Carved Stone Creations has a wealth of experience when it comes to designing and installing fountains. We have designed everything from wall fountains to large estate fountains and we can incorporate spray rings, additional sprayers, timers, lighting, recirculating pumps, and other features into your fountain as well. We carry many of the necessary pumps, hardware, and accessories in stock so everything is readily available for installation. A wide variety of fountains in different sizes and styles that can be seen in our online store or in person at our showroom. This article will focus on the design and installation of a large estate fountain.

After finding us on the web a Country Club near Little Rock, Arkansas contacted us about designing and making a fountain for them based upon a fountain from a Washington, DC park that was made in 1930.

Between our expert design team and skilled stone carvers, we were up to the challenge of faithfully reproducing the look of this fountain. In fact, many of our past clients have approached us about reproducing the design of a fountain, either because they want to replace an existing fountain on their property, or they fell in love with one they saw elsewhere. Our design staff works directly with architects, interior designers, and sometimes the homeowner themselves. They come up with custom designs that meet the look and style that the client is looking for.

In this case, the client was working with an important deadline. They needed to have the fountain done in time to debut it before an event happening on the country club grounds in late June. We rose to the challenge and had the fountain designed, produced, and installed. Almost 3 months to the exact day from when they first contacted us!

The design process of the fountain

As mentioned before the fountain was inspired by a fountain in a Washington, DC park that was built in the 1930’s. Using just the photographs you see below we faithfully recreated the design with our 3D modeling and engineering software and produced a replica of it.

Next, our design team created a full-size 3D model of the fountain and the surrounding wall. We create 3D models of most of our projects in order to accurately visualize the design to ensure that all of the components fit together properly during assembly. This also creates a set of technical drawings for our carvers that are thoroughly dimensioned and accurate. Here you can see the 3D model we created.

An Exploded view of the fountain.

Preparation for any fountain installation includes the pouring of a concrete pad. Following proper specifications ensures that the pad will support the weight of the fountain, minimize the potential for cracking and frost heaving in cold climates. All of the necessary access points for water lines and electrical sources for accessories are also included in this step.  

Concrete Fountain Slab

So here is the finished slab. You should notice 2 things in particular in this picture. One is the concave horseshoe depression on the surface of the cement. We recommend that a horseshoe-shaped depression is formed that is at least 1 below grade to allow for drainage as you see in the picture below of a finished fountain slab. This will ensure that your fountain drains properly. It will not retain stagnant water when it is not in use or when ice freezes over winter. See the pipes sticking out of the concrete? These are brass penetrations and PVC pipe that are set into the concrete to run water lines. Even if you don’t want accessories like lighting, or an auto-fill system initially. The cost of adding the penetrations when the slab is poured is much less than trying to add them later!

Fountain Installation

First, the surround pool walls are set into place using a high strength epoxy to adhere them to the concrete slab and to each other. We use shims to maintain a consistent gap between the parts as well.

Once the base pedestal was installed it was time to lower the large fountain bowl into place. Notice the PVC pipe in the center of the base which will feed the fountain sprayer nozzle. Once the fountain was in place it was time to hook up the pump and the accessories you see in the picture below.

The Autofill system is fed water from the home or a sprinkler system water line. It constantly monitors water levels and automatically ads water as needed. This keeps the water level at an appropriate level and helps to prevent the pump from burning out due to water starvation. The pump itself is run from a standard high voltage wire. We cap the penetration with a threaded and glued fitting and use an Underwater Disconnect Coupling to supply power to the pump. This way you can simply lift the disconnect out of the water and shut down the pump without having to drain the surrounding pool to turn it off. For low voltage LED lighting we typically install a junction box. On top of the penetration and feed wire from it to the lighting. In the next picture, you can see the wiring is hooked up to the junction box. In order to get the fountain spraying the desired geyser-like plume of water a 2 diameter brass nozzle and a high flow water pump was used. Here you can see the nozzle head itself. 

 The Finished Result

While this fountain was relatively simple in design and size, we are able to design and install much larger and more complex fountains as well.

Looking for someone to design and install a fountain for you?

