JOB BOARD - REQUESTS FOR LANDSCAPE ASSISTANCE

LDA students: please see Sharla about possible unit credit for these projects.

Updated 10/26/09. Students' input needed for home renovations in (linked PDFs followed by more listings):

For reference, older requests are archived here.
 
10/26/09
I am looking for some advice. I am on the vestry at St. John's Parish, an episcopal church in Clayton. We are hoping that there might be a landscape engineering student looking for a real world project. St. John's parish is a small church which is trying to reestablish itself after several years of decline. The church is situated on a fairly large lot, with very little in the way of landscaping. We are exploring adding a playground and/or a labyrinth to a large open area which faces the main road leading into Clayton. The lot is currently blocked from view of the entry road by large bushes and we are uncertain whether we should remove the bushes or not. A single coherent plan for the church landscaping would be very helpful. We have very limited funds at this time and that is a challenge. We are also very intrigued by ways in which landscaping can connect the church to the greater community, be sustainable, and use less water.
 
10/14/09
Our family lives in Mather (south of Rancho Cordova, 12 miles west of downtown Sacramento). We're looking for a student or beginning professional who'd like to use our space as their "canvas." Our thinking is that the landscaper could then use us as a reference & use photographs of their designs, within our yard, as a school project &/or in their portfolio or advertising.
We would be happy to help with much of the labor, and could develop a (small) budget for materials. While we wouldn't want the basic project to take years, we are in no particular hurry to see the initial project completed (so, one could work quickly or spend an academic year or longer).  
Our backyard measures about 1/4 acre or so, with a pool & cement decking already in place. The yard is irrigated, though one might wish to change the configuration. We have two mature fruit trees; one we'd like to keep, what we do with the other would be up to the landscaper.
We don't have an overall design scheme in mind, as of yet, but we do have some needs: trees/bamboo/something for privacy & to screen out the sun (the yard is at the west side of the house); possibly a shade structure next to our pool (& perhaps another over the pool?), a (plant/wooden/other) screen for the pool equipment & another for one unsightly fence area (perhaps with vining plants); several more fruit trees; & raised beds for gardening. We also expect the yard to be organic (though not all plant materials will need to come from organic farms).
There are a few other ideas we have, which we'd love to see incorporated, if possible: ornamental edibles would be a joy to have all around the yard; an outdoor fireplace with built-in bench seating would be beautiful & cozy near the pool (we've wondered about straw bales, well-covered w/ mud or stucco); a matching finish on the raised beds might tie these separate spaces together; & a hot tub would be a terrific bonus. These are things we may not be able to put directly into the yard during the initial phase, but which we might like included in the long-term design, unless the landscaper has other / more appealing / more affordable suggestions. (We're hopeful that being faced with our need for both current & future design plans will be seen as a realistic life challenge rather than as something that makes the project undesirable.)
If you have a student or team of students that you believe would be interested in digging into this challenge, please ask them to be in touch! Feel free, also, to pass along my contact information to other faculty members whom you believe may have interested students.
Thank you for your time & for your thoughtful consideration of our request.
Most Sincerely, Kisha Chatterton Firstamom@hotmail.com
 
10/12/09
We are looking for a landscape designer/architect for a project just west of Davis in the country on Road 96.  An old 1933 brick farmhouse sits on the 20 acres parcel with unobstructed view of the coastal range. About 15 acres is used for boarding horses and a couple of cows. It is a lovely bucolic setting. This is my husband's family's property, the house he grew up in and we do not plan to sell it.
We would like to landscape about 2+ acres that will be for family use.  We have a survey and CAD drawing of the existing structures, fences, trees and a also preliminary schematic landscape plan.  
Our most immediate need is a tree planting plan with planting specifications.  We would like to plant the trees this fall.  Currently most of the trees are clustered near the house and we would like to plant some out a bit farther. 
We have a preliminary landscape plan but it needs refinement.  We would like to work a designer(s) who has a classical leaning (we like French and Italian gardens), a love of California and someone who has a keen understanding and experience with plants and trees that are appropriate and will thrive in the central valley. We want a designer who will bring ideas to the table but is also willing to listen to our needs, likes and dislikes and how we plan to use and maintain the property.  
We greatly admire the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden and the Carolee Shields White Flower Garden at the UC Davis Arboretum. 
Thank you for your time and consideration of our project.  We look forward to hearing from you. 
 
9/17/09
This is Sarah Hafer and I got your contact info from your department's web site.
The reason to why I am contacting you is because i have been envisioning building 
a natural swimming pool that involves using aquatic plants to act as filter and to control algae
growth along with eventually supporting the eco-system at my future home, which i am in the
process of buying one this academic year somewhere in Sacramento metro.
In case you haven't heard of natural swimming pools before, which most people have not yet 
especially in the U.S., here's a link to what i am talking about: http://www.gartenart.co.uk .
 
Natural swimming pools originated in Austria in 1985 and now are popping up more and more
throughout the world yet in the U.S. there is barely any and the eco-based builder store in
Sacramento, called Green Sacramento, hasn't heard of this before when i showed up at their store. Thus i strive to be part of the change in the U.S., smiles. So that brings me to the reason 
why i am contacting you.
 
With myself being on a shoestring budget, I anticipate not having sufficient funds to hire workers 
to build such pool at my future home. That led me to thinking of different avenues and 
trying to find leads, if any in being able to help me out with solutions and manifest my dream. 
What i was thinking of possibly having your interns orstudents being a part, perhaps big,
of this possible project as part of their study work or internship or something 
like that for architecting and constructing, if possible. That way it would be something that I
can succeed and they gain something as well.
 
