Today we’d like to introduce you to Maoz Knight.
Hi Maoz, 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?
Well, if we go way back, in high school in Vermont I mowed lawns. I always enjoyed the process of making the entrance to a home look good and that is really what got me started down this path of outdoor living design and building. A good friend owned a landscape construction company and told me that when I knew what I wanted to do, I could come be his apprentice. I then went to college for Architecture and ended up interning at his company after my freshman year. That company did much larger scale outdoor living projects than anything I had done before and I fell in love with transforming landscapes and the ability to give people outdoor living space to enjoy. I also felt there was a need for more designers and builders to have a deeper understanding of architecture, not just landscape. The transition between these spaces is so vital to proper project flow, that’s what I tried to study and learn about. After college I moved to San Diego to continue to learn and develop more understanding of the water wise landscape processes we use out here. I went to work for a company in North Park as a project manager and once the former owner wanted to step away from the day to day, he approached me about buying him out. That was 4 years ago and we are continuing to grow and build enjoyable outdoor spaces in these historic neighborhoods in San Diego.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Of course, there’s always challenges as a small business owner. One of the biggest challenges we have faced in recent years is just the general climbing costs of materials. A 50k project 5 years ago might cost 60 – 70k these days so a lot of times it’s about how can we give someone their dream yard, with the amenities they are hoping for, at a budget that works for them. Sometimes that means phasing a project out into multiple installations or eliminating some things that aren’t must haves for a time and circling back to them later but always trying to give people a functional space during that time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a full-service landscape design & build firm. We work all over San Diego but most often work in the North Park, South Park, Kensington and Mission Hills areas. I would say we specialize in trying to preserve the history and look of these old, historic homes we work on while also trying to be as sustainable as we can be. If we can keep aspects of the original landscape or home, we always try. I am a firm believer that there’s always another way to do things that may not be the typical way.
What matters most to you?
Our reputation. Construction is a wild business and there are so many curveballs thrown your way but throughout a project we try to be up front and communicative with clients. It helps build trust and when the job is done if we can say we did our best to transform someone’s space to their dream and they can look at it and be overjoyed, that’s our constant goal. A job might go long, the plans might change, but if we are there doing everything we can to help execute the clients and our vision, that’s what people will remember about Retro.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retro_landscape/
Image Credits
ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY RETRO
