Looking for ideas on how to reshape and landscape the front of my house. Me and my wife will do the labor. I am willing to pay someone(not expensive) or free to give us a layout what to buy and shape the new landscape. Any information would help
I am willing to pay someone(not expensive) or free to give us a layout what to buy and shape the new landscape.
this mentality blows my mind! What does this person get out of it? If my car needed brakes and I said "I am willing to pay someone(not expensive) or free" to fix my brakes I would sound crazy right?
Someone paid for an education to know what would look best or earned that experience, they deserve to be compensated.
I think the idea was to allow us to help people with specific questions of homeowners. Unfortunately, there is an element out there that see it as something else.
Seriously. Do people think that we have a big red button marked "design" that we hit, and a crate full of artistic spider monkeys creates a master plan while we watch Law & Order reruns? Or we're so brilliant that you pump our arm, and just like a Play-Doh Fun Factory, a finished plan comes out... nevermind.
1. Download the program. It's simple, basic. Take you a couple hours to learn how to use it. You will not get a lot of plants, but you can shape the ground, put in flowerbeds, trees, etc. Pay no attention to the names of the trees, shrubs or plants, just play around with it until you get a visual you like.
2. Print the picture, in color. Also print the before picture.
3. Now, go out in the yard with a shovel and a box. Get a scoop of your dirt.
4. Take it all to your local Garden center, NOT the big orange box store. Find an employee who doesn't look like they have to go back to tenth grade next week. Give them the printout, and the soil. Tell them you want plants, appropriate for your soil type, to achieve the finished picture. Make sure they know the exposure, (sun or shade). Make sure they know the amount of water you are realistically willing to ensure the individual plants will get, consistantly.
5. Tell them how much you are willing to spend this year. It's doubtful you will be able to achieve your final picture for your budget, so ask them to recommend what should be planted this year, and what can be done next year. Landscapes evolve over time, it's not like buying paint and a new sofa.
6. Buy whatever they recommend. Ask for instructions on planting each one, then FOLLOW the instructions to the letter. Just because you don't understand why to do something, doesn't mean there isn't a very good reason for it.
That is the best advice I have seen about this subject for all of the homeowners that need a "free" landscape design.
Remember when all the Garden Centres would do a design for free if you bought the plants from them? Wonder why that dosn"t happen anymore.
__________________
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Beer in one hand - Nacho's in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming : Woo Hoo, what a ride!
I figure about the time a few homeowners do what I posted, and realize just how much time is involved before they ever get to turn over a shovelful of dirt, they might appreciate us more. Then next year when half the stuff they bought at the big box store, (because they saw no reason to spend the extra money for a garden center) doesn't come up since it was mislabeled as perennial, stressed and sickly, they will appreciate us even more. :-)
I figure about the time a few homeowners do what I posted, and realize just how much time is involved before they ever get to turn over a shovelful of dirt, they might appreciate us more. Then next year when half the stuff they bought at the big box store, (because they saw no reason to spend the extra money for a garden center) doesn't come up since it was mislabeled as perennial, stressed and sickly, they will appreciate us even more. :-)
I think homeowners are still going to come here for assistance, regardless of whether the homeowner help section is here or not.
Maybe a new section could be added " Contract a Pro" or "Commissions" or "Job Requests"
Under that section you could have something like:
Landscaping Pros
Retaining Wall Experts
Irrigation Professionals
And people can get help from real contractors in their area known on this forum to have a good work ethic and are reasonably priced.
I think this forum is filled with so many ' pro's ' that the requests that you get from this section is something the board members are used to getting monetarily compensated for. Of course, homeowners are not trying to take your bread and butter. But for whatever reason the homeowner has decided to take on whatever task in question themselves. There will always be those wealthy homeowners who already have contractors who may simply be looking for advice, and where monies is second to workmanship. But there will also be those who have plenty of time to spend but not enough $$.
Just my 2 Cents.
Yeah¥
Last edited by yeahground : 08-14-2009 at 12:34 PM.
Reason: sp6
It is a forum for peple in the business. Opening the door to others is fine. It is like being invited to a different church. You go with the flow rather than deciding what they should believe or what they should do. You realize that it is not your place to decide what their church is all about. If you don't like it, its not their problem to convert to your way of thinking. Its just not the right venue for you, so you try somewhere else.
