ARTICLES Archives - Page 313 of 314

The sound of water moving through the landscape adds something special to any backyard, offering a powerful aesthetic component to even the simplest of designs. These auditory enhancements evoke strong images, emotions and associations even from casual or occasional observers, notes landscape designer and watershaper Rick Anderson, who suggests that the 'aural factor' should be considered from the very beginning of the design phase.

Soothing Sounds

All too often, the purchasers of a home (new or old) find a garden space stripped of any natural feel. Large lot or small, they sense no "connection" to the land - only a bleak space devoid of vegetation or any sort of overhead canopy and lacking the finishing touches that draw them out of the confines of the home to enjoy what usually represents the majority of their real estate. From my perspective, the best way to generate this connection to the land is through the creation of ponds, streams and waterfalls in these backyard settings. Such features bring a more natural look and feel to residential garden spaces and instill a sense of connectedness. And whether customers pick up this sense consciously or subconsciously does not matter: What matters is that they somehow know it, that they feel it. Plantings are a big part of this picture, but I lean heavily on watershapes to create connections because of

Why spend tens of thousands of dollars for a freeway-strong substructure if you’re not going to put a beautifully designed and well-constructed pool on top of all that stabilizing steel and concrete? In this second article detailing the evolution of a spectacular installation on a fragile hillside, builder/designer David Tisherman describes what it takes to craft a shell worthy of so spectacular a setting.

Shaping Perfection

When I talk with prospective customers about hillside installations, more often than not I'll find myself saying "A good foundation deserves a great pool" at some point during our conversations. In fact, I view all of my pools as works of art, whether they're installed on a hillside or on flat land. The design can be a simple rectangle (which in my opinion are some of the most beautiful pools built) or an elaborate oceanscape with all sorts of bells and whistles. Regardless of location, style or complexity, I build my pools with first-rate foundations engineered for the specific soil conditions, and I give my clients the best pool I possibly can. As I explained in

Pneumatically applied concrete – better known to all the world as ‘shotcrete’ or ‘gunite’ – is so pervasive in watershape construction and so structurally dependable in most cases that a great many builders forget one of the primary steps in its application: proper curing. The result, says consultant Curt Straub, is a rash of hairline cracking in plaster surfaces that might easily be avoided.

Finding the Cure

As a former shotcrete builder myself, I believe you can't find a better method of building a pool, spa, pond or waterfeature of any type than by using pneumatically placed concrete, or "shotcrete." The method and the material offer the designer and builder great and often incredible design flexibility, and the resulting watershapes will last several lifetimes. Given that the vast majority of watershapers around the world depend on shotcrete as their primary construction material, it only makes sense that we should know as much as possible about putting this amazing product to its best possible use. Unfortunately, however, that's not always the case. There's little argument that the process of shotcrete construction is laborious and demanding, that it requires a major logistical and physical effort and that fairly precise timing is necessary. For all the focus it takes to apply it and shape it just so, however, I have observed a couple of critical steps many builders overlook in the press of getting the job done - the most important of them being the proper curing of the

Today’s swimming pools have a great and wonderful tendency toward beauty, but the plain and unhappy fact, says Fred Hare, is that many of them are not as sound in design, engineering and construction as they should be – and this is particularly true when it comes to their hydraulics. To find out why, this engineer and educator asks a pointed question: ‘Are your pools as good as they look?’

As Good as It Looks?

How far we've come since the days of the lazy L, the kidney and the rectangle! During the more than 30 years I've been part of the pool industry, I've witnessed mind-boggling advances in the designs of swimming pools, spas and watershapes of all types. Especially in the past 10 years, the ideas, creativity and workmanship found in residential backyards far surpasses what we saw or even dreamed of 20 or 30 years ago. Back then, you'd have to go to a movie set or Las Vegas to see the exotic designs we are seeing today. I'd even say that today's designers are turning backyard pool environments into

The owner wanted something unique, something spectacular to mark the entrance to a new development of upscale homes. Michael Nantz dove into the project with enthusiasm and a head full of ideas – but soon found that the flat terrain and the site’s immediate proximity to a busy highway presented special challenges.

Roadside Attraction

Some projects grab you right from the start, and this was definitely one of those cases. As the principals at Herzog Development Corp. explained in our initial meeting, their new development was to be a "golf course community with a rustic feel, but refined." To embody that refinement, Don Herzog and his son, Daryl, wanted some sort of elaborate waterfeature - something that would break the monotony of the stark, flat terrain of northeast Dallas County and welcome

Artificial rock may have its place, but the real thing is still king when it comes to adding beauty, value and prestige to natural-style pools, spas and waterfeatures. Here, a natural-rock specialist defines some of the ways he uses rock by the ton to turn common waterscapes into truly dazzling works of naturalistic art.

Classic Rock

If you love rock, New England is a great place to work. A special combination of geology and the glaciers of the last Ice Age left behind a spectacular legacy of granite formations and scattered countless tons of boulders of all types and descriptions across the landscape from Maine through Massachusetts. It's the indigenous rock, so it's not too surprising that affluent New Englanders have long chosen granite and other local species to accent their landscaping. And this is especially true in

Terms in Currency

You don't have to be a football expert to sit in the stands on a nice fall day and watch the locals bash the visitors. But to get the most from the festivities, it helps to know the difference between a two-point conversion and an on-side kick. Being able to converse with your seatmates about the nickel defense and the single-wing offense surging back and forth before your eyes makes it even better. The jargon isn't just for the players and sportscasters. Electricity is a bit like that. Most of us are users, and most of us know some of the jargon despite the fact we don't work at a power plant. We know that we have 12-volt batteries in our cars and that the porch light takes a 60-watt light bulb. And for many folks, that's enough. I believe, however, that those of us who work with things electric on a larger scale can benefit from

Defining Roles

Before we dive into discussions of plantings or the various components of landscaping work, I think it's important to define roles and talk about relationships among the trades involved in watershaping projects - in other words, to take a basic look at who does what. We can all save time and money by knowing from the beginning of the job who is going to handle each phase and detail as well as who is qualified, trained or licensed to perform the various tasks needed to get the job done. Planning this up front might even result in greater profits, and it definitely will make your job easier. I know it's the goal of this magazine to build a greater "watershaping community" where both landscape professionals and those who

The Power of Your Mindset

Several years ago, at a time when I was still pretty wet behind the ears, a young, attractive woman invited me to join our local Chamber of Commerce and attend a meeting with her. "Sure," I said. "I'll give it a shot." I showed up for the event and met a bunch of banker types, and it seemed like everyone was a vice president of something or other. I was just starting to get comfortable when the woman who had invited me explained that it was customary for new members to stand up and tell everyone about his or her business. As luck would have it, I didn't go first. Another guy stood up before me and talked for a few minutes about his carpet-cleaning business - a trade he obviously found to be less than stimulating. He spoke in a monotone voice and made carpet cleaning sound like, well, carpet cleaning. Inspired by his lack of enthusiasm, I decided to

The Power of the First Person

There's something very special about the people who write for WaterShapes. If you haven't noticed already, let me point out that this magazine is written by people in the