With a little bit of planning, some DIY skills, and a relatively small budget, you could add a backyard waterfall to your home. In just a day or so, you could have an attractive water feature in your yard.
But, if you want a waterfall that’s much more than a simple hole in the ground, it’s complicated enough that it often makes sense just to hire a professional.
Regardless of the scale of your project, you have to be realistic. If you’re very handy around the house, a simple design is probably something you can handle. But, if you’re talking about a more involved project, maybe with a lot of excavation, boulders, and LED lights, you could get in over your head pretty quickly.
Keep reading to understand the best choice for you.
Building a Backyard Waterfall
Some backyard waterfalls are complicated and extravagant. Others are simple, with a small pond, a few rocks, and an inexpensive budget. Check your local building codes before beginning work because building a water feature or altering the flow of water runoff sometimes requires a permit.
If you already feel a bit overwhelmed, now is the time to call a professional for a consultation. Whether you go with a contractor or DIY, this is the essence of a backyard waterfall build.
Landscape Design
Find a place in your yard where a waterfall makes sense.
- Use an existing slope
- Try to make it visible from inside your home
- Minimize disruption to hardscaping
- Integrate the design into what’s already there
- Stay away from trees that will drop leaves into your waterfall, or upsize your filter
Slope
Create a slope if you don’t already have one. If you’re going for a Niagara Falls kind of look, that might mean building a retaining wall, so you may even want to consult a pro about how to pay for your home project.
Basin
When the water descends your slope, you’ll need someplace for it to collect. Your basin doesn’t have to be a pond. It could just be a chamber filled with gravel if you’d prefer. You should line it with an impermeable layer of plastic before adding rocks and pebbles. Otherwise, you won’t be able to control the water flow.
The basin is also a great place to add an LED light to show off your backyard water feature.
Collect the Water
Your basin needs to have a drain or a skimmer to collect the water. If you think of your outdoor waterfall basin like a sink, the drain will just be fed by gravity, whereas if you have more of a pond design, you’ll want the basin collection system to be more like a swimming pool’s filter skimmer, drawing the water and any debris toward a mouth on the surface.
Pump and Filter
Wherever the water ends up collecting, you’ll need to filter it first and then pump it back to the top of the waterfall. You can find pond filter kits online, but it isn’t that complicated to build one, especially if you’re handy with PVC pipe or similar simple plumbing materials.
Your filter doesn’t have to be that complicated either, but consider how much debris, aquatic life, and algae could form in your waterfall without filtering the water. It’s wise to go overboard and keep your waterfall clean.
Hide the Hardware
Before the job is complete, you’ll need to do your best to hide the plumbing, wiring, liner, and other hardware from your backyard waterfall. This extra finishing touch will create a natural look and add to the overall aesthetic of your design.
Making Your Backyard Landscape Work
If your backyard already features a slope, adding a waterfall is a natural addition. But, keep a few tips in mind.
Big projects need big equipment. Don’t be afraid to bring in a professional to do it right. If adding your waterfall is part of a major upgrade to your home, consider doing all the work at one time. If you want things done quickly, efficiently, and well, you should definitely use an NRIA authorized contractor.
Homeowner Funding Will Beautiful Your Backyard
A water feature in your backyard can be a fun DIY project. But as the scale of your project increases, the need for professional services also grows.
The bigger the pond, the more material you need. Additionally, chances are you’ll need a permit. Homeowner Funding can help you get the home improvements you need, whether that means installing water features or providing convenient vinyl siding financing.
Let us take the stress and expense out of home improvement. Call Homeowner Funding today!
