1.) Have you thought about A Water Feature?-- Is it true that a water feature will add equity to my home? What about a swimming pool? Doesn't a pond require a lot of upkeep? What is the average cost? Do I need a building permit? Do I have to have fish? ...we travel a lot!
American Society of Landscape Architects
Landscape Architects Identify Trends for 2007
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --"Sustainable design is bigger than ever and homeowners and commercial building owners alike are looking to utilize outdoor spaces even more. The New Year will bring a number of exciting and creative design solutions from landscape architects.
Homeowners are requesting that landscape architects design complete outdoor rooms, such as kitchens and bars, for entertaining. Water features such as koi ponds, waterfalls, and fountains continue to be popular (with no signs of slowing), according to a new survey of leading members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)."
The American Nurseryman Association reports that "water features are the fastest growing trend in landscaping since 1990 (2007 should break all records.)"
Regionally, in-ground pools will add about 5 percent to the value of a home in the Northeast, about 6 percent in the Midwest, and 7.5 percent in the Southeast and West. In the Southwest, a swimming pool will add nearly 11 percent to the home's value.
If you add a $35,000 pool to a $300,000 house, you will just barely recover your initial expense. However, you still have the high maintenance cost and you have just limited the future buyers of your home to people who want a pool. Therefore, you have actually reduced the equity in your home. On the other hand, everyone loves a beautiful water feature, young and old! Therefore, increased equity!
Swimming pools require constant attention and maintenance. Unlike ponds, pool owners cannot rely on the nitrogen cycle to lend a hand at keeping the water healthy. This can only be accomplished by due diligence and a myriad of chemicals. Unlike a pond, the enjoyment of a pool comes from its use; and for most regions of the country, the climate dictates a very short period of time for pool use. Unless you heat your pool, then your dumping more money in your pool.
A pond requires minimal attention compared to swimming pool. Once a properly constructed pond is established with the right proportion of fish, plants and biological elements, a pond will take care of itself, the rest is enjoyment, year round. You do not need to use a pond as you do a pool, it only need to exist for you to enjoy.
2.) What do I do about the safety of my small children or grandchildren? How big should it be? Is this something I can do on my own or do I need professional help building a pond?
Unlike a swimming pool, ponds can be child proofed, with very little expense. A swimming pool, however, requires special self-closing gates with special latches. Another required code requirement is 95-decibel alarms on all exit doors leading to the back yard.
And for your added peace of mind, you can install an unsightly, removable, lightweight fence that cost hundreds of dollars. Then you can continually agonize over whether you, or someone else, forgot to close the fence gate.
A pond, however, can be filled with large boulders, which can be removed later when the children are grown. Or you can construct a pondless waterfall to begin with. Now you still can enjoy the sight and sound of cascading water without the concerns for safety.
An added advantage of a pondless waterfall is that a pondless waterfall costs less to construct and maintain. A pondless waterfall can be added to your front yard, meet all building code requirements, increase curb appeal, and thereby increase the equity and the resale value of your home.
The "size of the water feature" is a relative term. There are many factors that need to be considered. Far more than can be be discussed in the space I have allotted for this article. I will cover it in my next article. A few questions to ask yourself: How big is your yard? Where do you spend the majority of your time?
What is your budget? How is the size, shape and topography of your yard related to certain limitations regarding the building codes? Will the existing water table affect your water feature? Does your property currently have adequate drainage? Do you have underground utilities? If so, where are they located? What are the local building codes regarding pond depth? Do you need a building permit, or a licensed contractor? ...just to name a few of the topics covered.
Whether you need a professional contractor is another article. What type of access do you have to your property? Do you want large boulders? If so, is there proper clearance for a crane or Bobcat? How do you find a qualified contractor? How do you go about qualifying them? Are they properly licensed? Insured? Bonded? Workmen's compensation? Liability insurance? Hospitalization? References? Background checks and much, much more. Do your homework and proper research prior to commencement, it could save you thousands of dollars.
3.) What is the single most important first step in building a water feature? What about equipment? Should I get koi fish and a turtle? Where should I place my pond and waterfall? All these questions can be addressed with two words: Plan & Design!
First, decide where you spend most of your leisure activity. ...family room, living room, patio etc. Your waterfall and pond should be in close proximity to that location. Not in the far corner of your property. Sound and visualization are two of the major benefits of a waterfall and pond. These decisions are part of the planning process. Once you decide on these issues, the design process begins.
The best way to approach this phase is to consider a digital design. There are companies that can produce an incredible digitally designed, virtual photo of your backyard, by simply providing them with a digital photo of the area you want the water feature located. You may opt to digitally design your own. There are digital design programs that are simple to master on your own for less than a hundred dollars. Just search the web by typing in digitally designed ponds or waterfalls.
The type of equipment you should use is dependent upon the size of your pond. Your budget is another factor. If you have a small budget, you're looking at designing a small pond. In addition, look at the available options for construction materials.
You can buy a rubber liner kit and install it yourself, or have a rubber-liner-kit-installer-guy install it for you. Bottom line, either way, is there is no guarantee against bucked-toothed critters such as mice, rats, ground squirrels, gophers and ground hogs, from burrowing underneath your expensive rubber liner and chewing a hole in it. Concrete (3500psi) and rebar is the best construction method, and if done correctly, will last for generations. Concrete ponds cost only 10 to 20% more to build than liner ponds.
Your pond will require less maintenance if you allow the nitrogen cycle to do all the work. This means you need to do your part by providing the elements needed for the nitrogen cycle to operate. The fish provide the waste which produces nitrates and ammonia. Certain essential bacteria break down the nitrates and ammonia into safe byproducts used by the plants and other organisms.
Once this process is started, with the aid of a biological filter and possibly an ultraviolet light, future maintenance is minimal and routine. An above ground, high efficiency pump produces more water flow at half the energy and less initial cost than a sump pump used with liner ponds. The savings in electrical costs alone could easily pay for the additional cost of professional concrete construction in less three years.
4.) Where do I find the equipment and construction material I need to complete my project? How do I know what size filter, pump or ultraviolet light I need? If I want to have a concrete pond and waterfall shell, Where do I begin?
The internet is the best place to start looking for equipment. Local pond stores are usually higher priced, because of overhead expense. Most of the internet dealers are knowledgeable on sizing pumps, filters and ultraviolet lights to any size pond or waterfall. However, keep in mind, most on line dealers are trying to push pond liners, sump pumps and pond liner-related filters and accessories.
Look for energy efficient pumps first, and those dealers will carry concrete pond related products such as bottom drains, pool type skimmers and pressured, back-flushable biological bead filters. Also, Liner dealers sell the cheap mechanical autofill devices, because of a high profit margin.
Make sure you invest in a reliable electronic autofill system that is less likely to malfunction such as the levelors and aquafill systems. A stuck float could result in the chlorine poisoning death of all your fish and possibly thousands of dollars in flood damage.
