Pondtastic Helps Build Dream Pond in Titusville, Central Florida (FL)

What is your dream pond? Do you want a large pond so you can have big koi swimming gracefully by? Or is it to have a pond that always blooming with beautiful aquatic plants?
Gary Wittstock of Titusville, Fl had many visions for his dream pond, those dreams came true in February as his new Ecosystem "dream pond" was built at his new retirement home.
 
This pond owner is very special to Jim and I, Gary and his son have been mentors to us since starting Pondtastic Water Gardens.
Gary is the "Pond Father" Gary's son, Greg
Wittstock The Pond Guy, owns and operates Aquascape Inc. the largest supplier of water feature equipment in North America. If you've read our blogs or newsletters for any amount of time you've read us reference Aquascape 100's of times. You've seen our pictures with Greg as we've received many recognition's and awards from Aquascape. The best recognition to date was being named  Aquascape Certified Contractor of the Year.



This story really starts in 1982, with Greg and his turtles. The Wittstock family moved from New Jersey to Wheaton IL with 11 turtles in the bottom drawer of their refrigerator.
By the second day in their new home 12 year old Greg had already dug a backyard pond for his beloved turtles. This pond was not the ecosystem liner ponds of today but rather a concrete pond  that turned green and cracked. This pond however is what started the Wittstock men on a journey that continues today.

Gary recently retired to the Titusville, Central Florida (FL) area and left behind his ponds of 34 years.
Leaving behind the freezing winter of Illinois for  the tropical climate of Central Florida (FL)
The plans got in motion when Greg flew into Orlando to meet with a potential client to be aired on the show Pond Squad. 

Jim met Greg and Gary for lunch as Gary shared his vision of what his dream pond would look. That was in June of 2015. Gary kept in touch with Jim and I and we learned that this special pond build was going to be a "build a pond" Certified Aquascape Contractors from around the state and even as far as Long Island NY came to build this "Dream Pond" in Titusville, Central Florida (FL).


It's always great for us to get together with other pond builders to build, we always learn something new. Unveiled at this pond build was the new Aquascape skimmer which was installed by Dave Havrilka with Aquascape Products and Development. Working along side us were great friends and mentors from across the state,  Pondtastic Water Gardens had the shortest drive over to Titusville, Central Florida (FL) at 45 minutes and the longest drive was 2 hrs 30 minutes which was driven by Pinellas Ponds. A HUGE Shout Out to Jeff of Island Aquascape Inc for traveling from Long Island NY to build for Gary.

Gary has been involved in the pond world much of his adult life from building, design work to manufacturing. He knew what to expect through the entire process and yet he was still in awe if the process. Many times I would see him just stand back with the biggest smile on his face or say "I just can't believe this"
I loved to watch as Gary proudly explained to the many golf cart riding neighbors that stopped by to see what all these people were doing in his yard and changing his landscape.
Already residents in the community are changing their walking routines to now include as pass by "Gary's Dream Pond"

Are you ready for your "Dream Pond?
Contact Pondtastic Water Gardens today to start making you dreams a reality!

Pondtastic and The Incredible Dr Pol

What an amazing experience the Pondtastic owners, Jim and Theresa had meeting the Incredible Dr Pol and his wife Diane of the famed NatGeo Wild show The Incredible Dr. Pol.

We had the pleasure of being in a small group of 15 people who had the opportunity to listen and ask questions of the Pol's. If you have ever seen the show you know how the two of them banter back and for. The same is true in real life, they are a fun couple. Following our small group session, Dr Pol was the keynote speaker at the 2015 Pondemonium  event. This too was fun as he as has so many stories, he told about his early years in the Netherlands up to how his son encouraged and ultimately pitched the TV networks on the show concept that is now "The Incredible Dr Pol.

Through the friendships that were made with "The Pond Squad" stars back in 2013 the Pol's had there first ecosystem pond built by the "Pond Squad" and local Certified Aquascape Contractors in the Michigan area.
This was done on a rain cold Michigan fall day. The one day build turned out just beautiful.
This water garden then sparked Dr Pol's interest about his large earth bottom pond/lake. What could be done to keep it clean and have a natural look to it.



