construction

RicoRock Introduces Structural Grotto/Cave System
RicoRock (Orlando, FL) now offers builders an improved system for adding custom structural grottos and…
2015/7.2, July 22 — Eastern Aspiration, Start-Up Options, Yellowstone’s Magic and more
From: WaterShapes <[email protected]>; Subject: Eastern Aspiration, Start-Up Options, Yellowstone’s Magic and more Reply: [email protected] THE…
Passion and Practicality
'If you ask my employees,' wrote Bruce Zaretsky in starting his July 2010 On the Level column, 'they'll tell you that I'm an unrelenting pain in the neck - a real tyrant.  That's because I'm always asking nagging sorts of questions such as, "Why isn't this project finished yet?" or "How much longer is this going to take?" or "Can you speed things up?" 'My questions, of course, are somewhat unfair.  . . .  But I have no reluctance to come across as a tyrant
Eastern Sensibilities
It's rare, but it happens:  Every once in a while, a client's desires align perfectly with the capabilities of a watershape designer and builder - so much so that the collaboration becomes a study in how powerful creative harmony can be. This sort of synergy was a hallmark of the hillside project under discussion here.  Early in the process, we were brought aboard to work on an unusually large spa as well as a small
Rocky Road
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can sometimes look like a rock outcropping myself:  Whatever it is, I love working with big chunks of stone in my pond projects.  More than any single design element I can deploy, there is no other component that's more important when it comes to making my work look as though it's been there
A Path to Enlightenment
I started out on the construction side of the pool industry nearly 20 years ago.  Back then, I probably experienced the building process a good 500 times, picking up insights into what determined the level of success of each project.   As time passed, I found myself being drawn to the design side:  I saw it as a way to put all of those insights to good use; more important, I knew it was where I could do the most good for homeowners. In making the transition, I
On the Beam
'Every single project I design and build,' wrote David Tisherman near the top of his Details column in July 2005, 'is fully, individually engineered, and I refuse to make any assumptions on my own about what might be needed in a set of plans to create a sound structure.  If any builder anywhere thinks that he or she knows enough to get by without support from a structural engineer, well, that's just asking for trouble.' 'I know what I don't know, frankly, and I sleep well at night knowing that
#19: Built-In Table
It's not what I'd call a common request these days, but every now and then I come across homeowners who want to be able to sit in the water to enjoy a cool drink or even a meal.  It gets hot in Texas, after all, and these folks figured that relaxing under an umbrella around an in-pool table would be a great way to beat the heat. It's actually a decent concept, but just as is the case with the stools we sometimes set up for swim-up bars, the designer or builder needs to
Safety Always
On a big project such as the one we're covering in this video series, the rocks needed to give the cascades a natural look are quite substantial - some in the 36-inch range or larger, with weights rising to a ton or more in a few cases.  Handling these brutes takes reliable equipment as well as distinct skill in working with
LED040 Underwater Lights from Crystal Fountains
Crystal Fountains (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) manufactures the LED040 mid-sized underwater light for use in fountains…