How to build an artificial stone waterfall from scratch PART I

[@Layby2k]

You had me with "drinking beer and looking at it"! I do this all the time and it's a critical step when creating anything, especially in the garden.

[@thejamesbondshowwithkrazyk4581]

I think I'll order some beer to as I'm spending lockdown building a waterfall pond...Is it ok if I buy Corona beer? 😂😂 🌴☘🌱🌴🍻🍺🍻🍺

[@cathychamberland637]

Love your humor…..and absolutely beautiful waterfall…. You gave me inspiration for the backyard this spring. Thank you !!

[@friendlypiranha774]

Sir, that is one fantastic waterfall and Little Paradise you have built there. Congratulations

[@caseyhardison4320]

I was asked to repair/rebuild an artificial rock waterfall for a client, and I followed these exact steps. I did frame my original design with 2x4s and 2x6s, and used a heavier 2x4 wire (2 layers) as it's on the edge of a pool and I know people will be jumping from it. Just wanted to say thanks for the lesson!

[@Miranda-cw9hq]

I've been hunting on YT for tutorials on how to build a fake rock garden but none of the videos matched the scale I was looking for. This is perfect since I suspected from the beginning that this was going to require some form of wooden structure to support the entire thing. Brilliant! Thank you for your video! And BTW: No project that is worthwhile, EVER goes without hard work, some blood loss and a lot of beer! Those 3 things are an absolute necessity before you even consider going to Home Depot (which we don't have in my country but you get the idea)!!! Good job! You should be VERY proud!! And thanks for the heads-up about trusting the process when just the frame is built. I also would have doubted myself at that point. But it turned out fantastic!

[@j.m.1389]

This is by far the best video I've seen on how to do this.

[@NightSky777]

Excellent Narration and step by step info. Good humor, Relaxed delivery appreciated as well. Great job all around!

[@brucemcnally3924]

What a brave man you are to tackle this project, you made a fabulous job, congratulations! You inspired me to make my own boulders as they are far too expensive and impossible for me to move on my own. Thank you so much.

[@MancaveEffects]

Thank you, apreciate you liked it! 😁

[@brookspa94]

It’s amazing what a little beer, time to think, concrete, water, blood, & a lot of hard work, can create! Great Job! THANK YOU for sharing your precious time, thoughts, & ideas with us! 😊

[@brianmaietta]

Looks great! for anyone trying to do this, a helpful; tip is to apply an elastomeric membrane to the entire structure after the cement/fabric step. then your cement on top will be able to remain pours without the worry of a sealer failure.

[@tommyhaney5941]

this is my favorite faux stone waterfall!!! Great work!!

[@mariekrueger4399]

I am very impressed! I live in Montana. I decided to buy the old money pit that I grew up in.( great memories) I guess my folks were bigger hoarders than I remembered...I finally clear the back yard and in the process, I found that I inherrited a pretty large pile of old assorted tires from trucks, cars and even airplanes. Someone said to go to KZbin and look up *diy yard waterfalls made with tires*-so I did! Yours has not one tire in it...but your creativity in building, is off the charts, Amazing! You give me inspiration! I'm going to use tires AND some of your ideas towards a hopeful success! I saved your video and when mine is done, I will send you a finished look with credits for using some of your ideas! Thank You! Now I'm Going to pour a glass if Chardonnay and get to planning! 😊

[@MancaveEffects]

Tires are a good idea, you could basicly use everything that has volume. Glad you liked the video, looking forward to see a picture! You can send it onto my instagram account when youre done ;)! Cheers

[@Raynestorm1968]

Love it! And yes you have motivated me to build one. Maybe not quite as big a scale as yours, but my ideas are just going crazy here. I really like this idea better than most I have seen, as where I live, I couldn't possibly build up a staircase as a base. Adult paper mache, perfect! Thank you so much for sharing. I just hope that my idea isn't going to break the bank LOL I only wish you had shown the process for the pipes and lights. But thank you just the same for sharing!

[@RetiredRedneck]

I shouldn`t have watched this. Now I want one. Awesome job!!!

[@vhivekna]

Really sir ......your told every thing .....exactly how u felt at that time ........u r a man ...simple ...and.....excellent

[@starshiptrouter]

Thanks for posting this. I'm about midway through making my own right now. I'm at the gopher wire stage. It's a bit daunting and feel like I need to take a week off work to finish, but so far it is looking like a good frame and I have my pond about ready to go. Thanks again for the inspiration!

