How Do Water Feature Contractors Determine Their Prices?
How Superior Ponds Determines Pricing for Your Water Feature Project
When you're considering adding a beautiful water feature to your backyard or making a repair, it can be helpful to understand how the cost is determined. At Superior Ponds, we believe in transparency, so we want to give you an inside look at how we calculate our pricing for your pond or water feature project.
1. Project Scope
The primary factor in determining the price of your water feature project is the scope of work. This includes the size of the pond or water feature, the complexity of the design, any special features you might want to include, and access considerations .
Size of the Feature: Larger ponds require more planning, more materials, more labor, and more time, which all increases the overall cost.
Design Complexity: Intricate designs with multiple streams, waterfalls, multiple fountains, the addition of lighting, and other unique features will require more detailed work and preparation time, impacting the price.
Special Features: Custom features like advanced filtration systems, specially designed formations, incorporation of other landscape features, and custom fountains all require more advanced installation know-how which adds to the overall price of the project.
Access Considerations: The price between two identical projects could be as far apart as you could imagine, with difficult and complicated access sometimes doubling and even tripling the cost of a project.
2. Site Preparation
Before we even begin installing your water feature, there’s significant work that goes into preparing the site. Proper preparation ensures that your water feature is installed correctly and will function beautifully for years to come.
Site Clearing: The area needs to be cleared of any debris, plants, trees, and other obstacles. This could involve significant groundwork, depending on the current state of your yard.
Excavation: Digging out the pond or streambed, leveling the ground, and preparing the site for installation all require careful planning and execution. In some instances with sloped yards and larger features requiring larger berms, large amounts of dirt might have to be carted in to aid in construction.
Protections: If your site has unique challenges like existing trees or patios to be worked around, these may take extra precautions to be taken and protection barriers setup to protection your valuables. Besides the extra time to set up these protections, they take constant observation throughout the course of the project.
3. Materials and Equipment
The materials and equipment used in your water feature play a significant role in the final cost. At Superior Ponds, we only use high-quality materials to ensure the longevity and beauty of your water feature. However, the rocks and boulders used, special features, and other resources used can still cause the price to fluctuate.
Pond Liners and Filtration: The size of pond liner and advanced filtration systems will adjust the price much more than you might think. an advanced filtration system may cost more upfront but save money on maintenance down the line.
Rocks: The selection of rocks, stones, and boulders contributes to both the aesthetic appeal and the price. A natural fieldstone is a readily available rock that is obtainable from almost anywhere, while a good quality weathered limestone might only come from a few select quarries. A granite option not only increases the cost because of its value, but is also a significantly heavier rock which requires much larger equipment and installation time to set properly.
Lighting and Add-Ons: Lighting comes in white and color-changing. While there may only be two options to choose from, the types of lights and their related equipment are very different. Additionally, aerators, fish caves, auto-dosers, plant equipment, and other add-ons come in many different sizes. While they all differ in size, you can be sure that they all enhance the functionality and appearance of your water feature.
4. Labor Costs
The skill and experience is important to the long-term success of your project. Many water features look pretty at the beginning, but a quality install will keep looking good for many years of enjoyed use.
Experience and Skill: Highly skilled professionals with years of experience in designing and installing water features will cost more than general landscapers, but the lasting experience of a well-made water feature will far outweigh the short-term savings.
Time Required: The larger or more complex the project, the longer it will take to complete. Time-intensive projects with intricate details or challenging site conditions will naturally cost more.
5. Overhead and Business Costs
As a professional business, a water feature company needs to cover their overhead costs and ensure a sustainable operation.
Insurance and Licensing: These necessary costs are built into their pricing to protect both their business and their clients. A lot can go wrong during a project, you want to be sure the person you hired is covered.
Equipment and Transportation: The cost of transporting materials and equipment to your site is factored into the price, as well as storage, procurement, and every time their team touches the materials to move it from point A to B.
Continuing Training and Education: A professional pond contractor, like any other professional business, will continue learning through the annual training and education opportunities available to them. The cost of trainings and their associated transportation and lodging expenses need to be recovered through projects.
Profit Margin: To continue providing top-notch services, a profit margin that allows the business to reinvest in their business, teammates, and maintain high standards.
Conclusion
At Superior Ponds, we strive to offer transparent pricing that reflects these aspects listed above as well as the quality and care we put into every project. Whether you're looking to add a small pond and fountain or a large, intricate water feature, you can trust that our pricing is based on a detailed assessment of all the factors involved. We're here to help you bring your vision to life!
Want to get started on your own Superior water feature? Send us a message to get started on your FREE estimate!
