Lessons Learned
As I peruse my expert-witness files to develop these "Lessons Learned" items, sometimes I run across situations so remarkably silly that I'm reminded why they originally made me scratch my head and marvel at the
Understanding how to move water from one level to another is among the most surprisingly complex challenges in all of watershaping. Indeed, there are lots of ways to get into trouble - even if you're confident that
In selecting materials, most of us know enough to think about how our choices will work when exposed to water. Only rarely, however, do we think about how those materials will perform when exposed to fire — which is being featured in more and more projects these days — and how they
In creating waterfalls, some watershapers don’t seem to realize is that you can precisely control the sound the falling water makes as it descends from level to another. My goal in paying attention to this detail is to take advantage of
Natural stone is a wonderful companion for just about every type of watershape: It lends a timeless, classy look to just about any setting, generating a sense of sturdy permanence as well as close associations with Mother Nature. As watershapers, we also know that natural stone can be extremely expensive and often represents a significant investment on the part of the client. This puts a premium on
This lesson involves the performance of a simple but elegant aboveground fountain. As is true of all watershapes, fountains need to be built in such a way that they reliably hold water and don’t leak. That’s an obvious given, of course, but water being the clever devil it is, if you miss
Automation of some kind is standard with most swimming pool projects these days. Almost every project my company does, for instance, now includes an Aqualink system from Jandy (Vista, Calif.) or something similar. These systems feature a panel in the equipment area that controls