What it is about landscape design that homeowners think it should be free or very cheap???
I get this all the time when I deal with homeowners, not at all when I deal with landscapers.
Lately I've been answering CL ads for homeowners that say that want a nice landscape plan by a pro...I respond and before I waste my time driving an hour to their home, I always let them know the approximate cost but that it will depend on their actual project...(my costs for a plan are even less than many designers in my area). After I tell them this, I never hear back from them!
Most seem to have zero clue how much it should cost and do no research. They just expect it to be about $ 25 it seems.
Or I love the CL ads by homeowners that say "we are willing to pay $ 75.00 for a complete landscape plan for our 3 acre home site, front and back yard with hardscapes, etc"...please only professional designers reply. LOL!
But even more I love the ones I actually meet with that ask me if they will get a refund if they don't like or don't install the plan. After I say no politely, I ask them if they asked the architect that drew their house plans if they would get a refund if they didn't build the house! Of course not.
Why does landscape design have such little value in the minds of most homeowners? It's a degreed profession!
But to cut the original poster some slack, his statement is just ignorance. But why there is such ignorance or lack of respect for a good design, I just don't know!
It is a forum for peple in the business. Opening the door to others is fine. It is like being invited to a different church. You go with the flow rather than deciding what they should believe or what they should do. You realize that it is not your place to decide what their church is all about. If you don't like it, its not their problem to convert to your way of thinking. Its just not the right venue for you, so you try somewhere else.
Of course .... being a moderator, theres where your right.... and wrong.
If you open the board (church) to other members under the guise that the new members are joining a place in which they can get satisfaction for their desired 'beliefs' to use your analogy... and then the new members find that this is not the place they wanted ' because they were led to believe it was' than you are not only inviting ' Ill Will ' , you are inviting a place where the entire forum is for pros helping pros; And of course there are other forums out there people will find. I am wondering what your new member (who isnt 'in the business' retaining rate is. Just out of curiousity.
To put it simpler using your analogy:
Its like inviting people to join your ' praise the lord ' church ' but only if your a ' praise the lord professonal ' otherwise take your just perverbial spanking and be on your way.
I have been computing a very long time, and using forums and strolling the web since back when BBs' were the only way to connect to them. I may be way off the deep end here but I'd be surprised to think that I know nothing of what I speak.
What it is about landscape design that homeowners think it should be free or very cheap???
I get this all the time when I deal with homeowners, not at all when I deal with landscapers.
Lately I've been answering CL ads for homeowners that say that want a nice landscape plan by a pro...I respond and before I waste my time driving an hour to their home, I always let them know the approximate cost but that it will depend on their actual project...(my costs for a plan are even less than many designers in my area). After I tell them this, I never hear back from them!
Most seem to have zero clue how much it should cost and do no research. They just expect it to be about $ 25 it seems.
Or I love the CL ads by homeowners that say "we are willing to pay $ 75.00 for a complete landscape plan for our 3 acre home site, front and back yard with hardscapes, etc"...please only professional designers reply. LOL!
But even more I love the ones I actually meet with that ask me if they will get a refund if they don't like or don't install the plan. After I say no politely, I ask them if they asked the architect that drew their house plans if they would get a refund if they didn't build the house! Of course not.
Why does landscape design have such little value in the minds of most homeowners? It's a degreed profession!
But to cut the original poster some slack, his statement is just ignorance. But why there is such ignorance or lack of respect for a good design, I just don't know!
Does anyone have any ideas???
designrtx
If I were to make a quick guess it would be the current economy.
But I am sure there is more to it than that. It is probably moreso ignorance of the homeowner in the depth required to do proper landscaping design ' up to code and following the desires of the homeowner while dealing with the existing landscape'
Honestly its up to the contractor to provide information to a homeowner about why it costs so much. And most likely they will think... you have got to be kidding me. I know I do....
Nothing against your and the forums in general chosen profession. Its just most of us homeowners cannot fathom spending so much just for some dirt moving rock moving and planting ( I know that sounded harsh to the pros but thats how some of us probably see it)
And of course you will always have those wealthy folk who dont care how much it costs .. or the cost is simply a formality.
But as more and more homeowners search the web to save money by doing it themselves..... this is what will come to pass.
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