Second Use is proud to bring to your shopping experience a pool of experts who can help with your home needs. With spring right around the corner, this month we feature Dave Lacey, Second Use’s weekend store manager and resident landscaping expert.
Dave received a Degree of Certification in horticulture technology at the Area Technical Trade Center in 1996 in his hometown of Las Vegas. While in the program, he began an internship at the Las Vegas Valley Water District, where he helped educate residents on drought-tolerant landscaping. The District’s gardens comprised 14 different “landscapes,” featuring native plants, cacti and succulents that proved you can still have an inspiring garden, while providing shade and keeping water usage to a minimum. In addition to leading garden tours and public education, Dave helped to create and maintain the various other habitats and landscapes showcased in the diverse demo plots.
Lacey moved to the Northwest shortly thereafter and joined EarthCorps, an environmental service program based in Seattle. He learned and practiced invasive removal of English ivy, the tenacious blackberry, and morning glory, as well as receiving an education in native plant design and installation. Lacey also gained exposure to using chainsaws for articulate work and the rules of laying stone for everlasting structures in trail work and various hillside restoration projects. It was through this exposure he become inspired to be more of a builder, working with the environment, and not conforming it.
Following his stint with restoration, Lacey learned the tradition of classic stonework through a variety of reputable landscape companies. He picked up ideas as he went, until gaining the confidence to branch out on his own, when he created his own company, Wooden Stoneworks. He specialized in dry-stack walls, patios, pathways and custom exterior carpentry. He always aimed to incorporate salvaged material in his work and convince his clients of the necessity of conservation through permaculture and intelligent design.
Dave has always been drawn to the sustainability of reusing building materials, and that is what brought him to Second Use–the draw of working with a like-minded, focused community and a different kind of public interaction. He started working at Second Use in April and is currently the weekend manager. If you have any questions about landscaping and how to incorporate salvage into your yard, don’t hesitate to ask Dave Lacey. At 6 feet 9 inches, you can’t miss him!
Posted 2/1/2013
