Are you pondering a beautiful waterfall in your outdoor living space—but you have no idea what your options are or how much it's going to set you back?

In this article, we're going to put together as much transparent information as we possibly can so you can develop a comprehensive understanding of waterfall costs & options. We're going to break down what drives the cost of a waterfall up—and where you might be able to trim some fat. We'll dig into what makes some companies so expensive while other companies are just flat-out cheap. We will share links to value-based content like "How To Choose The Right Contractor For Your Waterfall Project", "How To Select The Perfect Water Feature For You", and more! This journey is all about you getting your dream waterfall on your terms!

We're going to cover where Modern Design fits into this whole price range thing, and explain what goes on in the industry with packaging and the way water features are sold.

Later on, we'll explain the lifetime cost of actually owning a water feature—not just what it costs on the front end. We'll talk about financing (if that makes sense for you), and we'll lead you to visual examples with corresponding price ranges. There you will be able to see real projects we've done in the past—and what their price tags would be if we had to replicate them in today's marketplace.

You'll get to browse some frequently asked questions (F.A.Q.'s), and we will throw in some charts and graphs so you've got something cool to look at while you're digesting all this text. We will even go into what historical pricing trends have been & whether it's really worth owning a waterfall in your space.

By the end, you'll have enough street smarts to make the perfect choices for you! That, my friends, is how you end up with the waterfall of your dreams in your outdoor living space 😉

A space that truly changes the way you spend time with the ones you love.

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What Drives the Cost of a Waterfall Up?

People often ask us, how much does a waterfall cost?

And the truth is—there's just no one answer.

It's like saying, "How much does a house cost?"

There are a bazillion variables.

Some factors are obvious.

Others? Not so much.

Let's dig into what drives the cost of your waterfall up… and where you can find some opportunities to trim the fat.

Size and scale

Bigger waterfalls, longer streams, higher elevation drops, or more complex designs all increase the scope of your project—and will always drive up the cost.

Boulder Size

Bigger rocks = bigger machines = more money.

Elevation change

Higher hills and steeper waterfalls require a more technical construction process. They make for super cool projects—but they also cost more.

Site access

Tight yards, fences, or terrain issues slow everything down. Poor access = more labor = more money.

Proximity to utilities

The further your electrician has to run power, the more it's going to cost.

Soil conditions

Hardpan clay, underground roots, buried construction debris—anything that makes digging harder—can turn excavation into a nightmare.

Add-ons

All the best bells and whistles—just like with your car—can double the price.

Add-ons include: lighting, automatic fill systems, automatic dosers, large driftwood accents, high-end finishes, patios, pergolas, steps, retaining walls, landscaping… on and on it goes.

There could be a hundred things here.

Just know this: when you dream big, the budget grows too.

Design complexity

Artistic curves. Split streams. Multiple cascades.

At Modern Design, our imagination is limited only by your space and your budget.

We can come up with wild ideas—and some of them are really expensive.

Permitting or HOA requirements

These can add time, paperwork, and professional fees to your total cost.

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What Drives the Cost of a Waterfall Down?

Now let's talk about what can help keep the cost of your project down.

The best place to start? Flip the script.

Stick with manageable boulders that don't require large equipment to move.

Design with shorter or narrower streams, and single-pump systems.

Choose simple layouts—these can still create beautiful water features without breaking the bank.

Stay closer to your power sources.

Avoid excessive design complexity.

There's a time and place for wild imagination… and there's a time to keep it simple and elegant.

Leave room for expansion later.

That means skipping extras like patios, seating areas, and lighting at first. You can always add those in later as your budget allows.

Here's something important to understand:

You can never make the bones of a waterfall bigger once it's built.
If you want it larger, you'll have to demolish and rebuild.

So if you're working with a limited budget, consider this:

Build the largest version of the waterfall you want—without the bells and whistles—and add on over time.

We've covered a lot of creative ways to help you save money on your waterfall construction.

And if you're strategic with the right design decisions, you can create something beautiful and budget-conscious that still becomes a peaceful place to connect!

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Why Are Some Companies So Expensive (And Others So Cheap)?

