Before and After: 3 Backyards With a Beautiful Water Feature
See how landscape pros add one-of-a-kind water features to elevate and define outdoor makeovers
The sound of falling water brings a sense of peace and serenity to an outdoor space. It also creates a focal point within the landscape, drawing people to both the sound of moving water and the play of the water itself over the surfaces. The fountains in the three landscapes showcased below vary in size and style, ranging from imposing to intimate, but they all make a statement.
“After” photos by Industryous Photography
After: A path of locally quarried Algonquin limestone pavers cuts through the yard to a dining area and detached garage at the back of the yard. It ends at the new freestanding water feature, which anchors the far end of the yard. The piece, which was fashioned from three sandblasted limestone slabs held in place with a clip system, provides a contemporary counterpoint to the classic look of the home.
The water feature also helps block ambient noise from the surrounding urban neighborhood. The water running down the three limestone slabs hits a limestone splash pad at the bottom, creating a soothing splattering sound.
Find a local landscape designer on Houzz
After: A path of locally quarried Algonquin limestone pavers cuts through the yard to a dining area and detached garage at the back of the yard. It ends at the new freestanding water feature, which anchors the far end of the yard. The piece, which was fashioned from three sandblasted limestone slabs held in place with a clip system, provides a contemporary counterpoint to the classic look of the home.
The water feature also helps block ambient noise from the surrounding urban neighborhood. The water running down the three limestone slabs hits a limestone splash pad at the bottom, creating a soothing splattering sound.
Find a local landscape designer on Houzz
The random pattern on the panels is created by impressions shaped like honey locust leaves. The design team added this as a nod to the mature honey locust in the yard. The impressions also give the water an attractive three-dimensional look as it runs down the panels.
To create the effect, the designers drafted a 1:1 scale computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of the leaves in the arrangement that they wanted on the stone. From there, a contractor hand-sandblasted the pattern into the stone on-site. He sandblasted the leaves at two depths, as indicated in the drawing. “A lot of thought and detail went into it,” Fox-Whyte says.
Read more about this backyard makeover
To create the effect, the designers drafted a 1:1 scale computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of the leaves in the arrangement that they wanted on the stone. From there, a contractor hand-sandblasted the pattern into the stone on-site. He sandblasted the leaves at two depths, as indicated in the drawing. “A lot of thought and detail went into it,” Fox-Whyte says.
Read more about this backyard makeover
Need a pro for your landscape design project?
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
Let Houzz find the best pros for you
2. Monolithic Slab
Yard at a Glance
Location: Denver
Size: 5,720 square feet (531 square meters); 65 by 88 feet
Designers and builders: Ashley Stevens and Jonathan Stevens of Evoke
Before: An almost-flat yard with a long deck didn’t provide the outdoor retreat these Denver homeowners were looking for. When they turned to landscape design and construction firm Evoke for a new design, one of their requests was a water feature. One of the homeowners was inspired by the work of Italian landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei and provided a picture of the water feature she wanted. “They also wanted the water feature to activate the space with sound,” landscape designer Ashley Stevens says.
Yard at a Glance
Location: Denver
Size: 5,720 square feet (531 square meters); 65 by 88 feet
Designers and builders: Ashley Stevens and Jonathan Stevens of Evoke
Before: An almost-flat yard with a long deck didn’t provide the outdoor retreat these Denver homeowners were looking for. When they turned to landscape design and construction firm Evoke for a new design, one of their requests was a water feature. One of the homeowners was inspired by the work of Italian landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei and provided a picture of the water feature she wanted. “They also wanted the water feature to activate the space with sound,” landscape designer Ashley Stevens says.
“After” photos by Greg Muntz of Muntz Studios
After: The inspiration was Italian, but the resulting piece pays homage to its Colorado location. “We tried to create something similar but using materials in Colorado,” Stevens says.
She sourced a huge slab of Colorado buff sandstone from a quarry in the nearby town of Lyons to create the monolithic water feature. “Then we had a custom steel water weir made that we chiseled into the stone and set,” Stevens says. The team then core-drilled the monolithic stone so they could run the pipe up through it to feed the weir. “The last step was to pour a custom water basin,” Steven says.
She planted a low-maintenance ornamental grass around the water feature. It provides a soft contrast to the strong geometric feel of the fountain’s design.
