construction

An Illuminating Exercise
Of all the messages I've tried to convey in this video series and its introductory texts, one of the crucial ones is my observation that the people who buy and own ponds will spend lots of time enjoying their watershapes after it gets dark.  The only way to make that happen, of course, is to include an effective in-pond lighting system to make the watershape's best features
2014/3.2, March 19 — Shimmering Sculpture, Pond Allure, Hilltop Grandeur and more
March 19, 2014 www.watershapes.com ESSENTIAL Glass Works Exploring the synergy among glass, light and water…
Spillway Finesse
As the process of installing this beautiful little pond moves toward its conclusion, we find as always that we have lots of smallish details to consider - including the important task of creating a great look with the waterfall's spillway. This step may not take the strength or persistence or grand vision of some of the project phases covered to date in this video series, but I can assure you it takes both care and finesse - especially
Right to the Finish
Of all the points that are hard to get across when working with clients on a pool design, the one highlighted in this video can be among the hardest:  You can paint word pictures until you turn blue; you can show countless photos; you can even take your clients on tours of completed projects and try to show them what you mean:  If they have their hearts set on a colored interior finish (that is, pretty much anything beyond plain
Soil Retention Offers Verdura Plantable Wall Systems
Soil Retention (Carlsbad, CA) produces Verdura, a strong, versatile, plantable retaining wall system. Designed for…
Raypak Offers Low-NOx Pool/Spa Heaters
Raypak (Oxnard, CA) manufactures four models of low-NOx gas heaters for residential pools and spas.…
Emperor Aquatics’ Multi-Cyclone for Ponds
Emperor Aquatics (Pottstown, PA) manufactures the Multi-Cyclone pre-filter for pond applications. A centrifugal solids-separating device,…
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
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
Cascading Exertion
Earlier in this sequence of articles and videos, I mentioned how much I enjoy the fact that pond installation is an improvisational art form:  You can roll through a design in your head and sketch it until your pencils are worn to nubs, but the reality is that working with boulders is a process of placement and on-site adjustment that ultimately brings a design vision to life. That's particularly true with waterfalls, which is why this single part of the series encompasses four videos and nearly 40 minutes of running time.  And as you will notice, there are probably more