Water Feature- how much?

I ran power to a workshop I have in my backyard, did the trenching, the conduit all of that stuff. So at least I have good power source in place

 

Cal pump makes pretty decent pumps, one of those good things aren't cheap, and cheap things are not good.

 

Rocks are cheap where you live but you'll spend every bit of your 5K even doing it yourself

 

Whatever you do, don't buy anything aside from water garden plants at the pond shop. All hard goods have very high mark ups. Plants are even worse, they multiply like mad and are actually a nuisance in many places. However, you can't buy them many other places, but you can offer to pay cash and ask for the "cash discount".

 

even one of the kits from Aquascapes is around $3K

 

In the 15 years we've been installing Aquascape products I have not had to replace a pump, or had a leak in a liner. We used one of their liners on a mock wetland area at a local college. I was sceptical in that application but it has held up, it's been in place for 8 years.

 

what do most folks want installed? just the waterfall or the pond + waterfall? i'm thinking to do waterfall only

 

Most want pondless waterfalls. Easier maintenance and less liability. We did a rehab, had to fill an existing waterfall pond with cobbles to a depth of 18" for their insurance to cover them. It's at a local community college. Local codes may dictate depth ... i.e. may fall under swimming pool regs.

 

If it’s fall under swimming pool code, that’s mean you can’t have a pond more then 18” without sign and fence around it…

 

Don't forget evaporation is going to be a big factor if you have much length to the stream.

 

wow, impressive

how long did the long rock wall take? do you just keep adding to it as you find more rocks?

 

did not even consider evaporation. being in the south will make some more of a difference I’m sure. I have a lot of shade in my backyard but it still is very hot

 

You could buy a small pump and build a scale model to test different options

 

Everyone’s advice on here has been pretty Spot on.

I do this in Alabama.
A water feature of that size and nature would run 10k-20k depending on the contractor.
It’s easily doable yourself for 5k.

A water feature is fun to look at, splash around in and listen to.
But it does require regular maintenance.
Sometimes, more so than a pool or spa.

There are a number of factors to take into account that haven’t been mentioned.
Depth
Use
And level of sound effect.
You’ll also have to consider your existing plantings as well.

The more plantings that weep, drop debris, exfoliate bark or are deciduous, the more you have to tend and clean.
If it’s small, stick with UV, however, when small, it’s much easier to control certain factors with the correct plants and fish species.
These guys can easily be your filters and cleaners, if done properly.

Natural stone should be widely abundant around the Atlanta area, and lot coming off of building projects, that could be had for free or next to nothing.
Make sure when sourcing stones from places like this that you are picking out the actual stones and not chirt.

Source your liner online and use roofing liners.
They’re all EPDM and are basically the same.
Do be careful with your adhesive material if you have to join pieces together.

DO NOT SKIP THE LINER!
From top to bottom.
Many people think it’s not necessary on the waterfall part itself.
It is.
Make sure to get accurate measurements and order a large enough liner to hang at least a foot over all sides.

Many pool companies will have spoils that they’re going to simply transport to a local “stone” company.
They are charged for this.
Call a few places and see if they will let you source some materials from the spoils.
It’s usually very dirty and you will need to clean and pic through to find the good stuff.
Sourcing stones from a local supplier is probably not as expensive as you would think.
You can get a tri axel dump load for around $350-700 according to size and style.

The expenses come in labor.
Moving earth and stones are labor intensive.

Having the design eye to puzzle together stones for a beautiful feature can be challenging for some as well.

find some designs online and pick one you feel comfortable doing.

Always remember, the farther the drop, the louder the sound.

For every foot of waterfall rise you can increase sound levels a few Dbs.
Louder water drowns out surrounding noises but can also do the same with the conversation you’re having.
In turn, the louder the conversation, the more your neighbors hear.

https://youtu.be/lvnN5JHUViw

This has 2 falls, one fall drops into a small catch basin, while the next drops into the koi pond.
It was not completely done at the time, but you can hear how loud a couple of 1-2’ drops can be.

Another time and cost saver is if you can use your existing topography for layout.
Utilize a hill that’s there.

https://youtube.com/shorts/POWKJT7xuuI?feature=share

These are the first two waterfalls I did years ago.

Hope this helps.

 

Ha!
Thank you!

They’ll do that.
Better than Flomax.

 

That looks sweet!

 

@Hightide this helps a huge amount. thanks for taking time to drop all of this knowledge.

i’ll have to research chirt, i’m not familiar with that but I’m guessing it’s not good.

I like the double waterfall effect that’s a good look. i’ve got some natural fall in my backyard, nothing too aggressive so I think I’ll be able to use that like you described

i’ll refer back to your description several times, lots of good information in there

 

I apologize for the misspelling.
It’s chert.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chert

it looks like stone but it’s high silica content makes it degrade at a much faster pace.