Get smart about building walls

Retaining walls are unforgiving. If they fail, they are extremely expensive and labor intensive to rebuild. If they overturn or settle, you’ve got to tear it down to the base course. Google “catastrophic SRW wall failure”; I don’t recommend doing it if you’re in the middle of a large wall project unless you don’t mind some lost sleep. The solution is found through in education. Education changed my company... MORE

Hand drawings win big projects

Over the years, Mather Clarke has thought about going digital with his designs. But, he’s found clients love the artistry, and what’s most important is that the drawings and the presentation are detailed, well thought out and creative. This particular project became an HNA 2019 Project Award winner. “The client told me upfront, ‘I know this project's going to be more than $100,000.’ So I just went all in with the design.”... MORE

Don’t let expansion & contraction ruin lighting jobs

In landscape lighting, nothing is more exciting than watching the client’s face when they see your vision of their project glow for the first time. And, nothing is more disheartening than hearing their voice when they call to tell you, “The lights stopped working.” My first call back years ago I spent hours going over everything, only to find it was several loose connections. They were tight when I left. What could have caused this?... MORE

Foremen – to make stars or to be one

What do Bart Star, Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky have in common? All were legendary players but failed as coaches. Being the best at what you do does not make you a great coach or supervisor. Sometimes the better we get at something, the harder it is to communicate and teach that talent to others. On the other hand, Vince Lombardi has been called the best football coach ever, yet he never played professionally... MORE

Next level tools for hardscaping

My father always likes to remind me how they used to set 4’ granite stairs by hand. Today I set those stairs with a powered suction tool attached to my mini-excavator while I sit in the air conditioned cab with the radio playing. For this article I’d like to tell you about some “next level tools” that we use on our job sites... MORE

Contractor Profiles

Working with strippers in Reno (cleaners & sealers too)

December/January 2021

Working with strippers in Reno (cleaners & sealers too)

Contractor Andrew Vear starts a paver maintenance company as a business opportunity for his son, and as a retirement vehicle for himself. MORE

Working to be the best

October/November 2020

Working to be the best

Focusing on efficiency, education and building a small, quality crew. MORE

Stone weathers Lake Michigan storms

August/September 2020

Stone weathers Lake Michigan storms

Award-winning "crazy quilted" natural stone paver project designed to take on high waves. MORE

Finding a happy place

June/July 2020

Biggest challenge is minimizing challenges

Contractor finds peace & profits transitioning to hardscape with a smaller, diverse, skilled crew. MORE

See More Contractor Profiles

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