fix the tire and be on your way. Mother Nature doesn't care what you have scheduled for the day; hopefully you've padded your time frame so weather delays won't make you miss your deadline. If not, keep the client informed of any changes, don't assume they know you'll finish later than expected because it rained for three days.

Communication is key to making sure everyone sees things from the same angle.

Landscape architect Jacob Blue knows first-hand that on a landscape project there's many points of view. There's the architect's perspective, the contractor's perspective and the client's perspective. The architect and contractor work toward the same goal: making the client happy. However, even after the best plan has been designed and installation is completed exactly to spec, other factors may affect the landscape, and your once happy client isn't so happy. Turn to page 14 for Blue's solution.

When new home construction continued to falter, GreenScapes Landscape Co. looked to government projects in order to keep the bottom line healthy. They landed the landscape installation job at the Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus, Ohio. The job called for a 2-acre green roof, which had employees seeing things from new heights, while the company was able to keep it's feet firmly planted on solid, and profitable, ground. Since the courthouse is a Gold LEED building, there were strict requirements that had to be met, including materials. Read more about this project starting on page 8.

Allendale, N.J.-based Borst Landscape & Design has experience in dealing with challenging properties. So when a client had visions of an outdoor kitchen, entertainment area and inground pool in the sloped backyard, the company was able to bring that vision to life. See page 20 for ideas on how to handle slopes on your upcoming projects.

In this month's From the Drawing Board column, exclusively online, Designer Michal Commanday reminds us that from a deer's perspective, your client's landscape may look like an all-you-can-eat buffet. She offers some strategies for designing gardens that can help curb their appetite.

Brooke A. Rockwell
Editor
brockwell@mooserivermedia.com