Landscape Architect Articles

Waterfalls Rock!07-12-16 | Feature

Waterfalls Rock!
by Matthew Giampietro, Waterfalls Fountains & Gardens Inc.

A homeowner in south Florida wanted a natural-looking rock formation with plantings and a waterfall to cover the garage at the front of his home. Having traveled the world, the client had developed a distinct vision based on his experiences. The style had to match the home, which has an Asian influence. Matthew Giampietro, president of Waterfalls Fountains & Gardens Inc., used his experience from living in Japan and studying the art of rock arranging to design and install the rock formation. It took three months to build the space using 90 tons of black volcanic rock from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, supplied by Featherock.

Giampietro and his team were unable to find any information on how to cut and sculpt volcanic rock, so they largely learned on the fly, using special chainsaws and drill bits to shape the stones to their vision. The boulders were secured to the walls with a combination of a strong masonry cement mix and threaded rods drilled through the rock and into the wall. A pond liner was installed and attached to the walls of the building for protection against water damage. Behind the rockwork are pipes and a pump that circulate the water for the 15' narrow stream falls. This gives it a more natural look and feel, with an echoing sound. In addition to the main waterfall, water sourced from several small pipes over the top of the structure drips over the rocks into the grotto.

The black granite path, made of cobblestones imported from China, ultimately leads to a tennis court above the garage and tunnel structure. Florida native plants, including "Confederate' jasmine vine, wart fern, bamboo and coconut palm trees, were selected due to their tolerance for salt and high winds. They also had to match the Asian themed house and gardens. Planting designer Akiko Iwata determined the plant species, and Landco Landscape & Maintenance installed them under the guidance of Giampietro's team.

The owner of a south Florida home wanted the front entrance to look like you were driving into a space surrounded by natural rock cliffs. He asked me and my team at Waterfalls Fountains & Gardens Inc. to create naturalistic rock formations mixed with vegetation that would cover the entire concrete façade of the garages, a tunnel, a tennis court above as well as the surrounding landscape. The client had distinct images of rock cliffs that he has seen in his extensive travels throughout the world. The rock formations were to be planted with as much vegetation as possible to make them look natural. Along with the homeowner and general contractor, we selected all of the natural stone materials that would best create the homeowner's vision.

We used 90 tons of black volcanic rock from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, supplied by Featherock, to create the water features. We had to figure out a way to cut and split the stone, making it lighter and easier to install on the walls of the house. We used special chainsaws that can cut through stone, as well as special drill bits. This was a learning experience since there was no information readily available on how to cut and sculpt volcanic rock. We now consider ourselves pros at sculpting this rock.

The biggest challenge was to secure the boulders to the walls of the house while making them look as natural as possible. On top of this, the style of the rockwork had to complement the Asian influenced house. The time I spent living in Kyoto, Japan, and studying the art of rock arranging helped me to create a universally liked design.

Additionally, we were asked to create a water feature at the entrance to the garage and tunnel area. I came up with sketches showing how it could work into the space provided. I explained that the waterfall should look like a narrow stream falling 15 feet. Making the waterfall narrow rather than wide was more appropriate and less overpowering, as we had limited space to work with beside the tunnel. I felt that this would provide a better 'fit' for the naturalistic goal. And this way, we could make a grotto as a natural way to cover the corner of the house.

In addition to the waterfall, we were asked to have the water drip over all of the rocks. Several very small pipes over the top of the rocks provide the trickling of water. The black volcanic rock is mixed with clear glass-like particles that shimmer when the water is running and the sun hits them. This ended up becoming a very unique feature in the waterfall.

Directly behind the waterfall, we installed a pond liner as additional protection, ensuring that water does not touch the walls of the structure. The liner was attached to the walls of the building. The boulders were secured using a very strong masonry cement mix in conjunction with threaded rods that were drilled through the rock and into the wall.

We used reinforced concrete for the footings, walls and ponds. The rocks and plants cover these structural elements of the stonework. Pipes and a pump circulate the water for the falls behind all of the rockwork.

An access path for golf carts goes behind the waterfall and leads up to the tennis court above the rockwork. The path is hidden by the waterfall, rocks and plants.

We used excavating equipment to sculpt the entire front yard. We cut and filled the existing front yard slope, creating the driveway entrance and a large terrace for the parking area and garages. In order to do so, we had to build 7-foot-high retaining walls, which we later covered with the same volcanic rock. The spaces were to be planted with native vegetation suitable for the extreme conditions of the south Florida shoreline: tolerant to salt and high winds. The plant material also needed to match the Asian themed house and gardens. Although we were not responsible for the planting installation, we did determine the location for all of the vegetation. Our company worked alongside the planting designer, Akiko Iwata, who selected the plant species, and Landco Landscape & Maintenance, who installed the plants.

Wiring for landscape lighting was placed throughout the entire project. Some of the plants and lights are actually placed into drilled out holes. All of the plants were set in plant pockets. Each plant pocket, like a cement bowl, has a drain at the bottom, as well a pipe for drip irrigation.

We were responsible for the hardscape design and installation for the entire property. The front yard space took about 3 months to build. The planting installation, irrigation, lighting, fencing and gates, took about another 2-3 months to install; we assisted in the design and location of these elements of the front yard space, but not the installation. The end result is as the client desired: natural looking, well-planted rock formations with a waterfall, that cover the concrete garage and tunnel walls.

As seen in LC/DBM magazine, July 2016.