Are backyard water features worth it?

For most homeowners the payoff is the sound, since moving water masks traffic and neighbors, and a lit feature gives the patio a focal point after dark. Green Scene builds them into the stonework so they look like part of the yard, and plans room for the additions people usually want next.

How much does a backyard water feature cost to build?

The type of feature sets the starting point, and from there the price moves with the stone, the pump, the lighting and how far power, water or gas has to run. Green Scene prices it in writing after a free visit. Building it with a new patio is simpler than retrofitting a finished one.

Can a water feature be added to a patio that is already built?

It can, but Green Scene calls adding an electrical or water feature to an existing design tricky. Power and plumbing have to reach it without tearing up finished pavers, so the existing patio and walls are looked at first. Mention a future feature when a patio is designed and it’s much simpler.

How do you light a backyard water feature?

Lights can sit in the basin, behind or under the falling water, or along a lighted walkway out to it, and they’re planned with the stone so the wiring stays hidden. Green Scene handles the lighting as part of the same project, which is how the sheer descent on this page glows blue at night.

Backyard Water Features in Franklin, TN

Q: Do water features need electricity?

Yes, nearly all of them do. The pump that recirculates the water runs on power, and so do any lights in the basin or the wall. Green Scene plans that electrical run along with the hardscape, together with a water supply to top it up and a gas line if fire is part of the design.

Free written estimate

Tell us what the yard needs. The office calls back to set up a visit.

A backyard water feature is anything built to move or hold water for its sound and its look: a fountain wall, a cascading waterfall, a sheer descent spilling out of a seat wall, a koi pond. Green Scene builds them as part of a patio or hardscape project, so the stone matches what’s around it and the power and water lines go in with everything else.

Adding one to a yard that’s already finished is harder; Green Scene’s own word for it is tricky. The electrical and plumbing have to reach the feature without disturbing a patio that’s done, which is why it pays to plan for water early even if the feature itself comes later.

What kinds of water features does Green Scene build?

Fountain walls, with water falling from spouts in stacked stone into a basin, like the one pictured at the top of this page
Sheer descents set into a seat wall or pillar, dropping onto river rock
Cascading waterfalls
Koi ponds

Any of them can be lit, and a lighted walkway leading out to the water is something Green Scene builds alongside them. The fixtures and wiring are part of its outdoor lighting work.

A sheet of water lit blue at night, falling from a stone seat-wall pillar onto black river rock beside a patio and a row of tall evergreens. — A sheer descent built into the seat wall, lit so it reads after dark.

Do water features need electricity, gas or a water line?

Nearly all of them need electricity, for the pump that recirculates the water and for any lights. Most need a water supply nearby to top them up, and a feature that adds fire needs a gas line. Green Scene works out all 3 before it quotes, because together they decide where the feature can sit and a good share of what it costs.

That’s also why a water feature is easiest to add while a patio or wall is being built. With the ground open, the lines go in under the stone instead of being trenched through a finished yard.

Why plan a water feature with later additions in mind?

Because one rarely stays one. In Green Scene’s experience, nearly every water or lighting feature leads to another, so the company builds the current project to be compatible with what you’ll probably want next: more light, a second feature, a fire pit nearby.

Tell Jose Garcia about the someday ideas when he comes out to quote. He designs every project himself, and knowing what might follow changes where he puts today’s power, water and stone.

Are water features worth it in a Williamson County yard?

For most people the reason is sound. Moving water covers road noise and a neighbor’s air conditioner, and on a patio in Brentwood or Franklin that can matter more than the view. Lit, it also gives the yard a focal point at night.

Placement decides how much you get from it. The fountain wall at the top of this page sits in a lawn bed in front of a low retaining wall, where it’s seen and heard from the patio rather than sat beside. A sheer descent in a seat wall works the other way, right at your shoulder.

Water features built into the stonework