The wall no one else would bid

The homeowners wanted a patio built on top of an existing 13’ wall 1/2 way up a steep slope. But, the wall wasn’t salvageable. There were no caps on the open core wall blocks, so water got behind the wall. And, it was built with maybe 1/3 of the geogrid needed. Bahler Brothers designer Jen Kloter says, “We gave them an initial estimate triple what they had planned.” This didn’t go over too well... MORE

Fortifying a downtown lot for outdoor living space

A large new house was built on a small old lot in Old Town Fort Collins, CO. Houses in the neighborhood are close together and busy streets aren’t far away. The homeowners wanted a capable contractor ready to landscape the property and help mitigate noise and privacy issues as soon as house construction was complete. With the job almost done, the homeowners bought the neighboring lot doubling the project size... MORE

Does your website set you apart?

About 50% of Lindgren Landscape’s leads are generated by their website. That’s a lot. And, it says a lot about where high-end prospects search for contractors these days. Tim Lindgren says the website builds confidence with prospects. It helps get them into the frame of mind that they will need to pay for a design. The auto-play video on their homepage is knock-your-socks-off good. Drone-mounted cameras provide an amazing 3D affect that makes you feel you are there floating over the landscape... MORE

Birth, death, birth...

I was gearing up for the Northeast Hardscape Expo as a member of the committee that that put the new show together. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. 6 weeks before the doors swung open, after all the preparations I made for the competitions and the demonstrations, I had a stroke. I am 59 years old, the same age as my dad when he died of a heart attack. My near-death experience has made me sit up and take notice...

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Dealing with 4 o'clock payday guys (gals too)

There are lots of great, conservative working class folks who manage their lives and money well. However, there are also a lot of working class folks who have a lot of drama, frequently are short of money and life-plan poorly. Payday equals beer and cigarettes more commonly than payday means a 401k contribution. Contractors often promote these short-term thinking craftspeople who rarely plan their lives, and then ask them to organize and plan jobs... MORE

Contractor Profiles

Building a backyard showroom

February/March 2017

Building a backyard showroom

Contractor Joe Monello tells how he designed/built his backyard hardscape and uses it as a showroom. MORE

Building big walls on a shoreline

December/January 2017

Building big walls on a shoreline

Dealing with regulations, risks and a steep slope along a water way. MORE

Installer champ, HNA demo builder, masonry expert

August/September 2016

Installer champ, HNA demo builder, masonry expert

Bobby Cooper shares what he’s learned installing hardscape, masonry and poured concrete almost 30 years. MORE

Seeking help to save a company

June/July 2016

Seeking help to save a company

A contractor learns that growing a company without business experience he could “lose it all.” MORE

See More Contractor Profiles

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