Fast forward to November 2015, Again the "Pond Squad" and a group of Certified Aquascape Contractors tackle the huge job of filtering and creating a natural waterfall that could be seen from the home when the Pol's sit out to drink their coffee in the morning.

 











 






 





 These pictures do not even begin to show how beautiful this pond turned out. Click on the link below to watch how it all came together.


Pond Squad Episode #7 Dr Pol Pond Build

For more information on Dr Pol and his TV show "the Incredible Dr Pol" click on the link below

The Incredible Dr Pol 

How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details and options for your particular design and budget. 

Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

                                              Jim and Theresa

Waterfall Wednesday Backyard Retreat in Orlando, Florida

"Welcome to Shangri La"


When I first stepped into this backyard I did not feel like I was just a few miles from busy Downtown Orlando. This beautiful lanai has become a labor of love to create the perfect backyard retreat for this couple.


 



The first time we met, I spent an hour talking about Aquascape 8.0 Signature Series skimmers which doesn't sound exciting however it was very important for me to make sure that this Do It Yourself project was done correctly. I am very passionate about anything ponds, even boring filtration. Over the course of the time spent talking, a very loyal customer was born. 




As I remember it took a long 4th of July weekend in 2011 to install the ecosystem pond with a little help from friends and family. The fish and plants were added and in a very short time they both were "Hooked on the Pond Lifestyle"

After the first year their fish were huge. As you can see they are very well fed, only the best of the best for these Koi.
Blackwater Creek Gold N by the 40lb bag.

Just about a year after the pond was built the homeowner noticed the shelves and rocks starting to fall into the pond. Each year we cleaned the pond we would do our best to re-stack the rocks but they continued to slide into the pond. Small round rock were used in most of the pond which by nature are easy to lift but difficult to stack.

In August of 2015 the Pondtastic crew arrived to rebuild "Tank and Friends" pond (Tank is the only Koi's name I remember).
New shelves were dug to handle the weight of larger boulders as well as it provides a place to add plants. The larger rocks also added character and functionality to the pond. 


The pond is perfectly located as the focal point of this screened lanai. Although the footprint of the pond is exactly the same due to the hardscaping already installed. We think the new design makes the pond look bigger.

 

                                              
 
This backyard retreat has many features added by the homeowners that make it their little piece of paradise. From the commissioned hand carved garden fairy to the beautiful custom hand made wooden table, sign and bench.





The pond can be viewed from several beautiful seating areas around the lanai as well as from the Florida room.






I'm so grateful for the day that we chatted about skimmers because  as the saying goes at Pondtastic 

"We Build Friendships One Pond At A Time"

 Enjoy the rest of these great views from this Backyard Retreat

How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details and options for your particular design and budget. 

Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

                                              Jim and Theresa

Is passion worth paying for?

ONE persons PASSION is better than forty people merely interested. - E.M Forster

As we begin the construction of a project that I have been working on for about two and a half years.

That's a long time right?

I sure think it is, and we make jokes about how long it has been from the first time we spoke about this project but this project really shows how I feel about what I do.

I believe that at Pondtastic Water Gardens we have a passionate team of individuals that  professionally create living works of art. I believe that there are very few people that can do what we do to the level that we do it.

Can others see that passion..... some can , some can't.

When people make a choice to hire anyone for anything... is passion a determining factor?

I am not any different than any of you that are reading this.. I have to make purchasing decisions also.

I look at the same things you do..... cost, experience, references, completion time, etc.... but does passion enter into the equation?  should it?

Absolutely without a doubt yes !

Can you have a passionate auto mechanic? would it make a difference?
Can you have a passionate plumber ? would it make a difference?

I believe that anyone who loves what they do will do it better. I believe that  people will do the extra for the satisfaction of doing the job properly and not just doing enough to get by.


It wasn't until I had the opportunity to really watch my team interact with our customers that I really saw this.

Sometimes I will be sitting in my office working away and kind of eavesdropping on conversations taking place on the phone... it is great to hear the passion in voices of our staff. Can others hear it?

Sometimes we will be out on a pond build and I will watch one of our team search for the perfect rock to finish off the edge of the pond.. stand back and look at it ... pull it out and get a different one. Could they have left that rock there and started to work on something else?  Sure ! But he had a vision of what he wanted it to look like and he wasn't going to settle for anything less.

