LIGHTING Building project collaboration tips


Offer coordination fees A successful project is everyone’s ultimate goal, and more communication


and coordination between contractors and designers leads to a smoother process. To that end, offering a coordination fee to the architect or another contractor can be a useful tool for encouraging project collaboration. “Sometimes I will offer a coordination fee, typically only to the landscape archi-


tect,” says Nels Peterson, owner of Nordic Landscape Lighting in Minneapolis. “That softens the reservations, especially if they feel like it will make more work for them. I always let them know I’m willing to compensate them, and then they become an advocate for you on the project.”


Buy lunch Everyone is working hard on a new installation. Showing appreciation for


the hard work of another contractor or labor crew is a simple but meaningful ges- ture. Buying lunch or a case of beer at the end of a long week is always well received. “You’re speaking the language of contractors,” says Dave Underwood, CIC, CID,


CLIA, president of Chesapeake Irrigation & Lighting in Millersville, Maryland. In addition to showing appreciation in the moment, being gracious to other con-


tractors is a great way to strengthen your network and build strong relationships should you find yourselves on future projects together.


Lend your own labor More hands make light work, and showing your willingness to be a team


player will build good favor with other contractors. If the masonry crew is unload- ing stone, and you can lend some manpower to help, Matt Carli, lead designer for Moonlighting Landscape Lighting Systems in Charleston, South Carolina, encour- ages it. “If we can lend a hand, all our jobs get taken care of,” Carli says.


Focus on the client Without the client, no one would be working on the job. Keep your eye on the


finish line and your focus on the client. “No trade wants to get the decision-makers involved if they don’t have to,” Un-


derwood says. “Sometimes you have to work it out amongst yourself or eat extra labor or materials. That’s just the nature of the beast.”


Expect the unexpected Coordinating schedules is difficult, and in the landscape and lighting indus- tries, it is especially difficult. “Anybody who does contracting outdoors has to consider the weather, and in a seasonal business like ours, it is hard to get the timing to work out perfectly because everyone gets really booked,” Underwood says. Schedules will change and problems will creep up. “You’ll just have to adapt,” Underwood says.


“Having good coordination from the top, whether it is the landscape architect, the home builder, the homeowner or someone else who is running the project, is important.”


– Matt Carli, Moonlighting Landscape Lighting Systems


much more willing to make sure it happens because he is getting something out of it as well.” Underwood says that he makes sure that all neces-


sary lighting materials are on-site as other contractors are completing the rough-in phase of their work. If you’re able to be present during that construction phase, Under- wood says you can then make sure that there will be no surprises when you arrive for your installation. “Tey appreciate that they are getting guidance from the lighting contractor to rough-in their equipment,” Un- derwood says.


FINESSE THE CONVERSATION


Because new installations rely so heavily on careful coordi- nation, problems will undoubtedly arise. When you’re part of a network of lighting and irrigation professionals, the last thing you want to do is throw another contractor un- der the bus. Tough things are bound to get sticky at times, handling them with finesse is always the best approach. “Our kind of work is at the end of the project when


there is no time, money or patience left from anybody,” Underwood says. “But the other trades don’t work for me, so I can’t tell them what to do.” When problems arise, handling them with some fi-


nesse will leave you in the good graces of your clients and the other contractors on the job. Working through issues typically means that you’re approaching the person who is running the project with your concerns. “I will say that I realize everyone is busy, but we missed


an opportunity to communicate on a need, and now we will need some help from the landscaper or the hardscaper to remedy the issue,” Carli says. “Being careful in terms of how you word it is important, so you’re not directly pointing fingers.” Sometimes, no matter the approach, the burden to


remedy an issue will still fall squarely on the shoulders of the lighting contractor. In that case, taking on additional responsibility, whether for extra cost or additional labor, will sometimes be the best business decision. “We try not to make waves as contractors, we try to


leave a minimal footprint,” Carli says. “Knowing that a homeowner doesn’t want to hear bad news, if we can rec- tify a problem, we don’t mind taking that on. You some- times have to tiptoe around the issue so no one gets upset, and if you’re able to take it on and take care of it so it makes everyone’s life easier, no one gets hit with change orders. If you are willing to take a hit to avoid losing future work, it’s worth it.”


Lauren Sable Freiman is a freelance writer based in Cleveland and can be reached at laurensable@gmail.com.


26 Irrigation & Lighting Summer 2022 irrigationandlighting.org


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