How to Build a NATURAL Looking waterfall (and tips n tricks on what NOT to do)
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- We are revamping a pond today, and we're gonna talk about some tips and tricks on how to build a natural looking waterfall, and a few things to NOT do to avoid that manmade look.
We did this project in Clearfield PA. Enjoy!
You ever build a waterfall? Have any other tips to offer? Let me know in the comments! 🙌
#howto #buildnaturalwaterfall #naturallookingwaterfall
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how to build a natural looking waterfall
manmade waterfall
koi pond
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tips and tricks on how to build a pond waterfall
Please make more tutorials for waterfalls and streams. This helped me so SO much! I'm getting ready to redo a waterfall/stream that I built 4 years ago because I've learned so much due to videos like this. Thank you
No need to suffer any insecurity anxiety on this one, Bub 🤣 Whoever said, you can't polish a turd, never met you apparently. You turned a giant soup bowl into a natural looking body of water. Loved the waterfall with the split on top. Great work as always.
😂😂 thanks Bryan! Always love your comments! Yeah this one was a fun job. Would it have been fun to do the whole thing? Absolutely. Did it look a lot better with just the stream rebuild? Sure did!
I loved the way the water goes around the rocks and not directly into the pond. The saw on the spillway stone made the flow look more natural as if the water had worn the rock away over time. You guys do good work and hooray for the bullfrog getting his home back better than ever
Thanks David! 👍 Yeah that was one massive frog! 😂
That bottom drain seems like a great way to design in a failure mechanism that will make someone's life hell down the road. Glad you got rid of it.
I 1000% agree with the idea of changing directions on each fall. You don't want it to look like a staircase, because nature never does that.
Really good build. Tough to make a really crazy build with small rocks, but you did a good job with what you had to work with. Waterfall has some large showy rocks and is incredible. Great stuff.
Thanks so much! Yeah, it definitely is tough when you dont have much for rocks. I was happy how it turned out for the minimal rocks we had
Fabulous❣️ I learned so much, you've given me the confidence to get that spill right with correct placement of the rocks - I've been procrastinating all week! Thanks for the invaluable share. 😊
I don't know why the subscriber number is low? Can everyone explain a bit for me? I really like this channel and look forward to watching every new video
Thanks Quincy 😁 just takes a while to build up a channel. Patience is a virtue they say. Thanks for watching the videos 🙌🙏
“This yard is fantastic. Not a blade out of place. We’re trying to do our best to protect it. “Proceeds to dump an entire truckload of boulders onto said yard.
Ha ha ha 😂 when you put it that way.... yeah not so cool eh?
We protected the yard with plywood throughout the job. When we left we didnt have to do any reseeding, it all looked great
🙀
Baldur's are a problem lol
Awesome transformation guys! Super video - as always!!
Thanks Jay!
Working on my own Koi pond concept. Any links to a good waterfall filter? Also any cleaning tips will be appreciated
Hire or train one of your crew member to do movie job.There is a distraction when you perform both the tasks.Your landscaping and water features are great.You are indeed an artist.Awesome transformation.❤❤❤❤❤👌👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍👍
I need a video guy! Come work for us!
what a transformation WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
thaaaaaaanxx :)
I have built at least 3-4 dozen pondless water falls and water falls in general and love doing it.
But... from time to time I watch others and act like I I’m doing it for the first time and it never fails... I learn something new. Great video-awesome work
Thanks for doing it right and for teaching me more about what we love doing.
Thanks for the props Richard! Glad it was helpful!
7:42 and by sheer accident, we discover a lost grave.
7:43 looks like some one was buried and is reaching out for help lol
It’s the guy who did the original install. He got lost looking for the bottom drain valve
😂😂
It’s called a gate valve. They’re actually a really nice alternative to a ball valve in certain applications. Typically they are rebuildable, and the don’t tend to freeze up over time like a ball valve. If you need to isolate a part of your plumbing/filtration system (uv light, filter etc) they’re great. I would guess this one was installed instead of a check valve, to prevent the water from the bio-falls from draining back to the skimmer when the pump is shut off.
Thanks for the explanation! I think you are right. I've never used them before in water features.
It's actually a guillotine valve and is not to be used in any pressurized applications. You see these typically on drains, whirlpool tubs and spas, and sewage ejection pumps to isolate the pump.
Love what you did with waterfall.
Thanks 😊
Great design, but also excellent communication of what you were doing each step of the way. Fantastic vid.
Glad it helped!
Great transformation! What is the rule of thumb on how much width you can build a waterfall in relation to how many gallons per hour your pump produces?
Depends on the look you're going for, but most of the time I build with about 4,000-6,000 gph per foot of waterfall width. I like to build more crashing boulder style of waterfalls though. If you used a more artifical looking flat piece of flag stone for your waterfall rock, you could drop that down to about 2,000 gph per foot of width.
