Water Features
Transform your garden with a stunning water feature. Green Boma designs and installs garden ponds, decorative fountains, water walls, and swimming pool surrounds in Nairobi. Custom designs from KES 35,000.
Why Add a Water Feature to Your Garden?
Water has a unique power in garden design. The sight and sound of moving water creates a sense of calm, masks urban noise, and transforms even a modest garden into a tranquil retreat. In the context of Nairobi's busy urban environment, a well-designed water feature turns an outdoor space into a genuine sanctuary. At Green Boma, we design and build custom water features for residential gardens, hotel lobbies, office atriums, and commercial outdoor spaces across Nairobi.
From a naturalistic garden pond brimming with aquatic plants and fish, to a sleek contemporary wall fountain that becomes a statement piece in a modern compound — we create water features that are as functional as they are beautiful.
Types of Water Features We Design & Install
Garden Ponds
A garden pond is one of the most ecologically rich water features you can install. We design and build formal geometric ponds and naturalistic irregular ponds, lined with high-quality EPDM pond liner or GRP fibreglass, with integrated filtration and pump systems. We plant ponds with indigenous aquatic and marginal plants, and can design and stock koi or tilapia ponds for clients who want the added dimension of ornamental fish.
Garden ponds attract birds, frogs, and dragonflies, adding a dynamic wildlife element to your garden that is particularly rewarding in Nairobi's diverse ecological environment.
Decorative Fountains
Fountains are one of the most versatile water feature options — suitable for small courtyards, large formal gardens, entrance ways, and commercial properties. We install self-contained fountain units and custom-designed fountain structures featuring natural stone, stainless steel, and ceramic. Multiple jets, adjustable flow rates, and optional LED lighting allow fountains to create completely different moods at different times of day.
Water Walls & Cascades
A water wall is a contemporary feature where a thin, continuous sheet of water flows down a vertical surface — stone, stainless steel, glass, or slate. Water walls are ideal for urban gardens, narrow courtyards, and any space where a floor-to-ceiling visual statement is desired. We also design stepped cascade features where water tumbles down a series of stone or timber levels, creating a naturalistic stream effect.
Swimming Pool Surroundings & Integration
The landscape design around a swimming pool profoundly affects the overall aesthetic and usability of the pool area. We design and install pool surrounds including cabro or natural stone paving, planted borders, outdoor seating zones, shade structures, and integrated water features such as overflow channels, fountain jets within the pool, and plunge pools. We coordinate pool landscaping with the pool contractor to ensure seamless integration.
Rainwater Harvesting Features
We design rain chains, rain gardens, and decorative rainwater harvesting features that collect and channel rainwater in a visually attractive way. These eco-conscious water features serve a practical function while becoming a genuine design element in the garden.
Water Feature Design Process
Every water feature project begins with a detailed design consultation. We discuss the style of your garden, the size of feature you are considering, your budget, and any practical requirements (such as child safety — all our features can be designed with child-safe grating over open water). We produce a sketch design for your approval before proceeding to construction.
Water Feature Maintenance
Water features require ongoing maintenance to remain clear and attractive. We offer maintenance contracts for water features, including pump servicing, filter cleaning, water quality management, and aquatic plant care. Contact us for a maintenance programme tailored to your feature.
Key Features
Fully custom design for every water feature — no standard solutions
Every water feature we build is designed specifically for its setting, its client, and its function. We do not install off-the-shelf fountain units and call it a water feature design. We create original designs that respond to your garden's architectural style, the scale of the surrounding space, your materials preferences, and your budget — resulting in a feature that belongs in your garden, not a showroom.
Garden ponds, koi ponds, formal and naturalistic water designs
Our pond portfolio ranges from small formal rectangular reflecting pools to large naturalistic ponds with irregular edges, bog garden margins, and diverse aquatic planting. Koi ponds require specialist filtration, aeration, and water quality management systems that we design and install as an integrated part of the pond structure — not as afterthought add-ons.
Decorative fountains in stone, stainless steel, and ceramic
Fountain materials have a profound effect on the character of the finished feature. Natural stone creates a timeless, organic aesthetic. Stainless steel delivers contemporary elegance. Glazed ceramic introduces colour and artisan craftsmanship. We work with all these materials and help you select the most appropriate for your garden's overall design language and Nairobi's maintenance environment
Contemporary water walls in stone, steel, and glass
A water wall is the most dramatic vertical feature available to garden designers. A thin, continuous sheet of water sliding down a smooth surface creates an almost mirror-like visual effect and generates a gentle, continuous sound that masks road and urban noise effectively. We build water walls as freestanding garden features, integrated into existing walls, and as interior lobby or atrium installations in Nairobi's commercial properties.