If you act as your own project manager, you can get competitive bids from local concrete contractor for pouring your pond and waterfall shell. Also find a stone mason who will build your waterfall using mortar. With liner ponds and waterfalls, the rocks sit on the liner and can easily move when stepped on by adults or children resulting in serious accidents.
Trying to save hundreds up front, could possibly cost you thousands down the road. You get what you pay for.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106165_27.html
Friday, January 26, 2007
Pond Design Digitally Design Masterpieces Virtual Water Features Part II
Digital Designs are not only a current wave or trend, it is predicted to be the wave of the future.
I am glad I discovered this concept four years ago and adapted it to my water feature business.
I started constructing waterfalls in 1982 and have since designed and built over 1,900 in southern California.
All my designs were sketched by hand and I am by no means an artist. My clients really were not sure from my
sketches what they were going to end up with. Now, however, with digital virtual designs, there is never any
question.
I spent over two years using Microsoft's Digital Image Suite program to cut images of rocks, portions of falls,
ponds, plants, fish, turtles etc. from close to 10,000 photos and created a digital library to pull from. Now I can
literally create thousands of different water features from these images.
I placed some of my virtual designs on
our website and one day, one of my old clients and friend called me. She exclaimed, "I just saw my cat Mittens
sitting on a rock of a waterfall staring down at some fish in a pond and it is not my pond, how is that possible?
Where did you take that picture? She was completely flabbergasted! Goes to show how realistic Digital designs are.
Microsoft's program is only one of many programs. I also own Photoshop and Illustrator, but both programs
have a large learning curve and for the average person are very costly. Digital Image Suite is only around $100 and fairly easy to master.
In creating a pond design digitally, you first need a digital photo of the area (Mega
pixels minimum) Next, load it into your digital imaging program. Now you are ready.
Many graphic or photo software programs will let you manipulate an object.
For example, each individual object that is dragged to the work space is surrounded
by a “bounding” box with nodes on the sides and corners on the box. By clicking on
a corner node and holding down the mouse, you can drag the corner to make the
object larger or smaller. By clicking on the side node you can make the object in the
box fatter or taller. With this feature alone you can totally disguise any object, be it
a rock or plant, by changing its dimensions. Just by dragging a rock to the work
space, copying and pasting it several times, you can change the shape of each copy
of the original object. Not only can you make the rock wider, taller, flatter, larger,
or smaller, you can also warp the shape, change the color, shade it or tint it.
So with only a handful of rocks on the work space, you could create a veritable
rock quarry! By dragging the nodes in a section of pond water, you can make the
water fit any size pond by stretching or narrowing it.
Need a couple more weirs in your waterfalls? A few more plants in the pond? A cat, a tree, a rock, bench, gazebo, bridge, stream? Just click and drag & paste, it’s that simple. Right after seeing the virtual photograph of his back yard, a homeowner exclaimed, “Let’s do it”. Not, how much will it cost, just “Let’s do it”. Another client
joked, “Wow, this is so beautiful, I think instead of you building the waterfall, I’ll just
have this enlarged and paste it over our living room window!”
I want to encourage you to add digital design to your business. You will not just impress your clients,
they will know exactly what they are going to end up with. Did I mention increased revenue?
Not only do I charge $350 per pond design photo, I recently increased my
construction prices by 30 percent. And since implementing digital pond designs in my
bids, my closing ratio on signed contracts has soared from 60% to 80%. Eight out of
ten proposals/contracts come back signed with a deposit check enclosed. Not to mention an additional $350 value added, for a digital pond design.
Let’s face it: people like to see what they are getting before they hand over their hard earned money.
SOME TECHNICALITIES
If you are considering adding digital designing to your business, make sure you
invest in a good digital camera – at least 5 megapixels. The one I use is the Fuji
S2 Pro SLR. It is 12.1 Mb or over 12 million pixels per inch (4,256 x 2,848). Also,
your computer needs to be able to handle the software with the proper amount of
Ram, and the appropriate size processor and hard drive. If you are using a Windows
system, the minimum that you should have is Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP. To
work with most digital imaging software programs, your computer should have a 500
mHz or higher processor, 128 Mb of Ram or higher. I have 851 mHz and 640 mb of
Ram. Your hard drive space should be at least 250 Mb (mine is 120 Gb, however I
work with video also), super VGA monitor (800 x 600), 16 bit color or better.
MAKING THE SALE
If you are a contractor or pond builder, constructing ponds and waterfalls for a living,
you must ask yourself, “Do I want to increase my income by 15 to 20 percent?" If the
answer is yes, then you need to start providing your clients with a digital pond design.
When I meet with my client for the first time to survey
their yard, I ask several important questions:
1. Where do you spend most of your time when you are inside the house?
Ninety percent of the time the answer is, the living room.
2. Where do you spend most of your time when you are outside? That answer
is usually the patio.
By establishing these facts up front, you can explain that the waterfall and pond
location needs to be nearby the place where they spend the majority of their time. For
example, outside the living room window or slider and near the patio. If their
waterfall and pond are located in the back corner of their property, the only time they
will enjoy it is if they make an effort to go out to where it is.
Once these issues are
settled you now know where to take the picture. It is best to do a pond design in the place where it will end up being built.
The next step is to explain that I take a digital picture of the area and create a
virtual photo of the proposed waterfall and pond. I then explain that if they decide to go ahead with
the project we will deduct the entire $350 from the proposal. This is an incentive for them to go with you to get back their money. If they do not accept your proposal you still made $350, which more than pays for the time spent.
You will rarely receive a “no” when your prospective client
is deciding what to do. In addition, I mention to the client that if they decide to get
other bids, they will have the photo which will allow them to compare apples to
apples when getting the other bids. The best part is they see their finished water feature actually in their back yard.
A virtual photo of a digital pond design is to a waterfall and pond builder what a movie preview trailer is to the motion picture industry. While visiting the Macintosh dealer in San Diego, I was asked to observe the quality of the Power Mac’s processor. The Apple representative played a trailer from the movie “Winged Migration.” This clip was
designed to play on the average Windows screen in a 3" x 3" window. He played it
on the Power Mac’s 30" screen at full screen size. The result of this single visual
presentation was my response: “I’ll take it,” not “How much?” When your client sees an award winning masterpiece
in their own yard, more than likely they will say yes.
Please note that my sales success rate of more than 80 percent is not solely the
result of using virtual photos. I have been designing and constructing waterfalls and ponds for over twenty five years, with over 1,900 projects completed. However, it is obvious that this innovation can greatly enhance the success of any business, no matter how young.
