Question:
WATERFALL & STREAM CONSTRUCTION We typically place the BioFalls 6′ to 10′ from the pond edge. This allows us to spread out the excavated soil. Additionally this creates a more properly scaled planting berm and an area to build a small stream. We like to twist and turn the stream to make it look more natural therefore we often use a 10′ x 15′ wide liner to give us extra material to play with. the stones we use trend to be irregularly shaped. Unless we are doing a large commercial job, all the stone we use are move and installed by hand. By using manageable stones, we can manipulate them to achieve the desired look easily. Our Biofalls makes it easy to begin the first waterfall drop. We do not use mortar or concrete but we do use a professional Hilti gun to dispense foam and seal our stones. Remember to completely surround the Biofalls with topsoil so none of the plastic is visible. *Adjust the rocks to adjust the flow. *Let your creativity flow by making a double waterfall. *Every stone is different, so every Biofalls waterfall is unique. *Completely surround your BioFalls with a large berm. Add plants to completely naturalize. *Leave your waterfalls and streams running in the winter for an interesting effect. *Round boulders can create a different look. *Overhanging plants will make a Biofalls appear to be a spring-fed waterfall. Happy Ponding, BullfrogEd http://www.pondguys.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi all: > I am planning my spring project and I want to build a new waterfall. I am > looking for ideas especially any webpages that might have suggestions for the > construction. Thanks, > Bill
Response:
Hi all: I am planning my spring project and I want to build a new waterfall. I am looking for ideas especially any webpages that might have suggestions for the construction. Thanks, Bill
Response:
Bill, My web site shows the steps I went through to build 7 seven waterfalls in two ponds. Although I have cement ponds, my brother has a liner pond and he’s using the same ideas to add a waterfall to his pond. Check it out. Dale — Visit Our Secret World Ponds: http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html Before you buy.
Response:
Dale: Great ponds and great pictures. vern – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Bill, > My web site shows the steps I went through to build 7 seven waterfalls > in two ponds. Although I have cement ponds, my brother has a liner pond > and he’s using the same ideas to add a waterfall to his pond. Check it > out. > Dale > — > Visit Our Secret World Ponds: > http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html > Before you buy.
Response:
Thanks, It looks great! Bill
Response:
Beautiful pond!!! You must live in one of the southern states. I wish we could have the beautiful plants that you have around your pond. Ours won’t make it thru the winter months. — Sent to you by Karla I have added a new page to my website. http://karla528.homestead.com/index.html
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Bill, > My web site shows the steps I went through to build 7 seven waterfalls > in two ponds. Although I have cement ponds, my brother has a liner pond > and he’s using the same ideas to add a waterfall to his pond. Check it > out. > Dale > — > Visit Our Secret World Ponds: > http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html > Before you buy.
Response:
Hi Karla, Yes, we live in S. Calif (zone 9 or 10) so we can pond year round. There are only a couple of Hawaiian Lei plants that I have to be concerned with…everything else stays where it is with no problem. thanks for the compliment. Dale — Visit Our Secret World Ponds: http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html Before you buy.
Response:
A good design tip is to build an area in front of the BioFalls where water can pool before flowing downstream. When a waterfalls flows directly into a stream, it is harder to make it look natural. This is another reason why we use a ten-foot wide stream liner. You avoid having seams and overlaps in the stream when you use a wide liner. Having a pool that the water spills into also helps you avoid leaks. Ideally, the pool that the waterfall spills into also helps you avoid leaks. Ideally, the pool should be the width of the waterfall on both sides of the actual falls itself. If you are using a standard BioFalls with a two-foot wide spillway, your upper pool should be excavated six feet across. The actual pooling water will be significantly less since boulders of the waterfalls will take up space. However, the liner will extend far enough to both sides of the BioFalls to prevent water loss from splashing. This also will create space for marginal aquatic plants on both sides of the falls. When you first survey the site where you are designing a pond, you should notice a number of things. The location of the viewing area, the lay of the land and existing landscaping all need to be analyzed. As you stand there taking it all in, ideas will come and go and you will visualize many different options. The more ponds you see, the more options your mind creates. In the end, however, one design usually stands out in your thoughts as the ideal water feature for the setting. You can see the finished project in your mind as you look out the living room, family room, and kitchen windows. You picture wrapping the pond around the existing gazebo. You imagine how a deck could be added later to overhang the pond and create the illusion of a pier. Your