Carved Stone Creations is located in Kaukauna, WI and we are a reasonable drive away from many Midwest metro areas including Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, Davenport, Des Moines, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Visit our showroom to see first hand what we can design for you. Our convenient centralized location also means we can bring all of the tools. All the heavy equipment we need to tackle any installation job.

We understand the effect our harsh Midwest winters can have on exterior stonework. We design and install architectural stonework like fountains, statues, exterior stone veneer, etc with those factors in mind. We’ll make sure the stonework we install for you stands up to the weather and the test of time! Outside of the Midwest? We can install there too. We have done work from New York to Florida to California as well.

Thinking about adding a fountain to your garden or yard and wondering what kind of preparation is needed to have one installed?

This article shows the process of pouring a concrete slab for a fountain installation and how to set up access points for water lines and electrical power for the fountain pump and accessories such as lights. It’s important that the builder or contractor pouring the concrete for your fountain slab follows these guidelines to ensure that the concrete pad is poured properly and up to spec to support the weight of your fountain and that the access points for water lines and electrical power to run your fountain pump and additional lighting are included.

Let’s look at preparation for pouring concrete first. Compact the soil and then add a 6″ base of compacted gravel as your base. The compacted gravel is important because it drains water quickly and can have a greater load-bearing capacity than soil. The Gravel base will have a lesser potential for frost heave then regular soil.

Next, apply a 2″ barrier of Rigid foam insulation over the gravel. We recommend Owens Corning Foamular 250 Insulation Foam Sheets in 48″ x 96″ or 108″ sizes. The insulation helps to retain heat in the sub-grade soil and protect the slab from moisture beneath it. This helps to prevent frost heave in freezing climates. We recommend that you extend the insulation at least 12″ past the edge of the slab. In addition to the insulation benefits, it also creates a convenient means for locating pipes etc. and holding them in place before the concrete is poured.

Finally layout a grid of ½” Rebar with a 12″ on center pattern 2″ above the foam surface. The rebar adds structural support to the concrete and minimizes the potential for separation and damage from cracking. Here’s an example of a typical fountain slab installation and concrete water fountain molds before the cement has been poured:

Before the cement is poured you need to add your PVC drain pipe and penetration pipes for running your water lines and electrical power sources for the fountain.

We recommend a 3/4″ Brass Penetration as you see in the picture below:

Threaded ends on both sides allow the PVC tubing to be attached to the base and for threaded and glued fittings to connect and seal the wiring at the top. Make sure the penetration is grounded to rebar as well. You can do this by sliding the wire through the brass lock down clamp indicated with the arrow. In the picture above, or by bolting the wire with the stainless steel bolt provided.

In the image below we created a simple diagram of how the penetrations should be installed:

As you can see in the picture, we recommend setting the penetration base plate 2″ below the top surface of the concrete. Here’s a diagram of how the PVC Drain should be installed:

Now the slab should be prepared to pour cement! We recommend using 4,000 Psi cement with Fibermesh additive. Fibermesh is essentially strands of synthetic fibers mixed into the cement (like fiberglass strands in resin) to prevent shrinkage during curing and cracking. Pour the fountain slab to a 6″ thickness (more if the diameter is 20′ or greater).

Another important design feature to consider is creating a concave depression in the concrete to allow for water to drain properly. We recommend that a horseshoe-shaped depression is formed that is at least 1″ below grade to allow for drainage as you see in the picture below of a finished fountain slab. This will ensure that your fountain drains properly and will not retain stagnant water when it is not in use or ice over winter.

This can be created by attaining a flat surface on the wet cement. Then remove cement by shovel until the depression is created and troweling it smooth again.

Once you have the concrete poured and thoroughly set for at least 7 days (concrete takes an average of 21 days to fully cure), seal the edges of the penetrations and the drain with DECK-O-SEAL Sealant.

After we set the curb surround with epoxy we seal the joints with a similar DECK-O-SEAL caulk.

And there you have it, should your contractor follow these steps. You should have a properly prepared concrete slab to install your fountain on. Here’s a picture of our crew installing a fountain on the slab you saw above.