It would not be fair, after telling you all the great benefits of digital design, for you to have nowhere to get the waterfall and pond images. The truth of the matter is, after sharing with you about the various digital software programs, I went on line to find waterfall and pond related images. To my surprise I could not find any. So I have decided to work on making mine available to the public. It is not available yet. Try your luck on the net and see if you can find any. If you do, please let me know. If you cannot find any, get in touch with me and mention you read my article on digital design and I will give you a very special rate.
Waterfalls and ponds are becoming a common addition to current landscape designs,
with the projected future trends being even more promising. The digital age is upon us
and we have the perfect product to utilize this technology. So get ready to give your
computer a tune-up and let’s get started! My heart is to share my 25 years of experience with others, so if you have a question about water features or their construction, I am here to help you.
Happy koi, peace & joy.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106166_27.html
I am glad I discovered this concept four years ago and adapted it to my water feature business.
I started constructing waterfalls in 1982 and have since designed and built over 1,900 in southern California.
All my designs were sketched by hand and I am by no means an artist. My clients really were not sure from my
sketches what they were going to end up with. Now, however, with digital virtual designs, there is never any
question.
I spent over two years using Microsoft's Digital Image Suite program to cut images of rocks, portions of falls,
ponds, plants, fish, turtles etc. from close to 10,000 photos and created a digital library to pull from. Now I can
literally create thousands of different water features from these images.
I placed some of my virtual designs on
our website and one day, one of my old clients and friend called me. She exclaimed, "I just saw my cat Mittens
sitting on a rock of a waterfall staring down at some fish in a pond and it is not my pond, how is that possible?
Where did you take that picture? She was completely flabbergasted! Goes to show how realistic Digital designs are.
Microsoft's program is only one of many programs. I also own Photoshop and Illustrator, but both programs
have a large learning curve and for the average person are very costly. Digital Image Suite is only around $100 and fairly easy to master.
In creating a pond design digitally, you first need a digital photo of the area (Mega
pixels minimum) Next, load it into your digital imaging program. Now you are ready.
Many graphic or photo software programs will let you manipulate an object.
For example, each individual object that is dragged to the work space is surrounded
by a “bounding” box with nodes on the sides and corners on the box. By clicking on
a corner node and holding down the mouse, you can drag the corner to make the
object larger or smaller. By clicking on the side node you can make the object in the
box fatter or taller. With this feature alone you can totally disguise any object, be it
a rock or plant, by changing its dimensions. Just by dragging a rock to the work
space, copying and pasting it several times, you can change the shape of each copy
of the original object. Not only can you make the rock wider, taller, flatter, larger,
or smaller, you can also warp the shape, change the color, shade it or tint it.
So with only a handful of rocks on the work space, you could create a veritable
rock quarry! By dragging the nodes in a section of pond water, you can make the
water fit any size pond by stretching or narrowing it.
Need a couple more weirs in your waterfalls? A few more plants in the pond? A cat, a tree, a rock, bench, gazebo, bridge, stream? Just click and drag & paste, it’s that simple. Right after seeing the virtual photograph of his back yard, a homeowner exclaimed, “Let’s do it”. Not, how much will it cost, just “Let’s do it”. Another client
joked, “Wow, this is so beautiful, I think instead of you building the waterfall, I’ll just
have this enlarged and paste it over our living room window!”
I want to encourage you to add digital design to your business. You will not just impress your clients,
they will know exactly what they are going to end up with. Did I mention increased revenue?
Not only do I charge $350 per pond design photo, I recently increased my
construction prices by 30 percent. And since implementing digital pond designs in my
bids, my closing ratio on signed contracts has soared from 60% to 80%. Eight out of
ten proposals/contracts come back signed with a deposit check enclosed. Not to mention an additional $350 value added, for a digital pond design.
Let’s face it: people like to see what they are getting before they hand over their hard earned money.
SOME TECHNICALITIES
If you are considering adding digital designing to your business, make sure you
invest in a good digital camera – at least 5 megapixels. The one I use is the Fuji
S2 Pro SLR. It is 12.1 Mb or over 12 million pixels per inch (4,256 x 2,848). Also,
your computer needs to be able to handle the software with the proper amount of
Ram, and the appropriate size processor and hard drive. If you are using a Windows
system, the minimum that you should have is Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP. To
work with most digital imaging software programs, your computer should have a 500
mHz or higher processor, 128 Mb of Ram or higher. I have 851 mHz and 640 mb of
Ram. Your hard drive space should be at least 250 Mb (mine is 120 Gb, however I
work with video also), super VGA monitor (800 x 600), 16 bit color or better.
MAKING THE SALE
If you are a contractor or pond builder, constructing ponds and waterfalls for a living,
you must ask yourself, “Do I want to increase my income by 15 to 20 percent?" If the
answer is yes, then you need to start providing your clients with a digital pond design.
When I meet with my client for the first time to survey
their yard, I ask several important questions:
1. Where do you spend most of your time when you are inside the house?
Ninety percent of the time the answer is, the living room.
2. Where do you spend most of your time when you are outside? That answer
is usually the patio.
By establishing these facts up front, you can explain that the waterfall and pond
location needs to be nearby the place where they spend the majority of their time. For
example, outside the living room window or slider and near the patio. If their
waterfall and pond are located in the back corner of their property, the only time they
will enjoy it is if they make an effort to go out to where it is.
Once these issues are
settled you now know where to take the picture. It is best to do a pond design in the place where it will end up being built.
The next step is to explain that I take a digital picture of the area and create a
virtual photo of the proposed waterfall and pond. I then explain that if they decide to go ahead with
the project we will deduct the entire $350 from the proposal. This is an incentive for them to go with you to get back their money. If they do not accept your proposal you still made $350, which more than pays for the time spent.
You will rarely receive a “no” when your prospective client
is deciding what to do. In addition, I mention to the client that if they decide to get
other bids, they will have the photo which will allow them to compare apples to
apples when getting the other bids. The best part is they see their finished water feature actually in their back yard.
A virtual photo of a digital pond design is to a waterfall and pond builder what a movie preview trailer is to the motion picture industry. While visiting the Macintosh dealer in San Diego, I was asked to observe the quality of the Power Mac’s processor. The Apple representative played a trailer from the movie “Winged Migration.” This clip was
designed to play on the average Windows screen in a 3" x 3" window. He played it
on the Power Mac’s 30" screen at full screen size. The result of this single visual
presentation was my response: “I’ll take it,” not “How much?” When your client sees an award winning masterpiece
in their own yard, more than likely they will say yes.
Please note that my sales success rate of more than 80 percent is not solely the
result of using virtual photos. I have been designing and constructing waterfalls and ponds for over twenty five years, with over 1,900 projects completed. However, it is obvious that this innovation can greatly enhance the success of any business, no matter how young.
