Completed Project: Water Feature in S. San Francisco

Completed Water features

Tamate landscape was hired to give this yard a makeover in the hills of South San Francisco. The focal point of this project will be a water feature with a series of 1-1/2″ copper pipes spilling water into a basin. All components of the water feature are custom. Here you see day 1 on July 31st, 2012.

Before Photo of backyard

Project Update: Concrete Forms

The end of the 3rd day and we have the yard cleared out. Below you see 2 sets of forms being constructed. One for the copper pipe element and the other for the basin. Kind of a slow start for us due to the ground being rock hard. Any kind of excavation is by jack hammer.

Men building concrete forms

In this photo, you can start to visualize the copper pipe element taking shape. The key to achieving equal flow from all pipes is to oversize the manifold (the white pipe that the copper pipes are connected to) and have a big enough pump to power it-in this case a 4000 gallon per hour high efficiency external mount unit. Note the reinforcement bar within the forms.

Copper Piping

Project Update:  Pouring Concrete 

A few hours after the concrete pour, we removed the forms so we can apply the smooth finish with a trowel.  This technique must be perfectly timed-a little too early and the entire mass could crumble and too late would make the surface unworkable.

Copper Piping in the Concrete

Concrete form for the basin.

Access is always difficult with jobs in San Francisco with heavy machinery usually not being an option.  Here we are lowering a boulder down a steep stairway using a rock climbing technique called belaying.

Project Update:  August 30, 2012-Project Complete

Finished Water features

Bells in Wooden Frame

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