Archive for the ‘Landscaping & Interlock’ Category
Doing it Right—The missing component!
Posted on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 1:57 pm by Bert Minor
In a recent Ottawa Citizen Article entitled DIY—not so simple, Mike Holmes, the undisputed king of home improvement, explains the pitfalls of the “Do-it-Yourselfer” approach to projects. He makes a sound argument that some projects really should be left to the professionals. In short, even if you know “how” to do something, it’s more critical to know “why”. You might know how to remove a section of water-stained drywall and replace it, the article goes on to say, but if you don’t know what caused the stain in the first place you’ll be patching the same stain year after year. “It’s like a doctor treating the symptom and not the disease.”
In my line of work, I come across many contractors—and some Do-It-Yourselfers—who know the “how” of landscape construction. The DIY may have read articles and conducted extensive research before tackling a project. A contractor may have gone further and participated in landscape construction courses and achieved accreditations. Quite popular among landscape contractors are ICPI accreditation coursess provided by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute. These courses teach interlocking stone and segmental wall installation techniques. While earning your education this way is laudable, it often focuses on the build side rather than the design side of the equation.
Harmony, order, unity, rhythm, proportion, functionality—these are some of the requisites of a successful landscape design. These precepts in design theory are the building blocks of proper landscape composition and properly understood and applied will lead to stunning landscape designs. Overlooking these principles, however, often lead to chaos—a mish mash of unrelated design elements and components that assault the senses. As well as being visually unappealing, poorly conceived designs are often impractical. They may have spaces that are too large or too small for their intended use or surroundings. Quite often elements of the design are scattered and lack cohesion or are improperly placed. A patio seating area, for example, may be positioned under full sun exposure rather than taking advantage of available shade on site.
A lot of residential landscape contractors currently in business don’t have a trained or accredited designer on staff. Many of the contractors you meet when soliciting bids for a landscaping project are operator-owned. They own and run their business, meet with customers, prepare the design and quotes and quite often work on the projects. They wear too many hats and often have only some of the skills necessary to perform any one of their roles effectively. Quite often their design inspiration is based on personal experience—what they’ve done or seen—rather than established design theory.
I am often amazed at some of the design-challenged projects that get the green light from homeowners. What’s more, it seems that some homeowners have no idea that the project that they’re so proudly showing off to their family and friends would horrify a trained designer—or just about anyone with a more critical eye. There are large, excessive garden walls that completely overpower entrances, massive steps that belong in front of a church or commercial building rather than adorning a residential home, patio areas designed too small for their intended use or functions, designs composed of a mismatch of unrelated or competing styles—the list goes on.
A properly designed landscape, one conceived and planned using established and sound theory, really is crucial to success. You should always look at a contractor’s technical ability to implement your landscape project, but of greater importance is a qualified design professional that can provide you with an overall vision. Hire a contractor that has a trained designer on staff or hire a trained or accredited designer to help in the planning process, then shop around for a contractor with the technical skills and experience to make your landscape dreams a reality.
On a final note, there are some successful landscape designers that have no formal training—they have a gift and style that shines through in their work. You may get lucky in your search, but going with an accredited designer is a much better option than leaving a project to chance. At the very least, ask to see a portfolio. Most reputable contractors and designers will have one handily available or will have an online portfolio to show off their work.
Tags: interlock, interlock ottawa, landscape design, ottawa landscape design, ottawa landscapers, pool design work, Poolscapes