Landscaping & Design - Exterior Decorating - Home/Garden

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About Mark
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Expertise
Design of landscape structures and design of planting arrangements in the landscape. I usually do not answer questions of a horticultural nature or about growing plants or gardening unless they are related to design. I will answer these questions at my discretion. I will answer maintenance questions at my discretion,usually when they are related to design. I am a landscape designer. I am not a contractor or a gardener. Here are example categories of problems I can help you with: Design of residential walks,low walls,low retaining walls,fences,drainage systems,arbors,plant selection,xeriscapes (low water use landscapes),rain garden design,rain water harvesting,permeable paving,sustainable drainage. No advise on an architectural or engineering level. I do not perform actual design work through this site. I only provide suggestions and advice. I am a skilled draftsman and can advise you about the kind of drawings,permits and construction documents you may need for your landscape project. Any landscape project should be layed out on a drawing but larger projects in particular,that may be contracted out,should have drawings and specifications for cost and quantity estimates and for competitive bids. A drawing and specifications will also become part of any contract made with a contractor and enhances the clients protection.

Experience
Landscape concept plan for a 30,000 square feet housing site. Involved site recon by pace measurements and photographs and a site analysis and a site analysis report and recommendations and a preliminary cost estimate. Design elements included canopy trees,shrub cover,accent flowers,trash receptacles,benches and planters. Landscape concept plan for a 7,000 square feet site for a community center. Involved site recon by tape measurements and photographs,a site analysis and the creation of 3 conceptual designs for the site. Work was done through a local professional design center. Design elements included tree garden,playground,sitting area,lawn,cooking area,lighting and concrete and brick paving. Landscape concept plan for a 3,000 square feet housing site. Involved site recon by tape measurements and photographs and a site analysis. Concluded in 3 concept designs for the site,shown at a formal presentation,a site analysis and recommendations. Work was done through a community volunteer program. Design elements included decks,a playground and fencing. Briefly as draftsman for landscape designer/gardener. Conceptual landscape design for residence. Involved site recon by tape and pace measurements and site analysis. Design included covered patio area,ground cover and flower beds. Two years experience as draftsman for transportation department in engineering firm and for engineering consultants to phone company. Duties consisted of plotting topography. Survey crew member. General assistant to surveyor. Work was done for U.S. Army and County Highway Department. No instrument work. Duties included tape measurement,holding graduated survey rod and plumb bob for sighting and clearing brush. Marketed Landscape Design Services. Brochure writing,promotional material and marketing graphics.

Education/Credentials
Course in Computer Aided Drafting. 700 hours in AutoCad 2000. 700 hours to date on AutoCad Light 2000. Certificate in Manual Drafting. 1200 hours drafting time. Course in Civil Engineering Technology. (One Semester)

Awards and Honors
From Civil Engineer: I am very impressed with your work and with the obvious thought you have put into the marketing of your venture. It was especially good to see a print of that job we discussed on the phone. I wish you much luck with the venture as I do with your plans for school. Im darn proud of you buddy. And by the way,when I get my license,maybe you will consider me for a consulting job down the road. I hope to get together with Rick sometime soon and I would really like to show him your stuff if its ok with you. From all these questions you ask I get the feeling that you are genuinely interested and have put alot of thought into the idea and process of landscape architecture and if you could possibly afford the cost I would urge you to take some classes in the areas you are most interested in. The subject is not so simple as it appears,mixing science and engineering with art and a certain amount of religion to create a comfortable and pleasing balance between man and nature. A thoughtful soul like yours can do this but it can be a lifes work getting it right.

