You may want a small one that’s suited to up-close viewing in an outdoor seating area, or perhaps a large-scale model that visually anchors the landscape and looks striking even when viewed from a distance.  Some freestanding fountains are designed as adjuncts to a pool or pond, while others are water features unto themselves, working well on a deck, patio, lawn, or tucked into a flower bed.

The great thing about these fountain structures is that they are independent garden elements, and they don’t require a pond for a water source.  Instead they have a bottom bowl or reservoir that holds the water, and for convenience they are often fitted with a built-in pump.

In considering any water feature there are some important decisions to make.  Some decisions about the type of water feature will be determined based on some parameters of your particular situation. 

*  What type of features are you looking for in terms of sight and sound?

Would you like the water to spray, trickle, bubble or cascade?  Another consideration is the water’s sound.  The larger the fountain the greater the noise.  Do you want an exciting roar or soft babbling?

*  How large is the space available?

A small yard can be easily overpowered by a large piece.  Likewise, a large landscape can swallow up a small, delicate unit.  Therefore the fountain should be in scale with its surroundings.

*  What is the existing style of your yard?

Choose a fountain in keeping with the overall look of your garden and home.  It’s likely that a formal statuary fountain will look out of place in a simple country garden, and sleek, modernist piece will clash too much with a natural setting.

*  Where are you going to put the fountain?

Most people have the idea of where they want the fountain but they do not have the necessary outlets and access to water available in those “ideal” spots in the garden.  Most water features require at least one electric outlet, and it must be a weatherproof GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) type.  If you don’t have it, have a professional install one.   Water access is important as well as the water feature will need to have water added to it from time to time.  Depending on where you put the water feature will determine the rate of evaporation.  In the sun, more evaporation than in the shade.   Dragging a hose out all the time can get cumbersome.  Setting up a water access close by will help with the overall enjoyment of your water feature, believe me.

A water feature is also a rather permanent structure and addition to your landscape. A poorly designed water feature can detract as much if not more than a well designed water feature. The materials you make it with and the components you use to make it all work will either add to or take away from the charm of this incredible piece of your landscape.

One of the first decisions to make is the location. Once you have decided on the location the next decision is the liner or the container you will use to hold the water. Here we take a look at the options, their pros and cons and applications to help you decide what will work best for your particular situation. Choose well as the choice you make will be one you will need to live with for a good bit of time.

The Pond Liner or Container:

There are basically 4 choices when deciding what your are going to use to hold the water for your pond.

1. Preformed – These are made from fiberglass or PVC. The pros are they

thick and not easily punctured and come in a variety of shapes and

sizes. They are the easiest of the 4 to build a waterfall pond with. The drawbacks are you are limited to the available shapes and sizes of the preformed liners and hiding these liners are a bit more difficult then the liners. If you are looking for a quick and easy waterfall pond – this is your choice.

2. Rubber Pond Liner Sheets – There are a large variety of choices here but over the last 5- 10 years these have become much more sophisticated. The good ones thick and come with a 20 year warranty, UVC protected to prolong the liner’s life, fish safe and give you much more flexibility in creating your pond. They also allow you the ability to create a stream to feed into your pond which I highly recommend. Its easy to do and adds so much to your water feature you will be grateful many times over that you went the extra distance and included a stream with your water feature. You will need to be careful during construction to make sure you don’t puncture the liner. One of the ways I have insured this from happening is to cut a small piece of liner, put that piece under a stepping stone you position at some access point where you are getting in and out of the pond during construction and do not use any other access point to enter or exit the pond. That way you don’t have a but after its in it is very secure as long as kids and dogs aren’t running through the pond.

3. Cement – I don’t recommend this option as it is not fish safe but there are still ponds created this way today. It is more work and once you create the pond, if you ever want to make changes down the road it is near impossible to do without tearing out and re-pouring your new design. It is the most durable though and if you pour it correctly and strengthen the concrete with chicken wire and rebar it will be a rather permanent structure for generations to come.

4. Containers – This would provide you with the easiest of choices as they are typically some form of container you might have laying around. Old bathtubs or large barrels, anything that can hold water and be incorporated into the landscape attractively. They typically do not have pump systems and are more or less a holding container for water and some water plants.