It would not be fair, after telling you all the great benefits of digital design, for you to have nowhere to get the waterfall and pond images. The truth of the matter is, after sharing with you about the various digital software programs, I went on line to find waterfall and pond related images. To my surprise I could not find any. So I have decided to work on making mine available to the public. It is not available yet. Try your luck on the net and see if you can find any. If you do, please let me know. If you cannot find any, get in touch with me and mention you read my article on digital design and I will give you a very special rate.
Waterfalls and ponds are becoming a common addition to current landscape designs,
with the projected future trends being even more promising. The digital age is upon us
and we have the perfect product to utilize this technology. So get ready to give your
computer a tune-up and let’s get started! My heart is to share my 25 years of experience with others, so if you have a question about water features or their construction, I am here to help you.
Happy koi, peace & joy.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106166_27.html
Pond Design Digitally Design Masterpieces Virtual Water Features Part I
One of the most challenging aspects of designing ponds and waterfalls is trying to convey my ideas to my client. Coming up with award-winning pond designs or implementing them using adequate skills and experience is not a problem. My challenge is getting my client to see what
I see. Drawing and painting are not my forte; it is next to impossible for me to draw a rock, not to mention water. The hardest part for me is drawing perspective. Prior to discovering the art of digital design my most common phrase used was , “Just trust me.” Wait till your pond and waterfall is finished, I promise you’ll like it. Unfortunately, “trust me” are the most common two words spoken by used car salesmen! Thank goodness that most of my clients were referrals from other satisfied customers and already knew what I was capable of creating. Imagine a referral customer base of over 1,900 satisfied clients.
A few years ago I discovered a computer program called Photo Shop and realized I could use it to create virtual photos of water features. I learned how to cut an item from one picture and paste it into another. Actually, that was nothing new for me since I did that in third grade. It’s called cut and paste. Only now I’m using a mouse instead of rounded scissors and edible white paste. (I hear the manufactures are adding vitamins to it now. :)
I started out scanning dozens of photographs into “Photo Shop,” which converted them into a digital image capable of being manipulated in hundreds or thousands of ways. The Photo Shop program has a large learning curve, especially for someone who is unfamiliar with graphic design techniques, so I started searching for a solution for my pond design department.
DIGITIZING PHOTOS
Microsoft has developed a user-friendly software (small learning curve) for working with photographs. They can be scanned into the program or digital photos from a digi-tal camera can be downloaded into the program. Then each picture can be enhanced through a variety of processes such as brightness, contrast, blur, tint, etc., all with a simple click of the mouse. Once the photo is finished, I can then cut out objects from the picture, such as rocks, groups of rocks, plants, or portions of the waterfall and pond. Which I did from several thousand photos of waterfalls and ponds I have constructed over the past 26 years. I gathered these jpg images into an indexed library.
Using this process with pictures from hundreds of my projects, I was able to build a substantial library of objects for pasting into the “before” photo of a client’s yard for a pond design. Now I can take a digital picture of someone’s yard and download it into Microsoft’s “Digital Image Suite ” program. Next, by dragging various items from my library, I can construct a waterfall and pond of any shape, size or configuration onto that picture.
So thanks to the arrival of the digital age, I can construct on paper a virtual image or idea that was in my head. As a result, my clients can see exactly what their pond and waterfall will look like when finished. Now a pond design takes only minutes. Whether you are building a waterfall and pond for yourself or for a customer a pond design or waterfall design can be a marvelous thing. Simply marvelous! Happy koi, peace & joy
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106167_27.html
I see. Drawing and painting are not my forte; it is next to impossible for me to draw a rock, not to mention water. The hardest part for me is drawing perspective. Prior to discovering the art of digital design my most common phrase used was , “Just trust me.” Wait till your pond and waterfall is finished, I promise you’ll like it. Unfortunately, “trust me” are the most common two words spoken by used car salesmen! Thank goodness that most of my clients were referrals from other satisfied customers and already knew what I was capable of creating. Imagine a referral customer base of over 1,900 satisfied clients.
A few years ago I discovered a computer program called Photo Shop and realized I could use it to create virtual photos of water features. I learned how to cut an item from one picture and paste it into another. Actually, that was nothing new for me since I did that in third grade. It’s called cut and paste. Only now I’m using a mouse instead of rounded scissors and edible white paste. (I hear the manufactures are adding vitamins to it now. :)
I started out scanning dozens of photographs into “Photo Shop,” which converted them into a digital image capable of being manipulated in hundreds or thousands of ways. The Photo Shop program has a large learning curve, especially for someone who is unfamiliar with graphic design techniques, so I started searching for a solution for my pond design department.
DIGITIZING PHOTOS
Microsoft has developed a user-friendly software (small learning curve) for working with photographs. They can be scanned into the program or digital photos from a digi-tal camera can be downloaded into the program. Then each picture can be enhanced through a variety of processes such as brightness, contrast, blur, tint, etc., all with a simple click of the mouse. Once the photo is finished, I can then cut out objects from the picture, such as rocks, groups of rocks, plants, or portions of the waterfall and pond. Which I did from several thousand photos of waterfalls and ponds I have constructed over the past 26 years. I gathered these jpg images into an indexed library.
Using this process with pictures from hundreds of my projects, I was able to build a substantial library of objects for pasting into the “before” photo of a client’s yard for a pond design. Now I can take a digital picture of someone’s yard and download it into Microsoft’s “Digital Image Suite ” program. Next, by dragging various items from my library, I can construct a waterfall and pond of any shape, size or configuration onto that picture.
So thanks to the arrival of the digital age, I can construct on paper a virtual image or idea that was in my head. As a result, my clients can see exactly what their pond and waterfall will look like when finished. Now a pond design takes only minutes. Whether you are building a waterfall and pond for yourself or for a customer a pond design or waterfall design can be a marvelous thing. Simply marvelous! Happy koi, peace & joy
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106167_27.html
Koi Pond Which Pump to Use
When I started in the waterfall and pond design & construction business in January of 1982, I was asking the same question. I had a slight advantage over most when it came to answering the question, “Which pump do I use?”
I came out of the energy conservation field, so I was already savvy about energy consumption topics.
It was a challenge in the seventies, when I was trying to convince people that they should buy the Mitsubishi compact fluorescent bulb to save energy. This was the first of its kind and it retailed for $12 to $14. Its lumen or light output was equal to a 60-watt incandescent bulb, which sold for $ .60 in most stores. I needed to convince the engineer at Betty Ford Hospital that a $12, 12-watt bulb would save the facility $35,000 a year in electrical costs. I did so, and it did!
Pumps are no different when it comes to performance vs. energy consumption. The rule of thumb is: If an electrical appliance was engineered to be used only occasionally, as opposed to continually, rest assured, it is not engineered or built with the highest industry standards in mind.
Sump pumps were designed to be submerged underwater and pump that water to a different location. Their most common uses are in basements, bunkers, bilges, and that sort of thing. These pumps would only come on by demand, when a float control indicated a high water level.
