Pool, spa and landscaping contractors nationwide report that the biggest trend in their industries today is being driven by homeowners requesting to have the same waterfalls, ponds and streams they see at resorts, malls, golf courses and estates built in their own backyards.

According to Rodger Embury, president of Rock & Water Creations, Inc., "They're looking for the more impressive, more exotic and more natural look that can turn their ho-hum backyard into a virtual oasis, a place where they can rest in peace and enjoy their leisure time with friends and family."

In the past, Embury's company specialized in designing and installing "water features" for residential and commercial customers, but is now dedicated exclusively to training contractors nationwide and supplying them with lightweight (GFRC) reinforced concrete boulders and rock cliff panel material for that purpose.

He says the trend is understandable since customers are greatly influenced by fun, peaceful or romantic memories often associated with a beautiful setting or environment that includes rolling, falling or flowing water and they want to duplicate that atmosphere close to home.

Until recently, he explains, contractors who installed such water features did so by using either natural stone or by hand-carving gunite into shapes that resembled real rock.

"Natural stone has so many limitations," he explains, "when you consider the time it takes to acquire the right rocks, arranging for transportation and the expense of a crane, tearing down fences, ruining existing landscaping and getting just one chance at placement of a typical three-by-three foot, 3,000-pound monster.

"And hand-carving gunite to look as close to real rock as possible is a labor-intensive and costly process that often never looks much more realistic than the 'Flintstones-effect' you see at Disneyland or Universal Studios."

To obtain the most realistic and cost-effective result demanded by residential and commercial customers, Rock & Water Creations trains professional water feature installers in how to instead use its GFRC boulders and rock cliff panels which offer a versatile and more advanced alternative to the natural rock and hand-carving methods of the past.

The company's GFRC material installs effortlessly, weighs a fraction of real rock (a 180-pound boulder made from GFRC can duplicate a 3,000-pound version of the real thing), looks better, costs less and--most importantly--allows contractors to finish a job much faster so homeowners can enjoy their new addition sooner.

Looking For A Contractor Who Uses Our Material?
Homeowner Referral Request

Although Rock & Water Creations is now dedicated strictly to manufacturing and no longer designs and installs water features ourselves, homeowners who would like to learn if there is a contractor in their area who is knowledgeable about installing our GFRC boulders and rock cliff panels can request a referral by clicking (here).

Please Note: Most of our contractors charge $45-$65 per square foot to create custom water features using our GFRC boulder and rock cliff panel castings. If your budget is under $10,000, we encourage you to consider our more affordable San Miguel waterfall (click here) which can be installed by your local landscape professional.