The Right Place For Finding The Right Pros Near You!
I don’t write many reviews, but when it comes to a significant investment like this, I believe it’s worth sharing our experience for the benefit of others. My wife and I waited about six months before writing this so we could reflect not just on the installation, but on how much we’ve enjoyed the pond since then. We’d been considering a pond as a beautiful addition to our backyard, and having known about Chris’s Water Gardens for several years, we reached out to him in February. Our hope was to have the pond installed early enough to enjoy it throughout the summer. Due to the seasonal service work his team performs in the spring, a full installation couldn’t begin until July. However, Chris suggested starting as soon as the weather allowed—and he delivered. He came out in March and completed the entire pond installation, with the exception of plants and fish, which he added later at the appropriate time for the seasonal transition. Thanks to his flexibility and early work, my wife and I had plenty of time to handle all the landscaping and plantings ourselves in the spring, allowing us to enjoy the finished space for the full season. From the beginning, Chris’s passion for ponds and water features was evident. At first, his enthusiasm made us feel like he might be trying to up sell us beyond our original vision. We had imagined a modest 8’ x 10’ pond with no stream, placed out in the yard away from the house. Chris never pressured us to change our plans, but he did offer thoughtful reasons why we might not be satisfied with that setup in the long run. After considering his input, we decided to follow his recommendation. The final result was an 11’ x 16’ pond with a waterfall, a 6’ stream, and a second waterfall flowing into the pond—all located right next to our patio. While this did not match our original vision and it stretched our original budget, we’re thrilled we took his advice. Looking back, if we had stuck with our initial plan, we wouldn’t be nearly as happy with the outcome. When you meet Chris, he’ll likely talk about the “AquaScape lifestyle”—a phrase often used in AquaScape’s promotional videos. I’ll admit, at first it sounded a little corny to me. But now, I can honestly say it perfectly captures how we feel about our pond. Nearly every morning, I find myself having breakfast beside it. Even our dog has made it part of his daily routine—whether he’s watching the fish, circling the pond, or using it as his personal water bowl, he’s just as taken with it as we are. One thing I wasn’t fully prepared for—and something future pond owners should definitely consider—is how long it takes for a pond to truly become a pond. The ecosystem of fish, water, plants, and microorganisms doesn’t stabilize overnight. It takes a few months for everything to work together in harmony. Early on, I found it frustrating that the pond would look great one day, and then suddenly seem off the next, with no clear reason. I probably called Chris so many times he was ready to block my number. He always offered helpful suggestions, but his most consistent advice was: “Wait. Give it time.” That wasn’t the answer I wanted—but it turned out to be exactly right. Our pond sits in full sun for most of the day, with no shade. As I write this, we’ve just come through six weeks of blazing sun and temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. Despite those harsh conditions, the pond is clear, with just enough algae for the fish to enjoy. It’s thriving! The plants have been flowering regularly, the fish are healthy and we even had one of our fish spawn. We now have 14 additional fish above what we started with! Watching the babies just show up one day and then watching them grow has been a lot of fun! There is some maintenance involved, of course, but for us it’s been manageable—about half an hour a week. Not bad at all, considering the beauty and tranquility it brings to our home. Our pond has truly been a worthwhile investment—one that’s brought joy not just to us, but to others as well. The neighbor kids often stop by to watch the fish, and o
Shaffer handyman recently did work for me. And I couldn’t be happier with their service!I will be calling for all my future remolding needs!
Danny does a great job cutting hair. It's like a old fashioned barber shop. Worth the drive
