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Natural Stone & Artificial Rock In San Diego
Learn how pool and landscape designers build waterfalls, retaining walls, caves, grottos, and pools using natural stone, artificial rock, or a combination of the two.
Swimming Pool Designs With Natural Stone And Artificial Rock
Talented pool and landscape designers produce lagoon-style marvels that rival Mother Nature, whether they employ actual stone, synthetic rock, or a combination of the two. Caves, grottos, and waterfalls are just a few of the rocky marvels that convert ordinary backyard pools into crystal clear ponds that look to have been carved out of the landscape.
Boulders can also be used as simple landscape embellishments. A few tiny stones strategically placed along a pathway, in a flower bed, on the pool deck, or even within the pool can assist in tying the design together. Two-ton stones, on the other hand, may create a 10-foot-high cascade. Diving rocks built into stone walls or boulder waterfalls, a treatment standing alone on the water’s edge, an island tanning platform or a spillway from an elevated spa or upper pool into a lower pool are among the alternatives in between. As well as caves, slides, and handrails carved from limestone, rock may also create retaining walls or underwater bands that mark elevation or depth changes.
Your budget is the sole constraint on the scale of a rock creation. The source of the rock is one financial problem. It is possible to mine and ship rock, or it is possible to uncover it during the excavation process. The transportation expenses are avoided when the ideal rocks are discovered on site; nevertheless, such a finding should not be expected. For example, on two nearby estates in San Diego, one team may discover limestone rocks the size of a vehicle, while the next finds only baseball-sized stones after three weeks of digging. A masterful waterfall combining limestone of various sizes, colors, and textures can be created in either case.
Moss rock is another popular choice for waterfalls in San Diego, and it’s also imported to other parts of the country. Moss rock is named after the dry lichens that cover it and give it a gray or green hue. Tumbled flagstone may be used to line a meandering stream, while piled flagstone is a popular choice for a fireplace or retaining wall.
While some builders are fortunate enough to work in abundant stone areas, others must import Rocky Mountain quartz, Tennessee crab orchard stone, and Pennsylvania bluestone or limestone regularly. The cost of your stone water feature may increase as the shipping distance increases.
Selecting The Appropriate Stone
While budget may have a role in determining the project’s scope, after certain aspects have been chosen, the rock selection is mostly determined by the intended hue and, secondly, what is being constructed from the rock. As a result, a diving platform should have a big, smooth surface that is safe and comfortable to walk on while wearing bare feet. Flat slabs also stack well for retaining walls and may be used as coping, but enormous round boulders are great for creating massive waterfalls and retaining land in substantial grade changes. Furthermore, white limestone is a natural cooling deck, whereas dark brown Oklahoma stone might get too hot to walk on in the sun.
As essential as these decisions are, the stone’s color is typically the decisive factor–but be cautious. Although one may expect Pennsylvania bluestone to have a continuous bluish tinge, it can come in various colors, including green, gray, brown, and, yes, blue. Many builders send their customers to the stone yard to choose the stone that would best suit the home’s architecture and other plans for the land because of the great range available.
Most builders of the high-end pools that would contain this fine rockwork choose the desired color and texture above workability if the budget allows for the choices.
Rock That Isn’t Natural
Another option is to use imitation rock in your pool design to achieve the precise color and texture you like. On-site rock sculpting can be accomplished using a variety of methods. Some businesses employ a system of panels manufactured from casts of real rock formations that can be assembled to create natural-looking sceneries, ranging from modest outcroppings to 27-foot-long waterslides.
A welded steel frame is fired with gunite, molded, and then stamped to achieve the necessary texture in another technique. Handcarved fissures and striations let such goods resemble natural rock waterfalls, giving your fake rock waterfall a realistic appearance. Fake trees may be added to a scene using a similar method. Proponents believe that concrete “trees” will never die, and acid-stained concrete “rock” will never fade or move. These materials can withstand storms and the freeze-thaw cycles in northern climes.
Some would prefer to create to the client’s exact specifications than bring in large boulders using cranes. They also construct and attach artificial rocks to an elevated beam rather than placing big boulders. Because artificial items are significantly lighter than natural boulders, they may be suitable for large-scale projects.
Natural Stone And Faux Rock Combined
While many pool builders and landscape planners utilize either natural stone or synthetic rock, others employ a combination of the two. For example, if a grotto’s inside is built of manufactured stone, the positioning of internal fiber-optic lights can resemble stars, and the exterior can be formed of natural rocks.
Additionally, the natural piled stone may be used in retaining walls because it is appealing and controllable, whereas poured concrete “boulders” may be used on a vanishing edge wall because of the structural benefits of pouring concrete over anchoring a huge heavy stone.
Creating an authentic-looking poolscape is crucial, especially when combining natural and synthetic elements. A concrete deck and a plaster pool are common even in designs that depend nearly exclusively on natural stones for their appearance. Darker interior treatments, such as colored plaster or a pebble or quartz finish, are more reflecting and can add to the realism of a natural pond appearance. The lighter hues resemble a sandy beach. Textured decking treatments, such as stamped or brushed concrete may also add geological reality to natural stone designs.
Your backyard may be transformed into a sandstone desert paradise, a rocky mountain stream, or a secret Caribbean island swimming alcove with the appropriate combination of materials and skill. Contact us at Artificial Rock Contractor today.
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