When my phone rang in May 2023, the caller ID showed Yountville, California. When I first saw the number, I laughed to myself, because my wife Janon and I have been to Thomas Keller’s French Laundry restaurant several times. My first thought was, jokingly, they were calling to confirm a reservation! I regularly have obnoxious …
Solving the Filtration Challenges of a Dining Room Koi Pond Read More »
I recently asked one of my mentors, “If you were in my position, what would you focus your energy on?” His response was simple: Focus on building your team. My father Dave Blocksom, who founded Pondscapes of Charlotte in 2002, instilled a culture of always doing the right thing for the customer. This means showing …
Sure, we all know what these are used for, but they sure are ugly! I’ve always challenged myself to see how well I can hide these big ugly boxes. Although it takes time, it’s rewarding when it finally it comes to you. Waterfall Boxes Thinking outside the box (literally) is what works for me. Keep …
After a two-year quarantine period, the turtles finally have their own new habitat! The turtles’ owners sold their house, and over the last two years of construction on the new home, their fish and turtles were living in my quarantine facilities. At the old house, the turtles lived in the koi pond. However, this time …
Back in the mid ’80s, pond builders had far fewer off-the-shelf solutions available. We built and rebuilt what we needed to get the job done — often many times before we got it right. Here are some of my more successful Greybeard Hacks. Bulletproof Bottom Drains My first ponds were large, occupying the whole of …
Second time around for formal turtle and koi pond It’s not often that you get a chance to design more than one formal turtle and koi pond for a customer. I’ve been fortunate enough to have that happen a handful of times. The client will move, or in one instance, just jump from one general …
This story was originally posted in January 2016. To be efficient, pond filtration equipment is usually installed as close to the pond as possible. Gracefully concealing your filtration equipment takes as much creativity as building the pond itself. Many times the ability to hide equipment in plain sight aesthetically makes or breaks a pond’s appearance. …
How to Gracefully Conceal Your Filtration Equipment Read More »
When we were approached about this natural pond construction project in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, the client had already done lots of research. He found Geert’s Land & Waterscapes through a Google search. The job site was only 1 ½ miles from our home base. He was planning to do the backyard pond project himself, but …
Many have done it, and many will do it — taking your pond construction company international. You’ll feel great about expanding your business internationally, but taking your show on the road may be a challenge that is out of your comfort zone. Additional risks may pop up for your company as well as your clients. …
Grow Your International Pond Construction Business Read More »
Publisher’s Note: A previous version of this article was originally published in January 2020 . Kent Wallace has updated the original piece with additional information and photos. Enjoy this “updated flashback!” After over 20 years in this industry, I have found that many products manufactured for pond construction are just new versions of components and …