[@MancaveEffects]

+starshiptrouter sounds good, take your time! And consider to run some cables thru the construction to hook up a power socket later on, just make sure that it is outside the splash zone

[@starshiptrouter]

Yeah, good point. I've thought about how to do the electrical. Right now it would be easy to run PVC pipe through the yard to my outdoor receptacle. but some flexible conduit to get it from the water to the "mountain" structure would be good. I also want to look into a power switch I could either wire into the power cord, but I'd have to make a really good water-tight box for it. Yeah, I"ve got kids too so, 120V, water and kids is risky mixture. Hmmm. I like the take the time approach...my son and I have been thinking about this and researching for about 8 months before getting going...as well as scratching together some cash to do it. Hey, how well is your mortar still adhering to the paper-mache? I'm considering paper-mache or burlap over my gopher wire and then yet another layer of chicke wire over that.

[@MancaveEffects]

starshiptrouter most led underwaterlights are 12v low currend, so that should be safe

[@robertlangley258]

Very nice you did a great job. Your an artist and didn’t know it. I’m sure your really full of ideas now. Happy creating.

[@alextaylor3815]

You did an amazing job!!!! You inspired me.

[@ravindranvenkatesan9919]

'Tropical Paradise'... What a word! Wonderful! Congrats!

[@vizion007]

I could relate so much starting at 4:32 on being irritated and having an ugly contraption in your yard, lol. I do not know how many of my projects seemed to have this chapter imbedded in my project! For some reason on many of the books that I buy on do it yourself projects, none of them ever had that chapter? Ya just gotta' laugh at the classroom books, like college, never drenched in reality! Ha Ha! I suppose in truth, like life, when we encounter the difficult aspects in life, at the time, we are irritated, discouraged and frustrated but if we work through it, looking back, we will always remember how we felt and what an impact it had moving forward and with the rest of our lives. Kudos to you for mentioning that, probably one of the most insightful stages of this video project and one that I shall remember well! You did an amazing job both on your waterfall project and conveying the essence of your project. Well done!

[@MancaveEffects]

Thanks brother!!

[@marielynn5234]

Am I the only one who thinks he sounds like Clause from American Dad? But seriously! Very creative! Great job and you are very enjoyable!!!❤

[@MancaveEffects]

Thank you, i am Klaus! 🐟

[@marielynn5234]

@@MancaveEffects 😁

[@nathangray8354]

I can't wait to build one! Growing up my Grandma had one that was about 6 foot tall and not that wide.... It had a little water reservoir at the bottom and i'm not sure what they used for the guts of it but it was sprayed with foam, detailed, and painted. I LOVED that waterfall. Sadly it got passed on to my Mom who then sold it later and i've missed seeing that in Grandma's front garden so I want to make one for mine!! Now I have a good idea of how to get started and oddly enough think the concrete will come out cheaper than the foam as that spray foam is EXPENSIVE. Thanks for sharing this!!!

[@MancaveEffects]

Wish you a lot of fun building your own waterfall! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@donnale3881]

That is absolutely wonderful! I'm motivated.... to convince my husband that we need this in our backyard!

[@kitesurfin3050]

Don't forget to get him a truckload of beer and he'll get after it...

[@steveteeceebee670]

Very attractive.Thank you. Am going to use some ideas for an outdoor tropical man cave party area.

[@charlesmeastas5110]

I'm in the process of making rock looking letters. And after watching your video it is a total motivator in that I now know what I need to do thank you very much for a well-done video thank you.

[@alexylang4427]

Really love your waterfall and video. Got lots of chuckles,especially with the beer and blood. Gonna try my hand at this and an arch this summer,but with the addition of some Margaritas. Cheers and thanks!🍹

[@livefreeandnevergiveup2988]

dude, you did a fantastic job. i am so proud of your determined effort. i really like what you did and will try and do this in my yard. you are very excellent in your stick withitness. bravo!

[@MancaveEffects]

Thank you !

[@9knine501]

He didnt do shit i only see 2 hispanics working ...and the dude talking has a mean accent lol

[@thejamesbondshowwithkrazyk4581]

@@9knine501 you are a complete jerk

[@tinman3]

I love it came out great. I started with just little things like old ringer washtubs and old buckets. My next one is going to be something like this. If the wifey let's me lol

[@nickpearce2968]

Turned out fantastic! Thank you for capturing this build. It inspired me for sure!

[@TayWoode]

Have you built it yet?

[@ksmith4012]

Things can get bloody at this point!!! You are hilarious!!!😆

[@kayakdog121]

I've got the "drinking beer" part perfected. Trying to move on to step two.

[@yepimaguyfromoc]

😂😂😂

[@stephenyoung4433]

Amazing and very creative endeavor! Thank you for sharing your ideas!

[@V13-m2z]

You are brave and patient!!! Bravo mister! 👏 Very nice end product!

[@antonetrinh8662]

#1 diy pond on youtube.

[@MancaveEffects]

+Antone Trinh Thanks!

[@antonetrinh8662]

Thank you for sharing - Great Works

[@Imacinabonlover]

Stunning! You did an amazing job. I would love this in my yard.

[@megankozenczak2103]

Very nice....was looking for a D.I.Y. way to create a waterfall...thanks for all the good information!

[@urbanconstrictors.]

Great work! You have helped inspire me to do one! I’ve now started

[@nataschaavery316]

You give great commentary on this. It inspires me to try this but maybe not so big.

[@jamesconnor9142]

Well done . I need this video to get me going . I been picturing mine now in a spot in the yard for a long time. It so hot here and this idea would be what I been thinking about to keep yard cool. Las Vegas

[@MURICAN-MARIO]

Didnt realize how simple it could be. Good job.

[@forrestcrabbe]

That's awesome, you did a fine job. Y'all have a badass day 🤘

[@ronselliers6951]

Yours turned out great but the one I plan to start in a few months will be framed with 3/8 rebar and 1/4 wire instead of lumber. My experience with even treated lumber in such an application has only had a longevity of 5 to 7 years before the structure was failing.

[@MancaveEffects]

Rebar is definately a better option but requires welding and my welding skills are terrible ;) but as i used fiber cement the structure should support itself even when the lumber rotted away

[@ronselliers6951]

@@doamedia7427 Check out the videos of dperry428. That's where I got my inspiration.

[@ChildofGod474]

What a beautiful waterfall! Very nice!

[@christopherpaxton85]

Awesome work bud

[@markoberer1158]

Very inspiring how to video. Now I'm imagining a waterfall cave with a jacuzzi Incorporated on the inside. A cave window with waterfalls. I'm afraid I'd have to buy a keg of beer to build that. Lol

[@kingofthejungle3833]

so you're thinking part of the jacuzzi inside the cave, part outside? with port-hole type windows through the cave walls? that sounds similar to something I want to do with a swimming pool. personally my current project is building water-features for indoor and outdoor use, which I may film ...........

[@markoberer1158]

Most Jacuzzis are somewhat compact so was going with the entire jacuzzi in the cave.

[@markgraumans1016]

Thats realy awesome!! I have customized a background of my own 200cm tall terrarium. But when i have a home with a garden im certainly going to build something like this. Its absolutely astonishing. Great job dude

[@tcstarz4248]

Very nice work, i'm impressed with all the little details

[@ericmartinson8910]

You did a nice job I want to try to do something like that too, I’ll try to find some more videos and start looking at my yard a little more scrutiny

[@josesegura2090]

One of the best designs I've seen and I've seen many, Thank's!

[@MancaveEffects]

Thank You!

[@curiosity2314]

Amazing, curious if there is a way in in case you have to do any maintenance to the plumbing? Nice work on the video with the explainer and pictures.

[@MancaveEffects]

Thanks, the pond is still running, i needed to swap the pump last year and did some refurbishing speacially to the faded colors.

[@warrendconner]

Totally awesome. I definitely want to do this in my backyard

[@bineetjha346]

Amazing piece of art! I would also place some pebbles, shaped drift wood here and there and small ornamental plants on the cliff itself to spare me a bit of the detailing effort :)

[@miapapa1955]

Plant look great !

[@charleskings-road2087]

Great work just the answer I was looking for,. I aim to build a waterfall as part of a water purification system to aerate the water and this idea is just what I need. Thanks for showing us what you did.

[@lifeIsTemporaryHere]

Inspiring.. When are you uploading the expansion😬

[@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325]

Hello, I will subscribe. I am planning to build an aviary in about one year and have a quarter acre to do it on. I also want to have a few water features with a 30 foot waterfall. My idea is to put the waterfall up against the enclosed stairway going up to the second floor and roof. It sticks out from the house about 8 feet so I can wrap the fake rock around it with windows and doors so I can get up high and build a elevated walkway. I want the waterfall to come down from the very top but hit shelves and cascade off of them and eventually land in the koi pond at the bottom. I also plan to put walkways and streams around the aviary with some other water features. I will have to watch more of your videos.

[@MancaveEffects]

For your project i would not recommand using wood but steel and a Mig welder for the basic structure. Curious to see the result, it sound like a lot of work but also like a nice idea ;)

[@patricklilly2520]

Looks great, great imagination, and excellent excellent execution. Very well done...👍

[@sikaberg5649]

very good, complete information & honest vlog

[@katbarrett1290]

Thinking about building something similar in the future with fish in the pond. TY for the ideas.

[@Supras111]

FABULOUS! Absolutely LOVE it!

[@jobonham6083]

I really enjoyed this and you have given me solutions to a lot of stumbling blocks. Thank you

[@countrygirl6794]

wow thats beautiful

[@CypresstheAwkwardCat]

this is for sure beautiful. I'd like you to build one for me for my pond lol

[@lath42]

Excellent work

[@MAD42]

nice work man!

[@jamesagnew828]

Thank you for your video was quite informative. I Wii give this a try in the summer time. I love your rockery and waterfall

[@davidwest6578]

Your Vid was useful thank you. I have completed step one of my waterfall and stream. I have a tiered backyard so a natural 2 waterfall drop

[@loisbeasley-carlisle8048]

This is awesome!!! Absolutely awesome and your instructions are spot on!! I believe we can do this!!!

[@jerpetraitis6769]

I always wanted to do a volcano ! Love this

[@eddiexxx6546]

Well done sir! True artistic talent

[@getin348]

very good, i am going to build a pond in a few years once the children are bigger, i think im going to go for something like this, initially lightweight construction that should hopefully last, looks very effective.

[@patb686]

C'est bon "du papiers mâchés" :) Awesome!

[@hermanmunster8677]

Vert nice ! very creative! Great job! Thank you for sharing this video with us!

[@alexlibin7]

Very motivated. Beautiful work

[@MrJmhess77]

Looks like a lot of work! Great job

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I bet your wife was excited you used her garden shears for the wire, lol!

[@marksharpe2132]

Excellent. Really like this.

[@charleneware6574]

It looks relaxing! Great job! Thanks for sharing!

[@tomquintero7583]

Just came across this video, very nice work, if I have one critique it would be that you should have used pt lumber to deter termites and the elements, I’m curious to know if the frame work has held up after 6 years? Thanks for sharing!

[@ericaroberts3919]

Great information in here! And you are a delightful person!!

[@robsrollers1329]

Thanks for sharing 👍 very impressive and helpful 👏

[@killieyo]

Very nice work

[@murgyj6198]

great video dude!! helped me allot thankyou

[@Sam-tg4ii]

If you press over the areas where it's only mesh beneath, won't the cement fall off as the mesh reshapes under pressie?

[@MancaveEffects]

With a little patience and feel for the consistency of the concrete it woks no problem.

[@mskeakitty]

Looks great. But won't the wood rot over time and isn't all that cement too heavy for the wood frame? Would it be easier to just make a hill of soil, cover in wire, and spray gunite on it like pools are made?

[@MancaveEffects]

That could be absolutely done. The wood only served as a basic frame to hold the wire in place. As i used fiber cement it should be self supporting after the cement hardened.

[@mskeakitty]

@@MancaveEffects that is awesome if it's self supporting even without the wood.

[@grassrootsgardening]

Thanks for this video! I just posted the one I built from your inspiration!!😀

[@mintu2408]

Awesome work!! I see here a lot of work but you did great job. Looking great!!

[@tsetendorjee9040]

Thank you its very good !

[@narozkhan4206]

Very nice & creative work 👍 super , congratulation man 👏

[@elizabethcabiles1013]

You are as cool as your waterfalls....awesome

[@kpop-stanner8974]

Wow this is amazing we also got a great idea to designe out Terese garden

[@dudleychancey]

Very cool. you made this look easy.

[@chadvanderveen6439]

Fantastic. Thank you. I plan to adapt this to a backyard volcano!

[@MancaveEffects]

Great idea! Have you seen the pond foggers? The use ultrasonic sound to vaporize water to heavy fog. They also exist with 10 or 12 disks for outdoor ponds. This could be an awesome addition to your volcano project

[@chadvanderveen6439]

@@MancaveEffects that is a good idea. Was going to do a red light in the water pointing up. But fogger with the light would be a great effect.

[@paulmurphy612]

What a beautiful garden project!

[@mq9167]

Awesome Job. I will use a lot of your tips. I think from your video and others Ive seen, I may use chicken wire topped with concrete soaked sheets. Seeing what you did with weed block and others using towels I think it should work awesome.

[@austinvickymoore3656]

Not bad man hella good job on the rock structure looks good! Thinking of putting one up in my yard!

[@Decentsinner]

Very helpful video. Can you please provide a list of items needed?

[@craigsmith248]

Excellent ! You gave me some great ideas. Thanks.

[@544agent]

Love it!!! You did amazing !!!

[@jodybell6135]

nice job.......looks really good