Water Fountain & Garden Decor – Mound Minnesota Landscape Company
April 27, 2007
The primary problem that needed to be solved was caused by the runoff from the roof, which fell at the entry of the home and formed a bed of ice during the winter months. To correct this we installed electrical heating mats into new concrete entry walk. There are two types of snow melt systems. One is water based that pumps hot water through tubing in walks and driveways. The use of water outdoors requires that these systems run constantly throughout the winter months, this is, of course, very expensive and not good for the environment. The other system uses electrical heating elements, or mats, that are installed into a walk, or drive. The advantage of using electricity is that these systems can be turned on or off at anytime, and therefore only use energy when it is truly needed. In the case of the ice problem in Mound, Minnesota, the electric mats have worked great.
The new heated entry walk featured a copper water sculpture that can enjoyed, or viewed, from all a sides. The entry walk curved around the circular pool of the fountain with a stepping pad walk that provided a short through a bed of perennials from the guest parking area to the front door of the house. A brick planter was constructed between the entrance to the foyer and the new mudroom. The cap was set at a comfortable sitting height to sit and watch the water spill from the top of the three separate elements of the sculpture. The walk was a slate textured concrete colored to compliment the existing materials of the home. The new drive provides ample parking for guests and incorporates a half court basketball area.
We also designed and installed a flower garden and pathway on the opposite side of the home. We installed crushed aggregate and granite steps for the pathway connecting the back entrance of the new mudroom to the pool deck. The plantings around the pathway were simple and clean, while the flower garden in an upper terrace incorporated a greater variety of perennials.
Posted in Fountains & Water Features, Garden Art, Landscape, Walks
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May 20th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
I just found your site and find your work lovely. The fountain used here is a lovely sculpture for the entry. I imagine visitors stop for a moment to look and reflect. It is nice that people are incorporating more art into their gardens. Next time I have a client looking for a landscaper, I am going to recommend they call you.
June 30th, 2010 at 3:12 am
I realize that you’re in Minnesota, {say hello to Andrew Zimmern for me,) and water is everywhere. I don’t know enough to know if there is a water shortage in summer. Is there? I saw your article on runoff gardening, and thought there possibly was, although how could the land of a thousand lakes need water?? Anywhoo, here’s a slightly greener answer to the winter and constntly running pump/heater problem with the organic copper fountain. Create a drain for the water runoff from the heated sidewalk to run into a submerged tank. install a manual switch for a pump in the tank to water when necessary in summer. Also make sure the fountain, sidewalk heater and submerged pump can all be run electricalyy by manual switch, anytime the owner/operator can be more efficient and is willing to be responsible for the energy. All cycles may not need to be repeated all of the time. If you could save a bit of water for summer, why not reduce your drain on the city and provide for yourself? I’m from AZ, my waterbill in summer sets me back for the whole year. If I had your resources, I would certainly put them to work. I do like your “Japanese” designs, how do they fare in Minnesota? I’m not criticising, Japanese design is more philosophical than concrete, and I just wonder how many philosophers are there in Minnesota? Where I’m at, I believe I may be the only one. Best of luck, J.D.Christie
January 19th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Thank you for taking a look and your compliments.
January 19th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Thank you for your comments and compliments!
January 19th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Christie, thank you for your comments. The discussion about water in this project was related to ice build up in the winter from snow melting on the roof during the day and dripping onto the entry walk below. This created a slippery and unsafe approach for guests, our solution was to install electric mats in the concrete walk, which are switched. This allows the heating system to be turned off was it is not needed, unlike a water based system. Water radiant heat can be used outdoors, but needs to run throughout the winter and therefore uses more energy. The water feature is winterized and turned off during the winter and simply enjoyed as sculpture.