There are many other components to decide on in the construction of a waterfall pond.  It is important to get the right materials to make sure your pond performs at its optimum level.  Over the years of pond constructing I have found the best way to insure your components fit and work together is to get them from one place and make sure it is a place that specializes in pond supplies.  This will guarantee you are getting quality products designed for the construction of ponds and streams.  You can find everything you will need to put together whatever pond you are installing here.  Pond Construction Supplies.

How To Figure It Out

To determine how much water is required to make a specific waterfall look good to you, you have to actually run it.  first you have someone pour water over it, and then, when it looks right you measure it. Use a garden hose or two, pour a large pail or whatever, and adjust the flow of water over you waterfall until you are pleased.  Now measure it in gallons per minute or hour.  For example: if the garden hose is adjusted to make it look good and fill a (measured) five gallon pail in 40 seconds, then it is flowing at 7.5 gallons per minute – (5 gallons, divided by the 40 seconds = 5/40 gallons per second, times 60 seconds per minute = 7.5 gallons per minute).  If the two gallon pail is poured over the falls and looks good when it takes 30 seconds to empty it, 2 gallon divided by 30 seconds to empty it, 2 gallons divided by 30 seconds is 2/30 gallons per second, times 60 seconds per minute, is 4 gallons per minute.  If we use both a hose, which isn’t quite enough water, plus a pail, then we compute each and add the two together.

The Two Numbers You Need

You also need to know the vertical height from the surface of the water in the pond to the top of the waterfall – “how much higher are we lifting the water”.  Once you know the gallons per minute and the vertical height that you’ll be lifting it, you can select a pump from the specifications. Remember that aluminum pump casing are not recommended for corrosive water like fishponds.   MacArthur Water Gardens has a large supply of pumps and pump accessories to fit any need you might have.

Don’t Forget the Hose

You will also need to use big enough tubing/hose/pipe to carry that amount of water.  The maximum recommended flows for hose, tubing and PVC pipes are as follows. 

1/2 in                              2 gpm(120gph)

3/4 in                              5 gpm (300gph)

1 in                                 10 gpm (600 gph)

1-1/4 in                           23 gpm (1380 gph)

1-1/2 in                           33 gpm (2000gph)

2  in                                 50 gpm (3000gph)

3 in                                  125 gpm (7500 gph)

When in doubt, use a size that is too large, never too small.

You Have To Have Power For The Pump

The National Electric Code specifies that the outlets should usually be over four feet from the pond and covered with a weatherproof enclosure.  Make sure that the electrical circuit used is protected by a GFCI (Ground Fault circuit Interrupter). 

I hope this has been helpful.  If you have any questions or comments please post them below. 

Build Well.

We love hanging out by it on the deck and I take a morning walk to it to feed the fish.  Birds play in the stream which is very cool to watch. I have seen 10 – 20 birds hanging out by it at one time, its amazing. The pond has become a center piece in not only our landscape but our family.  

Streams and ponds and waterfalls are built in a way these days to minimize the amount of cleaning needed, in fact the ecosystem you set up does a lot of the work for you.  You are basically copying nature and in doing so you create a very healthy environment for the fish and the wildlife that lives around the pond. 

If you are contemplating the idea of a pond I am sure you are wondering two things.  How much is it and how much work is it going to take to build one.  Well neither one is an easy answer because they do cost some money to build.  How much depends on the extensiveness to your ideas.  How much work is also directly correlated to the extensiveness but I guarantee the payoff is more than you can imagine.  There is also some payoff on the backend should you decide to sell your house in the future because there is an attractiveness to the sound of water that is hard to resist.   I remember when I was a kid, before all of this pond building stuff was around my dad had us build this fountain in the basement of the house we lived in.  It turned into a great family project. We would go out searching for rocks each weekend and I remember finding some really cool ones, in fact it is probably a big reason I love stones so much till this day.  Anyway, when my parents went to sell the house the fountain was what did it.  The people buying the house just had to have the fountain.   

Well back to the present – I will be providing some videos soon on how to build a pond.  I know there are tons of videos out there but mine will be on line – they will be free and they will be full of great tips to help you build the best pond you can on whatever your budget might be.  Believe me, I have built some ponds on a budget.  Some of my customers have not wanted to spend a whole lot of money but I knew a water feature would really be an outstanding addition to their landscape so I did whatever I could to make it happen. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions at all, feel free to post a comment and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.   

