This is an excellent question. I'll start by saying that most of us in the landscape design industry tend to see things only from our own perspectives and our own limited experiences, so you are likely going to get responses that tell you that these people to this and those people do that. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending how you look at it, in any profession (landscape design, landscape architecture, design/build, landscape contractors, landscape maintenanace, ...) there is no standard operating procedure. It is as diverse as the people who make up each component of the industry. That good news is that there is someone out there that will do exactly what you want both in terms of procedure and product. The bad news is that it might take a lot of hunting and leg work to find someone that fits. The key thing is not to get too locked down with the idea that you need only to look for someone who has the title of one of these. The truth is that this type of work is done both well and poorly by some folks in each of the described categories. You should strive for someone (or entity) that typically does what it is you are asking for (product and procedure) rather that someone who is reaching up to it or someone reaching down to it. You want your project to be typical. That means they are competent and capable and you are just as important as the next client. You might find that many LA offices might view your job as less important by comparison to others that they typically do. Although they may be great at what they do, chances are that your project is not really what they do, so that would not make them great for you. You might find an LA that typically does little projects that are not as grand as yours. That would not be good either. If you look hard enough (or just get lucky) you might find an LA that does exactly what you are asking for. Now you can substitute either "design/build" or "landscape designer" for LA in everything I just described and it is equally true. However, people exist under these titles in greater numbers giving you a larger pool to fish in. The biggest pool is the design/build contractor. S/He is often the best value because the goal is not to make a living on designing, but to use design in order to get work. This means that it will often cost less for the design and that the design process can be much more straight forward and direct since they would rather get to the point of building than racking up design hours. The project is designed to work the strengths and profitability of that company which is great if you are familiar with their work and you trust in their "brand". However, your goals might diverge from theirs a bit. The independent designer should be working for you rather than toward the goals of contractors. One problem here is that it is very difficult to know how capable the designer is at making a plan that does not leave too many variables to bidding contractors. A designer is simply someone who designs. Some have great and diverse experience both artistically, technically, graphically, and from a managerial angle. But some are people who just thought it would be cool to do landscape design. So, you really have to do your homework. My opinion is that your best bet in terms of efficiency in finding someone is to search out landscape projects in your area that are very appealing to you on similar priced homes and find out who did the work (local, capability equals your taste, probably a similar budget). People are pretty easy to talk to if you see someone outside and complement their landscape. They'll talk (probably crediting themselves for the ideas). Gush on them and find out who built it. Chances are that it will be a design/build firm simply because there are more of them. I hope this helps. Don't rule out any of them based on title. There are great capabilities in all of these. I'm an LA, by the way.

Dave, I guess I'm not sure why you are against having a simple text file ON THIS SITE with a list of "Frequently Asked Questions" and their answers. I'm not opposed to anything of the sort Rob! You have misunderstood what is being discussed here I'm afraid. Isn't that what this is all about, sharing information? Passing on information from the 'experts' to the neophytes? Yes, exactly. In fact a list of FAQ and answers already exists here and has for years. There is a master list as well as a list specific for each forum ON EACH forum. But apparently none of us can add to it or modify it any longer as we used to be able to do before the site was sold. Only the iVillage admin can do that now that they own Garden Web. Are the admins here at GW afraid of the extra load it might cause on their servers/network? I would think they would be all for it since in increases their advertising exposure. I have no idea. You'd have to ask them that. However as they already have an extensive advertising and market section on the site and since the FAQ are not usually advertising oriented, perhaps they don't feel it is necessary. Just a guess on my part. You'll have to take that issue up with them. Considering you only joined in March, you sure seem to know a LOT about how this site works, and all of the people involved. Yes, I re-joined in March true but was a regular here for many years. Spike (the previous owner) set up GW as a free gardening message board back in the early 1990's but in 2003 or 2004 it changed to a subscription service and I left then. All my "way things used to be" posts are just that - USED to be info that is no longer applicable - and only referenced because both Carolyn and Trudi were here then also. My original post was just an inquiry directed at current members (and at Admin if they care to read it) about how FAQ modifications and adding new FAQ to the existing list are done here NOW that iVillage owns the site. Just that - nothing more - no agenda. Dave

What else do we need to keep in mind regarding planning a kitchen and zones? . Dish Storage...works best when it's near the DW and near the serving/eating locations (island, DR, Nook, etc.) . Food Storage...works best when it's near the "action". It's nice to be able to store staples, etc. at their point-of-use, so food storage can be spread throughout the kitchen. E.g., flour, sugar, etc., in a "Baking Center", spices in the Prep or Cooking Zone, cereal close to where breakfast is eaten, etc. If you have a dedicated pantry, it's nice to have the pantry near the point where the groceries enter the house as well. . Refrigerator...works best on the periphery of the kitchen so it's easily accessed by people working in the kitchen as well as "outsiders" looking for a snack without the "outsiders" getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. It should also be near the Prep & Cooking Zones inside the kitchen and, if possible, near the main meal location(s) for ease of access during mealtime. . Microwave (MW)...this also works best on the periphery of the kitchen so it's easily accessed by people working in the kitchen as well as "outsiders" looking for a snack without the "outsiders" getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. If possible, it should be somewhat close to the refrigerator and a water source – but not at the expense of getting in the way of prepping and cooking a meal. . Zone-crossing - avoid!...When planning zones, etc., try to minimize zone-crossing. For example, if you can avoid it, don't put the refrigerator such that you have to cross through the Cleanup Zone to go b/w the refrigerator and the Prep or Cooking Zone. . Protection...of all the zones, the Cooking Zone should be the most protected from through-traffic as well as general-kitchen traffic. The Cooking Zone contains the range/cooktop where you will be dealing with fire (if gas), hot foods, etc. You do not want to have to cross a busy aisle when taking a pot of boiling water from the range/cooktop to the sink for emptying...or anything else hot, for that matter!

Layout Help Threads... Issue: Lack of Pertinent Information...Some people don't read the "Layout Help" topic and post asking for help without giving us very much information about the poster's goals, family composition, plans for using the space, etc. Trying to design a kitchen in a vacuum of knowledge can be frustrating and can lead to "generic" kitchens and lack of responses because it's too labor and time intensive to draw the information that we need to help with a layout out of posters. See the "How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?" FAQ topic. Often, the layouts themselves don't have enough information for us to work with. A full set of dimensions is very helpful! (again, see the "Layout Help" FAQs topic). If you're trying to decide whether to post a computer-generated drawing that shows the elevation (things shown as they will be against a wall with cabinets, etc.) vs an overhead plan (2D as seen from overhead) - choose the overhead! It can be computer-generated if it has alldimensions, etc.or a hand-drawn diagram using graph paper. Issue: Layouts with dimensions that are difficult to read. If I have to open a layout image in another window and fiddle with resizing and then still not be able to read the dimensions, I often bag it and move on to another thread. If you need to draw a layout/floorplan up by hand, keep in mind that it takes no drawing skill. All you need to produce a drawing to post here are: Good measurements of the room Graph paper which you can download and print from the web if you don't have any on hand Pencil & eraser (for sketching in the first lines) Straight edge (ruler, piece of plastic, triangle, etc., because even with graph paper it's easier to draw against a straightedge, and most kitchen lines are straight) Dark, fine or extra fine Sharpie (or similar marker/pen) to go over the pencil lines before taking a picture of it for posting. Without the dark pen/marker, most drawings are too faint. A camera or scanner to convert the drawing into an electronic version for posting here Using graph paper forces you to pay attention to scale.