Customer Reviews

All About Building Waterfalls, Ponds, and Streams

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this at Home Depot, which also offers a "materials" service from the same help desk in each store that will help design a deck and print out all the needed materials.

This offering appears to be "best in class." I found the following extremely helpful:

1) Up front discussion of the hardest part, creating a balanced ecosystem with balanced chemistry. If you do nothing else, let county water sit in a tub overnight to dissipate the cholorine, before putting it into a live environment.
2) Complete coverage (chapter 3) on materials and equipment. This is a lot easier than most might think, but it *does* require hard work if you get much above a pre-fabricated form. Rocks are *heavy* and you need a LOT of them--three times as many as you might think.
3) Superb photographs and drawings, checklists, and at the end, a list of water resources.

I am struck by how many people seem to be turning not only to waterfalls, but to full-up water gardens. While perhaps difficult to support in drought conditions, my wife and I have had a small pond for years and now want to move up to a waterfall and 4 times larger pond, and this is the book that has made that possible.

If you are discouraged or do not feel up to the challenge, I do recommend a very simple water feature, just a wash-tup and one of those spouting lion heads, or the bamboo trio. For under $100, you can get a water feature that is ready to go and plugs in, and for under $75 you can get a world class wind-chime. Add an outdoor clay fire pot with chimney, and you have the three key ingredients: water, wind, and fire.

Good book. Pictures are good and the descriptions and details from the creation of Ponds, Streams and Waterfalls is the most complete of all the books that I have purchased or read. It could do a little better job of describing how to integrate a Bog Garden with a Pond. I still have questions about that.

Overall the best of the breed.

I enjoyed this book; it fit my skill level which I would describe as intermediate. I have not had a pond, but I have kept a 110 gallon indoor aquarium for about twenty years. The information is laid out in an organized fashion with both color photos and b/w sketches. Describes pond design, layout, construction (with a few safety tips), plants, fish (but not detailed information for fish keeping), filters, maintenance and has many color photos.

I liked the idea pictures in this book, but ultimately the "how-to's" left me wanting for more. I didn't feel it went into enough detail of things such as, how to make the rocks look natural and how to place them on the rubber liner so they don't wash away immediately. A good idea book, though.

THIS IS THE BOOK YOU NEED IF YOU ARE GOING TO CONSTRUCT A WATERFALL ETC. PACKED FULL OF USEFUL INFORMATION. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is a good, informative book if you are researching the idea of having a water feature in your yard. I'm a beginner just thinking about building a stream and pond. This book explains everything involved from the materials needed to layout and construction. I thought it was very good.

I love this book! I look at it over and over. It has great photos and well written instruction on how to build many types of ponds. If you are or know some one who is interested in making a pond this is a must have book!

If you're in the planning stages of building your pond, waterfall or stream, this is a great book to get. Filled with great pictures and number of great ideas, you're likely to find something that suits your plan and your yard. This book covers everything from minor water features to huge waterfalls, and formal watergardens to natural mountain streams and waterfalls.

There are better books with step by step guides for when you need the details, but you can't beat this one for concepts and general plans. I've already made several modifications to my original plans thanks to the suggestions and ideas in this book. Just about every aspect of construction is addressed in this book; site selection, materials, installation, and maintenance. If you're planning any water feature, this book is a must so you can be informed of what you're in for! There is also a reference page containing 20 different pond businesses so you can surf the net to price materials and get even more ideas.

We found this book at Home Depot and through the Amazon Android App found it here much cheaper! The Pictures are beautiful and inspiring. Can't wait to make something great!

This was a good book if you are going big time waterfalls. I was looking for something a little bit simpler.