Larsen Landscape | Blog

PONDLESS WATER FEATURES

One of the more popular landscape features has become “pond-less” water features.  It seems that there are two main reasons to have a water feature.  The traditional pond, possibly with a waterfall attached, lends itself very nicely to some fish or turtles and can be a nice addition to a landscape as well.  It does, however, require some work to keep it in shape, and, while some people love fish swimming in their yard – not everyone fits into this category.

This brings up the other option.  If you are looking for the sound of falling water which not only tends to mask things like traffic noise but also lets you shut your eyes and feel pretty much like you are in a remote campground somewhere or maybe a tropical island.  And you can do it without the work of keeping up a pond.

We have been constructing quite a few waterfalls that fall in this category lately.  They do have a pond, actually, but it is an underground pond.  The water feature itself can be a waterfall with boulders that sounds like Niagara Falls (small version) or it can have a light trickle of water depending on the pump system used.  It can be water cascading off one or more statues, spilling out of a pot or maybe trickling down stone columns – or some other, completely custom, approach.  In all cases, the water falls into a layer of stones which lie over a sturdy grate and ends up underground where it is recycled up again.

Pondless Water Feathre

There are a number of advantages, all of which add up to little or no maintenance.  The sunlight doesn’t get to the water so there is very little trouble with algae growing.  On this type of waterfall, we always add an automatic fill system so the water in the underground pond always keeps itself topped off.  Except on very large pumps, the pump is usually in the water which keeps it cool and extends the life.  Normally, a timer system is installed so it re-circulates every day which helps keep the water fresh.

Instead of cleaning and maintenance, the client’s job becomes sitting on the patio with a tropical drink or cracking a window in the bedroom to let in the sound of a distant waterfall.

Top-Notch Brickwork

Top-notch brickwork is generally considered an acquired skill.  It is, however,  possible to get it right without a lot of experience if someone

Brick Stairway

knows some of the tricks.  It will probably take several times longer than a pro would take, but at least the end result will be worth the effort.  Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to tackle it yourself.

The mortar mix is important.  The best is actually a product called Spec-Mix.  This is a premixed mortar specified by some architectural codes and is bought by the bag all ready to go.  It is more expensive than making it from cement, sand and lime, but you usually don’t need that much mortar for an average job and the result you get is worth it.  In addition, the single bags opened one at a time help keep your work area clean.  You just open one bag at a time and add water.  The test of mortar can be done by laying some brick and then trying to pull one off the next day.  With Spec-Mix, it is very hard to do without serious tools.

You stir in water to the mix until you get a nice working consistency.  When the mix is perfect, you should be able to scoop up a trowel of mortar and then, holding it upright, move the trowel down about a foot and then back up in a rapid but smooth motion.  Some of the mortar will fall off the edge but the rest will lay flat on the trowel up to half an inch thick.  If you then gently turn the trowel sideways, the mortar should stay on the trowel.  This is important as it allows you to work the trowel sideways without the mortar falling off when you apply it to the layers of brick.  It is also the right consistency to stick best to the bricks when you apply it.

Another item to pay attention to is the uniformity of the joints.  Bricks can be laid perfectly by a pro with a lot of practice, but it can be done by anyone just by paying attention.  When the mortar is off the trowel, the end of the trowel handle or even the edge of the trowel is usually the handiest tool to gently tap the bricks into place.  If you tap too much, just remove the brick and reset it.  Part of the strength of the wall comes from the pressure of tapping the brick into place.

Generous use of a level as you work, to check the straightness of the courses of brick will pay off in a wall that looks like a pro did it.  A small ‘torpedo level’ can be used to check the top of each brick as you go.  The larger level is used to check the front edge of the wall as well to ensure that it is going up plumb.

Softer bricks need to be wet before they are installed, otherwise the mortar doesn’t stick well.  They should be sprayed with water and then allowed to dry most of the way before you install them.  This is a judgment call depending upon how dense the bricks are.  Some bricks are very hard and don’t need this at all and others, particularly real used brick which came out of an old building and still have old mortar attached, need a good soaking.  You just want them damp when you are ready to lay them.

We always make ample use of sponges and clean buckets of water when installing bricks.  Even the best masons get some mortar on parts of the brick where you don’t want it and it is very easy to get off with clean water within an hour or so.  The main trick here is to change the water often, especially for the final cleaning after an hour or two of work.

One final word on the foundation.  The concrete foundation which supports your wall is perhaps the most important part of the whole project.  We always use steel reinforcing bar in wall foundations – even for short planter walls.  Otherwise a crack in the foundation can lead to cracks in your wall, even if the brick is laid perfectly.  Brick walls much higher than two feet should really have a reinforced concrete block wall for support with the brick built in front of, and attached to, the block wall with mortar.

Here’s to a perfect brick wall in your yard.

BRICK MASONRY TIPS

To quote someone who is undoubtedly famous, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.”

I have encountered this numerous times in brickwork, of all things.  I remember one potential client showing me a new entryway that he had someone do for him the year before.  He thought it was great and I was glad I hadn’t spoken the first thing that came to mind when I walked up to knock on the door – the entryway looked completely amateur and I assumed he wanted it redone as part of the work he wanted to talk with me about.

In bringing it up here, I was just looking for a good example to use in explaining the difference between quality brick masonry and the kind that gets snickers from the neighbors.  Whoever had done the work apparently didn’t own a level since the rows of brick tended to go up and down at random – not a lot, but certainly enough to notice.  The mortar was smeared on the brick and had dried that way.  The joints (spaces between the bricks) varied from brick to brick, quite a lot, actually.  And, though none of the bricks were obviously loose yet, I knew it was just a matter of time – from the color and texture of the mortar, it was apparent that the mortar used was shy much of the cement that should have been in the mix.

Return next week for more tips on bricks!

Quality Brickwork

Here’s to a perfect brick wall in your yard.