Stonehenge
03-14-2003, 10:23 AM
I get an occasional guffaw when I watch some of the weekend morning landscape shows on the various local and national networks; they give just enough information that a homeowner would feel they could tackle the topic project, but not so much that they can actually do the thing. Having done some hybrid projects myself, where a client does a portion of the work while our staff handles the rest, I can imagine some of the results a homeowner will achieve, given 30 minutes of education on the topic. I imagine the look on their faces when they call me to come out and look at the project, and I tell them that not only do we have to demo the whole project and start anew, it’ll cost more than if they’d hired us in the beginning. I imagine saying “That’s what you get when you try to tackle something you’re not qualified to do.” It’s all pretty harmless fun. Until recently, anyway.
I’ve been watching with growing disdain the evolution of a show called “Landscape Smart”, broadcast on Saturday mornings on HGTV in my market. For those that haven’t seen the show, the premise of the show is if a homeowner is willing to do the work themselves, they can install a landscape project for a fraction of what it would cost to have it done professionally. They bring in a designer and a small crew and video the project installation to teach you how to go about installing it in your own yard. They discuss project difficulty, cost savings, and a little about the technical aspects of the project.
From the beginning of episode one, there have been important details that they’ve glossed over or omitted altogether. I can only guess that the reason they do it is to make the show appear plausible. They couldn’t possibly intend to have thousands of homeowners nationwide engage in dangerous activities or use inefficacious techniques. With budgetary concerns, part of the modus operandi of the show is to exclude the price of plants when quoting the DIY cost. That cost is included when they post the price to have it done professionally. Ken Bastida, the host, breezes by this fact with something like: “If you hired a contractor this project might cost $10,000. If you’re willing to do the work yourself, our designer says you can do this for $2,000.” He parenthetically adds “Not including plant material.”
There have been other things about the show that are troubling, like almost no mention of utility marking prior to any excavation. This goes hand in hand with virtually (possibly every) project being done in California. No, it’s not a crime to do landscaping in California, but only a very small fraction of the audience enjoys similar weather, which means only a very small fraction of the nation can install arbor footings by digging 4” below grade and dropping a pre-fab block in the hole. These two issues can easily lead to homeowner injuries and death, if we’re talking about hitting unmarked utilities, or harm to ego, pocketbook and body when an Midwest arbor collapses because the posts and footing only extended 4” below ground.
This most recent show has pushed me over the edge. The link to the show is HERE (http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_lds/episode/0,,HGTV_3862_6878,00.html).
In this episode Ken and his merry men install a paver patio and outdoor kitchen, complete with charcoal and gas grills, running water and electricity. The big sell: This project would cost $12,000-$40,000 if you hired a contractor, but $2,000 if you’re willing to do ‘some’ of the work yourself. During the show the designer/contractor goes about the business of installing the project: The kitchen design does not appear to be extremely stable, using 2”x3” lumber to support cantilevered sheet concrete. Modular block units are used to build the sides of the structure. Not that attractive, but certainly functional. And I almost forgot: they take advantage of the California weather, pouring a shallow footing to support this large structure. Not something you could easily get away with in the East or Midwest, considering the specifications.
Omissions, omissions, omissions. They mention in the show and on the website that the contractor decided to have the footing poured professionally. Should you do that as well? It certainly wouldn’t be free. During the project, they also run electricity and water to the structure. They make another parenthetical “You may want to hire a professional to run the electrical and water.” If they didn’t, do you think the average homeowner would be even marginally qualified to handle such a task? If not, what would it add to the project to hire that out? $50? $100? Probably several thousands. This project is getting bigger and bigger and the duped homeowners across America don’t even know it.
The project is coming close to completion now, and some of the more custom work, like installing the back splash, marrying the plumbing and electrical to the structure, and installing the appliances is virtually undiscussed. And I’m also sure, none of it has been added to the final budget. The paver patio? That appears to have been installed by aliens during the night. The great part about that is, aliens don’t have a monetary system, so that part of the project is free.
And if inefficacious techniques, dangerous practices and misleading information are not enough, there’s more. They’re making things unreasonably difficult for local green industry professionals to earn respect as well as a decent living. With cost differentials of $10,000-$38,000 on this project, any reasonable person would ask “Why are you charging me $38,000 more than what this costs you to install?” And when they do, I have a credibility battle on my hands that’s hard to win. I’m educating a client against a TV show. As we all know, if it’s on TV, it must be the truth. Without sounding like the snake salesman I never wanted to be, it’s difficult to explain in detail that the TV show didn’t include many of the materials in the price. They also didn’t include any of the subcontractor work they hired. And it’s in California, where you don’t have to do half the excavation and prep work that you have to do in almost every other part of America for a similar project. Oh yes, and the construction techniques and materials used were designed to look just good enough to last 72 hours, about the length of time needed to tape the show.
