Koi Ponds
A true ecosystem. Skimmer, biological filter, rock, gravel and plants doing the work so the water stays clear without chemicals.
Nassau County, Long Island
A backyard that takes care of itself.
We build ecosystem ponds, waterfalls and the landscapes around them. Living water, filtered by rock, gravel, plants and fish instead of chemicals. Drawn by hand in Bellmore, built by one crew, and still running twenty years later.
- 2003
- Building since
- CAC
- Certified Aquascape Contractor
- B.Arch
- NYIT trained
Certified Aquascape Contractor
B.Arch, New York Institute of Technology
Building on Long Island since 2003
Jericho High School · Adelphi University
More than a pond
We do not dig a hole and fill it with water.
A pond that needs chemicals, a UV light and a weekly fight with algae was built wrong. A pond built right runs on biology.
Rock and gravel give bacteria a place to live. Plants pull the nutrients that would otherwise feed algae. Fish keep the system moving. The skimmer takes debris off the top before it sinks and rots. The waterfall adds the oxygen the whole thing runs on.
Get those five things in balance and the water stays clear on its own. That is the entire idea, and it is why our ponds are still clear twenty years after we built them.
How it works
Six parts. One loop. No chemicals.
Water leaves through the skimmer, gets pushed underground to the biological filter, and comes back down the waterfall. It never stops moving. Here is the whole system in cross-section.
- 01SkimmerPulls debris off the surface
- 02Living waterPlants, fish, clear water
- 03BioFalls filterBiological filtration
- 04WaterfallAeration and sound
- 05Rock and gravelWhere the bacteria live
- 06Return linePump feeds the falls
Cross-section of a Scott Anderson Design ecosystem pond. Drawn to the same spec we build to.
What we build
Ponds, stone, planting and light. One team.
Most pond companies stop at the water. Most landscapers will not touch it. We are the only contractor on Long Island that designs and builds the whole yard as one thing.
Pondless Waterfalls
All the sound and movement of a waterfall with no standing water. The right answer for small yards and young families.
Landscape Design
Full property design from an architect trained at NYIT. Plantings, grading, beds and structure drawn before anything gets dug.
Masonry and Hardscape
Bluestone, limestone, fieldstone and brick. Patios, walls, walkways and outdoor kitchens built to sit right in the landscape.
Outdoor Lighting
Low voltage lighting for paths, plantings, architecture and water. The pond does not stop working when the sun goes down.
Poolscapes
The stone, planting and water that turn a pool into a place. We work around the pool you have or the one you are putting in.
Before the shovel
Every project starts as a drawing.
Scott earned a Bachelor of Architecture at NYIT before he ever built a pond. He still draws every plan by hand.
You get to see your yard on paper first. Where the water goes, where the stone sits, what gets planted and what gets taken out. Changes on paper are free. Changes in the ground are not.
Selected work
A high school, a university, and a train garden.
Institutional
Jericho High School
A working koi pond ecosystem installed on a public high school campus. An outdoor classroom that has to survive a student body.
Institutional
Adelphi University
Won on competitive bid. A waterfall built into the existing campus reflecting pond without draining it or closing the walkway.
Residential
The Shelton Train Garden
A pondless waterfall designed as the mountain backdrop for a working outdoor model railroad. Grade, scale and sightlines all had to serve the trains.
The process
Five steps. No surprises.
We walk the property
Scott comes out, looks at grade, drainage, sun, sightlines and the way you actually use the yard. Free, across Nassau County.
He draws it
Not a rendering pulled off a template. A drawing, by hand, of your property. You see the plan before anyone touches a shovel.
We price it honestly
A written scope with real numbers. If the budget and the plan do not match, we say so and show you what to cut.
One crew builds it
The same team does the excavation, the stone, the plumbing, the planting and the lighting. Nobody gets subbed out and nobody points fingers.
We hand you the water
You get a walkthrough of the system, the maintenance schedule and our number. Most of our work comes from people we built for years ago.
What it costs
Real numbers, published.
Most contractors make you sit through a sales call to hear a range. Here it is. Every yard is different, but this is the honest territory.
Pondless waterfall
Sound and movement, no standing water. Popular in tight yards.
Ecosystem pond
Skimmer, BioFalls, rock, gravel, plants and fish. The full system.
Large koi pond
Deeper water, larger volume, serious filtration for serious fish.
Full backyard
Water feature plus patio, walls, planting and lighting as one project.
4.7 stars, 143 Google reviews
What Long Island says.
Our 15 year old pond developed a leak. While contacting prospective pond restorers we came upon Scott Anderson Design. We are very pleased with their professionalism and quality of work.
Scott is the consummate pro. Puts his customers first and strives to meet their needs.
We are very happy with Scott Anderson's design and work. Our water element is lovely and makes our yard a peaceful retreat.
Where we work
All of Nassau County and western Suffolk, from a shop in Bellmore.
We are a local crew, not a franchise with a call centre. Most of the county is inside thirty minutes of the yard.
North Shore properties get different soil, different grade and different village permits than South Shore properties. We have built on both for twenty-three years.
North Shore
- Manhasset
- Port Washington
- Roslyn
- Brookville
- Muttontown
- Old Westbury
- Oyster Bay
- East Norwich
- Syosset
- Jericho
- Great Neck
South Shore
- Bellmore
- Merrick
- Massapequa
- Massapequa Park
- Seaford
- Wantagh
- Rockville Centre
- Baldwin
- Oceanside
- Garden City
Central Nassau
- Mineola
- Franklin Square
- Plainview
- Hicksville
- Westbury
- East Meadow
- Levittown
- Bethpage
- Farmingdale
- Hempstead
- Valley Stream
- Malverne
- Lynbrook
- Freeport
- Long Beach
- Elmont
- Floral Park
- New Hyde Park
Western Suffolk
- Amityville
- Babylon
- Lindenhurst
- Copiague
- Deer Park
- West Babylon
- North Babylon
- Bay Shore
- West Islip
- Huntington
- Huntington Station
- Melville
- Commack
- Northport
Start the conversationTell us about the yard.
Tell us about the yard.
We will tell you what is possible in it.
Every project starts the same way: Scott walks the property, listens, and sketches. No pressure, no template. Consultations across Nassau County are free.