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Subject	Date Asked	Expert

How big should we make our backyard?	11/24/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: We are in the planning stages of building a house on a 4.5 acre lot we bought a few years ago. The ... A: You are essentially doubling the house foot-print, which seems rather large, IF this area was only ...
Artificial Turf-Residential	11/19/2009	Russel Ray
Q: I live in Southern CA. I want to reduce water consumption and maintenance of my yard. I am ... A: Hey, Sara. As with anything new (carpet, cars, paint, etc.), there might be a residual odor, but ...
sump pump drainage	11/14/2009	Mark
Q: I have a house in which my sup pump will work constantly up until 1 week after a rainfall. I have ... A: A detention area for the sump discharge does not necessarily have to be on the ground surface. One ...
sump pump drainage	11/13/2009	Mark
Q: I have a house in which my sup pump will work constantly up until 1 week after a rainfall. I have ... A: Sounds like the water may be seeping back into the ground and then into your basement again. A 2 ...
Water Valve	11/11/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: I contracted to have my front yard leveled, and they discovered a flag pole. Deciding I didn't want ... A: I don't quite understand the situation - What is the nature of this "flag"? Is it some sort of flag ...
landscape	11/10/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: we have a site plan with measurements and concepts that we paid an architect friend to prepare. ... A: I like contrast. So unless your going for a very minimalist landscape then I would differentiate ...
erosiom from mountain side	11/8/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: We have a cabin in the Smokies. The nearly vertical embakement at the right front of the cabin ... A: Ron: Sorry, there is no special “mud catcher” for erosion control. You are fighting the age-old ...
brick pavers on sandy barrier island	11/6/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: I live on a sandy barrier island off Florida's Gulf coast. Most people in our subdivision have ... A: Any kind of paver will defenitely increase run off compared with compacted or crushed shell. You ...
pebbles besides lawn	11/5/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: I am very new at landscaping and am thinking of getting rid of an area just beside my lawn. This ... A: Sorry for the delay - I was traveling. As to pebbles next to lawn; it is not a good idea to have ...
design with native grasses	11/4/2009	Mark
Q: I am designing a Garden in the south west of england, my design must keep "in sync" with the ... A: For grass,I would suggest the following: English Rye Grass (lolium perenne). This is a hardy and ...
Exterior Home Ideas	11/2/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: My husband and I purchased a home 1yr ago and have done so much to the exterior. It's a colonial ... A: Heather ~ Paint is probably the quickest and least expensive of home renovations out there. I love ...
Design for narrow walkway	11/1/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: I'm working with a entryway that is 43ftlong and 2.5 ft wide.which runs along a drive way and wooden ... A: Fay. Quite a design challenge: narrow space, harsh zone, and part-shade. Here goes: for ...
what kind of sand for pavers?	10/31/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: What kind of sand do I use for pavers? Is cement sand ok? Also, is cement sand 30 mesh sand? ... A: Virginia; “Concrete Sand”, or ASTM C-33, (I won't bore you with sieve/mesh sizes*)is course and ...
Planting Arborvitae	10/25/2009	Jonathan Radford
Q: I just gutted the beds in the front of our house. I want to plant an emerald green arborvitae on ... A: I would imagine that you are referring to the tree Thuja occidentalis which is a relatively slow ...
Choice - Sunset Red or October Glory	10/24/2009	Mark
Q: Mark, I am an avid gardener and have found this site extremely helpful. I was researching October ... A: The male October Glory and the male Sunset Red do not produce samaras. Sunset Red tends to change ...
Wildflower planting	10/23/2009	Russel Ray
Q: I would like to plant wildflowers permanently in my garden of perennials. It is October and I am in ... A: Hey, Veronica. I think you're going to have problems getting the wildflowers to do well if you're ...
Lawn fabric and mulch	10/22/2009	Russel Ray
Q: I live in Alpine, California and we have gophers so a lot of plants I have had to put in hard wire ... A: Hey, Nancy. Home Depot sells some excellent mulch in all sizes. It's by EarthGro. It's all I use ...
tree roots damage to foundation	10/22/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: Recently my neighbor podocarpus trees roots have lifted the concrete of my swimming pool on my back ... A: Sandy, unfortunately these are not the types of questions that one can answer in great detail ...
Lawn fabric and mulch	10/22/2009	Russel Ray
Q: I live in Alpine, California and we have gophers so a lot of plants I have had to put in hard wire ... A: Hey, Nancy. Why do you "need to put at least three inches of mulch on the ground"? I can tell you ...
lime stone	10/19/2009	Mark
Q: I live in NW Iowa and have an awesome patio on the south side of my house that was built up with ... A: The best cleaner to try would be a commercially prepared limestone cleaner. Use an alkaline or ...
