Building a Stream & Waterfall For Your Vancouver Custom Home
If you own a beautiful house with lush green backyard in Vancouver, adding a rippling and rock lined stream with one or multiple waterfalls can increase the pleasure factor of your yard. This is especially true in the summer months as many folks like to gather in their backyard. Waterfalls are undoubtedly one of the most serene and relaxing features created by nature. Owning one in your backyard can be just the thing for you to enjoy a natural and relaxing environment.
Streams and Waterfalls in Your Garden…
Stating the obvious, people living in Vancouver live in one of the most beautiful and nature oriented places in the world. Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Lynn Canyon, Trout Lake, and Pacific Spirit Park are 5 of the most beautiful parks in Vancouver but you can’t always make time to go hiking, or stop by a tranquil location after a day’s hard work. Creating a small or large-scale replica of a stream with waterfalls in your garden can bring nature closer to you. In order to maintain good water clarity and reduce maintenance, you can use gravel and stone filters coupled with a heavy duty pump. And the best part is you can undertake and complete the project in two weekends. Within days you will see a natural ecosystem start to form attracting wildlife such as birds that will bathe in the pond.
How to Decide On A Location…
It is an exciting thought to have your very own waterfall, but before anything else you need to decide on a location. There is no point putting in all the hard work and effort, not to mention money, if you can’t enjoy it when you want. You should choose the location by visualizing it. Imagine the best spot where you would like to sit and enjoy the waterfall, maybe near the deck or patio. You can choose a spot near your bedroom to enjoy the sound of water at night and in the morning. In any case, the location of the stream and waterfall(s) should be the one most enjoyable for you.
Preference of location, however, is not the only consideration in planning and executing the project. The following factors should also be considered when selecting the location.
- If the soil is soft, excavate the site and if it is hard, build the stream above ground with a stone base. The type of work you want to undertake can influence your location selection.
- Little slope, 2in drop per 10ft of stream, is enough for the flow. If you want faster moving water or taller waterfalls, create a steeper grade. Proper streams cannot be built on flat ground.
- Decide on the stream size to determine the water capacity in the lower basin and upper pool when pump is off. The location should have enough space and ability to accommodate the capacity you desire.
- In order to enjoy a babbling brook sound, set the waterfalls height between two to four inches. In case you want more sound, increase the height of the waterfall drop.
- You should search for stones to be used in the project under rock, sand & gravel or quarries online or in the yellow pages. You can choose colorful accent boulders and flat stones for the waterfalls. You can choose the different rocks and materials according to prices and types available. Choice of stone is very important in the functionality of the project. If you want to cut costs in half you can opt for an artificial rock waterfall. There are residential and commercial waterfall contractors in Vancouver that specialize in that area and they can custom create virtually any kind of waterfall you desire.
After Selecting the Location…
Once you have clarified and decided on the aforementioned factors, you can map out the design and mark it, so that you can start digging. It is recommended only to start the work when all the material have arrived. Detailed instructions are available online, in magazines, through videos (YouTube) and catalogs. Alternatively, you can hire a professional to help you complete the project successfully. It is usually better to involve the professional once you have decided upon the location. One of the reasons why we recommend hiring a professional is because they will install the plumbing correctly (including the filtration systems) which will allow the water feature to run continuously without constant maintenance issues.
Don’t forget the lighting! You can find good pond and waterfall lighting from your local garden center, online at Amazon.com or speak with your waterfall contractor who has a supplier or distributor relations with suppliers.