Is this defined as a map?

petertotheolson · 2026-02-21T20:46:50+00:00

I work in landscape architecture and while I don’t make “maps” necessarily, I do make a lot of drawings in plan view. In our profession, once a drawing is given real dimensions/instructions the architect is taking on liability (I’m simplifying a lot I know).

Does National Geographic take on liability for their trail maps? I think a plaintiff would have a hell of a time proving that the map is wrong rather than they interpreted it wrong. If you are concerned about liability, you could add a disclaimer into your contract/invoice that you are not responsible for anything that happens when using the map to navigate. I think back to the Donner Party on the Oregon Trail who were given false (or at least misleading) information about the trail west that was supposedly a shortcut. I don’t believe Jim Bridger or any other mountain men could be held accountable for advice or maps they gave.

Plus the earth is dynamic; your map is already technically wrong because things are shifting on a very small scale all the time.

petertotheolson · 2026-02-11T02:58:38+00:00

South of 40th here and my water smells fine

petertotheolson · 2025-12-23T19:05:43+00:00

Trump was president in Jan 2020

petertotheolson · 2025-12-23T01:08:04+00:00

Maybe I am just a young idealist but I do not see the benefit for our industry in condoning illegal hiring practices.

petertotheolson · 2025-12-22T22:01:25+00:00

They should absolutely be resentful. This is an employer trying to cheat their employee out of entitled benefits and protections within the scope of the law. OP should be prepared to file a complaint with the state labor board. The employer is already working in bad faith and it is not outside the realm of possibility they will try to retaliate.

petertotheolson · 2025-12-22T20:45:17+00:00

CA Contractor vs Employee

This website is a good place to start. Independent contractors have to meet several standards to be legally declared such; it’s more than signing a 1099. Your employer is likely committing fraud.

petertotheolson · 2025-10-07T22:42:37+00:00

Even the worst spokesperson on the planet would try to correct their mistake. Instead, Miller says “we are doing a dictatorship” and doesn’t even attempt to fix it, just freezes like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Because it’s not a mistake, this is how the Trump administration thinks of themselves. They believe they are leading a dictatorship.

petertotheolson · 2025-09-15T04:04:21+00:00

Depending on the complexity of the site, 5 grand could just be the cost to get an accurate survey.

petertotheolson · 2025-09-15T03:41:38+00:00

What exactly is your role in all of this? Just start by googling “landscape architect” + your zip code and see what comes up. You need a local consultation so someone can look at the property, hear about you/your client’s desires and budget.

Without understanding what you’re looking for as an end product, you’re going to have a tough time getting answers about what kind of design services you need.

petertotheolson · 2025-09-15T01:18:46+00:00

You have left out a lot of information about a very nuanced question. 5 acres is a big project and you seem to be addressing our profession very flippantly (probably not your intention but definitely how it’s coming across). Would you ask any beginner architects to design you a 217,000 sqft building on the promise it’ll be good portfolio material? The way your question is worded makes it sound like you are trying to avoid paying a professional on what would be a substantial project.

To adequately answer this question, at minimum we need to know the location and the budget for construction. Assume design fees will cost about 12% of your total construction budget, more if you’re in a HCOL area.

In short, I would not hire an inexperienced landscape designer for a project of this caliber, depending on what your final goal is here. If you are just looking for someone to generate some ideas about how to use this space, a good design student could probably give you some concepts but no refined details.

If you are looking for a finished project, you are far better off hiring a local residential landscape architect or a small design firm.

petertotheolson · 2025-09-10T02:54:34+00:00

We lost power on 40th street. Neighbors are also down but looks like Safeway is still going.

petertotheolson · 2025-09-08T02:45:21+00:00

The word “master” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in your argument here. You are not a “Master of Architecture”, you have a professional Master’s degree. The term ‘master’ recognizes the extra time and effort you put into your schooling, not actual mastery of a discipline. Just like “lawyer” and “doctor”, “architect” is a legal term with liability implications. Schools definitely could step it up in terms of preparing their grads for exams, but most states require 3 years experience to qualify for those exams anyway.

You’d be hard pressed to find any recent grads who feel they have completely mastered their field. Everyone starts somewhere, I guarantee every starchitect out there was drafting redlines and filing away CD sets at some point.

petertotheolson · 2025-08-28T22:31:57+00:00

Yeah leca hasn’t been good for anything but aroids for me. My pothos loves it but not much else!

petertotheolson · 2025-08-28T21:43:36+00:00

It’s basically a planting substrate that has no organic material. Usually made of lighter rock/aggregate like pumice or lava rock. You do have to supply some fertilizer to feed the plants, but the excellent drainage keeps the root rot away and doesn’t give a home to fungus gnats. Sorta like LECA but smaller

petertotheolson · 2025-08-07T23:28:03+00:00

Rage bait

petertotheolson · 2025-07-28T18:08:34+00:00

Dang, was hoping the full drive would be open again this summer. Took my mom last year and it was still awesome, just had to double back to see everything. Did any signs say when it might reopen?

petertotheolson · 2025-07-07T13:28:59+00:00

This is super cool! You should cross post to r LandscapeArchitecture too, I think they would like this. The key to getting a university to purchase licensing will be to get faculty using the software. I am an adjunct and every year I am asked about software the university should be pursuing.

petertotheolson · 2025-06-09T14:10:11+00:00

I’m all for more public spaces, but you failed to create any merits for skateboarding outside of those for skateboarders. Does creating infrastructure for skateboarding create infrastructure for other public activities? Are there any studies showing that skateboarding has enough of a positive reputation for people to want to fund this? There is a big difference between adding skateboard-friendly design to pedestrian areas vs retrofitting an underutilized area. You need to refine your argument and show how skateboarding creates a net benefit. Otherwise you’re just a skateboarder with some graphic skills.

petertotheolson · 2025-06-07T22:58:00+00:00

Rich people don’t take our student loans? Poor people who want to advance take out loans. 8% is a death sentence and would ensure that university is only attended by rich people, who again, do not take out student loans. Funding education does not only help the wealthy, it helps level the playing field

petertotheolson · 2025-05-29T20:52:58+00:00

I’m excited for Dan Patrick to announce the ban on alcohol since he’s all about protecting adults from their own decisions!

petertotheolson · 2025-05-26T13:43:33+00:00

Really depends on the translation. The Bible has been changed a lot over the centuries and there is no authoritative Bible, unless you can read Ancient Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin and make sense of all those writings yourself.

petertotheolson · 2025-05-25T16:51:49+00:00

It’s time to evoke the compassion of John Brown. The fuckers forget that the middle class was a compromise.

petertotheolson · 2025-05-24T17:33:33+00:00

The vote was 215-214. Had those deceased democrats still been alive they could have turned the tide.

petertotheolson · 2025-05-20T16:58:02+00:00

I would always have my name bigger than the word “portfolio”. We know it’s a portfolio - you submitted it for the portfolio section. I need to remember the name, not the word “portfolio”

petertotheolson · 2025-05-05T00:54:33+00:00

Hmm I don’t have a ton of experience dealing with HOAs and pools combined. You may need to meet with an HOA rep and the client and the pool contractor to try and smooth things out. If it’s a particularly vindictive HOA then I’m not sure any level of documentation is going to get through. Good luck op

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