eyes can see the future colorful blooms of the surrounding perennial garden created on top of the berm of excavated dirt. When it comes to design, the easiest part is often the idea stage. Factors like budget, and your understanding of what the project requires put constraints on your creativity. Your goal as the designer should be to create the best design you can afford. Location & Size The water feature needs to be brought up close and personal to the home. Low spots should be avoided because run-off water can pollute a pond and construction is often complicated because, wet muddy soil is hard to work in. Excessive ground water levels can shift stones and cause bubbles in liners. Place a water feature where people can enjoy it. Even outdoor-loving people spend much of their time inside the house. You should try to face the waterfalls towards the house. That way the waterfall is not only visible from the living area, but the sound it creates will echo through the home. When a pond can be seen and heard from the home, it’s enjoyment is increased dramatically. The size of a pond is crucial to its overall impact on the landscape and your pleasure. You must understand the addictive nature of water gardening. The truth is that larger ponds are easier to maintain and the cost of constructing a pond does not increase proportionally with size. Larger bodies of water are easier to keep in balance than smaller ones. Climate changes, chemicals, or even over-feeding of fish affect smaller ponds much more rapidly. The more water you have as a buffer, the easier it becomes to balance a pond. When it comes to the cost of the pond, it’s better to do it right the first time! If you want to make a perennial garden three feet bigger, you take out a shovel and turn over the ground. If you want to do the same thing with a pond, you rip it out and start over! The latter involves considerably more work and expense. The trick is to find a size that balances the needs of a future hobbyist with the desires of those who only want to get their feet wet with water gardening. The size we feel meets both criteria is 11 ft. x 16 ft. . When the water gardening bug bites, it bites hard! People find new and exciting plants that they want to add to their ponds. Their fish grow, multiply, and the same person who swore they didn’t want fish couldn’t dream of giving them up! Soon, an area that seemed plenty big to a novice is woefully inadequate to the newly experienced hobbyist. The ponds come and go, and each year they get grander. Happy Ponding, BullfrogEd http://www.pondguys.com The Aquascapes Ecosystem – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi all: > I am planning my spring project and I want to build a new waterfall. I am > looking for ideas especially any webpages that might have suggestions for the > construction. Thanks, > Bill
Response:
WATERFALL & STREAM CONSTRUCTION We typically place the BioFalls 6′ to 10′ from the pond edge. This allows us to spread out the excavated soil. Additionally this creates a more properly scaled planting berm and an area to build a small stream. We like to twist and turn the stream to make it look more natural therefore we often use a 10′ x 15′ wide liner to give us extra material to play with. the stones we use trend to be irregularly shaped. Unless we are doing a large commercial job, all the stone we use are move and installed by hand. By using manageable stones, we can manipulate them to achieve the desired look easily. Our Biofalls makes it easy to begin the first waterfall drop. We do not use mortar or concrete but we do use a professional Hilti gun to dispense foam and seal our stones. Remember to completely surround the Biofalls with topsoil so none of the plastic is visible. *Adjust the rocks to adjust the flow. *Let your creativity flow by making a double waterfall. *Every stone is different, so every Biofalls waterfall is unique. *Completely surround your BioFalls with a large berm. Add plants to completely naturalize. *Leave your waterfalls and streams running in the winter for an interesting effect. *Round boulders can create a different look. *Overhanging plants will make a Biofalls appear to be a spring-fed waterfall. Happy Ponding, BullfrogEd http://www.pondguys.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi all: > I am planning my spring project and I want to build a new waterfall. I am > looking for ideas especially any webpages that might have suggestions for the > construction. Thanks, > Bill
Response:
Hi all: I am planning my spring project and I want to build a new waterfall. I am looking for ideas especially any webpages that might have suggestions for the construction. Thanks, Bill
Response:
Bill, My web site shows the steps I went through to build 7 seven waterfalls in two ponds. Although I have cement ponds, my brother has a liner pond and he’s using the same ideas to add a waterfall to his pond. Check it out. Dale — Visit Our Secret World Ponds: http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html Before you buy.
Response:
Dale: Great ponds and great pictures. vern – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Bill, > My web site shows the steps I went through to build 7 seven waterfalls > in two ponds. Although I have cement ponds, my brother has a liner pond > and he’s using the same ideas to add a waterfall to his pond. Check it > out. > Dale > — > Visit Our Secret World Ponds: > http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html > Before you buy.