Nice transformation bud! 👏👏
Thanks Jaak! How's the dirt bike going?
'water takes the path of least resistance.' heard that on an inspirational video today!
Amen!
LMAO @ 7:44 You had me spooked- I thought the previous pond builder may have lost an employee. When you were pulling up stuff- I saw the glove reaching up !
Hey, excellent tips and great work !
Thanks!
Wulfy
Can you do more videos on the water falls go in detail how to set up liner in that area pls. Love the content.
Didn't know what a gate valve is? Not how i design them but this bottom intake skimmer combo is a pretty common design.
What a result,an awesome water feature.
Just out of curiosity Weston,how many seasons/ponds have you built?
Your ahead of your time,keep up the Good Work.
Good question. I don't know? Over 500 water features I would guess
14 years
Beautiful job and everyone worked so well together. Incidentally, your sense of humor is adorable...
😂
Thank you. I’m just about to install a waterfall. Your advice is appreciated. I also like how you acknowledge that people have different ideas and don’t have a go at the previous builders; otherwise that could one day be someone reviewing your project.
Thanks Matthew. Yeah, we all are on a journey, and we all start somewhere. And something like waterfall building falls in the artistic category, which means so much of it is subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So for that reason, I try not to judge 😜
Regardless however, water feature should always be "functional". Not leak, etc. If you get that part right, the artistic side is: if you're happy with it, that's all that matters.
Speaking of the artistic side, there are a few things that do make a water feature look better. (Again, subjective opinion here 😁) that even a brand new water fall builder with very little experience can benefit from. I should make a video on that someday.
Building waterfalls well comes after you see it go together so many times that you begin to be able to visualize two and three boulders "ahead" of the one you are setting currently. Then that allows you to actually achieve what you had in your minds eye. What most new builders struggle with is being able to see ahead like that, and then when they can't, the final product doesn't quite turn out quite like they wanted
Love how that water falls into the rock with the bowl part. Just as you said it would do. That really turned out good!
😎😜😉
Love these type of videos ❤️❤️ inspiration for me to try it myself 🙏👍
Woohoo toyspeed! Thats what this content is for ✌
I'm building a pondless waterfall in my yard and have watched a ton of videos. This one is very good. Thank you!
How many gph was this pump and what are your recommendations per 12 inches of water fall?
Love how you explained in detail how to make the spillway look natural. I saw you on Shaq’s pond. You are a young rising star. I am working on my own pond now. Upgrading an existing pond. I have learned so much from the Aquascape videos.
Thanks for the support! Glad the videos are helpful! 👏💪
I have one side of a pool sheet that is sloppy...dripping rather than sheeting...do I concentrate on the edge...squared...the face vertical...the bottom edge....cannot seem to shape the water into anything organized.
Excellent work bud. You really care about what you do!
Another fantastic job. Your clients have a lovely property, now further enhanced with your team's amazing work.
Yeah that property was beautiful!
Great video. What kind of waterfall spillway is that (if that is even what it is called)? I have only managed to find really small ones. And that what is the flowrate of the pump? And that part with cutting the rock at the end, what was that for? Was it to make the edge from rough? Thanks!
we use aquascape products!
Awesome transformation. Love the split waterfall coming out of the biofalls. Can I ask how you attached the liner to the new skimmer? Did you silicone a piece of liner over the old hole and then cut a new hole? Also, are you scared to trust the old liner on a rebuild since you weren't the ones to install it?
Thanks! Yeah sure. The old skimmer had a slightly smaller opening than the new one did, so we just cleaned the liner really well, cut the opening slightly larger to fit the new skimmer, and siliconed and bolted it to the new skimmer with the faceplate.
Yeah... things have got to be just right to rehab a pond and use the same liner. Can't always be done. In this case, the pond held water, so we were all good to go, and we used a new liner in the stream.
Hi bro, your video is helpful. I am building a waterfall. Its about 6 meters long. Behind the yard of the house. The waterfall will be landed on the koi pond. I might show you the pictures. It is in the process now. You might give me some ideas. btw I am from West Papua. Thanks bro.
Awesome! Post your photos on IG and tag Tussey
Your audio kinda sucks. Very hard to listen as the volume keeps going up and down. I just gave up and watched something else
Good job guys. I bet the former contractor who made the original waterfall is foaming at the mouth.
You guys did a beutyfull jod ,,,,
Thanks!
Do you normally put biofalls ladt
Yes
hey what's with the demo saw action on the spillway Wes?
Was creating a sharper edge or lip on that spillway rock so that the water would break off and create a sheet, rather than stick to the rock and run down the face.
@@Tusseylandscaping haha fair enough mate
Fantastic insight into the right and wrong ways to build waterfall. Now feel confident to try a small one of my own. Tanks guys.
