Consulting

The Permaculture Project LLC offers consultation in site planning and design for rural, suburban and urban locations; private homes and businesses; village design, rural, suburban and urban planning, corporate campuses, housing developments.

We look, in depth, at water collection systems, purification and storage; cycling and distribution of fresh water; air and water purification; aquaculture; gardening, farming and animal husbandry; renewable energy (solar, wind, water, fire) systems, natural heating, cooling and climate regulation; bio-fuels; practical homesteading skills; eco-building construction and home retrofit; biological waste management systems and waste detoxification; land restoration; utility plant landscapes and food forests; community gardens; the business of organics; recreation; noise abatement; peaceful sanctuary; biological diversity; nutrient storage and cycling.

Consulting Services*

Comprehensive Permaculture Planning and Design

-2-Day Comprehensive Permaculture assessment and recommendations (rural, urban, suburban): This assessment lays the ground work for the next step in the design process, a master plan. This is an on-site walkabout that includes an extensive meeting with the client. After observing, taking measurements, setting a vision and goals for the property, a report and assessment is generated. This report includes in depth, local climate information, geological and soil study for the bioregion, native history, settlement history, local plant and animal delineation, and a general ecological analysis of the landscape. All of this foundational material is paramount to working toward a comprehensive plan that utilizes the natural forces and energies flowing through a property in order to create high yields and comfortable living for those involved. In Permaculture we “make the least amount of change for the greatest affect”. By understanding the ecology of the bioregion and the natural flows and forces we can approach this ideal more efficiently. Please note: this is not a master plan. Please see below.

-Full Permaculture master plan with detailed CAD drawings and report: This process begins with a two day intensive design charette with all stakeholders involved in the project. Subsequently, the designers review and collate all materials collected and work them into a master plan. This master plan is a precursor to construction drawings and implementation of the project. We also look closely at code requirements, zoning, budgets and time lines for our future implementation. A narrative and a full set of hand-drawn or CAD drawings are created. The Permaculture Project LLC works with two licensed architects when required.

-Construction drawings, budgets, time line, implementation: Implementation, of course, is the “final step” in the design process. But before this we work with architects to generate a full set of construction drawings and continue to look at budgeting, time lines and begin the process of seeking out the desired contractors to put the project on the ground. Ideally, the client will be completely invested in doing the work required for their property, but contractors may be required where needed.

-Eco-building planning and design: Currently, there are many ecologically sound modalities that have proven viable for building in a sound and energy efficient manner. The Permaculture Project LLC (and architect partners) will help the client plan and design their ideal home. We ask this question first: Can this house that we are constructing be completely recycled and composted at the end of its life cycle?

-Comprehensive farm and garden planning and steps to implementation: We look at all aspects of farming and gardening and devise a plan that is “economically sound and economically viable”, which is one of the central dictums of Permaculture. Any farming or gardening system that works, as long as it relates back to the Permaculture ethics, Care of People, Care of Earth and Fair Share, or Benevolent Distribution of Yield, will be considered during our planning process.

-Forest garden planning, design and development: The forest garden is the ultimate, perennial, Permaculture system. A high yielding planting regime, perennials need not be planted each and every year, they produce a larger percentage of biomass than conventional farms and gardens, and, by nature, they are diverse and complex ecosystems in their own right, restoring health and balance to the landscape. The Permaculture Project looks for opportunities to develop and design this abundant and beautiful system by integrating it, seemlessly, into your preexisting landscape.

-Permaculture village design: Comprehensive Permaculture planning and design for villages, towns, and cities. We take every area of life into consideration in our intensive and thorough design process.

Assessments*

-Complete water and soils assessment and recommendations (keyline and contour mapping, holding water and nutrients on the property): We examine your property thoroughly and seek out opportunities for slowing down and holding the water that flows across the landscape. Water is a very precious resource, and we cannot let it find its way to the bottom of the watershed. If we can make use of water where it falls we augment our crop yields and we have a ready source of potable and non-potable water resources for practical utilization.

-Home and business energy usage assessments and recommendations: As part of a comprehensive design it is important to understand how we use energy to drive the devices in our homes and businesses. A thorough assessment is tantamount to implementing energy saving techniques, not simply for our own savings, but the greater good of the planet.

*Please note: A fee schedule for each service described above sent upon request.

Design Process

Permaculture is about whole systems, not about separate components. Because each element in a landscape or the built environment affects every other element at a site, a complete, comprehensive assessment is tantamount to develop healthy, productive, energy efficient relationships between elements for the benefit of everyone and everything involved in day to day operations and life. By paying attention to all details: topography, climate, water, wind, sun, activity nodes and corridors, buildings, machinery and tools, the waste stream, plants and animals, it enables us to make best use of what is already on the ground, and what we intend to put there. With a dynamic interaction of elements in process, and an assessment of both spatial and temporal attributes, organized around sound ecological principles, we can maximize yields and balance the landscape.

In order to accomplish this we conduct a five phase process as follows:

Phase I: Initial discussion, protocol, history, institutional analysis, vision, mission, geopolitical assessment, bioregional delineation, values, objectives, needs, wants, budgets.
Phase II: Training in methodologies of Permaculture for representatives of all involved in site: those that live and work at and maintain the site.
Phase III: On site assessment, abiotic and biotic factors, physical, biological and cultural attributes, landform, built environment, energy sources, present and historical land use features, activity nodes and corridors, land tenure, critical habitat foundations, soil composition, vegetation composition and cover, successional pattern and plant productivity, wildlife corridors, water resources, climatological factors, the waste stream. Recommendations based on assessment and needs, suitability analysis, the whys and wherefores of transitioning into a comprehensive Permaculture “green” environment. Designing the vision, integrating the systems.
Phase IV: Design Charrette with representatives of all those occupying and using the site.
Phase V: Action steps, timeline, implementation and monitoring.

Wayne Weiseman and The Permaculture Project LLC can be contacted by emailing permacultureproject@gmail.com or calling (618) 713-0537.