“Garden Design’s own booth (at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show) proved that you can make a spa (Sundance Spas) fit seamlessly into a garden – the right surrounding decking makes the difference. Among other highlights: the compact Kalamazoo grill, like a piece of sculpture; the elegant overhead and stone walls from Eldorado, and the funky circular pattern of pavestones from Oldcastle/Belgard. Kudos to designer Michele Swanson and builder Thomas Raeth.”• • • • •
| Working with EBMUD to develop a fair policy for water rationing, Thomas Raeth informs the group that he has been advising clients for years to install water-efficient irrigation systems. Representing his clients, past and future, Raeth states those clients should not be further penalized if they have already taken steps to manage water wisely. |
| San Francisco Chronicle July 9, 2008 Water rates to go up 10% in East Bay on Aug. 1 Leaders of the East Bay’s major water district voted Tuesday to put teeth into a water conservation plan, even as some customers complained they were being unfairly bitten. “Thomas Raeth, 50, who owns a landscaping firm in Lafayette, suggested that the district would better meet its goals by rewarding customers who use water-saving technology, such as low-flow toilets and garden sprinkler systems that adjust for factors like sunlight and temperature.” |
| Contra Costa Times July 10, 2008 East Bay Water Rates on the Rise One Lafayette landscape contractor said customers who had listened to his advice to install sensors and efficient sprinkler heads would be punished while those who did not could easily cut their water use. “What we’re finding is the customers who didn’t listen, who didn’t install the technology, have enough water to do it,” said Thomas Raeth. “It just doesn’t seem right. It just doesn’t seem just.” • • • • •
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| Contra Costa Times – Lamorinda Sun Jennifer Shaw, March 23, 2007 Raeth’s clients, whom he works with “one project at a time,” live within a 10 to 15-mile radius of Lafayette. His attention to customer service includes follow-up support, be it in biannual maintenance or repairing a broken sprinkler head.”Part of my specialty is being able to craft different hardscapes for different applications” says Thomas Raeth. “I am already thinking in 3D within a half hour of the consultation…” • • • • •
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| Garden Design Magazine Bill Marken, 2007 “Garden Design’s own booth (at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show) proved that you can make a spa (Sundance Spas) fit seamlessly into a garden – the right surrounding decking makes the difference. Among other highlights: the compact Kalamazoo grill, like a piece of sculpture; the elegant overhead and stone walls from Eldorado, and the funky circular pattern of pavestones from Oldcastle/Belgard. Kudos to designer Michele Swanson and builder Thomas Raeth.” • • • • •
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