Stone Work/ Water Features Asheville

A Week of Final Touches...

I spent this week working on finishing up a couple jobs that I have been doing for Reems Creek Nursery.

The first job was a water feature in Madison County that we had finished last month. I went back to clean it out and do some final touches since the weather has warmed up a bit.

The second job we finished up this week was a dry stacked boulder retaining wall in Weaverville. 

I do love the days of doing the final clean up and last minute touches on jobs, it gives me a chance to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the work we have created after all the long hard hours of construction.

Asheville Japanese Garden

Just a quick post to highlight a Japanese Garden project we were blessed to be able to work on.

This garden features a cascading waterfall with approx. 15 feet of total fall. We used some beautiful Jasper boulders in the waterfall and stream.

The waterfall ends with a relaxing Koi pond.

We also enjoyed installing some really fun stone work. There was a large dry laid Autumn Flame Stone patio, and approx. 600 square ft. of Wolf Creek Natural Stone Veneer retaining wall work.

The best part of this landscape design was the use of some amazing Bonsai trees. Our client had been raising some ancient trees that he wanted to use in the landscape. Some trees were as old as 250 years. Some of the trees were planted in the ground, others were placed in traditional containers around the yard.

I feel that I am constantly learning my craft as a landscape contractor. Each project providing me with a new challenge. I hope to grow and learn more as I install landscapes and water features in the Asheville area.

Water Features Asheville

When we are designing and building waterfalls, we look to the natural environment around us. The Asheville area has some beautiful waterfalls and streams to enjoy and gather inspiration from.
However, like this waterfall we installed, the man made water feature is a combination of nature and art. Natural waterfalls tend to be a little more organic and rough around the edges, with trees and branches fallen across streams and seasonal water flow changes.
We attempt to install waterfalls and ponds to look as natural as possible, but with a crisp, artistic finish.
Recirculating water, adding filtration and building bog areas, like the the bog filter in the picture above, allow us to express the beauty that we see in nature and make it a functional feature for our clients.

We truly enjoy building ponds and waterfalls as much as we enjoy spending time in nature soaking in the beauty we find there.

Asheville Area Pond and Waterfall

So I have been in the Asheville area for about 4 months now and I have been inspired greatly by all the beautiful waterfalls and streams in the mountains here.

I have been working on a waterfall in Madison County, just outside of Asheville, this past month. It is an amazingly beautiful place, in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains not far from the Appalachian trail. It has been a great place to do some fun rock work and landscaping.

I have been working with Reems Creek Nursery and Landscaping out of Weaverville, NC on this project. Reems Creek is an awesome outfit with kind and talented people. I hope to be able to continue to do projects with them for years to come.

The waterfall and pond we have been working on used approx. 35 tons of local Granite fieldstone. It has 3 ponds and two waterfalls. The first waterfall is a cascading fall that drops about 6 feet into the lower pond that we built.

The second waterfall is a straight 3 foot drop off a 1000 lb flat Granite falls rock. Both falls offer a stunning view to our clients from any place in their house. 
It has been fun to work with local stone, trucked in from no more than 30 miles from where they where harvested.
This is different from working in Santa Cruz, where we would have stone trucked in from all over the state, if not from farther away.

I am excited to see the plans God has for us and this company working in Asheville, recreating the beautiful waterfalls and landscapes we all enjoy in this area.

Being a landscape contractor in Asheville, or anywhere, can be difficult, but at the end of the day when we look at the waterfall or landscape we have helped to create, it makes all the hard work worth it.

More Pics soon to come!

Asheville here we come!

Living Waters has officially moved to Asheville, NC!
We are still offering the same quality water features and hardscapes as we did in Santa Cruz.

If you are in the Asheville area or the greater Buncome county, give us a call for a free estimate on all your pond, waterfall, flagstone patio, retaining wall or Pondless Waterfall projects.

Feel free to browse our website for project pictures and ideas.

Thanks,

Jacob

Living Waters landscaping.com 

831-566-8346
828-633-0541

Stone Veneer Project

Here is a quick photo of an Eldorado Veneer Stone wall we are working on this week. It is a mix of Andante Fieldledge and Padova Fieldledge.

Although I normally prefer to install natural stone veneer, I like working with faux stone for its 'flexibility'. Its easy to cut and install.

Give us a call for a free estimate on all your stone work, landscaping and water feature projects.

Jacob

Living Waters Landscaping

831-566-8346

Japanese Gardening Asheville

We have spent most of our summer working on this Japanese style garden.
We were chosen, by our clients, to work on this design created by Bud Stuckey. 
The design called for a rather traditional style Japanese Garden in a small backyard.
Although I have only worked on a few Japanese gardens in my career, I felt that I learned a lot and was able to grasp some of the philosophy and patterns in traditional Japanese gardening. The pace, precision and meditation of working with this design, felt very natural to me. It also humbled me and gave me more respect for this type of gardening and stonework itself. I leaned that I have a lot more to learn!

Working with the design, we were able to create some beautiful features that are consistent with traditional Japanese gardening, but had our personal touch.

We installed a Stone Seat at the foot of the stairs to create a place to stop and enjoy the garden and even take of your shoes, if you want.

We also created a Stone Island feature using three hand selected boulders that created a simple triad. This feature was designed to bring a meditative center piece to the garden. 


This garden included a great deal of carpentry to bring a wood element into the space. We installed three Verandas, a deck and some custom planter box benches. 

One of my favorite carpentry features on site is the 'Butterfly Ramada'
that we built over the hot tub deck. It allows our clients some cover and privacy while soaking in the hot tub, and also leaves the sky open for nighttime stargazing. 

Our designer found this beautiful 700 pound slab of 
Cold Water Canyon stone that we used as a bridge from the 'Dry Garden' or Karesansui, to the hot tub deck.
The bridge also gives the illusion that the stream flows under the rock and disappears into the Karenagare, or Dry Stream Bed.  

We finished the project with low voltage landscape lighting throughout, and Japanese style plantings. 

Overall we really enjoyed working on this project, and are thankful to our clients for letting us 'play in their backyard'!