Is it something that you think could happen? In return of their work, i could allow
something like one year of use of my pool as well as covering meals during their work.
Just throwing ideas out there and i will definitely be receptive towards yours, if any. 
Or, if there is an eco-minded community of folks that you think i could gather 
volunteers in helping me out,please feel free to show me the way.
 
8/17/09
A real estate agent writes the following: I have a seller who will be selling her sister's vacant house in Land Park.  It is a small 770 sq ft house on .09 acre lot.  The house sits to the front, so the front yard is smaller and the back yard is the larger yard.  There is only dirt right now.  The seller would like to have sod in the front yard and something on the drought resistant type in the back yard maybe with a walk way? The seller will need people to do all of this for her.
 
7/15/09
I have recently purchased a home in St. Helena, CA and I need assistance with the grounds.  The property is on almost .25 of an acre and I am looking to have a student(s) design a 3 year plan for the garden. I would like to focus on plantings that are beautiful and easy to maintain. In addition, I would like to try and have my plants use as little water as necessary.  The grounds are separated into 3 areas &endash; the front entrance gardens, the main backyard area, and the side yard area.  In addition, there is a garden area at the front of the property  as well. Please email rhanda@salma-co.com. 
 
6/22/09
We are looking for help with a landscape remodel in our backyard. Our home in central Davis is a mid-century house, with clean lines and open spaces. We are removing c. 40 years of overgrown tangle from the backyard, and want to create defined spaces with large pavers and areas of plantings and/or grass. We have a general concept in mind, but need help with drawings, planning, and execution. Please contact Lara Downes: Lmdownes@ucdavis.edu
 
6/10/09
Hello We are looking for a landscape design student of any year to create a design plan for our 5 year old front and backyard in West Sacramento. We would love to focus on creating a bird and butterfly friendly space with an emphasis on California native and drought tolerant plants. Sprinkler and drip irrigation in place. Student would be paid for plans. Please contact Laura or Andy at 916-617-2946.
 
5/13/09
I recently purchased a home in Carlsbad, California located in the community of Aviara that overlooks the Four Season's golf course and I would like to replace the existing softscape with tropical and perhaps some Mediterranean plants and trees to reflect the exterior architecture of the home which to me is Hawaiian/modern Japanese, while also practicing water conservation.  In addition, I would also like to expand the backyard hardscape area that currently includes a built-in spa, trellis and barbecue grill.  Currently, the usable backyard space is limited because of the natural slope of the yard and perimeter fence prohibits expansion so I would like to add retaining walls to terrace and expand the backyard so that additional hardscape structures can be designed/built, such as a three season living area with outdoor fireplace, full barbecue grill/wok/tropical wet bar, koi pond (if space allows) and separate lounging area at terraced area to view golf course. ssmith@idm-pharma.com
 
3/4/09
Gold River, CA (will pay a modest fee for mutually acceptable plans and a separate fee will be paid if we decide to have the student act as project manager in our behalf).
 
2/9/09
I live in Elk Grove CA.   On 2 acres.  Our house is a little over 4 years old and we have done a little land work ourselves, but could use some help with the design of the rest of the property.  I am pretty open to suggestions and only have a few things that I really want for sure. Trees, I would like a few citrus trees, avocado trees (2) max., apple and pear trees.  The rest of the trees would be for shade and look. We would like a pool in the future and a covered shaded sitting area with it and some type of guest/pool house. Also, a built in BBQ area.  Usually refereed to as a California back yard.And a future shop for my husband.  The problem is that too much property is like not enough property, if not done correctly it looks bad.  We really need help and this would be a great project for any student who needs a project for class or just to get started. I can be reached by email: trixy5@earthlink.net 
 
1/26/09
I'm in Folsom, CA and have a small backyard with a pool, but want to start over and change things around. tdun@sbcglobal.net
 
1/26/09
We live in Woodland in Wildwings.  We just put in a pool and need assistance with landscaping; laying down rock, finding appropriate plants, etc.  A UC Davis student familiar with landscaping, or a couple of students, would be perfect!  Please call or e-mail soon, as we want to get this project rolling. michelleraj@sbcglobal.net
 
1/21/09
I am interested in having a talented student design a 30x40' area in my backyard in Land Park, an old established neighborhood in Sacramento. With the exception of a bench designed to match the stone walk and patio,  I have mature trees, a pond, a small granny flat, and two flat stone patios connected by a stone walkway in the yard already. I would like to add a stone sitting bench, yard art, a combination of lawn, bushes, flowers. I have a 3 rotating head sprinkler (mini paw) system and a 3/4" drip line around 2 perimeter sides that can be altered to accomodate the new design needs. Besides a nice design, my primary challenge is a lack of  more than 2-3 hours of sun for half of the yard. I would also like to put a bouganvilla on an East garage wall to mask a neighbors garage bordering my property. jackson2writes@yahoo.com
 
1/26/09
The Land Park Community Association (LCPA) Parks Committee seeks help to restore the 70 year old WPA garden in William Land Park, a 3/4 acre site. The help desired is engineering to restore the 300' running feet of streams to operational status. The Association has construction funding, so wait for city priorities is not a factor. We hope to complete the work in early spring. stevenson-richard@sbcglobal.net