Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Goodnick.
Hi Billy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
ABOUT
I sometimes wonder how I went from being a 5-year-old Brooklynite to a landscape architect, author, educator, TV host and part-time drummer living amongst the ubiquitous “swaying palm trees” of Santa Barbara. Buckle up.
It’s a summer day at Coney Island and young Billy is enrapt by a group of Puerto Rican percussionists jamming “under the boardwalk.” Didn’t take long to talk my folks into my first pair of bongo drums (I chipped in from my 50-cent allowance). The die was cast. But we lived in an apartment, so there was no way I could own “real” drums.
My folks moved to LA (they insisted my brother and I come with them), bought a home in the Valley and any excuse for me not taking drum lessons was blown. “Drummer” became who I was. Lessons, school bands, percussion major in college (yes, there is such a thing), studio musician in Hollywood, touring on the road. I was even in a band that opened for the Jackson 5 – you know, the band everyone wished would get the hell off the stage so the J5 could do their funky thang.
But it didn’t take long to understand how tough it might become to do what I loved AND make rent. Hence, in my early 20s I had what I now call my “premature midlife crisis.” Had to find something else as a Plan B.
I’d fallen in love with training bonsai trees and headed back to school to study ornamental horticulture at LA Pierce College in Woodland Hills – emphasis on design. I’d found my second love. Finished my two-year degree, moved to Santa Barbara (Valley heat drove me to the coast) and found work doing retail nursery sales, then a few years with pick, shovel and sprinkler pipes. (Oh, fell in love and married Lin, then little Cosmo came along!) But my design chops needed work, so at the ripe old age of 32, it was back to school (Cal Poly SLO) for my bachelor’s while earning my keep playing drums, apprenticing with a landscape architect and weekends selling plants at a local nursery.
We’ll gloss over the next few years in San Francisco designing residential, commercial and public projects. Cut to me opening my mailbox and seeing a letter sent by my former employer and mentor in SB, with an announcement for a position as landscape architect/park planner for Santa Barbara. Hell yes! Nailed it!
I’m happy to say that after 20+ years in that position, I’ve proudly left my mark on this lovely town. Playgrounds, botanic gardens, a bangin’ skate park on the beach and a slew of projects that make living here a better place, even if no one has the slightest idea I was back there pulling the strings. That’s fine.
Not one to sit on my haunches I’ve also shared my landscaping knowledge teaching at Santa Barbara City College, blogging and writing for national magazines and websites. And I’ve been hosting a locally produced TV show (Garden Wise) focused on sustainable landscaping practices.
But wait! There’s more! I’m an author! In 2013, I published a highly popular book on residential landscape design. “Yards: Turn Any Outdoor Space Into the Garden of Your Dreams”, St. Lynn’s Press. It was a popular hit and led to a year on the road giving lectures at botanical gardens and garden shows around the country.
Since leaving my city position more than a decade ago, I’ve been working full time as a one-man biz practicing residential landscape design (doing business as bgdc and still not certain what the “dc” stands for but it makes for a cool logo). I’ve got a few hundred happy customers, a bunch of 5-star reviews and enjoying time in my own garden.
As for the drumming, I’m still pounding away with King Bee here in lovely Santa Barbara. It’s the most fun you can have without disrobing.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I can’t say there are any obstacles other than my “Superman Complex” which I define as the urge to rescue anyone asking for my design services. I have a tendency to immediately leap into the nearest phone booth (I guess that’s the main challenge since phone booths only exist in museums), slip into my spandex suit and cape and fly to their rescue. I’ve overcome that by being honest with potential clients and letting them know that they’d be in the back of a slow moving line. If they need more immediate attention, I’ll refer them to a colleague. But in the back of my mind, my inner egotist is thinking ” I’d do a better job.” Kidding/not kidding.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about bgdc?
I’m a sole proprietor and sole “employee” providing landscape architectural services for residential homeowners. My work can range from one-time consultations to help folks see the big picture moving forward, to full service designs for clients who will be hiring and landscape contractor. I also offer “boutique” services like customized plant lists for DIYers and recommendations to improved fire resilience around homes in high risk areas.
Although many clients start by focusing on “the look” I start my interviews with “What do you want to be able to do when you step outside.” A comprehensive landscape balances beauty, usefulness and sustainability. Especially in a climate like Santa Barbara, we can live outdoors year round, so the garden needs to be an extension of the home – a place for living.
Another thing that sets me aside from many other landscape architects is a very deep knowledge of plants and a strong aesthetic for combining them for beauty in a range of styles and tastes. I apply my understanding of every plant’s ideal growing conditions, water needs and long-term maintenance. Key to that is spacing – never plant a Rottweiler where there’s only space for a Yorkie.
Last thing, I recently obtained design training and certification from the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council as demand and awareness increase. Demand for those services is increasing, for good reason.
Any big plans?
What about my future plans? Well, things are going fabulously leaving me time for family life, music, cooking and gardening, so I think I’ll just keep on keepin’ on for now.
Pricing:
- Full Service Design – $2500 – $4000
- Hourly Consultation & Reports – $120/hr
Contact Info:
- Website: https://billygoodnick.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bglandscapearchitect/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF0aCoWFGWJyvEz3GeDDlgV1JPQ48ntLN
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/billygoodnick
