Is your 'contractor' a Landscape Architect? If not then that is who you need to employ.

Why would a landscape architect necessarily be the right choice?

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, it'd be pricing heavy for me to switch contractor at this time for me, so I am seeking some suggestions on 5 questions above, so avoid mistakes where possible. If you could share some tips, it'd be very helpful. Thanks.

Revolutionary ........chuckling at your "water is a jerk". How true!

Makes me more nervous... help, anyone please?

I haven't done it, but you should be nervous. Perhaps you can find some videos online? A lot of time we find those for projects we are undertaking for the first time. Can't your contractor do everything else and then you hire out the fountain part to someone who knows how to do it? A good contractor will find someone to subcontract out work that is beyond their skill set. In fact, they should have one on board. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Water is indeed jerky at times!

I have been trying to locate videos and articles online, but had no luck finding answers to most questions I posted. My contractor said he is trying to get help from someone who has done many fountains, but I did not see that yet...

Questions 2 to 4 should be quick for someone to answer though, right?

2. custom fab shop for a run that long, I haven't found anything off the shelf

4. the harder and less porous the stone the better, ideally

There's a day and a half just in the design, specifying, and sourcing part of a project like that. Then finding (or ideally knowing of) custom fab shops that can make the parts you can't buy off the shelf, creating detailed shop drawings for them, and inspecting and accepting the parts. The install has to be super exacting and more than likely, something will go not according to plan and something will need changed on the fly.

I'm not trying to be a debbie downer here, it's just that the reality of what you want isn't as simple as it looks. Let's back up a step - has your contractor ever built ANY water feature?

I'm very much into DIY...

That said, I would never attempt anything approaching this. I would never let a contractor who has not done this, do it on my property.

It could be a real hazard. Will your guy still be there if something happens? Does he have good insurance?

It's all very worrisome that you would be okay with this. I'm sorry for sounding harsh, but it's a huge project from all sorts of standpoints.

Depending on where you live, there are often contractors that specialize in fountains. You have a better chance of success with one of them.

Be aware of the fact that you'll be fighting algae on any surface that the water trickles down over. The more surface area, the more area for algae to grow and to clean. Many ways of fighting algae, (chemicals, physical maintenance, shade, etc.) but incorporate maintenance into your plan. I wouldn't pick a rock surface that is very bumpy for that reason. Even in a chlorine pool situation you'll still have to clean the surface some.

I don't think your questions can be answered here. Everything and every deviation affects other things. It can be complex and instructions can't come in 5 easy answers. They're a set of time consuming drawings with a lot of thinking behind them .... unless you're copying verbatim something that already exists. If it has any height to it, it will splash more than you think. Answering this thread would be akin to giving someone some pointers and expecting them to make a 5-tier wedding cake fit for a VIP reception. It's not really possible.

I understand, thanks everyone for your advise/inputs.

We have some parts 1, ,2 3, 5 mostly figured out now. Just an open question is on #4 (type of vaneer). We found a hard limestone that seems to match out needs, but I am getting mixed reviews on using it. Some say limestone is not a good choice for water walls, but dealer of the limestone tile says the one we like is harder version of limestone, and a good choice for water wall application.

We're not able to find a good porcelain ledge, granite is expensive, slate ledge peels, and we can't find something like in the picture for marble. There is a concern on grout lines showing up in limestone tile (24 x 12) but we were thinking to be careful in grouting to keep the grout lines to minimal, if using limestone is not a concern.

I have been reluctant to pitch in, having limited water feature experience, but here goes with a few tidbits that may be helpful.

1. You asked about the size of the reservoir at the top of the feature. The reservoir in all of those features pictured is almost assuredly below grade and not at the top of the feature. You can contact Aquascapes out of St. Charles, Illinois for a specific product called Aquablocks. They are for creating reliable, rigid containment below grade.

2. Bigger containment means longer time between replenishing the water. It also means that you have more room in front of the feature to avoid 'oversplash' onto your patio or adjacent space. Or, you could do an 'auto-fill' to eliminate the need for refilling entirely.

3. There are many types of limestone, some of which would be suitable for your application, while others would certainly not be suitable. Limestone sourced from Wisconsin is used in water features all the time here in northern Illinois. Three of the big quarries are Eden, Halquist and Buechel. While they wouldn't ship a small quantity they do supply distributors all over country and perhaps there is one near you.

4. Your ledge (spillway) material is a very small cost if you really want granite or marble. And, yes, you are correct to avoid slate or sandstone materials completely. That being said, stainless steel or copper made to fit the space might be an easier approach and you can find stainless steel spillways in stock sizes of 24" and 30" with a bit of searching. Aquascapes might even have them.

Good luck with your project.

Excellent, that's very useful feedback. Thanks a lot.

We do these often. contact Custom Cascades aka Oreq . They'll help you with your curtain falls. http://oreqcorp.com/features/curtainfalls/index.asp