Hort 446 - Landscape Contracting and Estimating
Fall 2008
| Instructor |
Dr. Ann Marie VanDerZanden Horticulture Hall 141, Office phone: 294-5075 Email: Office Hours: Tuesday 10:30-11:30 or by appointment |
|---|---|
| Location | Horticulture Hall 138 |
| Time | Wednesday 8:00-9:50 |
| Text | No required text. Reading materials will be distributed in class and/or available online. |
Student Learning Objectives
Specific learning objectives for this course are to:
- Understand the various facets that comprise the business of landscape construction including, insurance, project pricing, and personnel management.
- Learn to interpret basic landscape construction documents and specifications.
- Integrate your understanding of landscape construction specifications into the practice of estimating and bidding a landscape construction project.
- Develop writing skills which allow you to effectively communicate detailed landscape construction information.
Professional Development
As professionals we are required to be on time, work in teams, and interact with others, both within the work environment and outside, in positive and constructive ways. Developing and practicing these skills of professionalism in HORT 446 will enhance your learning and performance in this class and in your career. Because of this importance to your current and future success, appropriate professional behaviors and work are expected for all lecture and laboratory sessions.
Student behavior and interactions affect your learning as well as other students' learning. My expectations for you, as a student in HORT 446, include:
- Following classroom etiquette and civility requests
- Arriving on time- 8:00 am arrives sooner than you might expect
- Being respectful of students' learning needs
- Examples of this include, but are not limited to:
- avoiding side conversations during class
- not reading the newspaper or other non-class related materials during class
- turning off your cell phone while in class and lab
- Following instructions carefully
- Planning ahead- complete and turn in all assignments on time
- Dropping your garbage in the trash cans on the way out the door? just like in the state parks: "If you can carry it in, you can carry it out"!
As a student in HORT 446 this is what you can expect from me as your instructor:
- Working cooperatively with you to create a positive and effective learning environment
- Arriving prior to class and starting on time
- Respecting you as individuals and scholars
- Providing you clear and detailed instructions on assignments
- Providing ample opportunity for questions and clarifications related to assignments and class content
- Distributing assignments so adequate time is allowed for their completion
- Returning assignments in a reasonable timeframe with constructive comments if applicable
Course Procedure
The course will consist of lectures, in-class discussion and writing assignments, and small group projects. You are expected to be an active participant in this class.
Student Evaluation
| Points | |
| Learning Activities (aka Quizzes) 2 x 50 each | 100 |
| Final Learning Activity (aka Final Exam) | 100 |
| Calculations | |
| Landscape Calculation Problem Set 1 | 20 |
| Final Bid Project | 100 |
| Writing Assignments | |
| Board of Directors Memo and Report | 20 |
| Case Studies | 20 |
| In-Class Exercises | 20 |
| Total | 380 |
Miscellaneous
Assignments
Detailed information will be given for each assignment when it is assigned. All assignments are due at the beginning of the class period on the assigned due date. A 10% penalty will be deducted from the assignment for each day it is late, including weekends and holidays. (i.e. If the assignment isn't turned in at the beginning (when class starts) of the class period on the due date, 10% will be deducted.)
ADA policy
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with me soon. Please request that a Disability Resources staff send a SAAR form verifying your disability and specifying the accommodation you will need. The Disability Resources (DR) office is located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076 or call 515-294-6624.
Grading Policy
Each student's grade will be based on a total of 380 points for the semester. The grading scale is provided below:
| Total Points | Grade | Total Points | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 380-353 | A | 288-277 | C |
| 352-342 | A- | 276-266 | C- |
| 341-327 | B+ | 265-251 | D+ |
| 326-315 | B | 250-240 | D |
| 314-304 | B- | 239-228 | D- |
| 303-289 | C+ | Below 228 | F |
| Week | Date | Topic |
*Due Dates |
| 8/27 | Course overview | ||
| 9/3 | Construction Documents; Specification Manual (a.k.a. Spec Manual) | ||
| 9/10 | Spec Manual | ||
| 9/17 | Overview of Bidding and Estimating | ||
| 9/24 | Jim Mason- Country Landscapes | Board of Directors memo | |
| 10/1 |
+ Bidding Project Walk Through |
||
| 10/8 | Kirkland Plaza Bid Review | ||
| 10/15 | Bidding and Estimating Strategies | Problem Set 1 | |
| 10/22 | Dan Canova- Perennial Gardens | ||
| 10/29 | Estimating using DynaScape | ||
| 11/5 |
+ Work Session |
||
| 11/12 | Tom Hughes: Integrated Business Model | ||
| 11/19 | H2B Labor Case Study | ||
| 11/26 |
|
||
| 12/3 | TBA | ||
| 12/10 | Bid Project Presentations; Final Exam Review | Bid Project | |
|
Monday, December 15th 8:00-9:30 am |


