| Water Feature |
| An outdoor living space is completed. |
From "Trade School"
episode DTRS-304 |
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In this segment, apprentice Scott Johnson designs and builds an impressive outdoor living space complete with a water feature along side his instructor Phil Steinhauer.
1. Overgrown plants are removed as well as any rock or debris that may be hidden in the rough. Scott and his crew dig out the overgrowth with shovels and picks (figure A).2. Scott hands the plans for a gazebo over to an a carpenter, and after several days, the gazebo is well under way. 3. Scott and his crew transport each boulder using a dolly, shovels, and pry bars (figure B). They carefully place each boulder using similar techniques as in the staircase project from the previous segment. 4. After an electrician and plumber have prepared the site for power and water, Scott and his crewmates are ready to begin building the water feature. Like with the stairs, the crew starts at the bottom. They dig a medium-sized hole for a catch basin, and then cover it with geosynthetic fabric and a rubber liner. Scott pins both pieces of material into place, being careful to only pierce the liner in places that won't cause a leak (figure C).
5. Before proceeding further, he adds a re-circulating pump into the basin hole, and then surrounds it with rocks. When the water feature is complete, the pump will send water up a plastic tube to the top of the water feature. From there, it will flow down the rocks and back into the pool at the bottom.6. To layout the waterfall, Scott's challenge is to make the assemblage of material look as if it's been there for years. He works with the topography of the land to create a natural feel for the pond.
7. After digging out each section, Scott lays down more geosynthetic fabric and liner (figure D). The slope of every part of the pond needs to be at the proper elevation so the water doesn't escape over the liner. Scott's biggest concern is accidentally tearing the liner that could later cause a leak.8. Scott takes great care in leveling the boulders that hold down the edges of the liners (figure E). Correctly positioning these boulders later forces the water to run over the rocks exactly as planned. To keep the water contained within the rocks, Scott fills the gaps using waterproof foam. 9. Once all of the large boulders are in place, he fills up the rest of the water feature with small rocks called cobble (figure F). Scott also adds an autofill spigot to the bottom of the pond. Connected to the water line, this feature will add new water whenever the water level drops below a certain level. This helps replace water lost by evaporation.
10. Scott uses his experience in building the flagstone walkway to add flagstone steps up to the entryway of the gazebo (figure G). Some of the steps actually hang over the bottom portion of the water feature so as to de-emphasize the lower basin and accentuate the waterfall.11. After the water feature and steps are complete, Scott adds trees, shrubs, and flowers to the area surrounding the water feature and gazebo (figure H). To balance the look of the landscaping throughout the year, Scott carefully considers each plants blooming season and growing behavior. 12. After a contractor adds a copper roof to the gazebo, Scott adds a few flagstone steps leading from the lawn to his new design. He adds a layer of mulch, and then turns on the water and savors the sights and sounds of his completed project (figure I).
RESOURCES :
Designscapes Colorado
Website: www.designscapes.org
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