Landscape Artist

Channing Long, Designer & Casey

Channing is lucky; he inherited his mother’s artistic talent. For the last ten (10) years he has been designing and building water features. Watching his development over the years has excited and pleased all concerned. I can honestly tell you that his first attempts at pond building, compared to today, show his growth. At the beginning, it was everything he could do to just build the ponds, today the artistry is evident. The first years, the rocks as an example, were all about how many to order. Today, the coloration-size-uniqueness, are the issue not just the amount. I have accompanied him to the rock yard on almost every job and the highlight boulders as well as the rock in bins are all picked out of a large offering. Sometimes the homeowner will request a boulder for kneeling, stepping, sitting or just poking out of the pond water. In all cases the chosen boulder is hand marked and added to our order for the job.

The second aspect, after choosing the boulder, is the placement. Never have I seen a rock just put on the ground and that’s it. It is always turned around, turned upside down and turned again. After finding the correct side of the rock, it is set into the feature. By this I mean that the crew will, at Channing’s direction, dig out an area and the rock is placed in the hole. In most situations, you are looking at half the rock at most. In my yard there are rocks placed in this manner and you only see a portion of the whole rock. Part of this comes out of his interest in Japanese Gardens. Channing built my Japanese Garden in the front of my house this past summer 2006 and the enjoyment is GREAT for everyone who comes over. This is his first attempt at that look and I know he will have the opportunity to develop it as people see his work.

His greatest quality is to be able to SEE the project completed. When developing a design for a homeowner I always wait to hear "I got it". At that point I know that he has seen the project in all its detail. This is when he gets excited to share the process with the homeowner. My suggestion is to come to him with a general idea of what you’re looking for and to let him take it from there. I realize that there is a leap of faith at this point, but you are contracting for a unique piece of art work, never to be duplicated!

Finally, a personal business comment; through our association with the pond industry and various manufacturers, distributors and pond builders we have accumulated statistics over time on all aspects of construction costs. Our data base has the amount of rock and man hours for every possible Pond, Pondless and Stream built for every situation. One day I said to Channing, "Why do we ALWAYS end up paying more for rock and more for man hours than any other builder?" His answer is in the process of becoming our Trade Mark and this is what he said, "I build it, as if it is mine". This will be shortened to; Built, as if it is our own™. What else can one say? Built, as if, it is our own is a powerful statement and when you meet Channing and experience his sincerity you will understand these are not just words. He designs & builds with that as his base. We always build within the time frame and for the amount on the contract. We do what we say. This fact can be discussed with our past customers, a list of which is available upon request.

Eagle Pool Service was established in 1981. Since that time, our company has grown from 20 pools to hundreds of weekly service accounts with an equal number of regular repair only customers.

During our 25+ years, I have become a licensed contractor, as well as being licensed by the Los Angeles County Health Department.

A number of years ago, our pond construction division was born due to the private interest my son Channing and I had to create waterscapes. Aquascape Designs of Chicago was a company that offered design and installation training. Aquascapes not only provides the kits, but also the maintenance and technological support for a balanced ecosystem.    

It is with pleasure, that I am able to bring Aquascapes concepts to my customers here in the San Fernando, Conejo and Simi Valleys. We create and personalize each pond to enhance and beautify your existing landscape.

We are an Aquascape Designs' Certified Aquascape Contractor.

Each waterscape is unique because we work closely with each homeowner to create a backyard oasis of calm and peacefulness that suits their needs and desires.

Having a pond is the closest we humans can come to creating our own little paradise. The special serenity and tranquility engendered by the sound of water enhances all five senses.

One of our biggest motivators is the joy our ponds have brought to our customers (see comments on Home Page).

On March 1, 2006 the swimming pool service and repair business that I ran for 25 years was sold and Channing and I finally began the Pond biz full time, 100%.  We have worked long hours to get to this point and look forward to focusing all of our attention to building the finest water features possible. 

We began the pond Division in 1998 giving us ten (10) years experience in the field building in and on all types of terrain and elevations. The water features are each a design that was chosen to look natural and unique. The sounds and sights that we both experience at our home ponds will be available to everyone. To sit outside in the early evening (mornings are also great) with JUST the sound of running water! Closing my eyes takes me to the Snake River in Colorado or the sounds of Hawaii or walking in the mountains and coming across a stream and just sitting. I do this every day and that's why we are now POND & PONDLESS installers exclusively.

Richard Williams, CEO
Eagle Ponds & Landscaping, Inc.