Ponds, Streams & Waterfalls
My first experience with these clients had to do with their backyard pool: They let me know they weren't quite satisfied with what they had and wanted me to come in and set things straight. The result of this collaboration was a tropical, Hawaiian-style paradise they truly love. The next time they called, it was about their large front yard. I initially assumed, of course, that they would want me to carry themes established in the backyard out to the street, but I was mistaken: What they desired instead was a Japanese garden-style woodland complete with a pond/waterfall system, a teahouse and more. Admittedly, it's somewhat unusual for a property to have so pronounced a split personality, but in this case, it was not only what the clients desired, but it also made perfect sense because
One person’s error is often another’s opportunity – and that’s exactly how my relationship with Disney’s Epcot Center began. The famous Florida theme park has held its International Flower & Garden Show in the spring for many years now, and one of the festival’s more popular highlights has long been the program’s “Water Garden Wonders” exhibit. A local Floridian pond contractor had always taken care of the waterfeatures for the show, but after a series of problems, officials at Disney decided to make a change and I was contacted to see if our company, Aquascape of St. Charles, Ill., would be interested in taking over the pond-construction duties. I was immediately on board with the idea. After all, how do you say no to
In December 2004, WaterShapes introduced ‘The Platinum Standard,’ a registry of projects that embodies watershaping…
Last month, we began describing our work on an indoor butterfly garden for the Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y. – an extremely challenging design/build project that required us to work as part of a large team in developing a complex garden, pond and waterfall composition. While the resulting butterfly-oriented design was definitely unusual in form and execution, it was also highly unusual in the convoluted way our firm became involved and in the complexities of
In December 2004, WaterShapes introduced ‘The Platinum Standard,’ a registry of projects that embodies watershaping…
In December 2004, WaterShapes introduced ‘The Platinum Standard,’ a registry of projects that embodies watershaping…
In December 2004, WaterShapes introduced ‘The Platinum Standard,’ a registry of projects that embodies watershaping…
Dream jobs seem to come in bunches for watershapers: If you do the best work you possibly can, apply your education, stand by your work and, most of all, leave your clients happy, nice things that happen with one job seem to lead almost inevitably to other great jobs. That’s exactly what happened with this project: I was led to it by satisfied clients who became my best salespeople and told all their friends how delighted they were with the work we’d done and how much they were enjoying the results. By the time I actually met this new client, there was no question about us having the inside track; indeed, we just jumped right into the job’s specifics. From the start, we were given tremendous creative freedom, there was no big concern about budget and the work was all about
It's rare in our fast-paced world when you get the chance to work closely with clients over an extended period of time – and in this case we took full advantage of the opportunity: All the way through the evolution of the project, the couple gave me voluminous information about what they wanted and enabled me not only to understand and deliver what they were after, but also allowed me in many instances to exceed their expectations. I had worked with him before on
Specializing in naturalistic watershapes obviously requires an appreciation of nature, says Atlanta-based pond/stream specialist Robert Vaughn, but doing a good job of emulating what happens in and around natural bodies of water also calls for a refined set of design and installation skills – especially when the goal is to create watershapes that appear right at home amid rolling topographies and densely wooded landscapes. The Atlanta area is a great place to be a watershaper these days. The natural landscape is beautiful with its undulating terrain and dense tree canopy, and there are plenty of affluent, upscale neighborhoods in which skills may be applied in support of clients who have the wherewithal to demand something special. That combination of attributes adds up to great opportunities for companies like mine – Earthwerx of Carterville, Ga. – that focus on crafting nature-inspired paradises in substantial backyards. Indeed, this is a market in which prospective clients are passionate about enjoying their homes and their surroundings instead of engaging in the hassles and perceived risks of travel. In addition, where property values and home equities in other markets have taken a hit in the past year, the