Another reason prices vary is the custom nature of the work. The same physical space can host a basic waterfall or an insanely detailed one. The difference is time and craftsmanship. One might take a couple days. The other could take two weeks. Same size. Same materials. Totally different results.

White glove service also costs more. When you hire a company with professional processes, safe and modern equipment, proper insurances, great communication, and highly-trained teams—the overhead is real. But so is the peace of mind.

At the end of the day, we're not the right fit for everyone—and we're okay with that. But whether you work with us or not, I want you to be equipped to choose a team that is the right fit. Because this decision matters. And the right builder will make all the difference in the world.

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Materials, Methods, and Cutting Corners: What You Might Not See at First Glance

Here's something you might not think to ask about when you're comparing prices on a waterfall or pond—the materials that are being used and how the job is actually being built. The choices a contractor makes behind the scenes can drastically change both the price and the long-term outcome of your water feature.

Let's start with the rocks. Some companies have pallets of stone dropped off by the supplier, and they work with whatever shows up. Other companies take the time to hand-pick every boulder—driving hours to find the right shape, color, and texture for each specific design. That takes more time, more effort, and it shows in the final product.

Then there's the liner. Some contractors use fish-safe liners made for water features. Others use roofing liners that weren't made for ponds but cost less. That choice may not affect things right away, but it's something to think about—especially if you care about the health of your ecosystem or the longevity of the installation.

And what about underlayment? Using a proper under-layment below (and sometimes on-top-of) the liner protects it from sharp rocks, burrowing insects, and erosion. Some builders skip it altogether—or throw in old carpet pad to save a few bucks. Again, that's a decision you're unlikely to see on a quote, but it can have real consequences over time. Is it 4 oz weight fabric or 14 oz?

You also have to look at the filtration systems. Is the builder using entry-level components to save on cost, or are they installing equipment that's known for reliability and easier maintenance down the line?

Even the depth of the pond or the way the boulders are stacked comes into play. One company's "two-foot deep pond" might give you 18 inches of water. Another might dig the hole deeper to give you a true 24 inches of water after rock and gravel are installed. Some use shallow shelves around the entire perimeter to make rock installation faster—but that limits your ability to go deeper or create a more natural, vertical look.

The point isn't to say one way is "right" and the other is "wrong." It's to help you understand that these invisible decisions are what cause two estimates to look totally different—even if the end result seems similar on paper.

So ask yourself:

• Do you want a more detailed design with hand-selected materials?
• Do you want components built to last, or ones chosen to keep the upfront price lower?
• Are you okay with shortcuts if they meet your budget? Or do you prefer a method that prioritizes long-term performance and aesthetic detail?

These are the kinds of trade-offs that affect cost. And they're worth understanding before you choose a contractor—because you can't always see them when you're just comparing numbers.

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Where Does Modern Design's Pricing Fall (And Why)?

By now, you're probably thinking to yourself…

"Self, where does Modern Design fall on the pricing spectrum—from cheap to expensive?"

Let's dig into that, honestly and transparently—no sugarcoating.

We're not always the most expensive guys out there. We've even started offering more cost-effective versions of what we do. But in most cases?

We're going to be your highest bid.

Sometimes double. Sometimes more.

And yes, we lose jobs because of it.

But here's the part we own:

When we lose a job because of price, we feel like we've failed—not because we didn't get the work, but because we didn't do a good enough job upfront of showing you who we are. If we get to the end of the conversation and you're shocked by the price, we weren't transparent enough.

That's why we built our Project Profile Pages on the website.

It's why we created the Waterfall Design Calculator.

It's why we're writing articles like this one.

We want you to know exactly what you're getting into—before you ever pick up the phone.

Because no one likes feeling "too cheap" for something they didn't expect to cost so much.

That gut-punch when you realize something is outside your comfort zone?

It sucks.

I've been there too—and I don't want our customers to feel that way.

So we put it all out on the table.

We try to give you pricing tools, real-life examples, and honest breakdowns to help you see where we land—and decide for yourself whether we're a good fit.

At the end of the day, we've positioned ourselves as a premium provider.

We don't want to fight for the lowest bid.

We want to stand tall in what we do best—serving the people who value artistry, experience, integrity, and peace of mind.