Child-safe design options — grated covers, shallow profiles, fencing
Open water features pose a risk to young children. Where families with young children are involved, we design child safety into the feature from the outset — installing stainless steel grating over pond surfaces, designing fountain bowls with minimal water depth, and incorporating safety fencing around larger water bodies. Child safety is discussed at the design stage of every project.
Integrated LED lighting for dramatic evening effect
The right lighting transforms a water feature after dark. Submersible LED lights within pond water create a glowing, jewel-like effect. Spotlights directed at cascading water create dancing light reflections. LED strip lighting behind water walls illuminates the water sheet from below. We integrate lighting design into every water feature, with programmable colour-changing and dimming options for contemporary installations.
Swimming pool surround design and installation
The landscape around a swimming pool determines whether the pool area feels like a luxury resort or a building site afterthought. We design and install complete pool surrounds including slip-resistant stone or cabro paving, planted borders with pool-appropriate species, outdoor shower and equipment enclosures, shade pergolas, and integrated water features such as overflow runnels and fountain jets within the pool itself.
Ongoing maintenance contracts for long-term water quality and aesthetics
A water feature that is not maintained becomes a green, stagnant eyesore within weeks. Our maintenance contracts cover pump servicing, filter cleaning and replacement, water quality testing and treatment, aquatic plant management, and fountain head cleaning. Regular maintenance prevents the algae growth, pump failure, and water discolouration that affect neglected features — keeping your water feature looking as beautiful as the day it was installed.
How It Works
Design consultation — feature type, garden context, and safety discussion
We begin with an open design conversation — exploring the type of feature that suits your garden's character and scale, your materials preferences, your budget, and any specific requirements such as child safety, noise masking, or wildlife attraction. For pond projects, we also discuss fish stocking preferences and the level of aquatic planting you want. This consultation frames the entire design direction.
Site assessment — location, drainage, power supply, and structural evaluation
The proposed feature location is assessed in detail: existing drainage patterns that affect pond siting, proximity to electricity supply for pump and lighting, soil bearing capacity for heavy stone features, root zones of nearby trees that could penetrate pond liners, and any underground services that could affect excavation. A thorough site assessment prevents costly surprises during construction.
Concept design — sketch design and material palette presented for review
We produce a sketch design showing the proposed feature footprint, profile, and key material selections. For larger features, we produce a scaled cross-section drawing showing construction details. We present this alongside physical material samples and imagery so you can evaluate the design clearly before committing to construction. We revise the concept based on your feedback.
Detailed specification — pump sizing, filtration, lighting, and materials
The approved concept is developed into a full construction specification. Pump flow rates are calculated based on water volume and feature type. Filtration systems are specified to match the biological load of the planned feature. All materials are specified precisely — liner type and thickness, coping stone, fountain components, lighting fixtures, and pipe specifications. This prevents ambiguity and ensures accurate procurement.
Excavation and groundworks to design specifications
Excavation is carried out to the profile specified in the design — pond shape, depth profile, shelf levels for marginal planting zones, and drainage sumps where required. For water wall features, the structural base is constructed in concrete or blockwork. All groundworks are inspected against the design drawing before liner or render application begins.
Liner, structure, coping, and waterproofing installation
For ponds, EPDM or butyl rubber liner is installed with careful folding and securing at all corners and edges. For rendered water walls and formal pools, a waterproof render system is applied in multiple coats. Coping stones, edge treatments, and surround paving are installed to complete the structure's finish and ensure a clean, watertight junction at the waterline.
Pump, filtration, electrical installation, and system testing
All pump and filtration components are installed and connected. Electrical wiring is run in conduit and connected to a weatherproof outdoor-rated socket or distribution box by our qualified electrician. All connections are tested for safety and performance before any water is introduced to the feature. The system is run and balanced to achieve the desired water flow, pump draw, and filtration performance.
Aquatic planting, final finishing, and handover with maintenance guidance
Aquatic and marginal plants are planted in their specified positions — emergent plants on pond shelves, floating species released on the water surface, and planted baskets positioned on the pond floor. Surrounding landscape elements — paving, planting, and lighting — are completed and commissioned. You receive a written handover including a maintenance schedule, equipment operation guide, and our contact details for ongoing support.
Why GreenBoma
In-house design and build team
consistent quality control from concept to completion
Experienced with Nairobi's heavy rainfall
all features designed for tropical rain events
Fully integrated with your overall garden design
a centrepiece, not an afterthought
Electrical work carried out by qualified technicians
safe and compliant
Child safety design considered and incorporated in every relevant project
Ongoing maintenance support to keep your feature looking pristine year-round
Portfolio of completed water features in Nairobi available on request
Common questions
How much does a water feature cost in Nairobi?
Do water features work during Nairobi's dry seasons?
Are water features safe for children?
How much electricity does a water feature pump use?
How do you keep a garden pond clean?
Can you add a water feature to an existing swimming pool area?
How long does water feature installation take?
Do you maintain water features after installation?
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