Waterfall with your own hands — 100 photos of beautiful and simple ideas with your own hands
Owners of a small plot can also please themselves with an artificial waterfall. In addition to beauty, it also humidifies the air in a small radius. A great option in hot weather. Also, the murmur of water has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.
Fans of landscape design can only be patient and wait for the final result. We will tell you about all the subtleties of creating a waterfall in this article.
We determine the desired height. The waterfall should be located on a hill, if it is absent, then make it artificially. The number of steps will depend on the height. Then we determine how many waterfalls are needed. It can be done with upper and lower mirrors, but for such a project a rather large area will be required.
The easiest way is to make a waterfall like a falling jet. The circulation system will be located inside a building made of stones.
Construction of the waterfall bowl
To begin with, we determine the size, shape and depth of the bowl. After that, we pull out the pit. The depth must be at least 20 m. The base must be made on the ground, which is pre-tamped.
Waterproofing plays a significant factor in the effectiveness of the waterfall, which must be of high quality and reliable. It does not allow to wash away the shores and the bottom of the reservoir.
The highest quality material is considered to be PVC film or butyl rubber, which will help secure the structure. However, in winter, these materials will not protect the bowl from frost, so the water must be drained during the cold weather. To avoid such problems, the bowl can be constructed of concrete, pre-strengthen the pit with a plastic film.
It is best to make a bowl only for collecting flowing water, but if you decide to take water procedures there, then the depth should be at least half a meter. If the waterfall is used as a decorative element, then 15 cm is enough, but at the same time decorate the bottom so that it is not visible in a small water column.
The reservoir looks spectacular if you run fish or special aquatic plants into it. In this case, the bowl should be installed from the 2nd level of soil freezing, then the flora and fauna will not be disturbed in winter. The water in such a reservoir does not drain from the bowl, but it must necessarily be made of concrete.
Location of the waterfall
It is forbidden to make a decorative waterfall next to any buildings. Splashes of water will fall on the walls of the building, and due to the increased vapor content in the air, mold may appear on the house. There should be no trees nearby. The foliage is constantly falling off, thereby polluting the bowl. As a result, the pump may fail.
Also, tree roots grow rapidly in dry weather and can easily damage the bowl. It is better to install a waterfall where it is penumbra after 12 o'clock in the afternoon. Under the open sun, algae grow intensively and the water will begin to bloom.
Several types of waterfall
You can make a waterfall on the site using a ready-made mold or cascade. In the first case, you do not need to puzzle over how to make the desired shape. In specialized stores today, you can choose any, ranging from classical to sculptural composition.
The cascading form of the waterfall will require a large amount of stone. If it is not possible to purchase sandstone, then ordinary boulders are also suitable, but necessarily with a flat smooth surface. The stones need to be bonded together by cementing. On uneven stones, the waterfall will flow beautifully in several different streams.
Recommendations for choosing a pump
The submersible pump is quite voluminous, but with minimal noise. They install it in the bowl of the reservoir with the condition that no one will swim in it.
If a decorative waterfall serves as a swimming pool, it is better to choose a pump with installation on top of the reservoir to avoid emergencies. Such pumps work an order of magnitude louder. The main purpose of the pump is to push out water.
Before continuing the landscaping work, the pump must be checked in action. It requires constant disassembly and maintenance, if your model is provided with the.
Decoration waterfall
A pleasant moment in completing the creation of a waterfall with your own hands is its decoration. The shore can be decorated with beautiful boulders, large shells, river pebbles, flat stones. Next to the waterfall, you can plant bush roses or other favorite flowers.
A gazebo or swing will also serve as a good addition. In the evening, you can decorate the waterfall in an original way with floating lanterns and glowing stones. This holiday will appeal not only to adults, but also to children
Additional recommendations for designing a waterfall
The water in the bowl of the reservoir needs to be changed periodically. It can be watered by connecting a hose to the source tube and turning on the pump. It will not be difficult to fill the reservoir — reinstall the hose on the waterfall pipe.
The electric cable, lighting and other conductive elements do not need to be concreted. Otherwise, in case of malfunctions, you will have to break the structure.
It is enough just to disguise the same stones on the surface. It remains for a small matter, to put the pump into action and our waterfall is ready for use.
Possible mistakes when erecting a waterfall with your own handsIf the water flows too slowly and in a thin trickle, it means that the pump is not powerful enough or the water pressure is weak.
- The water flows not over the stones, but under them. Most likely, large cracks or joints between the stones are poorly concreted. Another option is to move the plates a little forward.
- The water does not flow in a cascade, but in one stream. So your stones are not flat and smooth enough, there are small depressions in them, this problem can be solved by grinding the stones.
Below is a selection of photos of the waterfall on the site with original design solutions.
In this article we have described in detail how to make a waterfall in the country. Everything depends on the size of the territory, money and, of course, imagination. The waterfall can be made according to individual drawings. All the necessary building materials can be purchased in specialized stores, and improvised means can be used for decoration.
Photo of the waterfall with your own hands