Follow the wall

Thank you to all of you for sharing our blog and our Facebook page to friends and family!  We were able to gain 6 additional “likes” on Facebook (www.facebook.com/firmadesigngroup) and several comments on our blog page (www.firmadesigngroup.com/blog).  When we posted, we were at 95 likes and got to 101 likes thanks to all of you!

We will be making a $51 donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County, thanks to all of you!

We hope you have a great weekend, it’s going to beautiful!  Plan your backyard renovation and then call us to help you head in the right direction!

100 LIKES!

Then, over the weekend, I noticed we were at 95 likes on our Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/firmadesigngroup) and I posted a brief request for additional likes – up to 100 – and we would donate $50 to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County (http://www.bgccsc.org/).  So, to get from 95 to 100 likes, was pretty easy…after offering the donation.

Something everyone forgot though, is that if we go over 100 likes (we’ve been at 100 since Sunday), we’ll donate $1 for every like to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County!

So, while we’re reaching milestones on our social media, let’s try to reach a milestone with our donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County!  It doesn’t cost anything for you to like our page, we only post pictures of our projects, and do a weekly blog…so why don’t you like our page?

https://www.facebook.com/firmadesigngroup

Our beautiful Facebook Page

And lastly, check out our LinkedIn page at http://www.linkedin.com/company/firma-design-group?trk=hb_tab_compy_id_2024675

Giancarlo Bianchetti, Chief Executive Officer of Fetzer Vineyards, was the keynote speaker and something very specific that he talked about was the reason for investing and continuing to work in the State of California and specifically Sonoma County.  The first and most important reason is:

California

California is at the heart of the biggest market in the world!

And, if you think about it, it’s true.  California is truly in the center of it all.  We’re just across the pond from China (where immense investment is occurring), we’re adjacent to Mexico and not that far from the East Coast and the Europeans.

California also has the ability and diversity to reinvest in itself!

We have some of the most successful internet companies, winery companies, and others that are located in California.  One of my favorite quotes of the day was Giancarlo talking about how people throughout the rest of the world view California:

California is branded as a place of innovation with worldwide impact.

All of this is coming from a new resident of California from the country of Chile.  This is one of many reasons that Firma Design Group is located in Sonoma County. California.  We have an amazing community and amazing reputation throughout the world.

To building our economy much more!

ARTICHOKE:

Artichokes

Artichokes are a very bold and aesthetically pleasing plant.  Without flowers, the plant has great texture and great color.  With the flowers (the “artichoke”), the plant just pops in the landscape.  There are many varieties, including a gray foliage artichoke and these are great to put in the landscape.  Be careful of the space that an artichoke needs, though, as you will need to provide at least a 4 foot by 4 foot area.  These plants grow large!

BAY LAUREL:

Bay Laurel

The Bay Laurel tree is an incredible tree that provides amazing aesthetic quality, evergreen screening capabilities, and the aroma off of the tree is just pleasant. We use this tree a lot for drought tolerant projects that require an evergreen screen and a beautiful looking tree! The cooking capabilities of this tree are incredible.  You can cut the branches, use the leaves for cooking, marinating and much more!  The aroma off of the leaves is enough to brighten up your room for many days!  The tree is a slower grower, and can fit into most landcape ares.

THYME:

Creeping Thyme

There are so many varieties of thyme at nurseries these days, that we have just listed and shown the standard creeping thyme.  There is Spicy Thyme, Lemon Thyme and much more to choose from.  There are also variegated forms, options for flowering thyme and low water use thyme.
We advocate the use of this plant in many different gardens because of its drought tolerancy, beautiful texture and flowers that prop up if you don’t use the herb for cooking on a regular basis.

Construction Underway

The landscape on this project was extremely drought tolerant, native and locally specified.

The landscape is currently being installed and we’ll upload pictures when we are able to take them.  Here you can see the extent of the landscape areas:  http://www.casabellaverde.com/construction11.htm

Landscape area between house and guest house

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/6772828/list?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u257&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery7

http://www.landscapeirrigation.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=385BABEC207C49D6BD2FB98A13315619&AudID=8BD4B6703E9D4B2BBBFF1F93AE1A4D3E

That there are only going to be more of these facilities.  We know what drives the expansion and that is the aging population.  We are expert at providing interpretive landscape designs for smell, feel and interpretation!  We know what our elderly population can understand (as my grandmother recently entered an assisted living facility and we helped that facility redesign their courtyards and it really helped) and we know what our elderly population can feel, understand and smell.  Theese are all very important when designing a alzheimers’ facility, a retirement facility, an assisted living facility!

These are all interesting propositions and we are able to assist the facility with the design and can understand the needs of the owners as well.

We are honored to be involved in this project and look forward to seeing the finished plaque and attending the dedication on May 30, 2013, exactly 44 years after the first plaque was dedicated.  If you live in Petaluma or area  veteran, please support this project!  You can get in contact with the Petaluma Valley Rotary Club at their website, http://www.petalumavalleyrotary.org/, or the Petaluma Historical Society at their website, http://www.petalumamuseum.com/.

Dan Hughes, P.E.

Firma Design Group is pleased to announce that Dan Hughes, P.E., Director of Engineering has joined our team to continue the excellence in engineering our firm has been known to complete.  Dan has over 12 years’ experience, the last several serving as a plan check engineer and senior engineer with the Cities of Mill Valley and Gilroy and  prior to that as an owner with DVC Group and a Construction Manager with Delco Homes.

Dan joined Firma Design Group in 2012.  As Director of Engineering for Firma Design Group, Dan is responsible for engineering oversight of the company and its 8 employees. Dan is responsible for Quality Assurance and Control and is the Engineer of Record for projects completed by the firm. Dan manages the engineering and office staff. Dan has been managing Waldo Point Harbor which is a 12 million dollar project that includes the management of a team of Architects, Civil, Structural and Geotechnical Engineers, Biologist, Planners and Landscape Architects

Firma Design Group works throughout the Bay Area, and are looking forward to bringing Jerry’s expertise to our projects, as well as to the many agencies we work with.

http://www.stormh2o.com/SW/articles/20424.aspx