(Water)Falling for You

Add relaxing ambience to your yard with a water feature

WWHETHER IT’S A SIMPLE low-maintenance “bubbler” or a full-scale ecosystem with ponds, fountains and waterfalls, adding a water feature can take your landscape to the next level.

And Tom Costello, owner and founder of Costello Productions, has done it all. The Dublin native has more than a decade of experience designing and installing nearly 100 water features of all varieties.

“(In a down economy) people are a little more hesitant to spend money,” Costello says. “But the money they want to spend, they want to spend it at home because they were going be home more, and a lot of times their home values dropped, so they figured they weren’t going to go anywhere, so might as well make the home more comfortable.”

Every homeowner is different, and each brings to the table different plans, budgets and desires. However, they all share a common desire to add beauty and ambience to their home experience Dublin resident Chuck Lombardo sought out Costello’s help to make his front yard more beautiful and comfortable.

“We put the fountain in front because (we) had a small porch where we liked to sit and see the kids playing,” says Lombardo, a repeat client for whom Costello installed a 10-foot-tall bronze fountain system. “It was the focal point of our front yard in Tartan Fields. … It was very relaxing for us to enjoy the sounds.”

Lombardo was more than pleased with the finished product.

“It felt like you were at Versailles,” Lombardo says. “Between the fountain and the way he designed the landscaping, it looked very rich, like an English garden.”

A fountain is a good water installment for those who want efficient installation and low maintenance, Costello says.

“A contained fountain, or something that comes with the reservoir already contained in it, means you’re not going to have to construct anything or landscape for it,” he says. “You will have some evap- oration, but all you would have to do is add some water.”

Because of the height of the Lombardo’s fountain, the choice to put it at the front of the house was a good one.

“In the front of your house, you’re going to want something that sits higher so you can get the effect of it from the street. It will be an accent piece seen by other people … that can add to your home,” Costello says.

At the back of a home, installations can be a lot lower because they’re usually enjoyed by the family while reclining on the back deck. There is more freedom in variety because it doesn’t need to be visible to others outside the home.

Wendy Herb has been working with Costello regularly for the past three years to keep improving her home’s backyard, which includes both a waterfall and a fountain.

“This year we’re working on an outdoor fireplace, grill and other stuff outside down by the pond,” Herb says.

Herb’s home represents the other end of the water project spectrum in both difficulty and price: a large-scale, naturallooking, high-maintenance ecosystem.

“It’s beautiful and very calming, espe cially in the summer,” Herb says. “If you have the windows open and you hear it, it’s just very peaceful. … When we come home, we really feel like we’re on vaca tion every single night.”

The ambience and scope of larger wa ter features come at a price, however.

“The least expensive to put in is a bub bler,” a piece of stone or concrete that has water spilling out or over it with a small basin, Costello says. “On the other end of that, the most expensive would be to create a pond … with one or more waterfalls.”

In addition, any enjoyment from it would be short-lived without giving that ecosystem the maintenance it needs.

“The worst thing you can have is to build this piece in the backyard and not maintain it. Then, what is supposed

- Wendy Herb

to make your home look more attractive … looks like a green swamp. It requires maintenance,” Costello says.

“You could easily set aside a couple hours a week to take care of it on your own. And if you hire someone, they’ll probably come in once a week for about half an hour because they have more tools and experience.”

To Herb, the maintenance her yard requires doesn’t feel like a burden.

“I landscape it, I do all the flowers and everything, so it’s just a normal garden (to me). And as far as the pond goes … we learned a lot about what kind of fish to keep to eat the algae,” Herb says.

“We spend a lot of time in our home and entertain a lot, so it’s worth it to us to keep improving it and make a good place to retreat to. … And it’s a beautiful backdrop for a party. We had a wedding here last summer, and we picked a place where the waterfall was visible in the photos behind them.”

For those interested in including water features in their own landscape, Costello recommends thinking through all angles of the project before beginning.

“An important piece of building a water feature is planning. It’s a big piece of your landscape, and … a permanent piece of your home. It’s worth it to take a few extra hours and days to figure out how you’re going to build it and where you’re going to put it,” Costello says.

Ask your contractor:

• Do you have experience building water features?

• How long will this take?

• Where are you going to put any excavated dirt?

• Are you responsible for repairing any damage that’s done to my property while moving the materials in and out?

• Will you have the utilities marked before you start the project?

• What is the natural drainage plan for my yard or neighborhood?

• Will this project affect or change that, and do we need to check the city or neighborhood drainage plan first?

• Do you know the local codes for pond depth?

• Will I need to call the city engineer or obtain a permit for any of this work?