POND Trade asked Chris Ostrander to write an article about spillways and fountain bowls for this issue. These bowls certainly are a hot ticket right now, and I don’t see this trend going away anytime soon. But what really took me by surprise was how spillways are dotted throughout this issue. Of course, Chris has …
POND Trade was invited to the Mountain Top Marketing Mastermind seminar, and I took them up on it. After all, a trip to Colorado in April? Sure, I can do that. The seminar was run by the nice folks at the Contractor’s Sales Academy (CSA). The day was loaded with useful information about how to …
Marketing and Business Converge at the Contractor’s Sales Academy Read More »
Two years ago, I was contacted by a retired couple about helping them design a pond at their home. Having never built a pond before, Bruce wanted to build it himself. He had grand ideas but said he needed advice, equipment and a lot of guidance. The home was in Mountain Springs, a summit area …
Pond Construction | The Do-It-Yourself, Desert Trout Pond Read More »
One of the most important yet overlooked aspects to maintaining healthy koi is optimizing water quality. Although testing the water may be viewed as too expensive or time-consuming, it is still a necessary task to ensure healthy koi. Could you imagine living in a place where the air you breathe is so contaminated to the …
Language of Koi | Optimizing Water Quality for Your Koi Read More »
It seems that every nature and landscape photographer seeks out the lake with the reflection of trees or mountains in the water. These are the shots that make for calendar photos that hang on the walls of old-timers like me. Let us consider building our water gardens where they will receive both the shade …
Pondside Trees: Pros and Cons of Large Pond Plans Read More »
Since 2010, small-business owners have seen a significant uptick in reasonable compensation challenges, as the IRS has increasingly trained its tax examiners to examine payroll tax issues — among them, reasonable compensation. After all, the payment of a salary in excess of what the IRS considers “reasonable,” the payment of personal expenses by the business, …
Small-Business Tax Tips: Reasonable Compensation Read More »
Kansas City is known as the City of Fountains. With 200 registered city fountains and many more residential and commercial features in a centralized location, our customers’ expectations are elevated. The techniques, tools and tricks in fountain maintenance used here can be adapted to most regions and can provide a steady stream of income for …
Fountain Maintenance: Tools and Techniques from the City of Fountains Read More »
In 1997, I talked my mom into letting me build a pond for her. I didn’t know anything about what I was doing at the time. We bought a pre-formed plastic tub, pumps and even a plastic waterfall and integrated them all into my first “pond.” It was a fun experience, but needless to say, …
Spillways and Patio Ponds Make a Splash in the Garden Read More »
Being in the business of installing ponds, we’ve done all types, shapes and sizes over the years. It has been a thriving part of the business for us for a long time. But with more and more landscape contractors installing “ponds,” we’ve got to continue to set ourselves apart from the rest. Thinking outside the …
I love small water features! The simplicity of a patio pond or disappearing waterfall makes it easy for a crew to replicate a systematic process day after day, keeping your operation profitable while still delivering a custom product to your happy customer. Managing your all-important profit margin with a small water feature installation is a …