Video Gallery
Koi ponds can be watershapes of great beauty in which sizeable populations of large, gorgeous fish thrive through the long lives these creatures often experience. With the pond that appears at the start of the video linked below, however, there were key features that were missing from the existing pond that put the big fish at risk in a number of ways. I don't know the full history of the pond, but it's clear it
There are many kinds of swimming pools and spas out there, and maybe even more specialized types of fountains. So it shouldn't come as surprise that there's also plenty of variety when it comes to ponds. From huge agricultural retention basins to the smallest birdbaths and everything in between, the broad spectrum
Competence is a wonderful thing - and that was exactly the problem with the pond we were called in to replace: The original installers had none, and kept on demonstrating their utter lack of it all through the six or seven weeks they were on the job site. Happily, competence is something my own crew has in abundance, and in two days we not only got rid of the mess our predecessors left behind, but also installed a brand-new pond and turned a shabby mess into a
Pipes are pipes, right? Anything that moves water from point A to point B will get the job done, so long as it doesn't leak, right? Well, not right, as I discuss in the video linked below. Of all the conceptual advances made within the watershaping industry in the past 20 years, I'd have to say that watershapers' awareness that pipe size really does matter and that big pipes are
It doesn't happen every time, but once in a while I'll speak with a prospective client who's done some homework and has reached a conclusion about which manufacturer's equipment should be used on his or her watershaping project.It's nice that he or she is engaged in the process to that fine a level, but as I mention in the video linked below, it really isn't an issue with which a homeowner needs to get involved because
In many parts of the country, it's not uncommon to encounter the unexpected when you start digging to make way for a swimming pool or some other watershape. There might be field stone, a rock ledge, a buried outcropping or even hardpan. Depending on the size, depth and extent of these stony intrusions, running into any of them can, as the video linked below suggests, take a homeowner's budget expectations and throw them right out the window. And it's not just rock that can be a hidden issue: Various types of soil can be problematic, as can the groundwater level in the
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
This video is a great example of the phenomenon known as "mission creep": We started out with a discussion of what's involved in making a residential swimming pool and spa accessible to someone who uses a wheelchair - a good and worthy subject on its own - but the project so perfectly illustrates a couple of additional points that we kept the camera rolling. The video covers one specific ramp in fine detail, but I want to stress two more general points about planning for wheelchair access: First, a properly sloped ramp
This video is a great example of the phenomenon known as "mission creep": We started out with a discussion of what's involved in making a residential swimming pool and spa accessible to someone who uses a wheelchair - a good and worthy subject on its own - but the project so perfectly illustrates a couple of additional points that we kept the camera rolling. The video covers one specific ramp in fine detail, but I want to stress two more general points about planning for wheelchair access: First, a properly sloped ramp
As I suggest at the start of the video linked below, one of the most important decisions made by a soon-to-be poolowner has to do with the tile and coping: Among all project components, these are generally the ones that stand out most in visual and aesthetic terms, so we do all we can to persuade our clients to choose wisely among all available possibilities. While we do tend to set them a little loose with this part of the process, we’re also
