Q: What does it cost to install a pond with a small waterfall?
A: This depends on the type of water feature and the size. There are several things that play into cost. But small features can start out around a few hundred dollars to larger ones going into the thousands.
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Q: Does a water feature give a good return on my investment?
A: Like other home improvements, the term investment relates to how much personal pleasure you receive (visual & sound in this case), not just how much something costs. But for the sake of costs, a beautiful, natural looking, real rock water feature will return most, if not more than what you financially invested in having it constructed. By comparison, having an average size in ground granite/plaster swimming pool built costs 4 to 10 times more (depending how fancy it is), than building an 8 foot by 12 foot rock pond with a 3 foot high waterfall with 2 or 3 separate cascades all built with real granite boulders. The swimming pool with give you a very small financial return, and degrade in appearance as concrete patios tend to stain & discolor, waterline tiles get all scaled up and start falling off, the plaster pool bottom develops stains and scratches, etc. Compared to a natural rock pond & waterfall, every year as the surrounding plants mature and grow down to the water's edge, pond plants and lily pads spread and bloom beautiful flowers, a pond and waterfall will get more and more breathtaking with each passing year. Not to mention the cost in running a pool pump 6 or 8 hours a day to filter the water in a swimming pool ($65.00 per mo.), compared to running a pond/waterfall filter pump 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for only $30.00 per month. Also, consider the cost of a weekly swimming pool service to keep it clean, pool pump, filter and heater repairs, etc.
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Q: How much does it cost for electricity to run the waterfall?
A: There again it depends on the type of feature as well as the size, and how often the feature is running. For example certain features (pondless, bubblers and those without fish) can be put onto timers so there only running when someone plans to enjoy them. This can save quit a few dollars. But on a 11x16 with 10 foot stream you can look around 15 dollars a month if it runs non-stop with a high efficiency pump.
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Q: How deep should the pond be to house pet fish?
A: In our environment here in North Carolina, 2 to 3 feet is adequate for healthy environment for your fish.
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Q: Do I have to feed the fish?
A: The ponds that will build are ecosystem ponds. There are aquatic plants around the sides and algae on the bottom for the fish to eat just like in nature. Nobody feeds them there, they eat off of what nature provides for them. The same holds true for the ponds we build in your backyard. You can feed them if you wish, as it will help them to be healthier and grow faster.
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Q: What if I want to see and hear a waterfall but don't have any interest in ponds, fish, and lily pads?
A: We can build what is called a pondless waterfall where the water coming over the waterfall, or series of waterfalls disappears into a small bed of rock instead of a pond. This makes for an extremely low maintenance water feature that doesn't have to run 24 hours a day.
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Q: Can I have a stream running across my backyard?
A: Yes! What we do is try to play off the natural slope and landscape of your existing yard, and if there is not a lot to work with, we can bring dirt, boulders and other materials to help create a natural existing stream for your viewing and listening pleasure.
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Q: What is a water garden?
A: A water garden is simply a pond or pool of water that houses aquatic plants, and possibly some ornamental fish. It can have a more formal look with vertical cement walls with a brick, flagstone or cement cap around the perimeter, or have a more natural look with real rock or boulder edging with a rock bottom to hide the liner or cement bottom from view.
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Q: What are the maintenance requirements of a pond?
A: A pond can require just a few minutes a week if it is constructed properly. Installing the right size skimmer and biological filter will help determine how frequently the filters need to be cleaned. A properly sized filter system will require the skimmer filter net and mat to be hosed off approximately once a week which takes about 5 minutes. Another 5 minutes spent on removing a few dead leaves from the aquatic plants around the edge of the pond, and sprinkling in a couple spoonfuls of Beneficial Bacteria is generally all of the weekly maintenance that is required! The biological filter takes only about 10 to 15 minutes to clean and is only done about 2 or 3 times a year. No tools are required, as you use the water in the pond to clean it.
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Q: How long do ponds and waterfalls last?
A: The liner that holds the water in the pond/waterfall that is hidden under the rock and gravel has a 20-year warranty but can have a life expectancy of 35 or more years especially in milder climates. If the liner does eventually rot and deteriorate, it can be replaced by removing all the rock and gravel, installing a new liner, then replacing the rock that will give your pond a new look. The rock being real granite will of course last forever. The pump and filter pads might need to be replaced from time to time, but they aren't usually too costly. Considering other landscaping improvements, water features do not cost too much for your return in the lifestyle they provide.
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Q: Does owning a pond attract mosquitoes?
A: No! Actually, owning a birdbath or having a bucket laying around with water in it is a great breeding ground for mosquitoes. They lay their eggs in still, stagnant water, not water with a constant ripple in it from a waterfall. The ponds we build have skimmers that will skim off the surface of the water 24 hours a day keeping the surface clean and drowning any mosquito eggs before they would even hatch. If there are still any concerns some mosquito fish can be added.
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Q: What about frogs, water turtles, pond snails, etc?
A: A newly constructed pond will, in time, attract frogs providing that the water quality is good. Water turtles are not recommended in ponds as they tend to eat up the aquatic plants. Pond snails have pros and cons for the pond water quality, but tend to multiply so fast in some ponds that it can get out of control.
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Q: Is a pond dangerous to have with small children?
A: Most ponds are generally only 2 feet deep, but if this is a big concern you might want to consider a pondless waterfall, while your little one is toddling around and as they grow expand into a pond system. That is a personal decision and one that can only be determined by the homeowner.
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Q: Can your dog drink out of the pond?
A: Yes! In fact, the water quality in a well balanced ecosystem pond is preferable to most dogs over drinking out of their water dish. The water in a water dish loses the chlorine that comes from our tap water we use to fill the dish in a matter of minutes or hours from a process called oxidation, making the water unsanitary for your pet. Compared to the pond water that is filtered 24 hours a day, and is filled with healthy nitrifying bacteria in makes the pond water more desirable and is healthier.