You don't go to the Mercedes dealership and say, "Can I get the $10,000 Mercedes?"

There's a $10,000 car out there somewhere—but it's not going to come with a Mercedes ride, or a Mercedes warranty, or the Mercedes experience.

And that's how we see it.

Can we build a $10,000 waterfall?

Sure.

But it might be a small, elegant cascade next to your porch—not a sweeping 10-foot stream. And it might not be built by the same elite team that flies across the country building high-end showpieces.

We're working on offering more budget-friendly options.

But to do that, we'll have to change the recipe.

Different team. Different standards. Different materials.

That's just the honest truth.

Because it's expensive to be the team that:

• Travels the world to learn from the best
• Hand-picks every rock and boulder
• Rebuilds things if they're not perfect—on our dime
• Pays for a full-time videographer to document and educate
• Carries high-end insurance, training, equipment, and processes
• Casts a massive net to find the right clients for our niche

We want to over-deliver.

We want our clients to say, "They blew us away."

And they do—every single time.

So how do you know what our projects actually cost?

This is where our Project Profile Pages come in.

They're not generic.

They're not templated.

They're real projects, with real backstories, challenges, outcomes, and pricing.

Each one contains:

• A full written breakdown of the design
• A visual gallery of the construction
• A short inspirational video
• A longer technical video
• Live pricing that updates based on today's labor and material rates

That's how we honor transparency.

So you can see not just what a "10-foot waterfall" might cost—but what this 10-foot waterfall actually cost, in real conditions, with real materials, on a real job site.

If you're looking for a quick ballpark estimate for your own project, that's where our Waterfall Calculator comes in.

You'll be able to pick your size, your features, your finishes—and get a close, honest, starting-point number.

We're not hiding anything.

We just want to give you the tools to dream with your eyes open.

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What Package or Service Variations Exist?

There are a lot of different ways companies in this industry approach pricing—and if you're shopping around, you're going to see it.

Some contractors have a McDonald's-style menu. You'll see it broken down into neat little boxes:

• Three pondless waterfall options
• Three pond packages
• Maybe a "grand" or "premium" tier for bigger builds

You'll get a part list, a photo or two, a short description, and a clean, fixed price. It's fast. It's clear. It's easy to quote—and honestly, it works. Especially for simpler needs or tighter budgets, that kind of package model can be a great fit.

One of the earliest examples of this that we saw came from Pond Country. They were the first ones we noticed putting out those clear package tiers—and a lot of companies in the industry have copied that model since. It makes buying simple and selling even simpler.

But that's not how we do things here.

We've tried to fit our work into those kinds of boxes—and it never lasts.

Sure, we use starting points. You'll see them in our Waterfall Design Calculator, with names like:

• 🟦 Short but Sweet
• 🟦 Front Door Falls
• 🟦 Little River Falls
• 🟦 Big River Falls

These are reference points. Visual tiers. They help people picture scale, flow, and layout. But the second we start dreaming with a client—adjusting a spillway, widening a stream, changing rock sizes—it's not a "package" anymore. It becomes a completely different animal.

Instead of sticking to fixed bundles, we walk people through their options:

• What size boulders are you envisioning—handset, small machine set, or massive stone?
• Do you want driftwood, aquatic plants, or rock outcroppings?
• How complex do you want the layout—single stream, dual spillways, multiple drop points?
• Do you want us to finish with topsoil around your planting beds?

These decisions define your final result—and that's how we handle tiers. You pick the scale and scope that feels right for your space, and we walk you through what it means for budget.

We're never guessing. We've been doing this for over 30 years. So once we understand your priorities, we can usually come back with a real number range and say:

👉 "Projects like that tend to fall between X and Y."

At that point, we can both decide if we've got common ground.

If we don't—that's okay. That's clarity, not wasted time.

If we do—then we've got something to work with. It's easy. It's honest. And we don't need six meetings to get there.

We've designed our whole calculator, seven-step process, and educational videos around that idea:

• 👀 Help you get a feel for what's possible
• 💬 Give you an honest conversation when you're ready
• 🎯 Let you ask the right questions so you end up with a feature that actually fits your goals

So, yes—packages do exist in this industry. You'll find them everywhere. And for a lot of people, they're exactly the right solution.

