[PSUscaper]

Answer.....it takes time.

Like my post about 'too many options'.....bottom line is, I don't have the 'wow' effect to walk up to a job and and give someone a 5k price for a 150 sq ft walkway.......though I would like too, it ain't gonna happen.

I deffinetly understand your frustration, but the bottom line is, rome was not built in a day.

You sound like you are way ahead of yourself already. One lesson I've learned very well is that if you don't have the knowledge or man power to do the job, then you shouldn't be doing it.

If you don't have a designer, then why are you getting involved with this job. Yes, you are gonna pay out the kazoo for plans, so live with it.

And if you get a designer who's any good, you're gonna pay him a lot of money also, and then, be forced to have the work to keep him busy.

the story you speak has been heard a million times. I started out doing nothing but construction, and I'm still working on the same hurdle, so when i hear about maintenance companies complaining about the slowness of their construction division, I have to laugh.

It sounds like you are one, or maybe both of the following things. A, you are still too busy running maintenance and can't spend the time needed for construction. B, you lack the advanced knowledge to truly launch the construction side.

I would think about backing down on the construction and taking on smaller projects untill you get people who truly know what they are doing. This, is not going to be easy though.

You said yourself that you lack the basic understanding of plant material. This makes it tougher, as the chances of someone else in the company learning it is slim as there is no one to teach them.

In other words, if you want someone to know what they are doing, you gonna have too....GULP......hire someone who is smarter than you. Either that, or start educating yourself or a existing employee.

At this point, you may need to hire someone, and again, GULP.....pay them more than what you make to get the work done. It sounds scary, but isn't that the way it works.

Unless you get yourself up to par on construction, you aren't going to find a miracle worker who will come in for slightly average pay and take care of all the technical problems your having.

The bottom line....educate yourself more, or pay a lot of money to someone more edcucated than you.