client expectations

2019/9.2, September 18 — Fountain Maneuvers, Double-Duty Waterfeatures, Trip Planning and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS September 18, 2019 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
2019/5.2, May 15 — Vision Lessons, Gravel Appreciation, D.C. Masterpiece and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS May 15, 2019 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE…
A Plastering ‘Watch List’
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.      
Micro-Management
'As much as I love cold weather,' wrote Stephanie Rose in opening her Natural Companions column in April 2007, 'I have to concede that we experienced way too much of a good thing this past winter.  Long periods of extremely cold weather are the norm in many other parts of the country, and plants survive.  Here, however, our local plants may be accustomed to surviving the isolated sub-freezing night, but sustained, frosty temperatures
To the Good Life!
'If you work hard,' wrote Brian Van Bower to open his Aqua Culture column for September 2001, 'you should get to enjoy the fruits of your labor.' 'For all of the obvious truth of that idea, I wonder how many of us hard-working folks in the watershaping trades take the time for those things that bring us enjoyment and a sense of
Spa Strategies
For almost as long as I've been in business, people who are interested in swimming pools have also usually been interested in having a spa or hot tub to go along with it.  It's always been a natural combination, and as watershapers we've found myriad ways to meet thegeneral demand. In the video linked below, I offer a quick discussion of two key factors homeowners need to consider in
Making Amends
Competence is a wonderful thing - and that was exactly the problem with the pond we were called in to replace:  The original installers had none, and kept on demonstrating their utter lack of it all through the six or seven weeks they were on the job site. Happily, competence is something my own crew has in abundance, and in two days we not only got rid of the mess our predecessors left behind, but also installed a brand-new pond and turned a shabby mess into a
Custom Pools or Aquatic Art?
Almost every advertisement for watershapes I’ve ever seen in a newspaper or the Yellow Pages says something about “custom” this or “custom” that. It always leads me to wonder how to differentiate between the “custom,” “high-end” and “luxury” pools others devise and the “architectural pools” or, better yet, the “aquatic art” I strive to create. I prefer the last two terms because