Job in progress: Riverlakes project
April 4, 2008 - Flowers in bloom, job cleaned
The peacefulness of a well-laid-out oriental setting is priceless.
We are currently installing all the electrical and equipment for the koi pond. We were able to add on to the client's existing pool controls so that he can switch the new waterfalls from his existing touchpad. We have black plaster going inside the pond scheduled for next week. Keep coming back to the website for more updates!
February 27, 2008 - Wrought-iron railing installed
Once fabricated, the wrought-iron panels were brought to the job site and welded into place. Two pieces of steel were epoxied into each pier giving us four weld points for each panel - making the panels very strong and durable. We then spot-painted the weld areas as well as scratches that occured during transportation.
January 24, 2008 - Painting wrought-iron railing
The wrought-iron railings for the bridge were made in-house by Masterpiece Waterfalls. The pieces were pre-fabricated in our shop and then taken to the job site and installed. Measurements for each panel were taken from the job site and used to cut and weld each individual panel. They were then primered and painted to match the existing gazebo in a beautiful Oriental-themed red.
December 16, 2007 - Landscape finished
We just finished the landscape at the project, including all trees and plants, irrigation, lighting system, drainage system, lawns, and bark dressing in the planters. The greenery breaks up the hard surfaces of the koi pond and gives the project a sense of balance.
The bamboo around the perimeter of the koi pond isn't bamboo at all - it's recreated. It's actually a cement mortar that we textured with custom rubber stamps that were made for this project. We colored and stained the bamboo to match the real stuff on the gazebo. Notice the detail, down to the individual growth rings.
The formwork for the bridge has been removed, dramatically changing the look of the koi pond. The bridge is solid concrete, an elegantly thin 8" thick and completely supported by the twelve "wood" piers. We'll be texturing the piers all the way to the bottom of the koi pond next week.
November 22, 2007 - Waterfalls embossed, gazebo painted
As you can see, a lot has happened since the last update a month ago. The large trees are now in place including two Japanese Black Pines, Pygmy Date Palms, Sago Palms, Mediterranean Fan Palms, and few more Queen Palms in the background.
Embossing on the waterfalls and boulder settings is finished as well. Embossing is the process we use to texture the rough spaces between the GFRC rock panels to make them "seamless." You'll see several 1.5" PVC pipes throughout the waterfalls, these will be cut down and serve as the fiber optic light locations. Each has been located and aimed at critical areas where lighting will have the most effect.
On top of the bridge you'll see the "wood" piers that we recently finished painting. The final illusion will be that there were existing trees in the lagoon that were chopped down to support the bridge. The bottom section of the piers (with the spiral lines) will be textured and painted after the wood formwork is removed from under the bridge next week.
Leading up to the bridge are rock slab steps set between boulder formations. We took a lot of time to detail the steps, offseting each "slab" to give the appearance that they've shifted over time.
The gazebo is also finished, sporting a beautiful deep, rich red that fits elegantly into our Oriental setting. It features a real bamboo roof and railings, ceiling fan, and plenty of views into the surrounding landscape.
The waterfalls, rock formations, and steps are NOT painted yet. The color they are now is just the color of the materials we use to construct them.
October 19, 2007 - Waterfall backfilled, gazebo structure
The main structure of the gazebo is installed and includes 6"x6" support posts and a sweeping oriental-style roof. Bamboo will be installed on the roof and handrails. The final paint color will be a deep rich red.
The north waterfall has been backfilled with high-strength concrete forming a completely solid rock formation. A total of six (6) fiber-optic lights will illuminate the falls for a dramatic night atmosphere. The next phase will be "embossing" in which we apply a special mortar in the rough areas and imprint them with texture. The result will be a seamless rock formation.
The steps leading to the bridge are framed with boulder formations on either side. They are shaped with rebar and covered with steel lathing.
September 21, 2007 - Concrete bridge poured
The concrete bridge was poured today. Contractor Hard Rock Concrete poured and stamped the bridge in a flagstone finish similar to the concrete decks at our project Intimate English Gardens. The gray release agent powder will be removed sometime next week to reveal the beautiful color beneath.
The wood formwork under the bridge will be removed in 2 weeks. Only the 8" bridge slab and piers will remain. The water of the koi pond will be 3" below the bottom of the bridge.
The triangular hole in the middle of the bridge is a viewing area to the water underneath. People on the bridge will be able to see koi fish that may be lurking under the bridge.
September 20, 2007 - Bridge forms complete
Concrete is quite heavy, especially in it's fresh liquid form. Because the bridge slab will be 8" thick, extra precautions were taken to prevent the wood forms from deflecting under the weight. Approximately 26,000 pounds (13 tons) of concrete will be poured.
Because the piers are structural members, the bridge does not have any "traditional" footings on either side. Slab thickness and reinforcement design were provided by a licensed structural engineer that specializes in swimming pool and pond engineering. Gray plastic castle chairs are used to center the rebar in the 8" slab.
The GFRC rock panels you see along the pond wall will be used on the waterfalls at either end of the koi pond.
September 19, 2007 - Arrival of GFRC rock panels
The waterfalls on each side of the koi pond will be built using GFRC rock panels and boulders. We'll use around twelve panels on a project this size.
August 21, 2007 - Gunite finished
No more guessing what this will look like. The koi pond "shell" is now gunited. The large walls on either side of the pond are areas that we'll be installing our GFRC rock panels to make the waterfalls. They will provide not only beauty to the pond, but extra aeration for the fish.
August 19, 2007 - Rebar and rough plumbing finished
The new koi pond will hold 30,000 gallons of water. It must be continuously filtered and aerated for clear water and healthy fish. The plumbing system is designed to turn over the water every four hours at 125gpm. It includes 9 aerated return lines, 9 drain lines, 3 skimmers, 2 ultraviolet sterilizer units, 480 gal. settlement tank, sand filter, and biological filter. In addition, there are two independant 180gpm waterfalls that may be used to aerate the water if the primary system has a fault.
We had a few special engineering areas on the koi pond and therefore much more rebar than a normal swimming pool. The bridge area required a double mat of rebar in the floor and epoxy-coated rebar in the piers and walls to penetrate the gunite/concrete cold joint.
The white forms that define the perimeter of the koi pond were painted blue to mark areas where the bridge would tie into the walls.
May 8, 2007 - Pond excavation
Forms were set according to our plan to define the location and shape of the koi pond. The earth was then removed to the depths specified on the plan. Overall depth of the pond will be 7'-0" at the deepest point, ensuring protection and temperature stability for the koi.
May 5, 2007 - Lawns removed
Removal of the lawns using a sod cutter was our first order of business. Left alone, the lawns would interfere with setting the final grades for planters and concrete. The concrete walk leading to the swimming pool was also removed. It will be replaced with a bridge that spans over the new koi pond.
April 21, 2007 - Initial photos
Our client came to us unhappy with his existing fish pond and wanting an oriental flair for his yard. The project had many existing elements to consider during our design - a swimming pool, waterfall, 500gal. fish pond, and concrete decking.