But around here?

We don't build from menus.

We build from imagination.

That's why we put all these tools together—for you to explore, dream a little, and decide what fits.

When you're ready for that next step, just hit the Start a Conversation button. We'll take it from there.

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💸 What Is the Lifetime Cost vs. Initial Price?

There's one story that really stuck with me — and it changed the way I communicate about water features forever.

We had a client who hired us to build a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar koi pond. This thing was a monster: four feet deep, crystal-clear water, the full package. Stunning doesn't even begin to describe it. Two years later, when we came out to do the scheduled maintenance, he was angry. Not because something was wrong — but because the cleaning cost $6,000. He was shocked by the price of keeping the water clear. He told us, "I thought this would be maintenance-free."

That moment hit me hard.

And it was my fault.

I had assumed — yep, assumed — that if someone could afford a $200,000 pond, they would already know it would be expensive to maintain. But it turns out, that's not always the case. And that's on me.

It's not the same price to do an oil change on a Volkswagen Jetta as it is to service a Ferrari.

So I did what we always do when we hit a pain point: I created a video.

It's a deep dive into the true cost of owning a water feature — covering everything from sweat equity and electricity, to seasonal maintenance and long-term wear items.

Because the truth is this:

Your initial price is only one part of the story.

The real cost comes over time.

🧹 Ongoing Maintenance Costs

Most water features — ponds, waterfalls, or fountains — need spring cleanings, some kind of routine weekly upkeep, a fall shutdown, and in many cases, a mid-winter checkup.

• Spring cleanouts usually take a full day of sweat equity (or can be hired out for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on size).
• Weekly maintenance in summer runs about 15–30 minutes for most DIY owners — or you can hire a pro if you want a hands-off experience.
• Fall maintenance averages 2–4 hours if you're doing it yourself. Some people add a net to protect against leaves or predators.
• Mid-winter checkups are quick but important: 15–20 minutes a few times a season can catch major problems before they get expensive.

💡 Maintenance isn't hard—but it's not zero.

Plan for a few hours a month… or build a relationship with a maintenance team that can take it off your plate entirely.

⚙️ Maintenance Products

Just like cleaning your home, your water feature will need ongoing treatment products to stay clear and healthy. These may include:

• Beneficial bacteria and enzymes (think: natural septic-style cleaners for your pond)
• Algaecides or clarifiers (especially if water quality fluctuates)
• Dechlorinator and fish food if you're keeping koi or goldfish

You can go the set-it-and-forget-it route with automatic dosing systems (higher convenience, slightly higher cost)…

Or you can buy bulk gallon jugs and stretch your dollar further with a more hands-on approach.

There's no one-size-fits-all number here. But once you know what kind of water feature you're building, your builder should be able to give you a good idea of what to budget annually for product costs.

⚡ Electricity Usage

🛠️ Wear-and-Tear Items

Just like cars, water features have expected replacement parts over time:

• Pumps: Average lifespan 3–5 years. Replacements range from $150 to $2,500+, depending on size and brand.
• Check valves: These control flow and prevent backwash into your pond. They fail occasionally. Replacements typically run a few hundred bucks.
• Lighting: Even LED fixtures burn out eventually. Plan to swap a few over the years.
• Fish and Plants: If you're like me and fall in love with water lilies or Japanese koi, you'll find yourself investing in repotting, fertilizing, or expanding your collection. (And yeah… tropical flowers don't survive Tennessee winters. That's a new bill every spring.)

💡 Remember: these aren't surprise expenses… unless nobody told you to expect them.

🔁 The REAL Cost Comes From Smart Choices Up Front

Here's the part most people miss:

Cheap builds often end up costing way more over time.

We've seen it too many times:

A homeowner chooses the lowest bid, hoping to save a few thousand. Then two years later, we get the call to rip it all out and do it the right way.

• Improper filtration = green water, constant chemical corrections
• Weak rockwork = sliding stones, collapsing features, exposed liner
• No underlayment = termites, fire ants, and burrowing animals ruining your liner
• Cheap pumps = high power draw, burnout risk, no warranty
• Halogen lights = constant bulb changes and high energy bills

These corners may not show up on a spreadsheet. But they show up in your life — year after year.

