There are so many options and a wide, wide range of prices. Let’s walk through a few common questions and explore the possibilities!
Fountains, streams, or waterfalls are much lower maintenance than a koi or goldfish pond. These types of water features are perfect to add sights, sounds, and aquatic plants to any backyard. If you travel frequently, have a busy schedule, or maybe want to be able to turn off the feature when your aren’t around – a pondless feature or fountain may be for you.
Now it’s time to decide on the aesthetics and visual components. Yes, there are even more decisions. 😁 Finding the perfect spot for the feature can take a little forethought. We always want them to blend into the existing landscape. Equally as important is the viewing area. Most of these features are left running all year round. The visual from inside the house is just as important as the seat beside the feature.
Are you trying to drown out the street or highway noise? Maybe a larger feature or at least more moving water will be needed. We can also install variable speed pumps on your feature. When it comes time to entertain or have a party, you can literally “turn it up!”
The light trickle of a fountain or bubbling rock will create the perfect peaceful sound, adding to the ambiance. Small zen gardens with a bubbling rock or shallow sound are the perfect place to read a book and listen to the birds.
Creating an access point for dogs or kids is fairly simple. Larger boulders and other components would be used to make sure it can withstand the traffic. Extra care goes into stabilizing the fountains by filling them with stone so they cannot be moved. We will also take the time to add additional protective underlayment for the liner to avoid punctures from puppy paws and traffic.
Believe it or not, most waterfalls you see in our pictures only utilize 16-22” of grade change. Typically this is all that’s needed to create a stunning waterfall. The soil from the basin and/or pond excavation is usually adequate to create the elevation, and no extra soil is needed. While it’s not generally recommended, if you would like to see a taller waterfall we can bring in more soil, but it is typically a LOT more. The reason for the large amount of soil is that we try hard to avoid what we call the “volcano waterfall”, which is a 45 degree angle or a quick drop in the soil right off the boulders. The quick elevation change is not typical of what we see in nature and it is hard to naturalize.
Incorporating a fountain is an easy way to add height to a feature with out creating a “volcano.” Urns, spheres, and bowls can add 15-50″ of height. We especially like to use these fountain components when there are multiple vantage points. A fountain can easily allow the water feature to be seen from the side or back, allowing the sound and visual interest to fill the space better.
Using a fountain by the front step or gate will create a warm, welcoming statement. A front fountain could be a simple bowl set or stacked slate sphere. We could also build a bridge across a stream or pond to make a bold entrance to the home.
A cafe area for the team, maybe a restaurant drive-thru, or a courtyard for guests… there are many ways to incorporate water features into a commercial space. Water features can be uniquely positioned to bring a peaceful setting and create a relaxing environment. If maintaining a water feature is holding you back from adding one for your business, we offer monthly and yearly plans to keep the feature looking pristine so you don’t have to.
We love a challenge! We’ve commissioned and installed steel arches, built grottos, created water walls inside of buildings, and have done so many other fun designs. Usually these do come with a larger price tag than our standard features, but we love to build one-of-a-kind features.
The Aquascape Ecosystem Pond is perfect. It requires much lower maintenance over traditional pond systems. No pressure filters. No UV lights. No fancy filters. Most ecosystem ponds will only need a couple of five minute visits a week for maintenance. Feeding the fish is typically the most time consuming part of an ecosystem pond.
Natural waterfalls and streams are usually the most important part of a pond. They add additional filtration, a place for plants, and of course the sight and sound of moving water.
If the feature will have lots of koi or fish, typically a beefed-up filtration system like a wetland filter or up-flow bog will be needed. An intake bay instead of a skimmer will further lower the maintenance requirements.
Swim ponds, natural swimming pools, and interactive features have gained a lot of traction lately. Swimming in naturally filtered water has many advantages. However, these do typically take up 2-3 times more space than a traditional swimming pool.
Adding lights to the feature creates an amazing ambiance. The sight of flickering light behind the waterfall or the reflection on a tree canopy will definitely set the mood, and make your yard look like a completely transformed space at night.
As you can imagine, there’s an extremely wide range with many factors. Small features can be installed in the $3,500-$5,000 range. Adding lights, more moving water, a larger basin, plus additional landscaping? It can easily graduate to $10,000-$20,000. Do you need space for more fish, or want a multifaceted feature? $30,000-$60,000 is not out of the question. As for natural swim ponds – they can easily start around $125,000 and can grow well past $200,000.
Transform your outdoor oasis into a breathtaking paradise with this large fountain package. Surrounded by the soothing sounds of water from a combination of stunning water features, your backyard will become a haven of serenity for you and your loved ones for years to come.
Water features generally create a lot of soil displacement. Thankfully we can usually use this soil building the waterfall or naturalizing the feature into the yard. If we can’t though, there would be a soil hauling charge to remove from the property.
Sometimes, using downspouts off the house to fill a pond or fountain is perfect. Keeps the water feature topped off and it recycles the rain water.
There are times when adding a water feature can cause issues though. Water may start to backup, creating a drainage issue we need to solve.
Usually elevation change where we want to build a pond is good. If it is going away from your home or ideal vantage point, we may need to make some changes to the design though.
While not a dealbreaker for any water feature, it is important to think about the primary vantage point and plan accordingly. Sometimes adding a fountain will allow the water to be better seen from all angles.
Plants are the perfect way to dress up any fountain or pond. Creating a landscaping of interest with blooms and thick foliage throughout the seasons will take a great space to an AMAZING space.
My favorite part about plants is how they bring bird and pollinators closer to the home.
One pond or two ponds? Lighting in and around the pond can create a totally new pond at night, setting off the whole yard.
Lighting in a stream or waterfall can create a candle like flicker, casting shadows to the tree canopy and surrounding structures, it is magical!
Additionally, being able to see the fish swimming through the water at night is a fun experience and can highlight their beauty.