Sump pumps were cheap to buy because they were built cheaply. It did not matter that they consumed more energy than the more expensive centrifugal pump, since they only came on occasionally.
These pumps turned out to be perfect for the get-rich-quick liner pond industry for three major reasons:
They were cheap to buy, as were the liners;
They were simple to install; and
They were easy to hide.
One major drawback of sump pumps that the liner pond industry does not share with their clients is that they are literally energy sponges. But then, that is not the only thing they forget to mention to their usually innocent and unsuspecting clients.
These easy-to-install, easy-to-make-a-killing liners that come with a 20-50 year warranty (against factory defects only) are actually a meal down the road to a burrowing gopher, rat, mouse, ground squirrel, chipmunk or muskrat.
How do I know? I replace liners with concrete and rebar for a living and I ask if the customer if the liner salesman told them the pros and cons about the liner. (Most cons don’t!)
Besides a sump pump costing twice as much to operate than a high efficiency, centrifugal pump, they plug up easily. (By the way, the liner guys changed the name to a “submersible pump” and they are now using the term “waterfall pump.”) Concrete and rebar constructed ponds with bottom anti-vortex drains seldom, if ever, plug up.
In the industry magazine, Water Garden News, the vice president of product management for the Aquascape Company stated,
A lot of the time, the more energy efficient the [sump] pump, the less solids and debris it can handle. So often the consumer is excited the pump will only cost them $10 a month to run, but what they did not know is that they are going to have to be out there 3 times a week, cleaning the intake of the [sump] pump to keep it going.
Water Garden News is a trade magazine that is for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in the water garden industry. This information was not meant for the consumers’ eyes. Until now!
Read my article entitled Pondless Waterfall: Concrete vs. Pond Liner ; ezinearticles.com. I cover the subject in depth, and expose the truth about pond liner promoters. All of the costs involved in building a pondless waterfall are analyzed by comparing the two techniques: using concrete & rebar or a rubber liner.
The difference in the cost of energy consumption between a 5700 gallon per hour sump pump and a 5800 gallon per hour high-efficiency centrifugal pump is staggering. The sump pump uses twice as much energy, costs $171 more to purchase, and its warranty is 6 months less! Look before you leap and research before you weep.
Happy koi, peace and joy.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106168_27.html
I came out of the energy conservation field, so I was already savvy about energy consumption topics.
It was a challenge in the seventies, when I was trying to convince people that they should buy the Mitsubishi compact fluorescent bulb to save energy. This was the first of its kind and it retailed for $12 to $14. Its lumen or light output was equal to a 60-watt incandescent bulb, which sold for $ .60 in most stores. I needed to convince the engineer at Betty Ford Hospital that a $12, 12-watt bulb would save the facility $35,000 a year in electrical costs. I did so, and it did!
Pumps are no different when it comes to performance vs. energy consumption. The rule of thumb is: If an electrical appliance was engineered to be used only occasionally, as opposed to continually, rest assured, it is not engineered or built with the highest industry standards in mind.
Sump pumps were designed to be submerged underwater and pump that water to a different location. Their most common uses are in basements, bunkers, bilges, and that sort of thing. These pumps would only come on by demand, when a float control indicated a high water level.
Sump pumps were cheap to buy because they were built cheaply. It did not matter that they consumed more energy than the more expensive centrifugal pump, since they only came on occasionally.
These pumps turned out to be perfect for the get-rich-quick liner pond industry for three major reasons:
They were cheap to buy, as were the liners;
They were simple to install; and
They were easy to hide.
One major drawback of sump pumps that the liner pond industry does not share with their clients is that they are literally energy sponges. But then, that is not the only thing they forget to mention to their usually innocent and unsuspecting clients.
These easy-to-install, easy-to-make-a-killing liners that come with a 20-50 year warranty (against factory defects only) are actually a meal down the road to a burrowing gopher, rat, mouse, ground squirrel, chipmunk or muskrat.
How do I know? I replace liners with concrete and rebar for a living and I ask if the customer if the liner salesman told them the pros and cons about the liner. (Most cons don’t!)
Besides a sump pump costing twice as much to operate than a high efficiency, centrifugal pump, they plug up easily. (By the way, the liner guys changed the name to a “submersible pump” and they are now using the term “waterfall pump.”) Concrete and rebar constructed ponds with bottom anti-vortex drains seldom, if ever, plug up.
In the industry magazine, Water Garden News, the vice president of product management for the Aquascape Company stated,
A lot of the time, the more energy efficient the [sump] pump, the less solids and debris it can handle. So often the consumer is excited the pump will only cost them $10 a month to run, but what they did not know is that they are going to have to be out there 3 times a week, cleaning the intake of the [sump] pump to keep it going.
Water Garden News is a trade magazine that is for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in the water garden industry. This information was not meant for the consumers’ eyes. Until now!
Read my article entitled Pondless Waterfall: Concrete vs. Pond Liner ; ezinearticles.com. I cover the subject in depth, and expose the truth about pond liner promoters. All of the costs involved in building a pondless waterfall are analyzed by comparing the two techniques: using concrete & rebar or a rubber liner.
The difference in the cost of energy consumption between a 5700 gallon per hour sump pump and a 5800 gallon per hour high-efficiency centrifugal pump is staggering. The sump pump uses twice as much energy, costs $171 more to purchase, and its warranty is 6 months less! Look before you leap and research before you weep.
Happy koi, peace and joy.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106168_27.html
Want a Koi Pond Get a Clue
Liner ponds leak, concrete ponds leach. Fish get diseases if they are not eaten first. Algae are a constant problem. And what about mosquitoes and West or East Nile Virus?
Ponds are high maintenance, so do I get a pressurized bead bio-filter? Do I get an up-flow filter or down-flow filter? Or a side-flow? How about a waterfall? Bio-falls? Pondless falls? Liner fall? Concrete fall?
I had a pond once, and you could not see the fish for the algae. Someone said to use algaecide, and somebody else said to get a U.V. Someone said to get more plants, and someone else said I had too many fish for the size of my pond. No problem...a crane ate half of them and last month a raccoon ate the rest.
Someone said I need a scarecrow sprinkler or a pond net. I asked, What for? I don’t have any fish, only lots of mosquitoes. So someone else said, buy some mosquito fish, you can get them free from the Department of Fish and Game. I got the mosquito fish, and my sump pump that the liner guy installed in my liner pond ate all my mosquito fish.
My pump was plugged with mosquito larvae and dead mosquito fish. Someone said I could scrape them off the pump screen with a kitchen knife. That worked well, but I accidentally stabbed the liner. I Googled leaky liner and found someone who calls himself The Fall Guy. He said I should get rid of my sump pump and liner and install a concrete and rebar pond with bottom drains and a high-performance, low-energy centrifugal pump, a pressurized back-flushable filter, a U.V. light, and an electronic auto-fill system.
