LANDSCAPE DESIGN - GARDEN DESIGN - TREE REPORTS - Melbourne Australia

I would like a waterfall that looks like this - my client said

We had completed several landscaping projects for a family over a period of two or three years on their one and half acre property east of Melbourne.

We had paved extensively to both the front and rear gardens, built an  entrance stairway to the street frontage, installed brick edging and lawns, a 24 station automatic sprinkling system, planting and other works.

The site had a steep slope and at the lower section of the back garden our client had built an elaborate gazebo which we had paved under.

To the rear of the gazebo was an embankment which rose at it western end about 3 metres.

We developed a sketch plan and consulted to make certain the sketch conformed to his ideas.

We checked measurements; height of the waterfall itself, spillway length, width, fall, the base pond location and size and we redrew the sketch to produce our concept.

Our checklist included drainage requirements.

All ponds should have an overflow drain the height of which effectively sets the water level.

Electrical requirements to operate filtration equipment the pump and lighting was considered as was water supply and a float valve had to be included to automatically maintain the water level – evaporation on hot days can decrease water depth by 10 mm or more.

We met on site with a structural engineer who specialized in the design of concrete swimming pools.

We contracted the engineer to specify and document the construction techniques and gave him a copy of our sketch concept.

Construction commenced with excavating the spillway and the base pond. Spoil produced was used to develop other landscaping features and the balance removed. The 12 metre by 5 metre base pond was formed to shape using 5 ply externally pegged into position with 75 by 25 mm pegs and then nailed – the top of the ply formed our finished level for the top of the ponds concrete.

The pond built like a swimming pool was reinforced with Y12 (12 mm diameter) deformed bar in a 300 mm square grid. In all places where the concrete base pond lifted a 300 mm by 300 mm concrete filled and reinforced ‘stiffening beam’ was located. The base of the waterfall itself had a similar footing and behind it an agricultural drain was installed.

The outside edges of the spillway and the back of the pond had formed into them 500 mm wide concrete ledges to be used later to position boulders onto.

The entire pond was built from 150 mm thick concrete and sprayed in place as is the method to construct a swimming pool.

Once the concrete was sprayed the boulder placement work commenced. The boulders were all hand selected and delivered to site. They were placed with a backhoe and sling and where necessary mortared into position on the concrete rock ledges and spillway.