An Epic Backyard Update with American Waterscapes

Back in 2018, my business was struggling a bit. I still needed to learn how to actually operate and run a business. Enter: The Contractor Fight. The funny thing about The Contractor Fight was that this group was made up largely of a bunch of pond builders, and suddenly I got to be a part of that world. ​

​​While we had already built a bunch of water features at that point, we definitely weren’t doing it at the same caliber as these people. I immediately loved the camaraderie that this group had, and the tribe that The Contractor Fight had built. I started getting introduced to different builders around the country, and ended up at Aquascapes Pondemonium event, where I met April (aka “Queen of the Lady Pond Builders”) from American Waterscapes.

April travels around the country helping contractors like myself when we’re faced with a project that requires an expert, a true artist, who can help turn the vision that we have in our heads into reality. ​

Well this project in Newport News, Virginia was exactly that. There are a TON of moving parts to this job, including:

1. Three fountains
2. One waterfall
3. A plunge pool
4. Shed relocation
5. Three patio spaces
6. A fire pit
7. Lighting
8. Multiple dedicated electrical circuits
9. Irrigation
10. Landscaping

Clearly we needed an expert to help bring this project to life! We started with a basic drawing that I gave to April and we talked through the vision and feeling that we wanted to have in this space.  Once April was sure she was headed in the right direction, she was able to really step in and create an epic outdoor experience that was even better than we imagined. 

One of the early obstacles with this project was having to relocate the shed from one side of the property to the other. While this might not sound like a huge deal, the new location ended up being RIGHT where I had wanted the water wall to start… ​

Now, not only did we have to change the location of the water feature, but we actually had to separate it into two independent features. The original plan was to have one contiguous piece where we could use the water from the sphere to enhance the actual waterfall at the end. Since that was no longer an option, April and I reworked the layout so that the spheres were independent and could be managed and maintained on their own. ​

Another aspect of this job where April’s expertise shined was “stacking” the water wall (see below). Instead of having one long, straight wall like I originally planned, April staggered the walls in a way that added a lot of interest and dimension to the space. Not only does the water wall look beautiful during the day, but the lighting at night is going to be awesome because it will have a dark shadow in between the bright lights which will really accentuate those pieces. The design is pretty fantastic and it’s going to bring a totally different feel to this space.

Between all of the different slate pieces, design changes, and insane plumbing, this project is definitely one for the record books. Check out the video to catch the full behind the scenes update on this epic backyard!