🎯 What Should You Ask Before You Build?

If you want to avoid becoming the next cautionary tale, here's what you need to ask:

• "What's the long-term energy usage like?"
• "How much does maintenance typically cost per year?"
• "Are there easier ways to maintain this?"
• "Can we use LED lighting to cut down our energy costs?"
• "What design choices reduce future headaches?"

The more you know up front, the better your decisions will be.

And the better your feature will serve you — for years to come.

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What Are the Hidden Costs or Risks? (That Most People Never See Coming)

Let me start this section with something important:

This is not fear-based selling.

This is me—John G.—speaking straight from the heart, and from years of real-world experience.

If at any point while reading this you start thinking, "John's just trying to scare me into hiring Modern Design," I want you to know—you're wrong. I'm trying to help you protect your dream.

One of the best pieces of advice my dad ever gave me was:

"Don't forget to duck."

It sounds simple, but it's powerful—and it applies here too. Because the truth is, there are real risks that most people don't know to look out for when buying a water feature. And you've got to see them coming if you want to make the right decision.

👷 The Experience Gap

One of the most common things we see is a contractor getting in way over their head—often without even knowing it. Maybe they've taken a few classes. Maybe they've watched some videos. Maybe they've even become a certified contractor through a short online program.

That doesn't make them ready.

Knowing what a scalpel is doesn't mean you're ready to be a surgeon.

It's not about confidence—it's about experience, repetition, and the hard lessons that only come from years of doing it, fixing it, maintaining it, and learning from every mistake.

⚠️ What Most People Overlook

There are dozens of small but critical details that impact the longevity and performance of a water feature:

• Proper compaction and structural support
• Circulation and filtration that actually match the system
• Drainage to prevent flooding and erosion
• Liner protection from things like fire ants and termites
• Rock sizing that prevents long-term collapse
• Clean pump installation with proper access and flow rates

Most of these things you'll never think to ask about. But if your builder doesn't get them right, you'll feel the consequences later.

💸 What Happens When It Goes Wrong

Here's a real scenario we've seen time and time again:

We quote a job for $20,000.

Another company says they can do it for $12,000.

The client chooses them.

Two years later, they call us. The feature's falling apart. It doesn't work. It's not what they expected. We quote the fix at $25,000—because now we have to remove the old before we can build the right.

That's $12,000 + $25,000 = $37,000…

All to end up with the same $20,000 pond we proposed in the beginning.

And the worst part?

It could've been avoided—with a little more homework, a few better questions, and the right partner.

💔 The Emotional Cost

Beyond the money, there's something even harder to fix: disappointment.

You dream of a peaceful space that changes your life… and instead, you end up with "not the water feature you were dreaming of".

🙏 This Isn't About Fear—It's About Respect

I'm not here to scare you. I'm not here to bash other companies. And I'm not here to say we're the only option. We're not.

But if you're trusting someone with your dream, make sure they've actually lived it themselves.

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Are There Financing Options?

Yes, we do offer financing. We're officially set up with Synchrony, and we can absolutely help you walk through that process if it's something you're interested in.

That said? As of the writing of this article in July 2025, not a single client has actually used it.

Here's why I think that might be the case: Most of the people who hire us are already in a financial position where they're not going to move forward with something unless they can afford it outright. That might sound a little presumptuous, but it's the only explanation that's made sense to me.

Now, have people put our projects on credit cards? Sure—especially when they want points or cash back. But let's be real:

Credit card companies charge us about 3% in processing fees, and financing companies like Synchrony charge anywhere from 6% to 9%. That's the cost to us.

So let me ask you—do you really think we're able to just absorb that?

We're always going to be straight with you:

If you decide to finance your project, it's going to cost more. That's just how it works.

We don't promote financing heavily, because in our experience, it's rarely requested. But if financing is what makes the difference between dreaming and doing—then yes, we'll absolutely help you figure it out. We're prepared, and we'll walk you through it.

To keep things simple:

• Yes, we offer financing through Synchrony.
• You can also choose to use your own bank, home equity, or credit card financing if that's a better fit for you.
• And like everything else we do—it's fully custom. We'll help you work out what's best for your situation.

