Building an SRW to bury it

In building a 9’ retaining wall Hedge Landscape buried a lot more than the 1st course of block. They buried the 1st 11 courses. That left 3 courses above ground. The retaining wall was needed to hold back the hill and swimming pool above it. Most of it was buried so that it could also hold up a 7’ vertical (no batter) courtyard wall built in front of it. Waterfalls are mounted to the top of the courtyard walls... MORE

Creating the Freedom Walkway

The Freedom Walkway commemorates the Friendship 9 sit-in at McCrory’s department store in Rock Hill, SC that took place in 1961. The project won a 2017 American Society of Landscape Architecture Southeast Merit Award along with a 2017 Cultural Diversity Award from the National League of Cities. (Photo courtesy Matthew Benham Photography)... MORE

Where did all the good employees go?

Everywhere you look, contractors are seeking employees. The demographics of American employment have changed dramatically through the years. We used to attract hard working farm boys but farm employment has shrunk to less than 1% of the population. To make matters worse, many young people do not see contracting jobs as an attractive career. Drug and alcohol abuse doesn’t help. We are left with 2 options for dealing with the current labor shortage situation... MORE

Taking photos - it’s not that hard

If you have any aptitude for it at all, and are willing to put a little effort into it, you can get nice photos without hiring a photographer, without getting crazy into technical details and without breaking the bank on camera equipment. I’ve been taking photos for magazines for 20+ years and I’ve never messed with Photoshop or other programs used to manipulate photos. I’ve used $1,500 cameras, but today I use a $200 camera roughly the size of a smart phone... MORE

The customer is not always right

How many times have you heard the phrase: "The customer is always right?" The truth is they're not always right, maybe not even close to always. I am not suggesting you create and install what the customer won’t appreciate. I am suggesting you respectfully steer the customer to designs and products that you know will work, and guide them through the sales, design and installation processes... MORE

Contractor Profiles

Taking the old Wal-Mart design challenge

February/March 2018

Taking the old Wal-Mart design challenge

Hardscaping on top of a badly sloped, cracked concrete slab that you can’t remove or damage. MORE

Dramatic drive solves drainage

February/March 2018

Dramatic drive solves drainage

Permeable drive serves as a 1,700 cubic foot detention zone for stormwater pumped from 250’ away. MORE

Finding & keeping the best employees

December/January 2018

Finding & keeping the best employees

Constant recruiting, good training, frequent rewarding and taking a personal interest in employees scores 85% retention. MORE

I’ll have what she’s having

October/November 2017

I’ll have what she’s having

A high-end residential property is a highly effective showroom for selling to high-end residential clients. MORE

See More Contractor Profiles

Sign up for a FREE subscription to gain access to our complete article archive including Contractor Profiles and articles by Charles Vander Kooi. This is necessary even if you are already a subscriber.

SUBSCRIBE