- Decide early on the placement and look of your waterfall. If you have no natural bank in your landscaping, you will need to build an elevation of some sort, which likely will involve moving dirt and rocks, so make sure the placement and view from the house are right the first time. Decide whether you want a rocky or leafy look surrounding your waterfall, as it will influence the type of materials you will need. A small stone column with a gently bubbling waterfall will require minimal investment in suitable stones, while a full-blown waterfall tumbling down through a rocky channel to a pond will take a lot of stone and much time and careful placement.
- The sound of your waterfall will depend in large part on how you place your stones. The amount of splash will also determine how often you need to refill the pond or water reservoir. Many waterfalls tumble over rocks into an upper pool, and from there run down a channel where stones are artfully placed to create a natural-looking stream. You can build a single fall or a series of falls cascading to the lowest pool. However you do it, ensure you can dig deeply enough in your chosen ground to create a continuous downward flow and natural placement of rocks or plants.
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You will need heavy-duty pond liner, usually a synthetic rubber type found in many garden stores, for the length and depth of your water channel and your pond. Save any dirt you excavate from the pond or the channel to bed rocks and hide the edges of the liner. Use old carpet or dirt under the liner and set rocks down gently so as not to tear it.
The waterfall pump recycles water from the lowest point to the highest and needs a gallons-per-hour (GPH) flow rate high enough to produce the look you want. The lower the GPH, the smaller and less dramatic your fall will be. Larger (one-inch) pipe allows a higher flow rate as well. Ensure that your pump can lift the water to the highest point of your fall. Even large pumps are often limited to a 15-foot rise or less.
Make sure any plants or trees you place around the pond can't grow down through the liner. Also, algae grows fastest in full sunlight, so consider water plants or placement of trees to shade the pond. Invest in a good system for clarifying and filtering the water. Many are inexpensive and easy to hide in the pond. -
Take your time. This is a feature you will enjoy for many years, so experiment with a hose and placement of your stones to determine the desired flow rate and sound. Listen from many angles to get a pleasing effect.
Start excavating at the lowest pool. You can use the dirt to build up stair steps above.
Hide your pump, water lines and the outflow under well-placed stones for easy access, especially if your waterfall is a seasonal feature that will be shut down in winter. The pump will need to be removed and stored until spring to prevent damage to it.
Check with your utility companies before you dig to make sure you don't interfere with underground power, sewer or water lines. Check with your neighbors to see if the sound of your waterfall might bother them.