The bottom line? If financing helps you move forward with something that truly brings value to your life, we're in your corner.

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Can You Show Real Projects With Price Tags?

Yes—absolutely.

If you're asking, "Can I see what actual projects you have done in the past look like and cost?"

Yes, you can!

We can show you exactly what these projects look like—real builds, real clients, and what it would cost to build the same thing today.

Every Project Profile Page we publish is designed to educate and inspire, while giving you a clear picture of what different levels of investment actually get you in the real world. No guesswork. No vague ballparks. Just actual scope, budget, visuals, and results. Each page includes all the video content we have on a particular project. Typically that includes a short "before & after" style video that shares the story, as well as longer project videos that show the team taking it from the beginning to the end. There's text if you're a reader, there's a photo gallery, and there's a price of what it would cost to replicate that exact project in today's marketplace.

And here's the part we're most proud of…

When I first started, I didn't know how I could ever publish job pricing online—because labor and material costs change constantly. How could I show prices if they'd just become outdated?

So we built something crazy: a detailed, living spreadsheet system that tracks actual job costs and scopes as we build them. It allows us to update pricing dynamically, so that when you see a project on our site, you're not just seeing what it was—you're seeing what it would cost to replicate that project today.

It was complicated. It took a ton of work.

And it's super freaking cool.

👉 If you're the kind of person who wants to explore pricing ranges before you even reach out, this is your best place to start:

• Pond Project Profiles
• Waterfall Project Profiles
• Fountain Project Profiles
• Large Scale Project Profiles

These pages are the real deal. Built to help you dream bigger—and plan smarter.

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Are There Helpful Calculators or Visuals?

Yes—and they're designed to save you time, prevent overwhelm, and help you take the next step with confidence.

We built an interactive Waterfall Design Calculator to help you explore realistic budget ranges based on the kind of waterfall you want, the size you're dreaming of, and the level of artistry you're after.

This isn't one of those junky bait-and-switch pricing tools.

This is the real deal.

It's honest, educational, and—let's be real—pretty fun to play with.

Now, in the spirit of full transparency:

Yes, we do ask for your contact info. But we also give you complete control over what happens next.

🎥 We even included a short video explaining exactly what we'll do with your information—because the last thing we want is to make you uncomfortable or feel like you're walking into some high-pressure sales trap.

You can:

• Opt out of emails if you don't want to hear from us again
• Choose whether or not to have a conversation with someone from our team
• Rest easy knowing we won't sell your info, spam you, or call you a hundred times

We built this calculator for one reason: to give you a ballpark estimate of what a waterfall might cost—before you ever pick up the phone.

Is it perfect?

Nope.

But for most standard projects, it'll get you pretty darn close.

If you're dreaming up something totally wild and artistic, this tool won't capture all the magic—but it's still a smart place to start.

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What Are the Historical Pricing Trends?

Let's get real.

Since COVID, the cost of building a quality water feature has gone through the roof—and it's not coming back down. This isn't fear-mongering. It's not political. It's just what we've lived, every day, for the last several years.

If you're wondering why a $20,000 pond in 2015 might cost $35,000–$40,000 today, here's the truth:

🌍 Materials Have Skyrocketed

💪 Great Labor Isn't Cheap (And Cheap Labor Isn't Great)

Here's a truth nobody wants to say out loud: you can't build world-class water features with unskilled labor.

It takes five years of hands-on experience after you know how to build, before you become a great water feature installer. And that doesn't even touch artistry. That's just competence.

So when we hire, we don't hire "laborers."

We build careers. We offer health insurance. Paid time off. We support our team because the work is grueling—physically demanding, emotionally taxing, and often unforgiving. And the best people in this trade? They're expensive. As they should be.

When I started in this business, labor costs were a third of what they are now. But so was the skill level.

🪨 Stone, Freight, Fuel — It's All Up

Premium stone isn't cheap, and it's not always local. The cost of bringing boulders to a job site has risen sharply with diesel prices. Some projects require multiple truckloads, and each one costs more today than it did two years ago—let alone ten.

📈 Inflation + Longevity = Investment

The other side of this coin is longevity.

We don't build "cheap." We build to last.