Two Tiered Front Yard	10/19/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: I am tearing out overgrown (25 years old 8 to 10 ft. across) junipers from a 90 ft. area of my front ... A: It is a fine thing to fall in love with a single plant, but in order to display it for optimum ...
my crushed granite path turned into mud when compacting	10/17/2009	Mark
Q: I and a friend built a 100mm path thick of crushed granite, we done 3 stages. first stage we mixed ... A: The cement content (which should not exceed ten percent) should be mixed throughout the granite and ...
Florida evergreen privacy fence	10/16/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: I am looking to create a privacy fence with evergreens across my backyard. The lot behind me sits ... A: NOW (fall) is a great time to plant hedges & trees. You are right – I think the branch clipping you ...
Retaining Wall Repair	10/14/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: I have a 7 foot high cinder block retaining wall that was installed in front of an older cement ... A: Was the new wall installed with any steel reinforcing in the cores and then grouted with concrete? ...
Dwarf Japanese Maple	10/14/2009	Mark
Q: I have an eight year old Dwarf Japanese Maple tree that is the fine lacy type. In the fall it is ... A: You should have this tree evaluated for its value by personal inspection. The tree should be ...
sound issues	10/13/2009	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Q: Mark, Our home has just been approved for a four lane street to be put in right beside us. The ... A: Kathy; Sound walls – Unfortunately, plans don’t do an adequate job of cutting or reducing sound ...
Jasmine vine caused damage to my fence	10/12/2009	Mark
Q: A neighbor has jasmine vines which have been allowed to overgrow their yard and overtake my fence. ... A: It is an established fact that vines can damage a fence in various ways,such as twining between the ...
spotty lawn surreounded by redwoods	10/9/2009	Mark
Q: i live near sacramento, have had trouble getting my lawn to grow in the back for numerous years. ... A: I would suggest that if you want a true grass,to try fescue. This grass is very shade tolerant. ...
paver question	10/8/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: I have a patio concrete pad that sits too low from our from door. It's about 10 inches from the pad ... A: You dont have to anchor or fasten them. However if you really want to you can certainly use mortar ...
repair of sandstone walkway	10/6/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: Sean, I have a Pennsylvania bluestone walkway set in concrete. During a recent remodel several of ... A: Anything worth doing is worth doing right... so you should first chisle off the old mortar to expose ...
Landscape blocks around a tree	10/5/2009	Mark
Q: Someone told me that you can't ring a tree with landscape blocks and fill it with soil for flowers ... A: You should absolutely not place soil over tree roots. This will smother the roots. Up to 4 inches of ...
cemented rain gutter	10/4/2009	Mark
Q: My daughter had a concrete patio made. Instead of cutting the rain gutter (from roof down side of ... A: It is possible that water is backing straight up the downspout,overflowing onto the side of the ...
non native Australian Pine trees	10/4/2009	Russel Ray
Q: Ray, I am a novice gardener. My home was recently treated for termites and I was advised to not use ... A: Hey, Judy. The Australian pine is not a true pine, but I'm not aware of it producing new trees ...
mulch, termiticide, rocks	10/4/2009	Russel Ray
Q: Ray, I am a novice gardener. My home was recently treated for termites and I was advised to not use ... A: Hey, Judy. It's the novice termite professional who recommends against mulch. There is no problem ...
Deer eating all my lilies and phlox	10/3/2009	Mark
Q: I have a garden in my backyard that backs up to a pond so we have tons of wildlife. Planting flowers ... A: The most effective deer deterent is a fence. A vertical deer fence needs to be at least 8 feet high. ...
redapple	9/30/2009	Russel Ray
Q: I live in El Cajon, Calif. and have many dead spots in my red apple. It is as if someone has walked ... A: If you're in El Cajon and you have dead spots in your red apple, I suspect one of two things: You ...
Concrete walkway, expansion joint placement	9/29/2009	Sean J Murphy, LA
Q: I want to create a simple 4"slab type concrete walkway around the perimeter of my house. I ... A: You will need an expansion joint about every 30 feet and a 'control' joint about every 5 or 6 feet. ...
Grass steps	9/26/2009	Jonathan Radford
Q: "I'm attempting to create flared steps made out of sod on a short slop in my landscape. {Sort of ... A: one 'cuts' out a level and then one uses the soil from this 'cut' to create the next terrace and so ...
re grading a sloped residential lot	9/25/2009	Mark
Q: I live in PA and am looking to purchase a home that is a small 1300sf ranch home on a .61 acre lot. ... A: Construction cost for buildings range typically from 50 to 100 dollars per square foot;much would ...
sod steps	9/23/2009	Mark
Q: I'm attempting to create flared steps made out of sod on a short slop in my landscape. {Sort of ... A: I will assume you mean the run as being the top point where you come off the 6 feet long step and ...

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Questions by
Active Experts:

S. D. Ward	Kathy	Marc Chapelle, ASLA
Russel Ray	Sean J Murphy, LA	Mark
Jonathan Radford

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