He said that, unlike liners that have no warranty against acts of nature, concrete and rebar ponds which are built and sealed properly will last for decades. Plus, with the proper design and equipment, they will be next to maintenance-free.
I said, okay!
It cost me 20 percent more to do all this than what the original liner pond cost me to be installed.
It’s been 5 ½ years, I have a wooden deck built around my pond 14 inches above the pond surface. The pond is 3 feet deep in the shallow end, and 5 feet in the deep end. Raccoons hang onto the deck, lean over, and swipe at the surface of the water. Cranes stand at the edge wishing the pond was shallower or that they could bend down that far so they can scarf up a scaly snack. Their eyes are pathetic. I almost find myself sprinting to the kitchen to find them a snack. NOT!
Once a week I turn the handle on my bio-filter and back-flush the brown, nitrogen-laden waste water into several 5-gallon buckets from an attached flexible pool filter hose. Then I water my trees and plants with it. Talk about miracle grow!
After 1 to 2 minutes of back flushing, I pull the wiper plunger on my U.V. a few times to clean off the internal quartz lens housing the U.V. bulb. The film (pond scum) is instantly removed from the lens, giving the U.V. bulb 6 months of extra life.
The U.V. light kills pathogens that cause illness to my fish and other bacteria that cause the pond to stink. It also kills what is known as planktonic algae that turn the pond green. Twice a year I throw in some rock salt to keep the salt level at a specific gravity of 1.0. The fish have a healthy skin coat, my plants are happy, and string algae are virtually nonexistent. My water is crystal clear, and an electronic aquafill maintains the level of the water automatically.
Look before you leap and research before you weep.
Happy koi, peace and joy.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106169_27.html
Ponds are high maintenance, so do I get a pressurized bead bio-filter? Do I get an up-flow filter or down-flow filter? Or a side-flow? How about a waterfall? Bio-falls? Pondless falls? Liner fall? Concrete fall?
I had a pond once, and you could not see the fish for the algae. Someone said to use algaecide, and somebody else said to get a U.V. Someone said to get more plants, and someone else said I had too many fish for the size of my pond. No problem...a crane ate half of them and last month a raccoon ate the rest.
Someone said I need a scarecrow sprinkler or a pond net. I asked, What for? I don’t have any fish, only lots of mosquitoes. So someone else said, buy some mosquito fish, you can get them free from the Department of Fish and Game. I got the mosquito fish, and my sump pump that the liner guy installed in my liner pond ate all my mosquito fish.
My pump was plugged with mosquito larvae and dead mosquito fish. Someone said I could scrape them off the pump screen with a kitchen knife. That worked well, but I accidentally stabbed the liner. I Googled leaky liner and found someone who calls himself The Fall Guy. He said I should get rid of my sump pump and liner and install a concrete and rebar pond with bottom drains and a high-performance, low-energy centrifugal pump, a pressurized back-flushable filter, a U.V. light, and an electronic auto-fill system.
He said that, unlike liners that have no warranty against acts of nature, concrete and rebar ponds which are built and sealed properly will last for decades. Plus, with the proper design and equipment, they will be next to maintenance-free.
I said, okay!
It cost me 20 percent more to do all this than what the original liner pond cost me to be installed.
It’s been 5 ½ years, I have a wooden deck built around my pond 14 inches above the pond surface. The pond is 3 feet deep in the shallow end, and 5 feet in the deep end. Raccoons hang onto the deck, lean over, and swipe at the surface of the water. Cranes stand at the edge wishing the pond was shallower or that they could bend down that far so they can scarf up a scaly snack. Their eyes are pathetic. I almost find myself sprinting to the kitchen to find them a snack. NOT!
Once a week I turn the handle on my bio-filter and back-flush the brown, nitrogen-laden waste water into several 5-gallon buckets from an attached flexible pool filter hose. Then I water my trees and plants with it. Talk about miracle grow!
After 1 to 2 minutes of back flushing, I pull the wiper plunger on my U.V. a few times to clean off the internal quartz lens housing the U.V. bulb. The film (pond scum) is instantly removed from the lens, giving the U.V. bulb 6 months of extra life.
The U.V. light kills pathogens that cause illness to my fish and other bacteria that cause the pond to stink. It also kills what is known as planktonic algae that turn the pond green. Twice a year I throw in some rock salt to keep the salt level at a specific gravity of 1.0. The fish have a healthy skin coat, my plants are happy, and string algae are virtually nonexistent. My water is crystal clear, and an electronic aquafill maintains the level of the water automatically.
Look before you leap and research before you weep.
Happy koi, peace and joy.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106169_27.html
Improving Your Childs Behavior through Problem Ownership
One of the most effective and powerful ways to improve a child’s behavior is to make sure the child always assumes complete responsibility and ownership of his or her behavior. Often, parents inadvertently fail to have their child assume responsibility of misbehavior because they fail to recognize how their own behavior is contributing to the problem. This article highlights three ways that parents fail to have their child assume ownership of misbehavior and what parents can do to make sure that their child owns their own misbehavior.
First of all, never excuse your child’s misbehavior. Often, parents excuse their child’s acting out behavior assuming that the misbehavior is contributed from sugar, red dye in foods, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and prior negative life experiences (parental divorce, death, bullying, abuse, neglect, etc…). There is no study that suggests a link between sugar and hyperactivity. There is no food allergy that causes children to lie, steal, talk back, etc… Children diagnosed with ADHD need structure in their lives to help them manage their own behavior and to learn how to structure their own lives. Though negative life experiences can be sad and hurtful, it is crucial that parents do not give their child the message that it is okay to misbehave as a result of negative life experiences. It is important now more than ever that parents teach their children how to cope with negative life experiences in the absence of misbehavior or else their children will feel compelled to misbehave after each negative life experience.
When parents excuse their child’s misbehavior, their child may develop a conditioned response. For instance, if a parent continuously blames sugar for their child’s misbehavior, their child may become conditioned into misbehaving every time he or she consumes sugar. The child is not misbehaving because of the effect of sugar in his or her body but because they were taught that misbehavior follows after the consumption of sugar.
The same holds true for children diagnosed with ADHD. When parents tell their child that the ADHD is causing the misbehavior, the child becomes conditioned into believing that he or she is no longer responsible for their misbehavior because the ADHD is making them misbehave. In addition, when parents tell their child that he or she should be on ADHD medication or their medication needs to be increased to decrease misbehavior, there is a good chance that their child may become conditioned into believing that he or she is not responsible for their misbehavior until they begin taking ADHD medication or their medication is increased.
I am not suggesting that children should not take ADHD medication. What I am suggesting however is that parents should have their child’s medical doctor determine the need for medication. But in the mean time, parents need to remain consistent with disciplining their child when he or she misbehaves instead of excusing the misbehavior.