One of the ways we've adapted is by upgrading materials over time. For example, on large or remote builds, we now use extra-thick underlayment and overlayment to protect liner integrity. You're not paying for B.S.—you're paying for something that lasts. And it's not "chump change".

We've seen liners buried under rock and gravel for 25 years that are still pliable and strong. We know what lasts. That's where your dollars go.

🔄 And That's Why We Built Our Project Profile Pages

Pricing doesn't stay the same.

That's why we created a system where we can revisit past projects, plug in current labor and material costs, and instantly calculate what it would take to build that same feature today.

So when you browse our Project Profile Pages, you're not looking at outdated numbers. You're seeing real-world builds, updated with current costs, backed by real data.

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📦 Can You Itemize the Cost?

This is one of the most common questions we get — and it's a fair one.

But here's the honest answer:

We'll absolutely explain the choices we're making on your behalf. In fact, we'll often ask you questions like:

"Would you prefer a pump that's lower maintenance, or one that's more energy-efficient over time?"

But you're not hiring us to pick the cheapest pump we can find. You're hiring us to pick the right one — the same one we'd use at our own house — because we know what will give you the best experience long-term.

Our pricing reflects a lot more than just materials:

• How long the project will take
• The labor and equipment involved
• Our experience and artistic vision
• The gross profit we need to stay in business and take care of our team

We price projects based on what it actually takes to deliver the outcome you want — and we're transparent about that from the very first conversation.

If your priority is getting the lowest cost per component, we may not be the right fit. But if your goal is a water feature that lasts, delights, and never feels like a mistake… you'll feel right at home here.

✅ Do We Explain What You're Getting?

Absolutely. We're crystal clear about the scope of work, the process, and what's included.

And once the design is dialed in, we'll happily walk you through the specifics of what we're building — and why.

But we always start with your goals first.

Because if we don't understand what matters to you, no list of parts will ever feel right.

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❓ Common Waterfall Pricing Questions

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💭 Is It Really Worth It?

To me?

Absolutely.

Hell yes, it's worth it.

But the truth is—only you can answer that for yourself.

We all buy what we want. Somehow, we always find a way to pay for what truly matters to us. I've watched people walk away from a $20,000 renovation on a waterfall they see every single day—right outside their dining room window and next to their favorite hangout spot. But that same person? They didn't blink spending $20,000 on tires and an oil change for a race car. Or $50,000 on a checkered flag floor for the garage that stores their race cars. Or half a million dollars on the cars themselves.

People buy what they want. That's just a fact.

If it's important to you, you'll find a way to make it happen.

And for me? Water features are important. I live this lifestyle at my own home—and I've seen what they do for people's lives.

When my mom visits, we sit outside by the waterfall and talk for hours. I've been shown photos from clients—graduation photos, wedding ceremonies, backyard barbecues—and they all have one thing in common: the water feature is the backdrop. That's where the memories get made.

My kids have pictures from their weddings, their military service, and those moments are captured by the pond.

And the way kids interact with a pond is something else. A pool? It's a couple minutes of splashing and chasing a ball. But a pond? That's an adventure. They put on masks. They peek into corners. They hunt for baby fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders. They explore—like they do at the river. It's connection. It's nature. It's curiosity. It's real.

It gives them something their devices never will.

And adults? I've seen them reconnect, too. Couples sipping wine together in the evening. A quiet cup of coffee in the morning. Staring into the water, decompressing. Being still.

That's why I don't say I just "build water features."

I build spaces where people connect—with each other, with nature, and with themselves.

And connection?

That's what gives life purpose.

There's a lot of content on our YouTube channel if you're into how-to videos. If you want to learn how to build a waterfall, we've laid it all out there.

But if you want to know what it feels like to live the water feature lifestyle?

You have to visit one. You have to see it. Hear it. Be with it.

And if you don't know where to go, call us. Come spend some time with us at The Oasis. We'll pour you a coffee, or a bourbon, and let the water speak for itself.

Until then—

Peace out.

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Whether we're the builder you hire or not, we want to help you make the right call. Because when you build the right water feature with the right team, you're not just upgrading your yard—you're changing the way you connect with your home, your family, and nature itself.