Thanks for stopping by and happy landscaping. 

Todd Wilson

Arbor & Turf Landscaping Services.

Atlanta, Georgia.

My name is Todd Wilson – I am an owner of a landscape company in Atlanta, Georgia. I have personally built and repaired over 30 ponds in the last 5 years. It is not the main aspect of our company but it is something I love to do. Since posting this article I have realized a lot of people are looking for information on do-it-yourself ponds so I am trying to provide you with everything you will need to create the pond of your dreams.

In the article below I have created a quick overview of the materials and construction of a waterfall pond. The book listed in the banner above is a much more comprehensive instructional on the many details that need to be addressed before, during and after construction. Its only $14.95 but priceless with information. I highly recommend this book.

The link at the very top has every possible thing you can imagine to build a pond except for the rocks. If you are in need of supplies – check them out. They have a wide selection of makes and models of pumps to meet any need you have – Great Prices Too!!!

If you have any questions or comments please post below and I will be happy to answer them for you.

Supplies Needed to Build Backyard Waterfalls — The Cheap Way!

• Rocks.
• Submersible pump.
• Tubing to run from pump to top of waterfall.
• Large plastic flower pot (or similar) to house tubing. 
• Rigid pond liner.
• Carpenter’s level.
• Shovel.
• Sand.
• Garden hose. 

I have built many waterfall features over the years and I have repaired or reconfigured quite a few too.  Water features add so much to the landscape its hard to describe.  I just went outside in my backyard – there is a picture of the pond I built in my backyard in the photo album.  Its about 10:30 p.m. but I can hear the waterfall and the stream flowing and it just seems alive and very much like being in the great outdoors.  I love it. 

Water features are not difficult to build.  There is a some work involved but if you are building a small one, its not that bad.  The rewards are huge for a little work.  Most important part of the waterfall pond is of course – The Waterfall.  More importantly the pump creating the waterfall.  For a small project a submersible pump of about 120 GPH, which stands for – gallons per hour will be fine.  The tubing you get needs to be long enough to get from the pump to the waterfall and since you will be hiding it along its path you need to make sure you have a length that will allow slack to be used to position it for optimum concealment.

The stones for a small project should be on the flatter side of shape.  You can use some of the larger ones to create the waterfall and the other rocks will be used to conceal the pond form.  For a simple pond utilizing a preformed pond liner will be best.  You can also collect some random rocks you find in your yard or go searching for.  When I was a kid my parents took my brother and I out every weekend and we collected rocks for a fountain we built in the basement.  It was great family fun and we still talk about and actually still have some of the rocks we collected. 

One last thing to make sure is in place before installing your pond is the access to power for the pump.  You will conceal the wire coming out of the pond but you still need to plug it in somewhere.   Sometimes having a certified electrician install an outdoor GFCI outlet near the pond is an investment you need to make for your soothing landscape piece.  The best position for a pond is close to a patio so you can enjoy the sounds and with the waterfall flowing towards the house.  Feng Shui says this is best to retain health and wealth.  I just know it makes a better sound. 

Your first landscaping task is to remove any weeds from the area you’ve selected for your waterfall pond and waterfall, and make sure it’s level. Then you will dig out the hole, into which the preformed liner will be placed. To get an accurate measurement for the hole’s dimensions, simply flip the preformed liner upside down and trace around it.

Incidentally, I suggest taking care of the waterfall pond structure first, simply because you’ll be laying your rocks for the cascading waterfall structure in such a way that the front of it overhangs the waterfall pond (see the waterfall picture at right). This entails placing some of the bottom rocks very close to the waterfall pond. If you were to build the cascading waterfall structure first and then dig the waterfall pond, you might undermine those rocks. Besides, the overhang of the waterfall structure will just be in your way while digging.

Make the depth of your waterfall pond’s hole about what the depth of the preformed liner is. Try to make the diameter of the hole match that of the preformed liner as closely as possible, for a good tight fit. If, however, you find you’ve made the hole too wide, use sand to fill in the gap.