We typically include 3 penetrations in the fountain slab to accommodate waterlines from the home. For sprinkler system to run an autofill system, a standard high voltage wire to power the fountain pump, and an additional low voltage wire to power fountain lights. Even if you don’t desire to add an autofill system or lighting initially. We highly recommend that you have the penetrations included when the slab is poured. It will be much less expensive to have them included at this stage rather than coring out the concrete and adding them at a later date! Here you can see the fountain with the pump and lighting features installed.

The Autofill system is fed water from the home or a sprinkler system water line and it constantly monitors water levels and automatically ads water as needed. This keeps the water level at an appropriate level and helps to prevent the pump from burning out due to water starvation. The pump itself is run from a standard high voltage wire. We cap the penetration with a threaded and glued fitting and use a power disconnect coupling to supply power to the pump. This way you can simply lift the disconnect out of the water and shut down the pump. Without having to drain the surrounding pool to turn it off. For low voltage LED lighting we typically install a junction box on top of the penetration and feed wire from it to the lighting. High voltage wire will be needed for halogen lights.

Note: Please DO NOT attempt to pour the concrete slab on your own! This should only be done by an experienced builder or contractor. Consult with appropriate trades to make water and electrical connections to the home. If there are potential concerns with the stability of the soil due to the water table, etc. Then consult with a civil engineer beforehand.

We often work directly with architects and builders on our projects and we supply them with detailed drawings for slab construction like the example you see below. These drawings are also available for the fountains that we have in inventory on our gallery as well.

Still, have questions regarding how to properly set up your concrete slab? Call us at 866-759-1920 or contact us for further instruction.

Looking for someone to design and install a fountain for you? Carved Stone Creations is located in Green Bay, WI. We are a reasonable drive away from many Midwest metro areas including Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, Davenport, Des Moines, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

Visit our showroom to see first hand what we can design for you. Our convenient centralized location also means we can bring all of the tools and heavy equipment. That we need to tackle any installation job. We understand the effect our harsh Midwest winters can have on exterior stonework. We design and install architectural stonework like fountains, statues, exterior stone veneer, etc with those factors in mind. We’ll make sure the stonework we install for you stands up to the weather and the test of time! Outside of the Midwest? We can install there too. We have done work from New York to Florida to California as well.

Want a fountain for your landscape or garden but don’t want a large pool and stone surround beneath it? Our years of experience designing and installing fountains has allowed us to perfect installing fountains in many different ways.

This article will focus on installing a self-contained water fountain with an auto-fill sump reservoir.

So just what is a self-contained fountain?

Our years of experience in installing fountains has taught us some useful tricks. Here at Carved Stone Creations, we have come up with a great solution for installing self-contained water fountain. Rather than placing the pump in the bottom bowl of the fountain, we feed the water line from the fountain into a sump reservoir where an auto-fill pump and a separate water line fed from the house or a sprinkler system constantly fill and monitor the water supply for the fountain. This allows your fountain to be nearly maintenance free! No need for checking the water level of the fountain frequently. This also reduces the potential for debris like leaves and algae growth from blocking the water pump inlet or being sucked into the pump. You’ll still need to clean your fountain, but you won’t have to worry about water inlet blockages.

So how do we set this system up? Let’s take a look at the installation process:  First, we take a concrete riser base (which will be covered by landscaping mulch or gravel after installation is complete) and cut a groove in it to run the PVC water line to the fountain.

Next we dig a hole for our sump reservoir. The reservoir will remain out of sight in the ground once the installation is finished.

Next, we assemble PVC pipe which will act as the return line for the water in the bottom bowl and run the flexible tube through the PVC to feed water to the top of the fountain which will in turn cascade water over the upper tiers.

The base of the fountain is carefully lowered over top the riser and the water line is fed through the hole.

After this, each part of the fountain is lowered in place and adhered together with high strength epoxy.

Here are the water return line and the Aut0-Fill regulator installed in the reservoir

Here you can see the reservoir is filled. The Auto-Fill regulator will constantly monitor the water level and add water to the sump as needed.

Here’s the sump with the cover in place. It can be easily accessed and opened to maintain the pump if it is covered with a loose landscaping rock.