Secondly, never laugh or giggle in the presence of your child when he or she misbehaves, especially when your child is a toddler. Often, parents laugh when their toddler engages in misbehavior that is considered to be “cute”. The problem is that laughing tells your child that their behavior is appropriate, thus reinforcing the misbehavior. When the parent eventually becomes annoyed with the misbehavior and subsequently disciplines his or her child, confusion arises as their child once thought their parent approved of the behavior. Because of this confusion, the child may develop dislike and a general lack of trust for his or her parent.
And finally, children often fail to own their misbehavior when their parents yell and scream at them. When parents yell and scream, their children develop fear and dislike for them. At a time when children should be angry at themselves for misbehaving, they instead turn their anger on their yelling parent. Yelling undermines the disciplinary process and should be avoided.
When parents fail to have their child take ownership of misbehavior, this not only encourages their child’s misbehavior to continue but also prevents their child from learning and developing the coping skills they need to develop should their misbehavior be contributed to ADHD or prior negative experiences. Children eventually become adults. If children fail to learn how to manage their own behavior and structure their own lives, they will eventually become adults who are unable to manage their own lives. When adults misbehave and commit crimes, the odds that a judge would excuse their crime because of ADHD or negative life experiences is minimal at best. The best chance for a child to grow up becoming a law abiding citizen is when he or she is taught at a young age how to manage their own behavior.
If you would like additional parenting tips and suggestions or if you would like to attend an online educational seminar, please feel free to log onto the Building Strong Families National Seminar’s website at http://www.StrongFamilies.us.
In 1986, Mr. Lakewood earned his Bachelors degree in Social Work at George Williams College, Downers Grove, Illinois. In 1987, he earned his Masters degree in Social Work at Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois while enrolled in the advanced standing program.
After graduating with his Master’s degree, Mr. Lakewood obtained employment at medical clinics and hospitals providing counseling services to patients. He also obtained employment at a variety of family preservation and mental health facilities. Mr. Lakewood developed and facilitated a parenting program for parents of strong-willed children that gained local recognition. This program was designed to teach parents strategies and techniques to help them effectively manage their children's behavior. In addition, Mr. Lakewood developed and facilitated many seminars and workshops that focused on parenting and family issues. He was featured and interviewed on television/radio programs and in newspaper articles. In 2002, Mr. Lakewood opened his own private practice where he provided individual, family, marital, couples, and group therapy outpatient mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults.
As a motivational/professional speaker, Mr. Lakewood presently facilitates national seminars on family-related issues. With his dynamic speaking style, he uses humor and practical skills to help others overcome life obstacles. Mr. Lakewood is easy going, an excellent communicator, entertainer, inspiring, provides a relaxed and safe environment, and promotes awareness and understanding to help others obtain the necessary skills to resolve their conflicts. With his enthusiasm, uniqueness, and high energy level, Mr. Lakewood's speaking style keeps his audiences attentive.
In 2006, Mr. Lakewood authored and video-taped his first parenting DVD/downloadable video series entitled the, “Sudden Compliance Program”. This program is designed to help children significantly and swiftly improve their behavior at home, school, and within the community without relying on medication, psychological or psychiatric services. For more information on this program and how you could purchase the “Sudden Compliance Program”, please log onto http://www.SuddenCompliance.com
Also in 2006, Mr. Lakewood authored the “Standing Up To Bullying” program. This project first was designed as a seminar for the general community and now has blossomed into a comprehensive school-based bullying prevention program that addresses educators, parents, and students in three different training presentations. Each training presentation covers a comprehensive list of topics designed to reduce or eradicate bullying within schools, homes, and the community. Mr. Lakewood not only authored this program but is presently touring the country with it. For more information on the “Standing Up To Bullying” program and how you could book this program at your school.
Mr. Lakewood subscribes to three therapeutic models: 1) Ecological/Systems, 2) Cognitive, and 3) Behavioral. The Ecological/Systems model focuses on how we are affected by our environment. The Cognitive model focuses on how we are affected by our thoughts and beliefs. The Behavioral model focuses on how we are affected by our behavior. Mr. Lakewood believes that all three models are very effective in reducing or eliminating emotional and behavioral problems in children, adolescents, and adults.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106185_27.html
First of all, never excuse your child’s misbehavior. Often, parents excuse their child’s acting out behavior assuming that the misbehavior is contributed from sugar, red dye in foods, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and prior negative life experiences (parental divorce, death, bullying, abuse, neglect, etc…). There is no study that suggests a link between sugar and hyperactivity. There is no food allergy that causes children to lie, steal, talk back, etc… Children diagnosed with ADHD need structure in their lives to help them manage their own behavior and to learn how to structure their own lives. Though negative life experiences can be sad and hurtful, it is crucial that parents do not give their child the message that it is okay to misbehave as a result of negative life experiences. It is important now more than ever that parents teach their children how to cope with negative life experiences in the absence of misbehavior or else their children will feel compelled to misbehave after each negative life experience.
When parents excuse their child’s misbehavior, their child may develop a conditioned response. For instance, if a parent continuously blames sugar for their child’s misbehavior, their child may become conditioned into misbehaving every time he or she consumes sugar. The child is not misbehaving because of the effect of sugar in his or her body but because they were taught that misbehavior follows after the consumption of sugar.
The same holds true for children diagnosed with ADHD. When parents tell their child that the ADHD is causing the misbehavior, the child becomes conditioned into believing that he or she is no longer responsible for their misbehavior because the ADHD is making them misbehave. In addition, when parents tell their child that he or she should be on ADHD medication or their medication needs to be increased to decrease misbehavior, there is a good chance that their child may become conditioned into believing that he or she is not responsible for their misbehavior until they begin taking ADHD medication or their medication is increased.
I am not suggesting that children should not take ADHD medication. What I am suggesting however is that parents should have their child’s medical doctor determine the need for medication. But in the mean time, parents need to remain consistent with disciplining their child when he or she misbehaves instead of excusing the misbehavior.
Secondly, never laugh or giggle in the presence of your child when he or she misbehaves, especially when your child is a toddler. Often, parents laugh when their toddler engages in misbehavior that is considered to be “cute”. The problem is that laughing tells your child that their behavior is appropriate, thus reinforcing the misbehavior. When the parent eventually becomes annoyed with the misbehavior and subsequently disciplines his or her child, confusion arises as their child once thought their parent approved of the behavior. Because of this confusion, the child may develop dislike and a general lack of trust for his or her parent.
And finally, children often fail to own their misbehavior when their parents yell and scream at them. When parents yell and scream, their children develop fear and dislike for them. At a time when children should be angry at themselves for misbehaving, they instead turn their anger on their yelling parent. Yelling undermines the disciplinary process and should be avoided.
