Streams that look like they always belonged.
Re-circulating water features that read as natural mountain streams — boulder placement, hidden plumbing, sound-tuned drops. Built to feed into a pond or to terminate in a hidden reservoir.
— Why most installed streams look installed
Real streams have geology. Installed streams have rocks.
Most installed garden streams are a series of bowls and channels filled with same-size river rock. They look like installed water features. Real Vermont streams have geology — bedrock outcrops, sand bars, eddies, deeper pools.
Uniform channel cross-section.
Real streams vary — wide and shallow here, narrow and deep there, splitting around an island, joining again below. Most installed streams are a uniform-width channel.
Same-size cobble throughout.
Same-size rocks lining the channel. Real stream beds have graded material — gravel in the riffles, sand in the eddies, larger stone at drops.
Visible plumbing or pump.
Pump in plain sight at the source. Source feeds ‘magically’ from above the visible terrain. Real streams need to come from somewhere believable.
All drops same size.
Real streams have varied drops — small ripples, single-drop steps, multi-stage cascades. Same-size drops sound monotonous; varied drops sound natural.
— Streams, by the numbers
— What’s included
A stream with reasoning.
Stream features are the most design-intensive water work. Every stream is custom designed for the site.
Site analysis + grade study
Stream needs grade — minimum 3% drop over its run to function. We study existing topography for stream placement.
Source design
Where does the water ‘come from’? Could be a hidden upslope reservoir, a recessed bedrock outcrop, or a designed waterfall feature.
Excavation + liner
Channel excavated with varied cross-section, lined with EPDM, concealed under stone.
Boulder placement
Large feature boulders placed first, defining stream geometry. Smaller stone fills around them.
Drop calibration
Each drop tested for water sound during construction. Multi-stage drops layered for complex sound, single drops tuned for clarity.
Pump + reservoir
Submersible pump in concealed reservoir at stream terminus. Sized for stream flow rate, on dimmable controller.
Plant integration
Native streamside species — sedges, ferns, marsh marigold — at margins. Integrated with surrounding planting.
— How a stream gets built
Four steps. Six to twelve weeks.
Stream features take longer than ponds because of the design iteration on site — boulder placement and drop tuning happen during construction, not from drawings.
Site visit
Two-hour walk with the architect. We listen, you talk. We measure light, slope, drainage, and existing material. No PowerPoint.
Design
Hand-drawn schematic, then full construction documents. Material specs, sections, footing detail. Two reviews built in.
Quote
Fixed-price proposal, line-itemed by trade. You see the math. Change orders signed before any change happens.
Build
Our in-house crew on site every working day. Weekly progress photos. Architect at every milestone. We don’t leave until the punch list is empty.
— Recent stream work
Three recent water projects.
Lakefront master plan, 2½ acres.
Three terraced rooms stepping down to Lake Champlain. 240 ft of dry-laid stone wall, cedar pavilion, native pollinator beds.
Read project →
Seven-terrace hilltop garden.
Re-grading a north-facing slope into seven dry-stone-walled terraces of perennials, fruit trees, and a 60-foot meditation walk.
Read project →
1,400 sq ft contemporary courtyard.
Bluestone paving, cedar slat screening, a small reflecting pool, and three Japanese maples for autumn color.
Read project →Under 30 ft, single-stage cascades
$22K–$50Ktypical install
Short stream features (10–30 ft) with single-stage cascades or simple channel. Often integrated with a pond at the terminus.
Long stream with multiple cascades, integrated
$50K–$180Kcomplete scope
Long streams (40–100 ft) with multi-stage cascades, hidden source, full plant integration, and pond or reservoir terminus.
— Stream questions
What clients ask.
Do I need natural slope for a stream?
Yes — minimum 3% grade over the stream’s run to function visually. We can build streams on flatter sites by creating bermed terrain (looks more designed than natural), but the most beautiful streams use existing slope.
How loud will it be?
Tunable. We design drops for the desired sound level — gentle ripples (~40 dB, like a quiet conversation), pleasant background (~50 dB), prominent water sound (~60 dB). Sound levels measured during construction.
Can it run in winter?
Yes if designed for it. Streams that run year-round have insulated reservoirs, larger pumps, and ice management at the cascades — beautiful with steam and ice formations in January. Many clients winterize and run May–November only; saves on operating cost.
What does it cost to run?
Pump electricity is the main cost. A 1500 GPH pump running 12 hours/day in summer costs about $30/month. Larger streams with bigger pumps run $60–$120/month. We can specify variable-speed or scheduled pumps to reduce cost.
Maintenance?
Spring start-up: 1–2 hours (pump cleanup, debris removal). Summer: weekly visual check, occasional debris removal. Fall: blow leaves out before they accumulate, winterize if not running year-round. Most clients self-maintain after first year; we offer annual visits.