The availability of garden design courses seems to be closely aligned with regions :-)) The more urban areas of the east coast offer many, as do similar areas on the west coast. And there are quite a few good choices in the Great Lakes areas - Chicago, the twin cities, etc. My suggestion is to look for one in the area YOU wish to relocate to - regionality is always going to play a factor with regards to popular "styles", climate/weather conditions and plant selection. There is a difference between a career as a garden designer and that of a landscape architect. Garden designers typically focus on residental projects while LA's are often invloved in a wide range of commercial and institutional projects as well as residential. There is a significant difference in training required between the two, so make your choice of career path before you start your education. While some programs can be completed in a single year, I think you will find that most are two year programs, typically ending with an AA degree. These are often offered via community or technical colleges. These tend to be quite affordable and also flexible in their hours, so that those working a day job can take advantage of them. All are going to offer somewhat similar courses........enough to provide the basic skills. It is important to understand that "book learning" or a structured educational environment is only the beginning - hands-on experience is essential and that is usually only avaiable working in the field as a laborer or apprentice.

I was mainly trying to say how difficult it is to decide on a new W and D. It is hard to make decisions when you actually take the time to learn and research products!! Sometimes it might be easier to just go to the store, and pick out something based on looks and what the salesperson tells you!! Ha ha I am now leaning to an" old school" Speed Queen top loader. I went to the local mom and pop store yesterday and they had the basic set on the floor so I could see it. It is a "boring" old fashioned white top loader but high quality. I won't get the new look (cool fl) or the built-in heater or save too much on water. But I will have full control over everything, and that is what I am used to now. So if it will fit in my space, I will go with the AWN542 SQ washer and top of line electric dryer. If the store had a Miele front loader on the sales floor (meaning they sold enough of them) and there was technical support in our area (which there is not), I would probably buy one. I hope others who are struggling can finally figure out what will work best for them! I know I am sick of thinking about washers when I go to bed!! ugh! :)

goodbyekitty I also use a chief architect version. Size the display because the pic will save as this size. To save any display as a pic (floorplan or render): Click file, then hover over export 2 options display, choose picture. Then follow your normal picture saving procedure, maybe make a new seperate folder for "kit_designs" to save everything in. Save as a jpeg. If you are anything like me you will soon have many options so I would suggest something descriptive in the name and not just kd_1. I also started adding the date to help me know which one I was looking for. ie kd_fridge_near_LR_dec15_1 (view from one side) kd_fridge_near_LR_dec15_2 (view from another angle etc) kd_fridge_near_LR_dec15_fp (floorplan) hope this helps good luck Suz

Your welcome sayde. Don't forget to get the Bonus Packs too. When I started using it three months ago, I just did my kitchen. It was very useful and allowed me to visualize my new kitchen. But then I realized that I needed to see more of the house because I was knocking down a wall and I was curious about the sightlines. So I went back to the drawing board. After a few weeks of measuring almost everything, I now have my entire first floor sketched. I can now do a complete walkthrough. I have to say, it's pretty accurate too. It's almost like being in my house. I'm not sure about the Mac version, but at least for the PC version there is a really good rendering plugin, SUPodium, that's also free. It allowed me to see the lighting effects. I put in some cans, pendants and undercabinets. All I can say is wow.