Overdoing it?

[jwholden]

I was driving through a new development yesterday of 1/3 to 1/2 acre lots and started noticing that none of the homeowners had any taste. They all had some type of walk that was not concrete, but the color or style of it had nothing to do with the rest of their house. Pavers were popular in the neighborhood, but no one had the more softspoken tumbled ones.

I saw a lot of stone walls with pillars at the end, with no apparent reason for them other than to prove they can pay someone to build one.

My landscape style is conservative. I do not add features for the sake or raising the cost of the job or putting the latest trendy thing in. I follow the FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION train of thought.

If I break into the up upscale market I don't know if I'll make it because I do not want to give these people what they want. I want to give them what their home and landscape want. (That's a little to harsh, but in those words to make my point). Yes, I realize that everyone has a different opinion of taste and style.

I despise straight walks, yet when I install a curved walk it still is very functional. I love to put statues and benches around the landscape, but DESPISE gazing balls.

I was at a customers house who had a weeping beech on the corner of their house and she could tell by the look on my face that I ABSOLUTELY HATED its location. When I told her what it would cost to move the tree she decided to hold off on the idea.

Too often I end up fixing other contractors mistakes and see high end nurseries plopping whatever they have in the store. It just doesn't make sense to me, other than making a nice profit. :$$:

[Stonehenge]

JW - I'm not sure I'm with you on this one.

To me, we are in the aesthetic business. Sure, we build some structures, but they are structures that could also be built with big ugly hunks of concrete (Tim - no offense :) ).

So to me, the main thing we are selling is form over function. Yeah, plants need to be selected and planted appropriately, but if a client wants something to satisfy some Jones they have, why not let 'em have it? I've done the starving artist thing, and it's no fun!!

[Tim]

:tomato: It's alright.... :zipped: I can take it! :D

If we all had the same tastes... what a boring world this would be. I never would want to live in "Cloneville"!

It still got to me at times though when we would come up with a creative original design or look for a property, only to have the home owner veto it, and have us do everything with 90 degree angles, and straight lines! :rrr: Tim

[agla]

The problem that many people (homeowners) have is that they need a place to start. If you take control of that place, it keeps them from reaching for one.

When I go to a job call I let them tell me everything that they are thinking about. I might adjust their thoughts a little here or there. When it comes down to design time, I am realigning all of their ideas into something that works for me. Then present it to them so that the role turns and they have to respond to what I am proposing. I am in control because we are working from my base design and tweaking it instead of the other way around. It is very easy to do. They were responded to, but not rigidly followed.

Basically, you take their concept and clean it up into something good. A good chef has his own recipes and ways of preparing things. If he lets the diner give him a recipe and ingredients, it will be the same meal that the last guy that followed the recipe made. No one knows the chefs name at the Olive Garden, but you do know exactly what you get whether it is in Spokane or Hyannis. It is another story at a 5 star restaurant.

[jwholden]

I don't want to sound like I'm telling them THIS IS what I will give you. I think it would be more like AGLA said, I realign their ideas to something workable. My degree and years of experience should make me better able to decide what is 'workable' and that is what I'm getting paid for. If they hire Land Designs Unlimited they WILL NOT get a gaudy landscape!

When I initially meet with the client I let them do most of the talking. My projects aren't always entire landscapes so I'll ask what is the goal - Screen the neighbor? I want a foundation planting that looks good all year? I'm not a gardener but can you give me a nice garden?

One of my standard questions is what type of plants people like. Some say I don't know you are the expert. Some say I like yews and forsythia like the house I grew up in. Some say I like dwarf conifers and am a member of the dwarf conifer society. Some point to the neibhbors house and say 'I DON'T want that." A look through my protfolio is also a chance for people to see my style and explain what pictures they like and what they don't.

Some people ask if they can change plant material once I complete the design. I reply that they certainly can and there are many plants that will provide the desired effect, but if we end up changing a lot of plants perhaps I'm not the best designer for the job.

Funny, but one plant that get's a lot of attention is barberry. They love it or hate it. Those that hate it have bad memories of barberry from their childhood. Hey, I love it. I had Yews, Andromeda, Mugho Pines, and Pachysandra in front of my childhood house; and a cement walk. :)

[Stonehenge]

Agla, I think you and I are sayin similar things. And I think I better understand where JW is coming from. My impression from the first post was JW was saying 'I won't intall something pretty just for the sake of it being pretty. It has to be functional first.'

But agla I'm with you on the design process. Many times when I am presenting the completed the design, I say the following: "I know you wanted to do X, but I decided it'd be better to do Y, because...'. It tells them that you listened to them in the first place, and are trying to guide them to a better solution. At least that's the message I'm trying to convey.

[agla]

An important thing to do is to refer to the things that they said about each area. You then explain what you did in relation to what they were looking for - what you kept from their idea, or how their idea evolved into something a little better, or that it just would not get the result that they thought. That shows them that you listened and that you know what you are doing.

They are paying you to design and they like to feel like you are doing something for the money as well as listening. If you are a functional designer, you will lock right in everytime by listening, responding, and taking control. Responding does not mean to do as they say, but to address an issue whether you implement their idea, morph it, or completely reject it. The clearer that you show your understanding of what they want out of their landscaping the more comfortable they get. The more that you show how you are resonding to that, the more confident they get. The more confident they are, the more control they give to you. At that point, you are the only one that they want to build this landscape. They know what they are getting for their money and understand that it is worth paying more for.

You are only perceived to be as good as the worse job that a particular client has seen. If you want a reputation as being a better quality 'scaper, you can not do an occasional slam bam job and expect to keep your stock rising.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of slam bam jobs to be had, they are fast, profitable, you can do more of them, and you don't have to have the best help or management. It is a great market to be in. It just depends on what you want to do.

You can not manage as many high end jobs, get as many skilled laborers, and competent management people as you can doing lower grade work. That is why I think that you have to work in one niche or another.