That's passion ... That's what you get when you pay for passion... You get a team of people that care,  that are concerned that will go above and beyond every chance they have. A team of people that take ownership!

So is passion worth paying for?



How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details, options for your particular design and budget.
Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

Patio Waterfall in Orlando, Florida

Imagine having dinner on your patio and listening to the gentle flow of water at it makes it way through the rocks and plants on your Florida patio.

This is exactly what this home owner had always envisioned for her lanai, sadly it took her having two features being built to get what she had wanted to be the focal point of her outdoor room.

The first attempt of a waterfall was done by her landscaping handy man. The home owner knew she had a problem the next morning when her pump was "screaming" and her patio was wet. After several attempts of the handyman trying to fix the multiple problems with the waterfall the client unplugged her waterfall and left it for several months. After looking at her "pile" of rocks for far too long she contacted Pondtastic Water Gardens.

Jim went out met with the Orlando homeowner, within seconds of looking at her pondless waterfall he found the first crucial rookie mistake, all the rocks were cemented together. Why is this a problem you might ask? Water follows the path of least resistance, the way this was build the water rolled right out of the feature onto the patio.

On day one of construction the second rookie mistake was discovered, EPDM liner was not used on the waterfall it was only used in the basin .



In a matter of a day and a half the feature was completed and we have a very happy client who loves to entertain on her Florida room and loves her pondless waterfall.















Watch this video for more inspiration


 











How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details, options for your particular design and budget.
Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

Why Hire A Certified Aquascape Contractor?

Looking for a Certified Aquascape Contractor (CAC) to help you with your Central Florida water feature installation?

Certified Aquascape Contractors are the most qualified and informed pond installers in the water gardening industry. All CACs are required to attend continual training and education seminars and maintain a proven record of outstanding work and dedicated customer service and support.


All water feature installers who wish to become Certified Aquascape Contractors must complete an in-depth application that includes referrals, pictures of completed water features, Online Aquascape Academy Classes and general questions about their business and water gardening philosophy. These applications are then reviewed by technical agents at Aquascape, Inc.

Pondtastic Water Gardens became a CAC in 2003 and earned the prestigious Master CAC 2014. Pondtastic is the ONLY Master CAC in Orlando.


Below is a press release that was published announcing Pondtastic Water Gardens being named
Master CAC in 2014.


Orlando, Florida – Jim Price owner of Pondtastic Water Gardens has successfully completed the
qualification process to become a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor (MCAC), the highest level of
certification provided by Aquascape Inc. Master Certified Aquascape Contractors are the most qualified and informed pond installers in the water gardening industry. MCACs are trained and educated to install beautiful, low-maintenance water features, and provide quality workmanship, outstanding customer service, and knowledgeable assistance to their customers.
“Jim has demonstrated his ability to install professional, natural-looking water features while providing
excellence in service to his customers,” said Jeffrey Payton, vice president of business development for

Aquascape. “We’re proud to have Jim on board as a Master Certified Aquascape Contractor.” Aquascape ensures that each applicant meets all standards of the qualification process. Applicants must provide customer referrals, photos of completed water features, pass extensive online training courses and testing, and comply with Aquascape construction methodology. In addition, applicants must use Aquascape product exclusively, with purchases that comply with the Master level over a two-year period, equivalent to approximately 20 water features installations per year.

Pondtastic Water Gardens has been installing water features for 15 years in the Central Florida area, using quality-grade professional products manufactured by Aquascape.
Pondtastic Water Gardens was named Aquascape’s
Contractor of the Year in 2009


You can count on Pondtastic Water Gardens your Master CAC to provide professional, dependable service to install a beautiful water feature that brings hours of enjoyment for you and your family.

If you are considering a water feature at your home, look no further than Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape contractor. Big or small Pondtastic Water Gardens can design a water feature to enhance any Central Florida landscape.
CONTACT US to set up a free phone consultation so we can help you design your custom water feature today

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard



Listen to Ed Beaulieu the Chief Sustainability Officer for Aquascape Inc. to hear what he has to say about Certified Aquascape Contractors