Water feature installation in Boise, Idaho

Most calls I get about water feature installation in Boise start with some version of this: "I want to hear water when I sit out back, but I don't want a green, smelly mess to fight every weekend." The wrong type of feature in the wrong spot turns into a chore fast. One that's planned well mostly takes care of itself.

I'm Kabe Hockema, and I've been building landscapes here since 2012. I design and install every water feature myself, using Aquascape components and their ecosystem approach. This page is about the first big decision: which kind of feature fits your yard, and how the install goes once you pick. My pond contractor page lists all the pond work I do.

Three kinds of water features, and who each one suits

Ponds with a waterfall

A pond holds open water you can see into. It can hold fish and water lilies, and it brings in birds and dragonflies. It's also the most involved option, because a living pond needs a balance between the filter, the plants and the fish. My published starting price is $15,500 for an 8' x 11' Aquascape system pond with a waterfall. If you want fish, read about ecosystem pond installation, which explains how each part keeps the water clear.

Pondless waterfalls

A pondless waterfall gives you the sound and movement of a waterfall and stream with no open pool. The water falls into a gravel-filled basin underground and gets pumped back to the top. There's nothing for a toddler to fall into, and much less to clean. A pondless waterfall with a small stream starts at $9,500.

Fountain kits

An Aquascape fountain kit takes up the least room: a basalt column, an urn or a stone bowl that bubbles over into a hidden basin. It fits a patio corner, a side yard or a spot by the front door. Fountain kits start at $5,500. The Caldwell outdoor living room I built has an Aquascape fountain set in with pavers, a short stone wall and a fire pit, all laid out to face the sunrise.

Questions I ask before we pick one

• Who uses the yard? Small kids or grandkids often point toward a pondless waterfall or a fountain.
• How much care do you want to give it? A fountain needs a top-off and an occasional rinse. A pond needs a spring clean-out and some attention in fall.
• Where do you sit? I place the feature so you see it and hear it from the patio and from inside the house, not just from the far corner.
• Do you want fish? Fish need depth and more filtration, which changes the whole design.
• Where is power? Every feature runs on a pump, and the pump needs a GFCI outlet nearby.

How water feature installation goes

Every water feature installation I do starts with a consultation at your house. I look at slope, sun, trees, the view from your windows, and where water would go if it ever spilled over. Then I sketch a layout and walk you through it before anything gets dug.

On build days I mark the shape, dig, set the underlayment and rubber liner (or the basin for a fountain or pondless system), plumb the pump and filter, and place the rock by hand, which is where a feature looks natural or fake. Then I fill it and adjust the flow until the sound is right. Before I leave, I show you how to top off the water, empty the skimmer net and shut things down for winter.

What Treasure Valley weather does to a water feature

Our summers are hot and dry, and a lot of neighborhoods get steady wind. A waterfall loses water to evaporation and splash every day in July, so I add an autofill valve where it makes sense and keep the spray inside the liner. Wind also pushes a fountain's spray sideways, so I set fountain heights with that in mind.

Full afternoon sun feeds algae. I like a spot with some afternoon shade, but not right under a tree that drops leaves into the water every fall. Then there are our winters. Freeze-thaw cycles heave loose soil and shift rocks, so I compact the edges and set rock on solid ground. Ponds with fish need enough depth for them to rest below the ice. Pondless waterfalls and fountains are simpler: pull the pump, store it, and you're done until spring.

Boise water is hard and alkaline, so splashed rock grows a white mineral crust as it dries. A gentle flow over a wide lip shows less of it.

What drives the cost

The three starting prices above are for the base systems. The price goes up with size, stream length, how big the boulders are, the distance to power, access for equipment, and how much of the yard around it needs rebuilding to tie it in. I give you a clear number after I've seen the site.

Fitting it into the rest of the yard

A water feature looks best when it's part of the plan, not dropped in at the end. I often build them next to a patio or seat wall. I can also add waterfall installation to an existing pond. On a bigger yard project, put the water feature in the design early so the pipe and power runs get planned with everything else.

Serving Boise and nearby towns

I build water features in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Middleton, Kuna, Garden City and Hidden Springs, and up in Sun Valley and Ketchum. I take on a limited number of projects each season so I can be on every one, and you'll have my direct number the whole way.

If you're ready to talk about water feature installation in Boise, schedule a consultation or call me at (541) 961-7269, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and I'll help you pick the feature that fits.