Have Your Garden Fountain and Be Water Wise Too
After: The inspiration was Italian, but the resulting piece pays homage to its Colorado location. “We tried to create something similar but using materials in Colorado,” Stevens says.
She sourced a huge slab of Colorado buff sandstone from a quarry in the nearby town of Lyons to create the monolithic water feature. “Then we had a custom steel water weir made that we chiseled into the stone and set,” Stevens says. The team then core-drilled the monolithic stone so they could run the pipe up through it to feed the weir. “The last step was to pour a custom water basin,” Steven says.
She planted a low-maintenance ornamental grass around the water feature. It provides a soft contrast to the strong geometric feel of the fountain’s design.
Have Your Garden Fountain and Be Water Wise Too
The water feature sits between new covered dining and lounge patios. It provides the subtle separation between the two spaces that the homeowners asked for, while creating a focal point in the yard. “This feature is central to the whole design, and the space just feels incredible when you’re in it,” Stevens says.
Read more about this backyard makeover
Read more about this backyard makeover
3. Glimpse of Sparkling Water
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: North London
Size: 473½ square feet (44 square meters)
Landscape designers: Paul Duffy and Peter Robinson of GRDN
Water feature: Bonna Vista Pools
Before: The yard at this North London home was neglected and overgrown, and the homeowners turned to landscape designers Paul Duffy and Peter Robinson for help. They wanted a new landscape that would connect the house to the backyard home office.
They also wanted the connecting path to be a journey in its own right, with stopping spaces along the way to encourage people to linger and enjoy the garden.
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: North London
Size: 473½ square feet (44 square meters)
Landscape designers: Paul Duffy and Peter Robinson of GRDN
Water feature: Bonna Vista Pools
Before: The yard at this North London home was neglected and overgrown, and the homeowners turned to landscape designers Paul Duffy and Peter Robinson for help. They wanted a new landscape that would connect the house to the backyard home office.
They also wanted the connecting path to be a journey in its own right, with stopping spaces along the way to encourage people to linger and enjoy the garden.
“After” photos by Alister Thorpe
After: The new landscape features a meandering path lined with soft layers of vegetation. The team used this offset design to make the yard feel much larger than it is.
Halfway through the journey, the new water feature brings movement and sparkling light into the space. It was built on-site by the GRDN team from sheet steel painted black.
After: The new landscape features a meandering path lined with soft layers of vegetation. The team used this offset design to make the yard feel much larger than it is.
Halfway through the journey, the new water feature brings movement and sparkling light into the space. It was built on-site by the GRDN team from sheet steel painted black.
The rectangular water feature is about 1½ feet deep, with a rock set at one end. “The owners wanted to use the large pebble, which was already in the garden,” Duffy says. “We drilled a hole through it to create a trickle fountain.” A pump underneath propels the water up through the hole in the stone.
The baby’s tears plants dotted with Japanese pachysandra have beautifully softened the edges, while horsetail (Equisetum sp.) sprouts from the water.
Note: Check to see if baby’s tears and pachysandra are invasive in your region and with your site conditions before choosing them for a project.
Read more about this backyard makeover
More on Houzz
Browse thousands of patio photos
Read more landscape stories
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
The baby’s tears plants dotted with Japanese pachysandra have beautifully softened the edges, while horsetail (Equisetum sp.) sprouts from the water.
Note: Check to see if baby’s tears and pachysandra are invasive in your region and with your site conditions before choosing them for a project.
Read more about this backyard makeover
More on Houzz
Browse thousands of patio photos
Read more landscape stories
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who has owned the property for 30 years
Location: The Annex neighborhood of Toronto
Size: 988 square feet (92 square meters); 38 feet long and 26 feet wide, not including the garage
Designer: Fox Whyte Landscape Architecture & Design
Landscape contractor: Arbordale Landscaping
Before: The backyard hadn’t been updated in more than 30 years. “The old garden was probably quite nice when it was originally done,” landscape architect Kate Fox-Whyte says. “It was just tired and overgrown.” A mature honey locust tree, a central element in the yard, had outgrown its planting bed and caused the brick paving to heave.
Fox-Whyte created a space that relates to the traditional architecture of the home but also has a fresh, contemporary feel. Key to that look is the new waterfall-style fountain, designed by Fox-Whyte’s team, that anchors one end of the yard.