When parents fail to have their child take ownership of misbehavior, this not only encourages their child’s misbehavior to continue but also prevents their child from learning and developing the coping skills they need to develop should their misbehavior be contributed to ADHD or prior negative experiences. Children eventually become adults. If children fail to learn how to manage their own behavior and structure their own lives, they will eventually become adults who are unable to manage their own lives. When adults misbehave and commit crimes, the odds that a judge would excuse their crime because of ADHD or negative life experiences is minimal at best. The best chance for a child to grow up becoming a law abiding citizen is when he or she is taught at a young age how to manage their own behavior.
If you would like additional parenting tips and suggestions or if you would like to attend an online educational seminar, please feel free to log onto the Building Strong Families National Seminar’s website at http://www.StrongFamilies.us.
In 1986, Mr. Lakewood earned his Bachelors degree in Social Work at George Williams College, Downers Grove, Illinois. In 1987, he earned his Masters degree in Social Work at Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois while enrolled in the advanced standing program.
After graduating with his Master’s degree, Mr. Lakewood obtained employment at medical clinics and hospitals providing counseling services to patients. He also obtained employment at a variety of family preservation and mental health facilities. Mr. Lakewood developed and facilitated a parenting program for parents of strong-willed children that gained local recognition. This program was designed to teach parents strategies and techniques to help them effectively manage their children's behavior. In addition, Mr. Lakewood developed and facilitated many seminars and workshops that focused on parenting and family issues. He was featured and interviewed on television/radio programs and in newspaper articles. In 2002, Mr. Lakewood opened his own private practice where he provided individual, family, marital, couples, and group therapy outpatient mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults.
As a motivational/professional speaker, Mr. Lakewood presently facilitates national seminars on family-related issues. With his dynamic speaking style, he uses humor and practical skills to help others overcome life obstacles. Mr. Lakewood is easy going, an excellent communicator, entertainer, inspiring, provides a relaxed and safe environment, and promotes awareness and understanding to help others obtain the necessary skills to resolve their conflicts. With his enthusiasm, uniqueness, and high energy level, Mr. Lakewood's speaking style keeps his audiences attentive.
In 2006, Mr. Lakewood authored and video-taped his first parenting DVD/downloadable video series entitled the, “Sudden Compliance Program”. This program is designed to help children significantly and swiftly improve their behavior at home, school, and within the community without relying on medication, psychological or psychiatric services. For more information on this program and how you could purchase the “Sudden Compliance Program”, please log onto http://www.SuddenCompliance.com
Also in 2006, Mr. Lakewood authored the “Standing Up To Bullying” program. This project first was designed as a seminar for the general community and now has blossomed into a comprehensive school-based bullying prevention program that addresses educators, parents, and students in three different training presentations. Each training presentation covers a comprehensive list of topics designed to reduce or eradicate bullying within schools, homes, and the community. Mr. Lakewood not only authored this program but is presently touring the country with it. For more information on the “Standing Up To Bullying” program and how you could book this program at your school.
Mr. Lakewood subscribes to three therapeutic models: 1) Ecological/Systems, 2) Cognitive, and 3) Behavioral. The Ecological/Systems model focuses on how we are affected by our environment. The Cognitive model focuses on how we are affected by our thoughts and beliefs. The Behavioral model focuses on how we are affected by our behavior. Mr. Lakewood believes that all three models are very effective in reducing or eliminating emotional and behavioral problems in children, adolescents, and adults.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106185_27.html
Modern area rugs let you lend your house a special touch
Does your house needs a desperate makeover? Well, there are many things that can be done to give a complete makeover to your house and you can choose any one means to make your living area more attractive. Have you ever imagined making a small change in your room? Putting up a brand new area rug can bring about a tremendous transformation in your house. You must try this out and put up a new modern area rug in your house and see the dramatic change at first hand. Modern area rugs are not the only thing that you can put up in your room; you can also keep area rugs of different kinds to liven up the interiors of your house.
Who does not like to come back in the evening to a home that is warm and inviting? Doing up the interiors of your house in the proper way can surely make it look very bright and inviting. Covering the floor of your house with carpets, tiles or area rugs surely makes your house look very good. Choosing the correct modern area rugs for your house is important. Surely, you would not like to pick up a modern area rug for your room that looks completely alien in your house.
The best thing that you can do is check out the various online stores that specialize in selling carpet, tiles and area rugs to customers. Paucity of time is one thing that is common almost among all people, and thus the option of searching out modern area rugs on the web can be a very good source for you to find out and buy the kind of modern area rug that you have been searching for. You can select modern area rug in different color, pattern and design for the different rooms in your house. In this way, you can lend a personal touch to each room in your house.
Well if you do put up modern area rug in your house, you must also be aware of how to keep your modern area rug clean. It is very normal that the area rug will get dirty and if you have small kids at home keeping your area rug clean becomes all the more difficult. If by accident anything spills on your area rug, the golden rule is to get it cleaned immediately. Otherwise it is very much possible that the stain may stick and may not go away after some time. Always go for colors and patterns in area rugs that add on to the personality of your home.
If you have children at home, it will be ideal for you to buy a modern area rug that is darker in color. It may not always be possible on your part to keep this clean all the time and the dark color will help you in masking out some of the stains in your modern area rug. Leading carpet dealers have in their collection modern areas rugs in different colors, make, texture and design. What you need to do is find out the area rug of your choice and use it in your home.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106306_27.html
Who does not like to come back in the evening to a home that is warm and inviting? Doing up the interiors of your house in the proper way can surely make it look very bright and inviting. Covering the floor of your house with carpets, tiles or area rugs surely makes your house look very good. Choosing the correct modern area rugs for your house is important. Surely, you would not like to pick up a modern area rug for your room that looks completely alien in your house.
The best thing that you can do is check out the various online stores that specialize in selling carpet, tiles and area rugs to customers. Paucity of time is one thing that is common almost among all people, and thus the option of searching out modern area rugs on the web can be a very good source for you to find out and buy the kind of modern area rug that you have been searching for. You can select modern area rug in different color, pattern and design for the different rooms in your house. In this way, you can lend a personal touch to each room in your house.
Well if you do put up modern area rug in your house, you must also be aware of how to keep your modern area rug clean. It is very normal that the area rug will get dirty and if you have small kids at home keeping your area rug clean becomes all the more difficult. If by accident anything spills on your area rug, the golden rule is to get it cleaned immediately. Otherwise it is very much possible that the stain may stick and may not go away after some time. Always go for colors and patterns in area rugs that add on to the personality of your home.
If you have children at home, it will be ideal for you to buy a modern area rug that is darker in color. It may not always be possible on your part to keep this clean all the time and the dark color will help you in masking out some of the stains in your modern area rug. Leading carpet dealers have in their collection modern areas rugs in different colors, make, texture and design. What you need to do is find out the area rug of your choice and use it in your home.
http://www.a1articles.com/article_106306_27.html
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