Professional Watershaping
‘Why is it that, on the pool/spa side of the watershaping business, it’s so difficult to find much by way of truly workable plans and specifications?’ That’s how Brian Van Bower started his Aqua Culture column in the April 2003 edition of WaterShapes before adding: ‘In residential work, of course, the tone is set by local building inspectors and plan checkers, whose needs seem to vary tremendously from place to place. But that’s no excuse for the fact that the plans used in a great many residential projects are grossly
‘Many great artists are best known for working in identifiable genres, styles or modes or with specific materials, themes or some other defining detail. From Picasso’s cubist abstractions to Mozart’s cascading melodies or Rodin’s bronzes to Frank Gehry’s sweeping architectural forms, geniuses of all stripes are in one way or another known for qualities that are
‘As you spend your days creating structures that contain and control water,’ wrote Brian Van Bower to open his January 2003 Aqua Culture column, ‘it’s easy to lose sight of the water itself. Yes, we’re conscious of the fact that we have to filter, treat and sometimes heat it, but in its role as the defining feature in our products, water is so familiar a participant that in some ways it almost becomes invisible.’ ‘I’d like to heighten our general awareness by
Taking control of the plastering process is within reach of any quality-oriented designer or builder, declares Kim Skinner. To help you on your way, he offers this step-by-step guide to managing what should happen on site before, during and after plaster application takes place.
‘It seems that everyone’s talking about “sustainability” these days, with the usual thought being that, as exterior designers, good environmental stewardship must be one of our main missions.’ That’s the way Bruce Zaretsky opened his On the Level column five years ago before asking a string of key questions: ‘But what is sustainability? What do watershapers need to do to encompass this philosophy? As important, what does it mean to our clients, and where are
‘Not long ago, I was asked by a reporter from The New York Times to define the main difference between swimming pools now compared to what they were 20 years ago. As we talked,’ wrote David Tisherman in his Details column for the December 2007 edition of WaterShapes, ‘it became clear that she was mostly thinking about technological breakthroughs in pumps and chemical treatments and the like. ‘I confirmed for her that, yes, those products had come a long way. But I wouldn’t let her stop there, suggesting that there was much more than
‘Believe it or not,’ wrote Brian Van Bower in his Aqua Culture column for November/December 2002, ‘goals can guide almost everything we do, from how we schedule our time to how we establish our business and personal relationships or determine the things we
Ten years ago, Bruce Zaretsky began his “On the Level” column with a question: ‘Have you ever turned down a client who really wanted to work with you and you alone? ‘It’s a hard thing to do,’ he wrote, ‘which is why most of us have found ourselves at one time or another saying “yes” despite the fact that we believe something the clients want simply cannot be done or, more important, that we’ve developed serious doubts about them. Just at that point where we really need to sit them down and tell them to go
‘When it comes to business,’ observed Stephanie Rose in her October 2002 Natural Companions column in WaterShapes, ‘I know that being a soloist carries me only so far: Rather, it’s the relationships I’ve established and maintained within the business community that have taken me beyond the
‘For all the talk about the spectrum of watershaping – the existence of those who, on one extreme, pursue high-quality, truly custom projects and those on the other who live in a low-end, cookie-cutter realm – I must say that I’ve yet to run into anyone from the fringes of latter camp who’s stepped forward to