I feel like I need to have a call to action here, but frankly, I’m too busy. I have too many clients that need educating. It seems they all like to watch Saturday morning television.
I’ve been watching with growing disdain the evolution of a show called “Landscape Smart”, broadcast on Saturday mornings on HGTV in my market. For those that haven’t seen the show, the premise of the show is if a homeowner is willing to do the work themselves, they can install a landscape project for a fraction of what it would cost to have it done professionally. They bring in a designer and a small crew and video the project installation to teach you how to go about installing it in your own yard. They discuss project difficulty, cost savings, and a little about the technical aspects of the project.
From the beginning of episode one, there have been important details that they’ve glossed over or omitted altogether. I can only guess that the reason they do it is to make the show appear plausible. They couldn’t possibly intend to have thousands of homeowners nationwide engage in dangerous activities or use inefficacious techniques. With budgetary concerns, part of the modus operandi of the show is to exclude the price of plants when quoting the DIY cost. That cost is included when they post the price to have it done professionally. Ken Bastida, the host, breezes by this fact with something like: “If you hired a contractor this project might cost $10,000. If you’re willing to do the work yourself, our designer says you can do this for $2,000.” He parenthetically adds “Not including plant material.”
There have been other things about the show that are troubling, like almost no mention of utility marking prior to any excavation. This goes hand in hand with virtually (possibly every) project being done in California. No, it’s not a crime to do landscaping in California, but only a very small fraction of the audience enjoys similar weather, which means only a very small fraction of the nation can install arbor footings by digging 4” below grade and dropping a pre-fab block in the hole. These two issues can easily lead to homeowner injuries and death, if we’re talking about hitting unmarked utilities, or harm to ego, pocketbook and body when an Midwest arbor collapses because the posts and footing only extended 4” below ground.
This most recent show has pushed me over the edge. The link to the show is HERE (http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_lds/episode/0,,HGTV_3862_6878,00.html).
In this episode Ken and his merry men install a paver patio and outdoor kitchen, complete with charcoal and gas grills, running water and electricity. The big sell: This project would cost $12,000-$40,000 if you hired a contractor, but $2,000 if you’re willing to do ‘some’ of the work yourself. During the show the designer/contractor goes about the business of installing the project: The kitchen design does not appear to be extremely stable, using 2”x3” lumber to support cantilevered sheet concrete. Modular block units are used to build the sides of the structure. Not that attractive, but certainly functional. And I almost forgot: they take advantage of the California weather, pouring a shallow footing to support this large structure. Not something you could easily get away with in the East or Midwest, considering the specifications.
Omissions, omissions, omissions. They mention in the show and on the website that the contractor decided to have the footing poured professionally. Should you do that as well? It certainly wouldn’t be free. During the project, they also run electricity and water to the structure. They make another parenthetical “You may want to hire a professional to run the electrical and water.” If they didn’t, do you think the average homeowner would be even marginally qualified to handle such a task? If not, what would it add to the project to hire that out? $50? $100? Probably several thousands. This project is getting bigger and bigger and the duped homeowners across America don’t even know it.
The project is coming close to completion now, and some of the more custom work, like installing the back splash, marrying the plumbing and electrical to the structure, and installing the appliances is virtually undiscussed. And I’m also sure, none of it has been added to the final budget. The paver patio? That appears to have been installed by aliens during the night. The great part about that is, aliens don’t have a monetary system, so that part of the project is free.
And if inefficacious techniques, dangerous practices and misleading information are not enough, there’s more. They’re making things unreasonably difficult for local green industry professionals to earn respect as well as a decent living. With cost differentials of $10,000-$38,000 on this project, any reasonable person would ask “Why are you charging me $38,000 more than what this costs you to install?” And when they do, I have a credibility battle on my hands that’s hard to win. I’m educating a client against a TV show. As we all know, if it’s on TV, it must be the truth. Without sounding like the snake salesman I never wanted to be, it’s difficult to explain in detail that the TV show didn’t include many of the materials in the price. They also didn’t include any of the subcontractor work they hired. And it’s in California, where you don’t have to do half the excavation and prep work that you have to do in almost every other part of America for a similar project. Oh yes, and the construction techniques and materials used were designed to look just good enough to last 72 hours, about the length of time needed to tape the show.
I feel like I need to have a call to action here, but frankly, I’m too busy. I have too many clients that need educating. It seems they all like to watch Saturday morning television.