Commission a Piece
Aqua Foundry designs and builds living water features made to your vision and space. We take on a limited number of new commissions each year.
Start Your Commission
Whether you're envisioning a planted aquascape for your living room, a koi pond in your courtyard, a paludarium for your office, or a major reef installation for a hospitality lobby, Aqua Foundry approaches each project as functional art. We work with homeowners, architects, and hospitality teams to realize underwater worlds that are both beautiful and ecologically sound.
Every commission begins with a conversation. We'd like to hear about your space, your goals, and what draws you to a living water feature. There's no obligation at inquiry—we simply want to understand whether this is the right project for us to take on together.
The Process, Step by Step
1. Consultation & Site Visit
We meet with you at your home, office, or property. We assess light, space, utilities, structural considerations, and the practical details that shape what's possible. This is where we listen and begin to see your vision.
2. Design & Rendering
We develop a detailed concept incorporating hardscape layout, planting scheme, and livestock selection. You'll review renderings and specifications before we move forward, ensuring alignment on aesthetics and function.
3. Sourcing
We source high-quality stone, wood, plants, and livestock—sometimes from our network of specialty growers and breeders, sometimes from further afield. This stage demands patience and precision.
4. Build & Installation
Our team builds the aquascape or water feature at our workshop or on-site, depending on the project. We handle all plumbing, filtration, hardscaping, and planting with care and attention to detail.
5. Cycling & Stocking
The system cycles to establish a stable biological balance. Once parameters are stable, we introduce livestock thoughtfully, monitoring for health and behavior. This phase typically takes 2–4 weeks.
6. Ongoing Support
We offer optional maintenance plans—quarterly visits, seasonal adjustments, plant trimming, and water chemistry monitoring—to keep your piece thriving for years.
Scope & Investment
We don't publish a price list because every commission is unique. What we can tell you:
- Residential aquascapes — planted tanks, small biotopes — typically begin in the low thousands and scale with size, substrate choice, and livestock rarity.
- Paludariums and semi-aquatic installations — which combine water and land — tend toward the mid-range, depending on structural complexity and plant diversity.
- Koi ponds and outdoor features — scale significantly with volume, filtration demands, and site conditions. A modest backyard pond may run several thousand dollars; larger installations, significantly more.
- Corporate and hospitality work — quoted individually after a site visit, as these often involve custom infrastructure, access constraints, and ongoing maintenance.
Every commission begins with a consultation and site assessment. A formal quote follows once we've documented your space and agreed on a concept. We believe in transparency: you'll understand what you're investing in before we begin.
Timeline
Most projects move through distinct phases.
Residential commissions (aquascapes, small paludariums, modest indoor features) typically take 6–12 weeks from your first consultation to final install and stocking. This accounts for design approval, sourcing, careful build, and the cycling phase.
Larger outdoor and hospitality projects (koi ponds, major installations, complex hardscaping) often require 3–4 months due to extended sourcing, site preparation, structural work, and more rigorous testing protocols.
We book projects several weeks to months in advance. If you have a target completion date in mind, let us know early so we can assess availability and plan accordingly.
Ready to Begin?
Get in touch with a few details about your vision.
Tell us about the project location, your general goals, and any images or references that inspire you. This helps us understand what you're imagining and whether now is the right time for us to take on your commission.
There's no commitment at the inquiry stage—just the start of a conversation about creating something living and beautiful for your space.