flexibility
I've seen many changes in the 38 years I've been installing vinyl-liner pools. When I started out, we worked mostly with wooden walls, and I even recall some made with asbestos. We always did our best, but I'll concede that in those early days the construction techniques were relatively unsophisticated. These days, we at The Pool & Spa Doctor (Wall, N.J.) work mostly with galvanized-steel construction and, in a smaller percentage of projects, with either modular polymer or fiberglass systems. We've been at it long enough in our market that, through the years, we've gone in and replaced many of the old wooden walls with modern modular systems - an experience that always drives home for us the fact that the
I've seen many changes in the 38 years I've been installing vinyl-liner pools. When I started out, we worked mostly with wooden walls, and I even recall some made with asbestos. We always did our best, but I'll concede that in those early days the construction techniques were relatively unsophisticated. These days, we at The Pool & Spa Doctor (Wall, N.J.) work mostly with galvanized-steel construction and, in a smaller percentage of projects, with either modular polymer or fiberglass systems. We've been at it long enough in our market that, through the years, we've gone in and replaced many of the old wooden walls with modern modular systems - an experience that always drives home for us the fact that the
If there's a constant in watershape and landscape design and construction, it's that clients are almost invariably different from one another. Through years of watching how others approach these singularities, we've seen some designers (and builders) who are so set in their ways that they limit what they're willing to provide. Indeed, there even seems to be a bias in the industry at large toward elevating those designers who have a "trademark style." In our company's case, however, repetition of styles and features is not something that gets us going: Rather, we find it much more challenging and interesting to approach each project with fresh eyes and a genuine curiosity about our clients' dreams. To that end, our approach at Verdant Custom Outdoors (San Diego, Calif.) is all about understanding our clients and avoiding any preconceptions about what we think they might want. That in mind, we deliberately approach all clients and projects with a desire to meet individualized needs - a practice that has required us to become totally adaptable when it comes to both design and construction. To be sure, this approach adds a layer of complexity to what we do in that we start from scratch with every project. Our process requires a great deal of research, but as we see it, it's always been an investment of time and resources that constantly
If there's a constant in watershape and landscape design and construction, it's that clients are almost invariably different from one another. Through years of watching how others approach these singularities, we've seen some designers (and builders) who are so set in their ways that they limit what they're willing to provide. Indeed, there even seems to be a bias in the industry at large toward elevating those designers who have a "trademark style." In our company's case, however, repetition of styles and features is not something that gets us going: Rather, we find it much more challenging and interesting to approach each project with fresh eyes and a genuine curiosity about our clients' dreams. To that end, our approach at Verdant Custom Outdoors (San Diego, Calif.) is all about understanding our clients and avoiding any preconceptions about what we think they might want. That in mind, we deliberately approach all clients and projects with a desire to meet individualized needs - a practice that has required us to become totally adaptable when it comes to both design and construction. To be sure, this approach adds a layer of complexity to what we do in that we start from scratch with every project. Our process requires a great deal of research, but as we see it, it's always been an investment of time and resources that constantly
If there's a constant in watershape and landscape design and construction, it's that clients are almost invariably different from one another. Through years of watching how others approach these singularities, we've seen some designers (and builders) who are so set in their ways that they limit what they're willing to provide. Indeed, there even seems to be a bias in the industry at large toward elevating those designers who have a "trademark style." In our company's case, however, repetition of styles and features is not something that gets us going: Rather, we find it much more challenging and interesting to approach each project with fresh eyes and a genuine curiosity about our clients' dreams. To that end, our approach at Verdant Custom Outdoors (San Diego, Calif.) is all about understanding our clients and avoiding any preconceptions about what we think they might want. That in mind, we deliberately approach all clients and projects with a desire to meet individualized needs - a practice that has required us to become totally adaptable when it comes to both design and construction. To be sure, this approach adds a layer of complexity to what we do in that we start from scratch with every project. Our process requires a great deal of research, but as we see it, it's always been an investment of time and resources that constantly
As designers, we learn to evaluate landscapes and watershapes with critical eyes, deciding if we like a plant palette, for example, or if a hardscape makes sense or a watershape is sited properly in a yard. These critical skills are important, because clients hire us to pull all of those elements together and develop solutions that suit their needs as well as those of the setting. On rare occasions, a design/build project will stay on a straight course from initial concept to execution. Usually, however, I know that any ideas or biases I carry onto a job site will change and become more complex as I get to know my clients' wants, needs and desires. In other words, my critical skill - my designer's point of view - is consistently
Over and over at seminars and trade shows, watershapers ask me three distinct but interrelated questions: "How do you get into the high-end market?" and "How do you deal with wealthy customers?" and "How do you handle those kinds of jobs?" The short answer to all of them is that I've set myself up for it and am prepared to tackle these projects and clients as they come. To me, it's as natural as breathing. The deeper answer is much more complicated, obviously, and has to do with my understanding that working with upper echelon clients means accommodating an entire range of issues that