Sand will also be used at the bottom of the hole, since sand floors provide the malleablity needed to play with the height of preformed liners. Put about an inch of sand in, so that the top rim of the preformed liner will stand about an inch above ground level — reducing the amount of dirt that will keep falling into your waterfall pond. You’ll be pushing the sand around to get the level of the preformed liner just right.

Next, place the preformed liner into the hole for the waterfall pond. Check for levelness by placing a carpenter’s level across it — both front to back and left to right. Depending on the readings you get from the carpenter’s level, it is at this point that you’ll have to remove the preformed liner from the hole and adjust its sandy floor accordingly.

Before moving on to the waterfall structure itself, a word of caution is in order. I will be discussing strategies for minimizing water-loss on the following pages. But regardless of how well you do at minimizing water-loss, it is prudent to check the level of your waterfall pond water periodically. Should the pond go dry due to water-loss, you’ll burn out the pump.

Consequently, you must turn off the pump overnite or when leaving your property. Of course, if you’re frugal, you’ll unplug the pump when you’re not around anyhow, to save money on electricity. Since this water feature is intended only for decoration and for relaxation (it’s not a fish pool), there’s no reason to keep it running if you’re not there to enjoy it.

With the pond complete, that means one of our two structures is out of the way. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the more exciting structure: the cascade design itself. And that means taking another look at the rocks we’ll be using.

The most important rocks are what might be termed the "spillway" rocks. By "spillway" I mean the rocks directly over which the water will cascade. In my sample cascade design, I use two such rocks, one above the other. This gives my cascade design two levels (separate waterfalls, if you will), for greater visual impact.

The spillway rocks should be relatively flat (as opposed to rocks that are more rounded in shape). They should also have sharp, squarish edges. Water will cascade more cleanly over such edges. When rocks have blunt, gently-curving edges, some of the water tends to follow that curve and trickle back under the rocks. Not only is the cascading effect in the latter case less spectacular, but you’ll also lose a lot of your water (because it won’t fall cleanly into the pond).

In sum, the idea behind the selection of spillway rocks for a cascade design is to choose rocks that are most likely to channel the falling water in the precise direction in which you want it to go. How you lay the spillway rocks is also important to this end, as we’ll see later. In addition to seeking out relatively flat rocks with sharp edges, see if you can’t find rocks that are slightly cupped. That is, occasionally you’ll come across rocks that curl up ever so slightly at the edges, leaving a depression in the middle. The natural channel in such rocks will be greatly advantageous for the creation of the spillways in your cascade design. Their raised edges will help keep the water from deviating where you don’t want it (namely, behind the rocks).

You may have been intrigued by one of the supplies I listed  "Large plastic flower pot." Here’s what that’s all about. I used an empty flower pot, 11" high, that had a 1/2"-diameter drainage hole in the bottom (to match the diameter of my tubing). The pot simply functions as housing for the tubing (within the cascading structure for the waterfall). You could easily substitute something else that might work better; I selected a plastic flower pot simply because this is an item gardeners always have in abundance (and usually are dying to find a use for!). For instance, a terra cotta pot would be even better, since it provides more stability. A crate made of rigid plastic would also work. The idea is to have some sort of housing to hold the tubing in place, while you lay up the rocks all around it. This housing won’t show when you’re finished: it will lie hidden at the center of your rock work.

You’ll essentially be building four mini-rock walls around the pot, to box it in. Make a small trench for the tubing to sit in under the rocks, so that the rocks don’t weigh it down. This will keep the tubing free, so that you can slide it through the pot up or down, at will. This gives you the leeway that you need, since you won’t know at exactly what height you’ll want the water spouting out until you’ve finished laying the rocks.

After laying my first course of rocks in the front, I covered them with a sheet of black plastic, 4′ long x 3′ wide. I extended one end of the plastic up to the top of the plastic pot, while tucking the other over the lip of the preformed pond liner and down into the water. I then disguised this plastic with rocks, so that it wouldn’t be visible in the pond (the end of the plastic near the pot will be hidden by rocks later, as I build up the wall). Using this cheap plastic (I simply sliced up a trash bag) is a frugal substitute for the more expensive flexible pond liner that one would use for a larger cascade design (and that you could use in this project, too, if it fits into your budget). The plastic serves the same purpose: namely, to catch more water than the rocks alone could and funnel it into the pond. Much of the water that would otherwise be lost to splashing strikes against this plastic and falls back into the pond, instead.

