Hiring a Water Feature Design Company in Massachusetts
The DO's & DON'Ts
Finding a water feature company anywhere (let alone Massachusetts) comes with its challenges. Unlike hardscaping and general landscaping, pond builders are not a dime a dozen. With a limited pool, it’s even more important to do your homework – so think of the following article as your study guide. Learn it and you’ll increase your chances of getting an A+ water feature and customer experience – in Boston and beyond.
DO Hire Local
Last year we consulted on a beautiful koi pond in Weston with a serious leak. After speaking with the client, we learned that a designer in California had flown out to build this water feature – not appreciating the severity of our freeze-thaw cycles. Unfortunately, he did not build the feature with New England winters in mind (and to make things worse, lived 3,000 miles away and couldn’t service it!). By keeping your search local, you’ll ensure your water feature can weather our harsh climate and receive immediate attention should a problem arise.
DON'T Hire a Landscaper
While water features often fall under the landscaping umbrella, they require a special subset of knowledge that most companies in Massachusetts don’t possess. Unless a company you’re considering builds at least 5 ponds per year, it’s best to steer clear. Otherwise, you risk an all-too-likely possibility of prematurely rebuilding your water feature. Just last summer a reputable landscaping company in Newton brought us in to completely redo a problematic backyard waterfall that was only two years old. Fortunately for the client, this company went above and beyond by paying for a considerable amount of the rebuild – but this accountability is not the norm. Rolling the dice with a company whose primary services exclude fish ponds, waterfalls, and streams typically ends poorly.
Do Look for Warranties
High quality pond parts have a two-to-five-year warranty that installers should honor. Aside from the warranty, trusted pond builders also offer a one-to-two-year craftsmanship guarantee as a general rule of thumb. Neglecting to mention either of these should raise red flags for a consumer and means one of two things: either the company is using cheap parts or they lack confidence in their construction abilities.
While rare, we had to honor a craftsmanship guarantee this past summer on a pond in Westwood. Non-corrosive screws were mistakenly used on a bridge spanning the water and dissolved as a result – making the top planks loose. This client’s feature was actually well beyond the guarantee period, but given the error and our ongoing care of the pond we were keen to correct our oversight. Speaking of ongoing care…
DON'T Forget about Maintenance
A water feature company with a maintenance division plans to do business with you again. On average, we see past clients once a year for an annual cleaning of their pond, waterfall, stream, or fountain. As a result of ongoing business, companies like ours invest in long-term relationships with clients and ensure our work will stand the test of time. Companies without a dedicated maintenance team on the other hand tend to be shortsighted; either they don’t realize water features require regular service or they don’t plan to be around for it. Neither scenario bodes well for their understanding of water feature construction and shouldn’t slip past your due diligence.
Aside from being in it for the long haul, full-service pond builders also receive valuable information about past installs from their maintenance crews. This feedback allows the construction division to analyze certain techniques and continually refine their craft. By flushing out whether a company regularly cleans and maintains their features, you can determine a lot about the quality of their builds in addition to their integrity.
DO Look for Professional Certification
While it’s important to do your own homework, you can also rely on outside vetting sources. Aquascape Inc. – one of largest water feature companies in the world – is the gold standard for such screening (going as far as Australia and Africa to certify hundreds of contractors globally). Aquascape certification requires companies to know their stuff by taking pond building classes and submitting their water features for peer review. In order to retain certification contractors must reinvest in their skills by flying out to Aquascape’s headquarters in Chicago for hands-on training every other year. In addition to evaluating construction knowledge, Aquascape takes into account customer testimonials as well and will terminate a company’s status for bad behavior.
In eastern Massachusetts, we currently have three Certified Aquascape Contractors (commonly referred to as CACs) serving the Greater Boston area. Each company – including FallingWater Scapes – has attained Master CAC status, which is the highest level of certification. As the industry continues to grow, you’ll likely see more CACs pop up in the New England area. However, keep in mind that there are three levels: Basic Certification, Professional Certification, and Master. Typically, Master CACs will exhibit the highest quality craftsmanship and artistry in their ponds, waterfalls, streams, and fountainscapes. But this correlation isn’t always the case, so…
DON'T Assume Artistic Ability
Let’s face it. Everybody wants a beautiful water feature. If you’re considering an ecosystem pond or a recirculating stream with waterfalls, you’ll likely be looking for features that seamlessly mimic nature. However, therein lies the challenge: pond building is a man-made process while the final product aspires to be deceivingly natural. Developing the artistry to create this illusion doesn’t come easy – and having a strong handle on water feature construction doesn’t guarantee that a company has that creative eye. Keep this thought in mind as you examine different websites, testimonials, and portfolios. Also – be sure to ask if the work pictured in the marketing materials is truly their own, since some companies go a little too far with the amount of stock images used.
Ultimately, the best litmus test for gauging artistry will be an in-person tour of a nearby water feature. We know a handful of highly respectable pond builders in Massachusetts and they all offer to do this – ourselves included. We have a display feature in downtown Dover, MA that’s open to the public at any time. Additionally, we also arrange tours of past clients’ yards for people who are seriously considering a water garden in their own landscape.
In Conclusion
We hope that this guide has provided some useful tips so you can confidently hire the best water feature company for your project – in Massachusetts and beyond! Please let us know if you have any questions about hiring a reliable pond builder. Above all, trust your gut!
