Details
Home Up Excavation The 'Pit' Rebar Piping ShotCrete Boulders The 'Trench' Pump Farm Patio Again Details Wiring Landscaping The 'Path' Plaster Water Leaks!

                                                                                                                                               

 

We needed a special gasket for the extra holes in the side of the vortex to accomodate our 3 bottom drains.  We couldn't find one - so we MADE one!  We bought some gasket material, and used a special gasket cutter (silver thing that looks like a compass with 2 ends), that cuts the whole gasket at one time!
We ran into the problem of how to attach the net (for the spring tree droppings, and the fall leaves) to the huge rocks surrounding the pond.  Turns out, the pool people knew!  They sell a special brass screw-out bolt.  We rented a large rock drill, and drilled holes for the barrels.  The bolt is screwed into the barrel, and is meant to hold lots of side-load weight while partially screwed out!
To keep the Japanese style theme, Karen created the design for this beautiful stained-glass lamp near the pond.  Karen cut the glass, Todd soldered it together and designed the top and mounting scheme.  Todd also designed the electrical circuits!
'Just like installing the blow-out valves in the basement plumbing, the part that really makes this pond special is the details!  Thinking all the problems through in advance, and finding the best solutions was Karen's specialty!'
Can you see the water flowing out from this rock?  This is the refill system for the pond.  We had to put the water in somewhere, and we found 2 rocks at the quarry with drill holes - so it was the perfect solution! The water changes along with all the other pond systems are completely automatic.
'Hurry up! I wanna go out into my new home!'
Here you can see the leaves on top of the net stretched across the pond and waterfall.  The net system worked perfectly, and will be a necessity under all those trees!  I like the scale of the person standing at the bottom to give you a feel for the 12 foot depth!
The pond going into winter - with the net across it.  You can't quite fit the entire shell in the lens of the digital camera, without bumping into the house or having the house block the view.  The site is pretty tight for a pond of this size - but it blends perfectly into the landscape!