Tag: landscape contractor

stone work, Uncategorized

Building a Fairy Home

living waters landscaping

When designing a landscape it’s always good to stop and think about some options to make your garden unique.

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We built a series of dry stacked stone retaining walls for our client in Asheville recently. In the landscape design process we decided to add a really cool feature into the walls. A little fairy grotto was the idea. Our clients came up with the idea originally. I have seen similar ideas in other walls, but have yet had the opportunity to install one. We thought it was a great idea, for a small statue or maybe a spot for a candle to brighten the feature at night.

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So we made a space for the little fairy nooks (3 of them in the finished wall) and began building.  We installed some small stone arches that were dry laid into the wall, using only friction to hold them together and some wood support that we removed after we were done.

The stone arch is an ancient technique that I have yet to master.

The history of the arch dates back to ancient Italy where the Etruscan people built unimaginable stone arches as gates to the city. The Romans learned from them and perfected the craft.

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To bring a little bit of this ancient art into our modern landscape design brings me great joy.

I love dreaming of new and old techniques to install into the features we create for our clients.

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We will move forward, building and learning. Mastering techniques as the Romans did from the Etruscans.

Maybe one day in the future our children will pass on some pass on some skill to another generation to come, that will create a legacy of artistic craftsmanship for future builders.

 

Fountain, landscape design, water features, Uncategorized

Asheville Landscaping: Water Feature Fun!

living waters landscaping

I love building ponds and waterfalls. I enjoy every part of creating water features from design to finish. 

Today I wanted to post about adding fun design features to water features. There are many ways to make your pond, stream or waterfall beautiful & functional.

A few things I like to put into water features are:

‘Old World’ Stone Bridge over Stream

Bridges, statuary, aquatic lighting, decks and sometimes some wood, like a dry log you might have found in the mountains around Asheville.

A bridge is always a great water feature if it works in layout for your yard or garden. We have used stone, wood and metal to breach a gurgling stream or tranquil pond. 

 

Another great landscaping water feature is a statue that is placed correctly. This is a simple way to add a lot character to your landscape.

Remember to try and carry a theme when you are choosing a statue. In the picture below, we chose a small stone Pagoda to accent the waterfall. This was in keeping with the Japanese garden we were creating.

                                                                                       

                                                                          

Hillside Pond with ‘Wine Deck’

 Another fun landscaping idea to add to your water feature is a deck. It gives a great place for relaxing by a waterfall or watching the fish frolic in the pond. I like the look and feel of adding different elements to the garden. Mixing wood, stone, water, and earth together make a feature or garden that is both functional and artistic.     

                                  

  Don’t forget the aquatic and landscape lighting when planning your water feature. Aquatic lighting is always one of my favorite parts of the job. I like to get creative and put lights in little nooks and under little streams in the falls.   LED lights work great for pond and waterfall lighting because they are more energy efficient and they last much longer than halogen bulbs. 

More fun landscaping water features ideas soon to come!!

Japanese Garden  

www.livingwaterslandscaping.com

Uncategorized

How to build a custom fountain

living waters landscaping
Formal Fountain
Pondless modern style fountain.

The fountain is a classic addition to any landscape design.

Fountains are constructed in many different styles depending on the landscape design.

Formal fountains are common in many landscapes. However, here at Living Waters we push the boundaries in fountain construction.

We like to create original, one of a kind fountains for our clients in Asheville.

Here is a recent post about custom fountains:

We were contacted by our client to design a custom fountain for the center of their circular paver driveway in Asheville, NC. We came up with a custom design for a circular fountain that would give a 360 degree view. The fountain was constructed using large Tennessee Boulders set in a circle on a pondless reservoir. The pondless fountain will allow our client to turn the feature off and on as the please. Pondless fountains are nearly maintenance free, and do not require the pump to run constantly, like a feature with a pond would. 


We started of by lining the system with a 45 mil EPDM rubber liner. We then ran the plumbing to a center diffuser and started setting boulders.


We chose a 3600 gallon per hour submersible pump for this feature. The pump was set in a housing at the side of the feature. 

With all of the large boulders set, we detailed the top of the feature with waterfall rocks and capped it with decorative river rock. The pondless basin and pump housing were also covered with river rock.


We then landscaped the project area. This was a very fun build and our clients are very happy with the results.

Give us a call for a free estimate.

Living Waters Landscaping

828-301-8017

Uncategorized

Living Waters Blog

living waters landscaping

Welcome to my new blog site. I will be posting pictures and info on water feature construction in Asheville, NC.

Check back in with us soon for more.