Feature Story
Designing for Profit you want. When buying a desktop computer that includes the computer itself and a monitor or 2, expect to spend approximately $2,000.00-$5,000.00 depending how crazy you get with specifications.
“D
esigning” and “Profit” may be two words that don’t seem to go hand in hand when used in the context of the landscape design/build industry. I am referring to establishing a practice of landscape design that promotes a profitable environment for a landscape design/build company and landscape design-only business. There are many steps you can take to help create this profitable environment: establishing the physical environment in which you work and the tools you use to do this work, how you manage and track the design process, and how you approach the designs themselves. The Environment Having a comfortable, organized and ergonomic workspace is crucial for productive design. Standing desks, for example, are a great way to reduce back strain from the typical “sitting at my desk all day” syndrome. And did you know the optimal viewing distance for any computer monitor is between 25” and 35”? I see too many designers working in environments that work against them and not with them in their efforts to produce their designs. Working in a comfortable and clutter free work space will do wonders for your productivity and overall well-being. For those of you doing computer aided design, using the right hardware for what you are doing is crucial. Utilizing multiple monitors, or at least a 27”- 32” monitor will greatly increase the amount of work you can accomplish by providing more workspace for improved multitasking or running multiple programs simultaneously. If you have the means to invest in the right hardware, do it. Buy more than what you think you need now so your computer can handle what you ask of it now, and in the future. I suggest spending between $1,500.00 and $3,000.00 for a laptop that will do what
38 WINTER | 2017-18
Time Tracking Tracking labor and materials is a standard practice in the landscape industry. But what about tracking design time on projects to ensure you are not losing money before you even sell the job? Tracking design hours is a very important yet under practiced task in our industry. We all have, or should have, at least some basic expectations of how long it should take our crews to do their jobs in the field, but just as important is managing the productivity of your design team. This allows you to accurately price your design fees, allows you to maintain a realistic design schedule, and ensures you are not losing money during the design process. Even though you may be charging your clients for designs, you may be losing money before you even sell the job by spending more design time than estimated, which in turn will extend your design schedule. A beautiful design is impressive and important, but if it takes too long to produce, there is a problem. Keeping time sheets for each project is a great way to track design, modeling, and rendering time. It’s no different than tracking different tasks in the field such as patio excavation time, or irrigation head installation time, or paver laying time. For example, if you work on a project that takes 10 hours to design and 16 hours to 3d model, these times should be tracked separately. Design time, site inventory and analysis time, and client correspondence and consultation time all should go into these calculations for design fees and time. This tracking will help you estimate how long future projects will take, allow you to accurately charge future design fees, and maintain a working design schedule.