Know What Your Client Wants
It is always a good thing to have the client present when working on a landscape lighting layout. One of the reasons is that it makes the client feel like they are a part of the design. Another reason is that when the client meets with the contractor and he or she has a representative from NightscapingŪ, it is very impressive to the customer. The client knows that you mean business and are looking out for their best interests and for the best interests of the lighting plan. Direct assistance with a lighting design is not a service offered by many companies these days, so why not take advantage of what we can do for you.
By having the client present during the first walk through you get a feel for what they are looking to accomplish. You also know what their likes and dislikes are pertaining to the product line and their landscape. The more input you can get from the client the better the design can be and the fewer the changes at the end of the process. It makes for an easier sell as well as a quicker one at that.
Bill has a favorite story about being asked to do a lighting design while the customer was on a long vacation. He thought he had done a beautiful job when it was all said and done. The first day that the customer returned home Bill received a phone call late into the evening. The customer was upset over the lighting design, not because of the quality of work, but because of what Bill chose to highlight. There were components of the landscape that the customer despised and didn't want to be highlighted, but Bill had no idea. Bill had to redo much of the lighting design after the customer pointed out what he did and did not like about his landscape. Once done, the customer was extremely pleased.
In the end, the more you know about the project site and the customer the better. It will result in having less meetings with the client and get the job installed quicker. As a result you will be able to have more time for consultations and installations.
Contractor of the Week - John Marzec
John has been doing landscaping lighting for about 3 years and has used NightscapingŪ products to create the perfect lighting effects for his clients. He does most of his work in the Hamptons area of Long Island on a part time basis. By trade, John is a commercial electrician and with the help of an architect, Brian Mahoney, they saw the need for low voltage lighting in the East end of Long Island. Brian Mahoney of Lear Mahoney Associates has partnered with John and creates the drawings for the lighting plans and has his files sent to the NightscapingŪ design team to have a CAD drawing created for the lighting on the project.
One of John's main focuses are the concerns and needs of his clients and the areas in which they live. He is very up to date with the new codes and regulations in the high end areas where he creates his lighting work. He pays close attention to details and listens to the clients and makes sure all of their needs are met. He is good with making fixture substitutions without compromising the overall design and or effect of the project. He will make time to Demo a fixture in the evening to make sure that it will give the homeowner the desired look they want. John likes the fact that he gets to work with different people on each project. One of John's favorite parts of the process in seeing the homeowners faces when they see what the project looks like in the evening. That is what makes John continue to Light the Hamptons with NightscapingŪ products.
John Marzec, Inc. DBA
Landscape Illuminations
Shoreham NY
631-879-8468 Busn
One of John's main focuses are the concerns and needs of his clients and the areas in which they live. He is very up to date with the new codes and regulations in the high end areas where he creates his lighting work. He pays close attention to details and listens to the clients and makes sure all of their needs are met. He is good with making fixture substitutions without compromising the overall design and or effect of the project. He will make time to Demo a fixture in the evening to make sure that it will give the homeowner the desired look they want. John likes the fact that he gets to work with different people on each project. One of John's favorite parts of the process in seeing the homeowners faces when they see what the project looks like in the evening. That is what makes John continue to Light the Hamptons with NightscapingŪ products.
John Marzec, Inc. DBA
Landscape Illuminations
Shoreham NY
631-879-8468 Busn
Send A Christmas Greeting To Bill
Since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, as do our Newsletters, we would like to dedicate the upcoming Newsletter edition to Bill. Anyone who is interested can send Bill either a Christmas Greeting, a Thinking Of You, or a Story For Bill, all of which will be posted and presented on the December 25th Newsletter. Greetings can be long or short, and may include photos of all sorts: family, company, children, pets, etc. Bill loves to stay updated on everyone's successes and challenges, and this is a great way to let him know how you are doing. Please show him your love this holiday season; it will be greatly appreciated.
If you are interested, please email your message and photos for Bill to Rebekah@Nightscaping.com .
Cable
One of the main components of low-voltage lighting
Leading out of the Powercenter(TM) are the cables we need to deliver the 12 V current to our lamps. These are the conduits of our electricity, and it is very important that they be of the right type of quality materials.
Cables are the conductors, the paths of current. In this realm we have a few simple, but important, requirements.
Each cable carries AWG (American Wire Gauge) numbers. This specifies its size. Each cable size has a specific number of circular mills of copper and an exact number of strands, each with a very precise size.
For instance, #12, a very popular size, has 6530 circular mills with 65 strands--each measuring exactly .010 cm (AWG #30). By way of comparison, #18 has 1620 cm while #8 has 16,500 cm. It's important to use the right size of cable for the job, as the specs determine what kind of resistance it offers, etc.