New Pondless Waterfall we did.

[JimLewis]

Just thought I'd share these pictures of a pondless waterfall I installed at my own home last weekend.

The water feature itself took 3 of us 1.5 days to do. That's with the use of a rented track hoe with a thumb. And that's also not including the several hours I spent on my own earlier in the week driving back and forth to the rock yards picking up rock and columns. The track hoe helped with digging and the thumb helped us to place the larger 300-600lb boulders and columns on the side.

Scroll down for close-up pics.....

http://www.cybcon.com/~jimlewis/Renovation.html

[Ax Man]

I bet the people in the nieghborhood are happy that they can see around the corner at the stop sign now...
Nice job!
Are those your boys tracks on the side walk or is it overspray?

[JimLewis]

Those are his tracks. There isn't any overspray.

[n2h20]

nice pond. i havent had any requests for a pondless feature yet.. I would like to build one soon.
what manufacturer's stuff did you use?

[Billpa]

Looks Great!! how many gph are you using?

[JimLewis]

Originally Posted by n2h20

nice pond. i havent had any requests for a pondless feature yet.. I would like to build one soon.
what manufacturer's stuff did you use?

I don't necessarily GET requests for pondless waterfeatures either. But I have been building more of them than regular ponds because I kind of LEAD the customer there. Before I explain how I do that, let me explain WHY;

First of all, regular ponds are a major liability. For both the builder and the homeowner. Moreso for the homeowner. But if a kid drowns in the pond, the parents of that kid will probably come after the builder of the pond too. My wife's best friend has a 2 year old niece who just drowned 2 weeks ago in the neighbor's pond. The father went inside for 2 minutes while he left the kids playing in his back yard. When he came back, his daughter was nowhere to be found. By the time he found her in the pond next door, she had already drowned. This is a very real deal, guys. Kids die in ponds - period.

Second, regular ponds mean lots of maintenance OR lots of chemicals. A properly balanced ecosystem requires a biofiltration system, fish, and plants. Missing one of these 3 things, the pond will eventually get out of whack and build up either too much waste or algae or something. So then you have to start adding lots of chemicals. Not to mention debris getting into the pond, periodic cleaning, etc. In other words - high maintenance.

For these two reasons, I prefer to build a pondless if I can. And I usually do.

So when a customer calls wanting a bid for a water feature, I meet with them and show them some pictures of different water features. Then, after they've seen really nice pondless features and how nice they look, I ask, "So what kind of water feature were you thinking of having? A pondless waterfeature or a regular pond and waterfalls deal?" A lot of the time they just choose pondless right then and there. Other times they want to know more before they decide. So I point out the benefits. Most homeowners are VERY concerned about liability. So I point out that a pondless is child friendly. It's not just safe - it's MORE THAN SAFE! You can actually ENCOURAGE kids to play in it. No real possibility of drowning in a pondless - even a toddler can lift her head out of a stream of water.

Then, I also point out that pondless water features are a lot less maintenance. If leaves fall in them, you just turn off the water feature and get your blower. Simple. But not so simple to maintain and clean an regular pond water feature.

So by this point, 80% of clients have chosen to go with a pondless waterfall. You gotta understand most people's mindset. For most people, the only reasons they want a water feature are;

a) to show off to friends, neighbors, and family
b) to add curb appeal and value to the property
c) the nice, relaxing, sound of a stream of water
d) something that adds beauty to their landscape and is peasing to the eye.

A pondless watefeature still accomplishes all of these things for the customer. And they realize it.

Once you point these things out, it's an easy sell.

[JimLewis]

Originally Posted by Billpa

Looks Great!! how many gph are you using?

6500 GPH.

.

[Ax Man]

I was thinking as I looked at the pic's," you sure can't keep a kid out of the water"

Did you use a system, or put the parts together your self?

[dzs1945]

What brand pump are you using? daniel

[JimLewis]

Little Giant 10-S