Water feature is a collective term that includes all types of fountain-like designs such as tabletop fountains, container water gardens, stand-alone fountains, bubbling urns, rock waterfalls, natural ponds and even swimming pools. Here are some important water feature design considerations.

A beautiful paradise can be created by simply adding a water feature that will transform any outdoor living space where tranquility, serenity and relaxation are the result. Water features are often the focal point of any space as they not only produce soothing sounds, but create movement and visual interest. They attract birds and wildlife which just accentuates the satisfaction that you enjoy.

A water feature design can be developed for every budget and landscape space. Whether you have a small space garden or balcony or an expansive backyard, a water feature can be selected or custom designed just for that specific setting. From simple cascading urn fountain to a large Koi pond, your landscape and your enjoyment can only be enhanced with a water feature.

Since water features and fountains are so popular, there are many manufacturers that offer pre-fabricated models that are offered in a multitude of styles and applications. Among these are:

Table top fountains, designed primarily for small indoor settings

Wall fountains

Corner fountains

Small garden pond kits

Statuary based fountains (people, animals, figurines)

Contemporary sculptural like fountains

Tiered bowl style

Pre-fabricated fountains are made of either cast concrete, polyresin, fiberglass resin, stone or other types of materials that can be cast from pre-designed molds. Each requires a certain amount of assembly to provide for placement of the basin, the pump and plumbing.

With all the choices available for a pre-fabricated fountain, why consider a custom designed and built fountain? The answer is how unique you want the water feature to be and perhaps the space just needs to have a fountain custom designed because most pre-fabricated choices are either not to scale or other issues that won’t work with the space or the design criteria.

Keep in mind that any kind of pond falls into the category of custom water feature. Just because there is a kit available does not make it simple to assemble. So when I use the term custom water feature design, I am referring to above ground features. here are a few example of custom water features that I have designed:

Here are some guidelines for water feature design:

1) Always provide an automatic water leveler for your custom water feature. You don’t want to rely on filling the basin using a hose to make up for loss of water from evaporation. For very small basins usually provided with most pre-fabricated models and indoor styles retrofitting an auto leveler is impractical and you are forced to fill the basin manually. But for an outside custom built basin it’s a must.

2) Calcium deposits will accumulate on parts of the surface of the water feature either from direct contact or splash. This can build up over time and become quite unsightly. There are products on the market that claim to reduce calcium build up worth a try. The only other thing is to periodically remove it with “hard water remover” type products.

Depending on the materials and colors of your water feature, selecting the lightest color such as ivory or off white or anything in the travertine family if using that stone will lessen the visual impact but don’t necessarily design based on the calcium build up.

Depending on the water feature design, the calcium build up will not show while the water is flowing. It depends on how much splash is involved. But most all will when the water is shut off and the surfaces are allowed to dry off. So another technique is to always keep the fountain running except perhaps at night when you are not enjoying it.

3) Your budget may point to a prefabricated model due to cost. There is much more labor involved with a custom water feature compared to a fountain that is pre-fabricated.

4) Maintenance – The pump needs to be free of debris or it will get clogged and effect the water flow. Every pump has some kind of filter on the intake or in the case of a custom water feature, the pump may be housed in a skimmer box that has a separate filter in front of the pump. Periodic checking and cleaning the filter will be required. Make sure the pump and or filter assembly is easy to get to otherwise you may have to partially disassemble the fountain just to perform maintenance and you will probably end up doing that seldom or only when necessary.

With a custom water feature, the basin is often a large part of the mass of the feature and will over time accumulate debris at the bottom. You will need to evacuate all the water in order to clean the walls and bottom of the basin and then refill it. The easiest way to do this is when initially installing the pump, place a diverter valve on the output side of the pump so while the pump is on, you can divert the water to an evacuation line which can attach to a garden hose so you can direct the discharge water to a place that can handle it.

5) Pondless fountains have an underground water storage basin that supports the above ground portion above the ground where the water flows. The basin has narrow slots that allow water to recirculate and is usually covered with small pebble stones. A pondless water feature design is both low maintenance and simplistic.

6) Scale and proportion relative to the water feature location are the most important design considerations when choosing a prefabricated water feature. Make sure it fits the scale of the space. First, decide where the fountain should be located, then select a fountain that “fits” the space. The spot where you want a fountain will dictate its general dimensions regarding overall height and basin width.