What Homeowners Say
Scott H.
"Serenity did a great job on our patio. They came out sooner than I expected and the new space completely changed how we use the backyard."
Maria L.
"From the first design meeting we felt heard. The fire pit and seating wall are exactly what we pictured, and the crew left the site spotless every day."
Dave & Karen R.
"One team designed and built the whole outdoor kitchen, so there was a single point of accountability start to finish. Couldn’t be happier."
Water Feature Design-Build
Can We Build What You’re Imagining?
Most likely, yes! We install water features into slopes, alongside patios, off retaining walls, and out in open lawn where nothing existed before. Jon designs the feature around where you'll be sitting.
Water works best when it's part of the plan rather than added later, because the plumbing, the power, and the grade all have to be set before the hardscape goes down. If a patio, wall, or fire feature is anywhere in your plans, we design the whole space now and phase the build around your budget.
Explore Water Feature Options
Find the Right Water Feature for Your Project
Pondless Waterfalls
A waterfall that recirculates into a hidden reservoir beneath the stone, so there's no standing water at the base. All the sound of a pond with a fraction of the upkeep, and nothing open for small children to reach. This is the most popular feature we install.
Koi and Ecosystem Ponds
A planted pond with fish, filtration, and a biological balance that does most of the work once established. More involved than a pondless feature and more rewarding for homeowners who want something to tend.
Streams and Creek Beds
Water moving through the landscape over a run rather than dropping in one place. These suit long slopes and let the feature travel past a patio, under a walk, and through planting beds.
Bubbling Rocks and Urns
A single drilled boulder or vessel with water rising and spilling over the face. Small footprint, quiet presence, and easy to place near an entry, a seating area, or a garden bed.
Wall and Spillway Features
Water spilling from a scupper or basin set into a retaining or seat wall. The tidiest option for smaller yards and courtyards, and a natural pairing when a wall is already part of the project.
Patio-Integrated Features
Water that is designed into the hardscape from the start, with the basin, plumbing, and lighting set before the pavers go down.
Where We Build
Across Southwest Michigan
Serenity Outdoors is based in Schoolcraft and builds throughout Kalamazoo County and the surrounding Southwest Michigan communities, reaching the lakeshore at the southern end.
Inland communities
Lakeshore corridor
Why Serenity
Why Homeowners Choose Serenity Outdoors
We Set the Basin and the Grade First
A water feature is a hole in the ground with plumbing in it, and everything visible sits on top of that. We excavate and set the reservoir, run the lines and the power, and confirm the grade carries overflow away from the house before a single stone goes into place. Features that leak, run dry, or wash out their edges almost always trace back to that stage getting rushed.
We Use One Designer from Beginning to End
Jon designs the space and stays on the project through the build with Isaac and Daniel. You're not handed from a salesperson to a crew that never saw the plan.
We Make It Easy to Build in Phases
Not every yard gets finished in one season. We design the whole space, then sequence it so you can invest as your budget allows without tearing out work later.
Certified & Recognized
NDS Certified Drainage Contractor
ICPI Certified Concrete Paver Installer
Who We Build For
Built for How You Live Outside
We focus on homeowners in Southwest Michigan who want the back of the house to work for how they live. If you’re planning one feature or a top-to-bottom outdoor living space, we invite you to check out our design process.
See Our Design Process →How To Get Started
Four Steps From Idea to Build
Contact
You’ll talk with our team to discuss your project, budget, and whether we’re a good fit for your dream backyard.
Consult
We’ll come visit your property and assess the space and your needs.
Customize
You’ll receive a fully custom proposal and design.
Contract
Once you sign the contract and submit your deposit, we’ll get started.
Imagine It
Picture the Finished Space
It’s a Sunday morning in the chair closest to the water. You can hear it before you're all the way outside. The road two streets over has gone away, the birds have found it, and the coffee is going to take a while because there's no reason to go back in. A water feature changes what the yard sounds like!
Schedule A Design ConsultationFAQs
Water Feature Project Questions
Still not sure about something? Give us a call. We'd rather talk it through than leave you guessing.
269-274-3947How much maintenance does a water feature need? +
Less than most people expect, but it depends on the type. A pondless waterfall needs the reservoir topped off in dry stretches, debris pulled off the stone now and then, and a pump check once a season. An ecosystem pond with fish and plants asks more of you, though a balanced pond largely regulates itself once it's established. We'll match the feature to how much you want to be involved.
What happens in winter? +
Pondless features get shut down and drained in late fall, and the pump comes out for the season. Ponds with fish can stay running or be winterized with an aerator or de-icer keeping a hole open in the ice, depending on the pond and the fish. We’ll walk you through the first year so you know the routine.
How much does a water feature cost? +
Size, stone selection, how much excavation the site takes, and whether power already reaches the spot all move the number. A bubbling rock near an entry sits at the low end. A large waterfall with a stream run sits considerably higher. Our estimator will get you a working range, and we go through firm pricing at the consultation.
Will it attract mosquitoes? +
Moving water doesn't breed mosquitoes; standing water does. A properly circulating feature is actually less hospitable than the birdbath or the low spot in the lawn you already have. Ponds with fish get a second line of defense, since fish eat larvae.
Is a pond safe with small children? +
A pondless waterfall is the usual answer here. The water recirculates into a gravel-filled reservoir under the stone, so there's no open depth at the base, and you get the sound and the movement without the pool.
Can a water feature be added to an existing patio? +
Sometimes, though it's easier before the patio goes in. We look at where power and water can reach, whether the edge of the hardscape can be opened up, and what the grade allows. A wall spillway or a bubbling rock is often the cleaner retrofit.
Keep Exploring