Also after laying the first course of rocks in front (and just after laying the black plastic), I laid one long, flat rock spanning them all and sitting right on top of that plastic. In the waterfall photo showing the cascade design in progress (above right), the black plastic and the spillway rocks are absent in order to give you a clearer shot of this rock and of the first course of rocks upon which it sits. My long, flat rock juts out in the direction of the pond, forming an overhang. It will serve as a shelf for my first spillway rock, so I’ll refer to it subsequently as my "shelf rock." If you wish to reproduce this cascade design, seek out a long, flat rock of ample mass for such a shelf rock.

Invert the flower pot and thread your tubing through the hole in its bottom. Place the pot on the ground (still inverted) at the center of what will be the rock waterfall structure. How far in back of the pond should this be? Well, that depends on the depth of your rocks. You’ll want the rocks that face the pond to abut it; if possible, they should even overhang the pond slightly. So if the rocks you’ll be using there are 8" in depth (i.e., front to back), the front side of the pot should be about 8" back from the edge of the pond.

How long should the tubing be? Where on the ground should it rest? Well, as far as length goes, I would advise against trying to get a perfect measurement right away and then cutting. Instead, leave yourself with a length that is longer than what you’ll need, and trim later as necessary. This will make your job a lot easier! As to where to run it along the ground, choose either the left or the right side of the pond and rock waterfall. As a cosmetic touch at the end of the project, you can go back and hide it with stones and/or mulch.

Typically, when building rock walls, it’s a good idea to stagger the seams. Of course, these will be very small rock walls, so it’s not a structural concern here. Still, try to do some staggering, if only because it looks better.

As already mentioned in speaking of rock selection, after my first course of rocks in the front, I layed 1 long flat rock spanning them all. Because this rock’s function is to form an overhang, it’s a key piece in your cascade design. Using it as a shelf, you’ll place your first spillway rock (see below) on it, in such a way that the spillway rock overhangs the pond even further.

Continue laying the 4 walls, until you’ve reached the height you desire. Once you’re done encasing the pot with the 4 walls, you need to place 2 longer stones across the top (either front-to-back or left-to-right) to span the walls. Pull up the tubing to gain more length, if necessary, and gently sandwich the tubing in between these 2 longer rocks to hold it in place.

Begin trying to position your first spillway rock on top of your shelf rock. It should jut out over the pond even further than does the shelf rock (ideally, the tip would line up over the middle of the pond, although this is difficult to achieve). Elevate the first spillway rock in the back, to achieve better water run-off. You can elevate this or any rock in the wall by using shims (small flat stones).

Bend the end of the tubing down towards the pond and place one or more capstones over it. It is under here that the waterfall’s "spout" will rest, so to speak. By "capstone" I mean a stone that will partially hide the tubing and/or gently press it down against the second spillway rock (as yet uninstalled). Make sure most of the capstone’s weight rests on the rocks between which the tubing is sandwiched (or on shims), so that the tubing doesn’t become flattened. You’ll have to play with the level of the spout, as you begin to fit in the second spillway rock.

Begin trying to position your second spillway rock on top of your first spillway rock (see photo, above right, in which the second spillway rock is the rock which the gush of water is striking). Again, elevate the rock in the back using a shim, to achieve a steeper pitch. One way to think of the placement of the 2 spillway rocks is that they’re like 2 shingles on a roof. They’re both on a slant, and the top one overlaps the bottom one, forming a continuous chute down which the water can pour.

The position of the end of the tubing that forms the spout can now be determined more precisely, as you size it up on the surface of the second spillway rock. Again, pull to lengthen or shorten your tubing, as necessary.

You’re ready to fill the pond with water, plug in the pump’s cord, and test the flow of your natural rock waterfall. No doubt, you’ll have to make several adjustments before you get everything right. The objective is to get the water to fall as close as possible to the middle of the pond, so that you can minimize water-loss from the splashing that will incur. Note, however, that there’s some compromise involved with your cascade design: greater height equals greater visual impact, but greater height also equals greater water-loss (as the splashes will be more violent). Another consideration on height: keep your natural rock waterfall in proportion with the pond. A general rule of thumb would be, the smaller the pond, the shorter the rock waterfall.