Response:
Thanks, It looks great! Bill
Response:
Beautiful pond!!! You must live in one of the southern states. I wish we could have the beautiful plants that you have around your pond. Ours won’t make it thru the winter months. — Sent to you by Karla I have added a new page to my website. http://karla528.homestead.com/index.html
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Bill, > My web site shows the steps I went through to build 7 seven waterfalls > in two ponds. Although I have cement ponds, my brother has a liner pond > and he’s using the same ideas to add a waterfall to his pond. Check it > out. > Dale > — > Visit Our Secret World Ponds: > http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html > Before you buy.
Response:
Hi Karla, Yes, we live in S. Calif (zone 9 or 10) so we can pond year round. There are only a couple of Hawaiian Lei plants that I have to be concerned with…everything else stays where it is with no problem. thanks for the compliment. Dale — Visit Our Secret World Ponds: http://oursecretworldpond.homestead.com/1.html Before you buy.
Response:
A good design tip is to build an area in front of the BioFalls where water can pool before flowing downstream. When a waterfalls flows directly into a stream, it is harder to make it look natural. This is another reason why we use a ten-foot wide stream liner. You avoid having seams and overlaps in the stream when you use a wide liner. Having a pool that the water spills into also helps you avoid leaks. Ideally, the pool that the waterfall spills into also helps you avoid leaks. Ideally, the pool should be the width of the waterfall on both sides of the actual falls itself. If you are using a standard BioFalls with a two-foot wide spillway, your upper pool should be excavated six feet across. The actual pooling water will be significantly less since boulders of the waterfalls will take up space. However, the liner will extend far enough to both sides of the BioFalls to prevent water loss from splashing. This also will create space for marginal aquatic plants on both sides of the falls. When you first survey the site where you are designing a pond, you should notice a number of things. The location of the viewing area, the lay of the land and existing landscaping all need to be analyzed. As you stand there taking it all in, ideas will come and go and you will visualize many different options. The more ponds you see, the more options your mind creates. In the end, however, one design usually stands out in your thoughts as the ideal water feature for the setting. You can see the finished project in your mind as you look out the living room, family room, and kitchen windows. You picture wrapping the pond around the existing gazebo. You imagine how a deck could be added later to overhang the pond and create the illusion of a pier. Your eyes can see the future colorful blooms of the surrounding perennial garden created on top of the berm of excavated dirt. When it comes to design, the easiest part is often the idea stage. Factors like budget, and your understanding of what the project requires put constraints on your creativity. Your goal as the designer should be to create the best design you can afford. Location & Size The water feature needs to be brought up close and personal to the home. Low spots should be avoided because run-off water can pollute a pond and construction is often complicated because, wet muddy soil is hard to work in. Excessive ground water levels can shift stones and cause bubbles in liners. Place a water feature where people can enjoy it. Even outdoor-loving people spend much of their time inside the house. You should try to face the waterfalls towards the house. That way the waterfall is not only visible from the living area, but the sound it creates will echo through the home. When a pond can be seen and heard from the home, it’s enjoyment is increased dramatically. The size of a pond is crucial to its overall impact on the landscape and your pleasure. You must understand the addictive nature of water gardening. The truth is that larger ponds are easier to maintain and the cost of constructing a pond does not increase proportionally with size. Larger bodies of water are easier to keep in balance than smaller ones. Climate changes, chemicals, or even over-feeding of fish affect smaller ponds much more rapidly. The more water you have as a buffer, the easier it becomes to balance a pond. When it comes to the cost of the pond, it’s better to do it right the first time! If you want to make a perennial garden three feet bigger, you take out a shovel and turn over the ground. If you want to do the same thing with a pond, you rip it out and start over! The latter involves considerably more work and expense. The trick is to find a size that balances the needs of a future hobbyist with the desires of those who only want to get their feet wet with water gardening. The size we feel meets both criteria is 11 ft. x 16 ft. . When the water gardening bug bites, it bites hard! People find new and exciting plants that they want to add to their ponds. Their fish grow, multiply, and the same person who swore they didn’t want fish couldn’t dream of giving them up! Soon, an area that seemed plenty big to a novice is woefully inadequate to the newly experienced hobbyist. The ponds come and go, and each year they get grander. Happy Ponding, BullfrogEd http://www.pondguys.com The Aquascapes Ecosystem – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi all: > I am planning my spring project and I want to build a new waterfall. I am > looking for ideas especially any webpages that might have suggestions for the > construction. Thanks, > Bill
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