Hydro-Scape and Mystic Water Gardens, a Certified Aquascape Contractor, hosted a Build-a-Pond event in Orange County, California, this spring to teach contractors the mechanics and techniques of building a large water feature. The event was held at the home of Javier Reyes, owner of Villa Park Services in Orange County.
Twenty-five participants worked to create an 11-foot by 16-foot pond flowing into a four-foot waterfall connected by a 45-foot stream. The entire build was completed in less than two days. Steve Sandalis, owner of Mystic Water Gardens, and Sarah Tiglio, Hydro-Scape Pond Division manager, taught participants some tricks of the trade including tips for lining ponds, rocking waterfalls, installing a biological bog system and hooking up multiple pumps.
Aquascape manufactures a 20-step pond building kit, which was used to create the feature in Orange County. Sandalis says the 20 steps are easy – learning the aesthetics is the hard part. It takes time to learn how to place the rocks to create a natural looking landscape.
“Everyone does something a little bit differently,” Leon Grey, chief digger for The Natural Touch Landscaping, Fullerton, California, says. “That’s the reason ponds turn out unique.”
Grey has been building ponds for over 10 years. Having participated in several of these events during that time, he says it is hard for him to pick up something completely new at a build. However, he says there is always some new “tweak” he learns that enhances customer satisfaction.
According to Aquascape, contractors can yield up to 50 percent or more profit from installing a basic 11-foot by 16-foot pond.