Awesome! Good luck man!
🙀
Great job guys 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
Respect from Palestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
Thanks for watching,Adam!
110% improvement! Great job!
Thanks Leslie! Appreciate all your comments 😊
Excellent video and as always a pro job. Well done!
Thanks a lot Peter!
Thats fantastic good video where you explain some good techniques
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. I really appreciate the waterfall information. Changing the distance between the stones really made a huge difference.
Glad you got some value man! Yeah, depth and composition are huge in making a waterfall look natural
@@Tusseylandscaping I think they're blown it
I’m not really sure this video shows how to build a waterfall when most of it is shown in time lapse.
Excellent work and great entertaining video!
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the tips I'm waiting for the aquascape waterfall kit to come in next week to the UK.
Hope you get it without delay with all the disruptions going on!
Yes hope so. We went to the academy in February. So I'm really excited to make a start.
Yes mate, we all love a gusher 👊😁 .. gushy. Lol
Amazing video thanks for sharing your skill, knowledge and talent.
Thanks so much for watching!
that "priming device" you mentioned is for a bottom drain install. the exact same thing came with a kit i bought 15 years ago. from what i saw in the video, it seemed like it was way to high on the skimmer... and i'm not sure why it was put on the outside of the skimmer either....
😂🤷♂️ crazy crazy! We took care of it ;)
Major improvement, great job!
Thanks Steve!
Very nice !!
why did you use the saw? on the waterfall
To make a sharper edge on the spillway stone, so the water breaks into a clean sheet
Nice! You know and can imagine what is natural!
Beautiful 💕
:)
Nice job but I would like to know why did you saw the edge of the waterfall stone to get better water flow?
Thanks John! I used the saw to knock off the "rounded"edge of that spillway stone. I ground that edge with the saw blade, Ava created a sharper edge, which mage the water break free easier. The other alternative would have been to put in a bigger pump, and with the additional water flow, it could have broken the surface tension of the water on that rounded edge of the spillway stone, and broken into a clean water fall sheet. In this case, grinding it allowed us to make the water break free into that sheet water fall without adding more water flow. The sharper the spillway stones corner is, the less water it takes break free into a sheet.
I had a skimmer that was just like that. It was before aquascape was created. I think it was pondsweep? Yes you opened the valve and it would draw from the bottom and the surface at the same time.
Interesting! I didn't even know that. Thanks for watching :)
@@Tusseylandscaping this skimmer was 20 years ago.
Great pond if you make 500k a year
You are a good boss as well as a great teacher. Thank you for sharing you wisdom. beautiful reworking of that water feature.
The waterfall is a great improvement. But like so many home ponds, the surrounding stones look anything but natural. I live near the ocean where there isn't a stone to be found and have seen any number of ponds where it just looks like someone piled stones around a liner and think somehow that looks good. Not.
I wish the home owner had let you do a complete redesign, but it still was a pretty finished product.
Yeah, can't get em all, but thankful we were able to do what we could here
❤❤❤❤
How many gallons is a pond this size?
It was about 1,500
LOL an RV Tank Drain Valve
I know right! 🤔😂
The part where you angle grind the spill stone interests me.... What exactly were you thinking and bringing about in the angle grinding process....... Plus you answered my foam question I had previously asked on another video of yours. Many thanks for all the info you gave in this video
You bet!
I was "Sharpening" the edge of the spillway rock so that the water going over the edge would break free form the rock easier and create the waterfall sheet look. If the spillway rock's edge is too rounded, the water never breaks off the rock and the surface tension just keeps the water stuck to theface of the rock as it drops down into the pond
Love the waterfall! I have a pond and a small waterfall further back from the pond! I’d like to have one up close at the pond! I’d also like to turn the large willow that fell on our house raising the deck with it- into the waterfall! The tree had to be climbed and cut off the house-the tree fell back down and the stump is remaining! I’d like to use the stump as the main part of the waterfall! Have you ever used a stump and logs before-mixed in w rock?
We absolutely have. Love using driftwood in our water features!
Tussey Landscaping please tell me about the use of drift wood and pictures please! How do you prevent it from rotting out within a couple of years
Basically just be intentional about how you use it, don't submerge it or have it be "structural" to the water feature. That way as it degenerates and rots, it's no big deal
This is awesome. Have a great day.
Thanks! You too!
@@Tusseylandscaping I have to redo a waterfall in my backyard pond and I am looking for tips. 😁☮️
I have a video on how to build a natural looking waterfall somewhere s few months back. Check it out
@@Tusseylandscaping I will check it out. Thank you. 😁
I work at penn state and we are making a pond at the new pollution garden at the arboretum. Does a new pond lose water and if so how long does it take for it to hold water line, it’s lost 3 inches so far in a month.
