Client interview

The main client for this project is Ms Ortiz who will be residing in this site once I finish the implementation of the designs and move out.

I will include myself, Piero, as a client too, because I am living on site and have personal goals through its implementation. I will refer to myself in first person throughout all the designs pages.

The information below was gathered from dozens of random conversations related to the site and the plans we had for it. There was never an official interview but through the recollection of our conversations and what my personal goals are, I created the first draft of an interview form.

The recorded information was organized below using the following book as inspiration: Permaculture Design- A step-by-step guide by Aranya.

Clients:

Mr. Piero- (Address and personal information hidden for privacy)

Ms Ortiz- (Address and personal information hidden for privacy)

What we like about the current arrangements

Ms Ortiz:

A place where I can bring my grandson on the weekends.

Space for family gatherings.

Passive income from the Airbnb rentals.

Accessible- Just a few minutes from many attractions and close to main expressway.

Enjoys meeting guests and chatting with them.

Me:

A very private place.

Space for gardening.

Space for any project like wood working and building with proper distance from neighbors.

Passive income from the Airbnb rentals.

Accessible- Just a few minutes from many attractions and close to main expressway.

What we don’t like about the current arrangements

Ms Ortiz:

High maintenance labor, e.g., mowing, removing weeds, etc.

High mortgage and utility cost compared to the generated income.

Rental business income not enough.

Me:

High maintenance labor, e.g., mowing, removing weeds, etc.

High mortgage and utility cost compared to the generated income.

Rental business income not enough.

Only having chlorinated water available to water the plants.

Seeing compostable materials ending up in the trash. We compost at this time (2015) but there is no organized system that can encourage guests to do so too.

Paying the electric company for dirty energy when we have a perfect site for a solar PV system.

High temperatures inside the to buildings.

Needs and wants

Ms Ortiz:

Lower maintenance labor.

Access to healthy food due to the lack of quality food on any local supermarket.

Savings in food.

Savings in utilities, mainly water and electricity.

Increase the income generated on the site.

Have access to energy in case of power failures.

Me:

Lower maintenance labor.

Access to healthy food due to the lack quality food on any local supermarket.

Savings in food.

Have access to clean energy in case of power failures.

Savings in utilities, mainly water and electricity.

Increase the income generated on the site.

A site for all my Permaculture diploma designs.

Develop experience in Permaculture design implementation and consultancy.

Serve as an attractive demonstration site to help spread the interest in Permaculture.

A site where I can offer occasional PDC’s

A site where I can practice lowering my impact on the environment by using the Permaculture Ethics and Principle as a guide in all I develop.

Increase comfort inside all apartments.

Improve our composting practice and avoid generating any waste which can be turned into a resource that would help me feed the soil.

Lower costs on fertilizers and any travels to the store.

Don’t want

Ms Ortiz: She stated that she did not want to have to raise animals due to her limited free time. She also was very emphatic that she did not want to maintain any composting toilets after the process was explained to her.

Me: I mainly want to avoid giving Mrs. Ortiz extra labor. I will be visiting this site occasionally after I move out of the country.

Values and vision

Ms Ortiz: She has expressed interest in the idea of living a life that has a positive impact for all living systems. This includes a change in diet towards vegetarianism, even though she still consumes meat products and is not too strict about eating organic food. Composting is a practice that she has adopted in her primary residence. She is not that interested in Permaculture. Her main interest is to have a site that is still easy for her to maintain when older and no longer able-bodied, while it provides her with food and enough income to pay the bills.

Me: I which to leave a place for my Ms Ortiz that can provide her with all the basic needs like income, food and shelter. This place should be easily maintained and provide her with a basic income that at least, pays the bills. I also wish for this site to serve as a demonstration site, using live examples to inspire all visitors and possibly, ignite their interest. I plan to use this site once or twice a year to offer low cost Permaculture Design Certificate courses. By developing this site, I will not only develop my experience in design, but will also aid in my path towards the Permaculture diploma.

If the income from the lodge is enough to support both Mrs Ortiz and me, I would move back in and dedicate myself fully to the site. Additional income could come from web/graphic design and from regenerative design services. At the moment, I cannot leave my job with Fema, I would certainly love to. The income from the lodge only covers the bills.

Lifestyle

Ms Ortiz:

Does not live in the site but will move in once I move out

Employment- Secretary.

Time spent on site- Some weekends.

Hobbies- Going to the gym daily.

Diet- Regular / Partially vegetarian.

Personality- Loves going out to dance and to family gatherings. Very cheerful and friendly.

Me:

I live in the site but will move out once Ms. Ortiz moves in.

Employment- FEMA (Intermittent- from 8 to 49 weeks a year), Solar PV Installer, Electrician, Web Designer and Graphic Designer.

Time spent on site- All the time when not deployed by FEMA.

Hobbies- I am a workaholic and rarely come outside of our project site. I mainly work non-stop for 49 weeks and celebrate for 3 weeks by taking a low-budget, multi-state/country trip, were I combine hiking, camping, city viewing and a music festival, always visiting a different place per year.

Diet- Vegan, organic and local when possible.

Personality-  I’m friendly but I like my private time for learning and for working on my projects. I’m terribly shy at the personal level but I can approach clients without problems. I live a very simple life following Buddhist principles of trying not to cause suffering due to any of my actions. That includes: not consuming animal products and watching what I say or do. Also by eliminating or lowering my attachment or desire for material possessions and the mundane.

Personal Limiting Factors

Ms Ortiz:

Low income

Not much free time.

Me:

Low yearly income.

Time- I only have time on site when I’m not deployed by Fema. Recent deployments have had the duration of 6 months to a full year which limits my time for the implementation of my designs. Still, during these deployments, I'm able to work on the designs themselves. When I have the time for implementation, I rush through the process, because there is always the chance that I will be deployed again.

No network- I don’t know anyone in my country, except for immediate family and one friend who is always in contact but who I rarely see due to our busy schedules.

Resources

Ms Ortiz:

A good network from family and friends

Abled bodied

Very patient

Me:

Lifelong building skills in iron and galvalume structures and average experience in concrete and wood working. Licensed electrician and certified solar PV panel installer.

Avid do-it-yourselfer

Always hungry for new knowledge and experiences

Able bodied

Very patient

Budget

The budget for all my designs and the site’s maintenance, comes from my savings and the lodge’s earnings.

*See each design for specific budget

Site related information

The area is very secure with most of the neighbors being elderly. Everyone keeps to themselves but is quite friendly if approached.

The site is maintained and developed by me and I’m currently the only resident until I finish developing the project. I’m currently preparing the 5th apartment which will be Ms. Ortiz’s residence.

Timescale

The deadline for all designs (design and/or implementation) is March 2018-  This deadline is flexible and will be the key factor for me to move out of the site.

Based on the conversations with Ms Ortiz and my own basic understanding of the design process, a questionnaire draft was created and can be downloaded here. This is only the first draft and does not show what has been learned afterwards in my path towards the diploma.