Keeping character, or restoring a pond

[wroughtn_harv]

The final four courses will be eights but for most of it we'll have five courses of twelves, darn, did I mention those puppies are heavy?

 

[wroughtn_harv]

What is interesting is spinning Iris around, doing a one eighty, on the trail. It's less disconcerting than backing out.

 

[KentT]

Harv,

Just how big is this pond? It's difficult to get a sense of...

What a project!

Kent

 

[RonR]

Harv, is this the biggest project you've ever done? I've been reading this thread for a long time, and not to be delicate, but D***, this owner is gonna have more $$$$$ tied up in his pond that I have in my house!

I just can't imagine how much he's putting into this project.......... When I built a $5000 deck last year, I thought I'd slurged significantly! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I must not know how the other half (or 1/4 ????) live. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Ron

 

[OldWelder]

Harv,

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gifJust what will be the stream bottom when your finished, up where the trail is or down below where the water is now?

Kent,

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gifYou need something like this at your new building project /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

 

[KentT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
Kent,

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gifYou need something like this at your new building project /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. )</font>

Outta my league, Joe.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'm going down next weekend to deal with the slash from my brother cutting timber off it. I've been told that it looks like a bomb went off in there....

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Yesterday we wheeled the wall and footer. Our perimeter is almost six hundred feet.

It is a large project when you stand back and try to take it all in. I look at it as a group of projects.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

The client is dropping a fortune for sure.

He bought the property in 1983 because the original owner who'd built most of the features was a character with some really unique concepts. He's wanted to refine and add to these features all this time but he couldn't find someone as zany as the original fella.

When we're done the property will have the potential for generating income as a site for special events. I believe the rock deck by the waterfalls will become a favorite place for wedding planners.

One of his issues with the place has been the occasional beaver setting up shop. The new wall will make the place very unattractive for beaver habitating.

Another issue has been erosion. The renovation will eliminate that for the most part.

We're also adding infrastructure for irrigation and electrical service to areas where that wasn't available before.

I also believe us documenting the construction as important too. It not only gives a future owner the complete picture and map of original construction if they want to remodel. It also gives them a story to relate to visitors.

Hopefully some of the features will be intriguing to visitors. And some of those who find it intriguing might find our documentation fun also.

The most expensive remodel I've been involved with was this one http://harveylacey.com/id44.htm

Again, that one started with me being asked to bid a fence. Then I was requested to bid on building the cedar work, arbor and two pavilions. When that was all done I was asked to replace an existing pavilion.

The big difference between that job and this one besides the medium, wood versus stone, was on that one I was trying to bring another's concept to life. Where on this project it's a joint effort between me and the client. One of us will come up with an idea and that's just the start. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I believe the water only flows four or five months out of the year. The rest of the time it will be just a pond.

The customer said yesterday the pond catches watershed from five hundred or so acres. This is the third pond in a chain. Each pond is on separate property.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

If you'll grab your imagination I'll take you for a walk around the finished project as it's in my mind at this point in time.

Let's start at the south end of the old wall and go east.

Here's the new terrace that cuts back into the bank. The wall is about four inches above static water level. And if we want we can walk along the path we built along the old wall to the bottom.

This terrace has a rock floor with a large rock table. The terrace will go underwater when it floods.

If we look out into the pond there's five boulders that appear to be floating. If we were here after dark we'd see the effects of the lights in the floor shining up at the boulders. We'd also see the glow of the lights along the base of the old wall highlighting the floor of the pond.

Each boulder has a noodle head fountain. Noodleheads are fountains that seem to have a random spray pattern that change constantly. When the noodleheads aren't on there is constant water flow oozing out of orifices in the rocks. This is to not only keep the waters wet which highlights their beauty. It is great source of moisture and adventure for insects and birds.

When we turn east we see the rock deck. From the terrace we can see there's a single column in the water that supports large six inch thick sandstone slabs form the deck. The perimeter of the deck has sandstone benches. The sandstone deck is conversation pit above the water.

East of the deck is the new flood level spillway with waterfalls. There's a three foot wide sandstone slab walk way across the waterfalls.

Below the walkway is a series of holes in the boulders that are the columns supporting the walkway. From those holes come water that's being recirculated from the fish pond below the falls. The sound of the falls is one of the features that make the conversation pit so pleasant a place to, well, converse.

Continuing east we come upon another observation area. This one is a large sandstone slab that hangs out over the water. It's a place to look back at the features to the west. It will be higher than the conversation pit and the terraced area. So if there's a bench or furniture on it the furniture will be of a medium that isn't stone.

As we continue east we come upon the new spillway. If the water's flowing we can step across the spillway on stones spaced for just that.

Along the east wall there's another terraced area that's designed to highlight landscaping plants.

As we turn back going west we come upon another terraced area with rock features. This is an area that takes advantage of shade and the view of the south side of the pond with all of it's features. This area is more for comtemplation and appreciation, and individual's place if you will.

Continuing west we come upon the original wall and spillway.

After we cross the original wood bridge we can come down the new sandstone slab walkway to the new deck along the original wall and the entrance to the greenhouse on the west.

We can stand in front of the greenhouse looking east and see the incoming spillway to our left, the rock terrace on our right with the stone deck just beyond the floating boulders.

The wall that surrounds the pond is granite boulders with a sandstone coping all the way around.

You now know as much as I do about the future of this project.

Well, except for the dancing fountains. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif