This deck way actually conceals a drainage system that prevented this area from flooding in the record rainfall winter of 2004-05. The small viewing deck to the right features a bench made from a 750 year-old slab of redwood. It faces a rock garden with various statuary, rocks and potted plants. The redwood box to the right (with the statue on it) covers the swamp cooler. The box in front of it contains a small recirculating pump which gives the illusion of an artesian well.
Redwood bench details
Some other waterscapes (from left to right): a rustic pond fed by a bamboo spigot emptying into an oak half-barrel (the pond is only four to five inches deep), completely self-contained; a more formal pool / planter combo fed by a bamboo spigot, also self-contained; and finally a very rustic scene featuring the oak barrel and bamboo spigot transplanted to a new location to create a mock waterfall, surrounded by all manner of plants and flowers...very Alpine-esque.
An interesting solution to a thorny proposition...
A simple decorative touch turns a fence into a statement.
