contractors
'Through the past few months,' wrote Brian Van Bower in April 2005 to open his Aqua Culture column, 'I've run across several representatives of the pool and spa industry who have expressed concern that some of us in the business of educating watershapers are encouraging landscape architects to move in the direction of the pool industry's traditional market. "I can understand the anxiety. After all, landscape architects are
Once you’re as well informed as you can be about the business practices of the companies that might end up designing and installing your swimming pool, the hard work of the decision-making process begins. It’s time, in other words, to bring a few of your candidate companies in, ask them to look things over and, ultimately, request bids for the work to be done. A quick heads up: The prices are going to be all over the map, and that’s because, if you’ve done things the way most homeowners will do, you’ve set up a situation in which
Through the past few months, I've run across several representatives of the pool and spa industry who have expressed concern that some of us in the business of educating watershapers are encouraging landscape architects to move in the direction of the pool industry's traditional market. I can understand the anxiety. After all, landscape architects are degreed professionals in a closely related exterior-design field and have been academically trained in principles of design, while most of us in the mainstream pool and spa industry have no such background or relevant certification. It probably isn't paranoia to regard these design-oriented professionals as having something of an edge. There's also the simple fact that
Most people who know me will tell you just how independent I am. Some, in fact, will say that I'm too independent for my own good. When it comes to business, however, 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 independent realm and helped me achieve the success I was looking for when I started my business. As a designer, I work
