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AMERICAN ROOFTOP GARDENS *. WHAT IS A ROOFTOP GARDEN?. ROOFTOP GARDEN : Any outdoor, elevated garden, generally found in urban areas; can be public, semi-public or private.
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WHAT IS A ROOFTOP GARDEN? • ROOFTOP GARDEN: Any outdoor, elevated garden, generally found in urban areas; can be public, semi-public or private. • URBAN GARDEN: Any garden found in an inner city area, may include rooftops, terraces, balconies, community gardens, public/private parks, and backyards
Many rooftop gardens are: • found in urban areas • situated in northeastern cities • enjoyed by wealthy or others with disposable income
ACCESSIBILITY • PUBLIC: completely open to public. i.e. Lotus Garden • SEMI-PUBLIC: found on rooftops of corporate, government, or other buildings. Not generally open to public; access limited, related to certain activities, jobs, parties. For instance: NYC Parks Garden, Beth Israel Healing Garden • PRIVATE: restricted use; residential or related to membership; examples include home gardens, YMCA-Brooklyn garden, etc.
TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS • PENTHOUSE • TOWNHOUSE • TERRACE • BALCONY • GREENROOF
TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS PENTHOUSES
TOWNHOUSES TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS
TERRACES and BALCONIES TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS
GREENROOFS TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS • WEIGHT • DRAINAGE • ZONE • REPAIR • REPLACEMENT • ACCESS
MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS • PLANT STRESS • ROOT PRUNING • NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY • PESTS AND DISEASE • PLANT SINKING AND HEAVING
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS • “BACKDROP EFFECT” rudin • CONSTANT SHOW • PERMANENCE
COST TO CLIENT • INSTALLATION ACCOUNTS • $10,000 and up up up • Can include containers, flooring, soil, stone, lumber, plants, lighting, irrigation, water features, labor, delivery ($60), trash pick-up ($60+$8/bag) and more • Materials: 60%-80% over wholesale price • Labor: $65-$100+/hour
COST TO CLIENT MAINTENANCE ACCOUNTS: • $1,000-$300,000/year • Materials: 60%-80% over wholesale price • Labor: $65-$100+ per hour; billed by quarter hour • Costs include chemicals, plants, soil, labor
LABOR ISSUES • Contracts generally begin with a seasonal proposal prepared by maintenance person • Laborer is extremely important for customer relations because he/she may be the only contact the client has with the company.
CUSTOMER RELATIONS • DEMANDING CLIENTS • Must balance meeting customer’s desires with the forces of nature. (i.e. can’t have roses in early March in the North.) • It can be hard to explain that certain plants are not available to purchase at certain times of the year!
CUSTOMER RELATIONS • ACCESS to BUILDING • Apartment buildings: Usually 9am-4pm, sometimes as early as 3:30; strictly enforced…building staff will come and escort you out of building! • Private homes: Coordinate with housekeepers; staff does not necessarily work everyday, or for full 8 hours at a time • Accessibility can directly affect your paycheck because of unexpected scheduling problems and generally not getting a 40 hour week!!
CUSTOMER RELATIONS • Dealing with staff • Can be very particular because they are responsible for running household; must answer to homeowner • Staff schedules decide your schedule • Paperwork- • Critical to profit/loss to keep detailed records of billable hours vs ”down-time” (i.e. travel, lunch, unexpected problems) • Insurance!!!! • “That rug you’re tracking dirt on cost $100,000!”
COMPANY STRUCTURE Typical Departments: • DESIGN-responsible for designing planting schemes/hardscaping & selecting plants • INSTALL/BUILD-constructs the designs • MAINTENANCE-cares for and maintains the design;plant selection; customer relations! • LIGHTING-can be contracted or in-house
COMPANY STRUCTURE Typical Departments: • IRRIGATION-contracted or in-house • ACCOUNTING-very important in this business to carefully track overhead, especially regarding labor • LEGAL-Clients can and do sue! • SPECIAL CONTRACTORS- i.e. water features, artists, stonework
LONG TERM ISSUES • Plant growth • Pruning (root and shoot) • Plant replacement • Soil replacement (over time) • Deterioration of containers, tiles • Damage to building infrastructure (again, drainage, drainage, drainage.)
ROOFTOP GARDENS QUESTIONS??