Waterfall construction under $10,000

[chilligirl]

My $0.02:

You've built a beautiful pond, with clean lines and a somewhat "formal" look, versus a "natural" look. I'd recommend that, for your falls, you stick with the same style. I think if you go with the dry-stacked stone look that other posters have shown (which looks great if that's what the rest of your pond looks like), it won't fit with the pond you've built.

Why not stick with the same type of stone blocks as you used for the pond? If height/cost is an issue, look on craigslist and in the local paper to see if you can find a set of concrete stairs someone is getting rid of for cheap. Haul them home , then hide them with one layer of the stone that matches your pond. For your falls, stick to large flat rocks with straight edges - basically having the water come down a paved course and a series of semi-formal "stairs".

JMO.

Love your pond BTW

 

[koikeepr]

I think chilligirl is right on. Raised ponds aren't exactly "natural" looking because they are raised. It's a lot easier to get away with stacking stone and such on pond that's inground.

Instead of departing from the materials you have already used, why not just put in something that would seem normal and natural with the raised plan you've got going and the materials you've used? Maybe do something completely out of the ordinary. Perhaps try a sheer wall that the water can come up and over and can just wash down the front. Maybe you can put some rocks that jut out of the wall to give you breaks and some uneveness for the water to hit.

I once saw a pond where the guy had water coming up copper pipes and then he had pierced a series of holes across a bar and the water came down into the pond like a rainfall. A gorgeous sound it made indeed--sort of like rain in a forest.

Chilligirl has a good idea here to think beyond the traditional waterfall. How about a horizontal sheet of glass to pour off of?

 

[D&RW]

Thank you Chilligirl. I think those landscaping stones end up looking neat. The pond itself does look kind of, well, refined I guess. Architectural or something. Definitely interesting.

What has occurred to Chilligirl & KoiKeeper also happened to me to as sort of a lightbulb moment, i.e. the realization that a natural waterfall with the manufactured stone wall would probably not look good. I too thought of using the same stones or a similar type for the falls.

I really miss the sound of the previous falls. But aside from that, I hope and think the current enhanced bead filter will be able to handle the low fish load I'll have in this bigger pond. So, there is no hurry.

It's too bad there isn't some way to artifically create the waterfall constructed of the manufactured stones to see how it would look. I have the feeling one would either like it or flat out hate it.

One thing is for sure, I really like the look of Dr. Case's dry stacks. His is above ground and I think it looks super. It's not so much that it looks "natural" per se, but that the building materials themselves look good & sort of "right" for a pond.

You know, one thought that has occurred to me is to stay very simple. Just put the Aquafalls Waterfall filter right on top of or just back from the wall. Use a big flat stone to carry the flow out into the pond for a 28 inch fall into the pond. Use a similar flat stone in front of the aquafalls as I did before and then encase the entire thing in the same landscaping stones. It might look kind of "abbreviated", but maybe not. And the sound would be good. It'd sure be a lot less expensive and easier to build.
.

 

[koikeepr]

Right, but the Doc's pond migrates down into a ground level pond and all this stone work is stacked looking, so it all flows together. It looks, well, natural!

I love stacked stone too, but when I build my above ground pond next, I realize I won't be able to do a traditional stack stone fall because that's not a material I'll be using to face the pond.

I think your idea for your aqua falls makes sense. Encase it in some of the material you've already used. You could make some kinda box, face it in the stone you've already been using, and voila!

My personal plan will be to use dark slate tile to sheath my pond walls, so I will probably construct a falls out of slate so that all stays cohesive. I wil likely go to a stoneyard and buy a big assed piece of 3 foot slate and have the falls cascade off that. Not "natural" looking per se, but unique and fitting for an above ground pond.

You're on the right track....

 

[DrCase]

Thanks for all the comments about all my rocks
Here in Arkansas when you get on one of the rivers , in the hills, rock cliffs and rock walls are what you see every where
When you can see my whole yard , along with my pond, that is what i was trying to create. in my own small way .

 

[chilligirl]

yeah, I love the look of Dr. Case's pond and fall also, but wouldn't look right with my pond either.

My pond is partially above ground, and the above-ground portion is square and made of landscaping timbers. The upper pond, made of the same material and connecting up to the existing pond, should be finished this spring. My waterfall is going to be a single sheet of water falling in one step from a long, straight piece of slate. I think anything else would look "wrong" with the existing pond.

Interestingly, my pond doesn't look particularly "formal", even though it's square and has straight lines. I soften the look of it through using lots of plants to break up the outline.

Here's a pic from last summer (still a work in progress)

 

[D&RW]

Just lately I'm starting to have spending pains. This expansion is way over original budget what with new filters and pumps. We don't have a lot of flat rocks around here, mostly rounded river rock. So I'd probably have to buy some or all of it and that causes me major pause. Hiring it done would be best, but gad $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Deb wants me to hire someone to advise us and I am talking to a couple people, but no commitment yet. There'd be another couple hundred bucks probably.

In order to have the multiple falls design I posted there'd be the structure I'd have to build out of cement block on which to put either the landscaping stone or the stacked rocks. I figure I'd have to hire a cement company to come in and pour the slab and fill the walls. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

So, simple seems good. Like you said, I could build up the wall in front of the aquafalls using mortar for increased stability. Then put the aquafalls behind it on a small slab or cement blocks set in the ground on paver sand. Finally, encase the whole structure in landscaping rocks the same as the wall. There'd just be one drop into the pond, but it'd be enough of a fall to generate nice sound and some additional aeration. I'm starting to lean pretty heavily in this direction.

 

[DrCase]

One of the great things about building your pond is once your done and start enjoying every thing about it.
You start thinking , and all the new thoughts add up to i wish i did this list.
A year or two later you redo the pond to fit your new dream.
I have had at least 6 different ponds & streams in the same spot over the years.
Every pond looks good as long as you keep your water quality up.

 

[D&RW]

Very good point Dr. Case. Things can always be changed, improved, etc. 6 different pond iterations. wow.

 

[D&RW]

I met yesterday with a professional landscaper who has specialized in pond building for 20 years. It was very refreshing to meet someone who was so squared away. His knowledge was extensive (as best as I could tell) and his focus was equally balanced between aesthetics and function.

While I very much appreciate aesthetics and beauty, my approach and world view, so to speak, are much more function oriented. My wife knows this which is why she was so intent on getting a professional consultation.

He rendered all his ideas and opinions toward the assumption that I would do the work, i.e. he did not ever push himself or his business to do the work for me. When I did ask him to give a bid, he actually was a bit surprised, but said of course he could do one. We'll see what it is.

I really hope it's affordable. First because he knows exactly what he is doing and I do not. Second, because he said it would take about 2 days! ! ! I've been working on this pond expansion since late August, so having a very nice waterfall in 2 days is most appealing.

As for redoing the front of the wall to be natural looking, again he had some great ideas. The best, I think, was to find 5-6 large boulders of various sizes and shapes. Set them at varying spacing and at the least about 1 foot out from the wall. Fill in all the area between the stones and between the wall with dirt and other smaller rocks. Then bring in plantings of various kinds to dress it up. Make the resulting line quite variable rather than totally following the curve of the wall. This part I can do over time, when I have money and access to some way to move the boulders.