ARTICLES Archives - Page 122 of 312

Enduring the Water Wars

I don't tend to be an alarmist, but I have to say that the mood about the drought here in California is scarier than anything I've witnessed in a lifetime of water awareness. We've been through these episodes before, of course. More times than I can count, the state has been rescued by late-season rains or heavier-than-estimated snowpacks. But this drought seems different, from one end of California to the other - more severe, more desperate, more polarizing and more caught up in quick reactions than in

Pocket Park’s Glory

As mentioned previously, I've traveled to Seattle with fair frequency through the past few years. Mostly I'm there to visit my mother on Bainbridge Island, but I've also given myself enough time to explore the area that I almost know my way around the city and its many public watershapes. On one trip a couple years back, I took the usual ferry ride from the island back to Seattle on my way to the airport, arriving in plenty of time for a leisurely stroll from the boat terminal to the metro station a few blocks away. My semi-roundabout path took me right by Pioneer Square, a place

Plumbed for Convenience

Of all the steps we've covered so far in this series of videos on pond installation, this is the only one that might be considered atypical, basically because the need for completing this operation depends on the type of filtration system you're using. In this case, we're installing a permanent gravel bed in the waterfall/filter unit, which means we need to include a backwash system in the form of a three-way valve and a drain line to make the bed easy to clean, refresh and maintain. The great thing is

Test Your Knowledge #75

Sleep in a Swimming Pool Without Even Getting Wet!

Ripples #85

Compiled and written by Lenny Giteck Wealthy Brit to Build $16 Million Basement for Swimming Pool

Sealing the Deal

The project we've been covering in this series of videos is definitely in the home stretch, but there are several key details that still need our attention. The most important of these from the perspective of long-term performance is properly securing the liner to the faceplate of the waterfall/filter unit. As seen in the video linked below, this step in the process is all about preventing leaks: No matter how small they might be, the fact that they'd allow water to

The Acid Test

It's understandable that some would think that too much cyanuric acid - that is, the stabilizer used to keep the sun from destroying the chlorine in outdoor pools and spas - might be bad for the interior finish. It is, after all, acid, which instantly conjures images of surface corrosion and ruination. The fact of the matter, however, is that high cyanuric acid levels do not cause

Penny-Wise, Fountain Foolish

A news story out of New Zealand caught my eye the other day. It was all about a new fountain/waterfeature the city of Napier has added to a spot close to the National Aquaium and near beautiful Hawke's Bay. As you can see by clicking on the link below to get the full story and a photograph, it's a fairly pedestrian

Test Your Knowledge #74

Backyard Pool Converted intoUnderground Marijuana Farm

When clients in New York asked Bruce Zaretsky to create a tropical paradise in their backyard, he hesitated for a bit -- then pulled out all the stops and presented them with a subtly themed poolscape that met their hearts' desires.

Caribbean Outpost — North

Since the very beginning, WaterShapes has been a strong advocate for the importance of working in context and making certain that what's done with a watershape, its landscape and various exterior amenities all align in fairly specific ways with the architecture of a home and the nature of its surroundings. I'm all for that in principle and toe the line carefully in almost all of the projects I pursue. But it's only almost, because in select sets of circumstances, creating