Hey neighbor! 😁
Yes, the rule of thumb we use is a waterfall will evaporate about .5 to 1% of it's water flow in 24 hours. So if you have a stream with 5,000 gph of flow, you could lose up to 50 gallons of water in a day.
Tussey Landscaping thank you! Yea this is a pond has two bio areas, we don’t have them running since the water level is below the skimmer flow level. We just built it and filled it up about a month ago first pond 😗. I was thinking things were settling so that might be a reason for water level dropping too. Since first pond just watching some of your helpful tips. Also making our first bog pond too. Are you located in Altoona?
Our address is Hollidaysburg. But we work up in State college. Let us know if you need anything from us
Epic
Your a over achiever buddy!!!!!! Great work!!!!!!!
🙌👊
Man as soon as I seen the crew and equipment i went broke 😅
Ha! We love what we do!
Oóo to
What type of skimmer did you use on this project?
Cool mate...👍Nice job
Thank you Andrew!
nice job mate
Thank you!
How enviroment friendly is the foam you use? I know you guys in the us to care to much about it, but I hope that changes in the future, because we only have one earth.
I wouldn't know the answer to that question. Ed the Pond Professor would likely know
Not saying we should kill our planet but there's more habitable planets ya know
@@Tusseylandscaping My experience is that most US-Americans don't care about the enviroment. It's always convenience over nature. If it is "normal" foam, it's hazardous waste. That's why I'm asking.
@@O.B.E.A.S.T.T. Yeah, just around the corner. A short trip some hundred years. But let our children deal with it in the future. Devil-may-care.
I think they have paid big money the 1st time and they got a shit job, they paid big money again and got an even shitter job
What seemed incorrectly done to you?
Tussy did incredibly on this job! I don’t know how you could think that
great vid! good info
Thanks!
When you used the saw to adjust the flow of the waterfall, what was goal for it? To shave off the unevenness of the edge of the spillway rock to make it all smooth and even for a more uniform water flow?
I wondered too. I could be wrong, but I think the goal was to get a sheet over the rock. Before he took the saw to it, the water was clinging to the rock. Before ua-cam.com/video/U4U4Rf6sVDM/v-deo.html After ua-cam.com/video/U4U4Rf6sVDM/v-deo.html I wish that he would have explained that.
Yes, this is the reason, to manipulate the sheet and get it to break free from the rock edge
@@Tusseylandscaping Thank you for the up vote. What exactly did you do with the saw to get the water to sheet?
Wow, Thanks I'm speechless!!
😁
Major upgrade! What did the saw do to get the water to change? Just getting rid of the rounded edge?
Yep, just knocked off the rounded edge
@@Tusseylandscaping dude that's a great trick to pull out of your arsenal! I really like these videos you give installer tips on how to make these features more natural.
Yeah brother! 💪🙌
Very nice work. Quick question, what would be wrong with not having a liner, and just letting the lost water keep the trees healthy??? I ask this because we started a stream long ago, and never thought about a liner. It would be hard work to add a liner now.
Thank you! If you want a typical contained water feature, you must have a liner. The only exception would be working with a natural stream
Like to add you could put Adrian nine different waterfalls systems in their major upper pond for your spillway was a lot deeper so you could adequate more runoff different ways would’ve really been nice to see not just one waterfall that sucks but other than that you did a good job
🤷♂️ Gotta stop somewhere right?
Hahaha insecurity issues
😂
I really enjoy your videos. I have a savio skimmer. What do you think of them? I liked the rock lid cover on the one you installed.
I've never installed one of them, sorry!
Superb 😍 you were dead right on that sheet WF, perfect. You have an excellent team 👍
Thanks Steve! We sure do. Great group of guys
Great project.
Thank you!
Very poor photography
thanks for the tip...
Cool
🙌
Love your videos
Very nice job. 👏
Great work
Fantastic!
Many thanks!
Just watched this video for the 2nd time I have an existing pond that is 16w x 22L wide teardrop shape I have 2 20x20 liners I plan on seaming them together to make one 20x39.5 hoping it won't be to hard but I also want to keep my waterfall. My plan is to cut a large piece of the existing liner in front of the falls and make it like a bib. then pull the new liner up tight to the bottom of the falls and over lay the old liner over the new or should the new go over the old liner? and should I glue them together or anything? I will not be doing framing rocks to heavy to lift and can not get a machine in my backyard really enjoy your videos
A little hard to follow what your trying to achieve, but an overlap needs to be done with the upper liner from the stream bibbing down over the lower liner in the pond. The stream liner on top of the pond liner
@@Tusseylandscaping making the pond larger but don't want to have to rebuild the waterfall that is why I want to use a bib liner on the water fall
Dude you made it look exactly how you said keep up the good work.
Thank you! Appreciate the support!
Love it!
love how you re-made that!