Here you can see the inside of the cavity in the pedestal above the bottom bowl. The hole is sealed beneath the PVC pipe and the PVC thus acts as the drainage point for water that will return to the sump and recirculate water throughout the fountain.

A simple cover piece wedges in place to conceal the opening.

And here is the finished result. A beautiful, low maintenance fountain that won’t take up a lot of space in your landscape and will run efficiently.

We can put our expertise to work for you. We can design and install virtually any type of fountain you desire including disappearing fountains and large estate fountains.

Inspired to add something similar to your home?

Let us be your source for a new fountain in the Midwest. Carved Stone Creations is located in Kaukauna, WI. We are a reasonable drive away from many Midwest metro areas including Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, Davenport, Des Moines, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

Visit our showroom to see first hand what we can design for you. Our convenient centralized location also means we can bring all of the tools and heavy equipment we need to tackle any installation job. We understand the effect our harsh Midwest winters can have on exterior stonework and we design and install architectural stonework like fountains, statues, exterior stone veneer, etc with those factors in mind. Well, make sure the stonework we install for you stands up to the weather and the test of time! Outside of the Midwest? We can install there too. We have done work from New York to Florida to California as well.

So you’ve found the perfect fountain for your garden or landscape. Have you thought about how you want it installed?

Are you placing it in a pond or nearby one?

Do you want to (and have the space to) install it in a pool surround?

Would you rather have it stand alone?

Unless you are installing your fountain into an existing water feature such as a pond, many fountains will require some means to capture and recirculate the water that flows from them. Some fountains have a recirculating design, meaning that they were designed with a bottom basin or a lower tier that is large enough to catch any water that cascades from the upper tiers or spitters without it spilling onto the ground. Not all fountains do though, and it’s important to consider how you will be capturing and recirculating that water into the fountain.

Even small spitter fountains such as our Animal Fountains or bubbling fountains require some means of capturing the water they flow. You can aim spitter fountains at a nearby pond feature, but it isn’t advised that you just let them run off into the ground. That would eventually cause flooding or erosion issues. And there’s the space concerns.

Maybe you want to add a fountain to your garden or lawn and you just don’t have the room for a big 8’to 12′ diameter pool surround. Or you would rather keep more of a rustic or natural look to your landscape and would prefer to have your fountain drain into a bed of gravel. If that’s the case, then using a pondless basin for a disappearing fountain installation may be the right answer for you.

A pondless basin is a large high-strength plastic tub that is designed to be buried into the ground and covered with a screening material and a pebble or crushed rock bed that the water can drain though. The water collects into the pondless basin and a pump recirculates it through the fountain. Most pondless basins can support up to 2,000 lbs making them perfect for small to medium sized fountains. We sell a variety of Pondless Basins that we can install for you as well.

A disappearing fountain has a unique look that captures your attention and saves you space at the same time. Your guests will marvel at how the water flows back through your fountain as it simply disappears into the ground. Not only can you install conventional fountains this way, but you can also create a grouping of smaller Bubbling Fountains that will add a subtle yet distinctive water feature to your garden or landscape such as the boulder fountain in the 2nd video you see below. To give you a better understanding of how a disappearing fountain is installed, we’ve created a video showing our crew installing one.

Take a look at this video below too. It shows a group of natural basalt column bubbling fountains installed above a pondless basin.

The stealth disappearing fountain installation takes care of the water and doesn’t detract from the beauty of the natural basalt columns and the water flowing from them.

Need help installing your fountain? Contact us today to see what we can do for you Carved Stone Creations is located in Kaukauna, WI and we are a reasonable drive away from many Midwest metro areas including Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, Davenport, Des Moines, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Columbus, etc.

Visit our showroom to see first hand what we can design for you. Our convenient centralized location also means we can bring all of the tools and heavy equipment we need to tackle any installation job. We understand the affect our harsh Midwest winters can have on exterior stone work and we design and install architectural stonework like fountains, statues, exterior stone veneer, etc with those factors in mind. We’ll make sure the stone work we install for you stands up to the weather and the test of time! Outside of the Midwest? We can install there too. We have done work from New York to Florida to California as well.