Hillside Landscape is a family-owned design-build landscaper serving Lake County and Chicago's North Shore since 2001. Water features are real Hillside work — our Winnetka koi pond is one of them — and now they have a home of their own, with the same crew designing and building them that handles the rest of your landscape.
From koi ponds to disappearing falls
Whether you want fish and lilies to tend or just the sound of a waterfall with nothing to fuss over, we build the water feature around your yard, your budget and how much upkeep you actually want.
Our Winnetka koi pond
One of our favorite builds sits in a Winnetka backyard: a koi pond with a boulder-edged waterfall, tucked-in plantings and filtration sized to keep the water clear through a North Shore summer. It's the kind of project that takes real pond experience to get right — and it's in our portfolio for a reason. See it alongside our other work in Winnetka and across the full portfolio.
Koi & garden ponds
Liner-and-rock ponds built with the depth, shelving and biological filtration koi need to thrive — including enough depth to overwinter safely through a Chicagoland freeze. Lilies, marginal plants and clean rock edges finish the look.
Waterfalls & streams
Boulder waterfalls and meandering streams set into the grade so they look like they've always been there — tuned so the sound of moving water carries to the patio without overwhelming it.
Pondless & disappearing features
Want the waterfall without the open water? A pondless (disappearing) feature recirculates through a hidden reservoir — all the sound and movement, no standing pool, and far less to maintain. A great fit for families and smaller yards.
Pumps, filtration & seasonal care
We size pumps and filtration to the feature so it stays clear and healthy, then handle seasonal opening in spring and closing before the freeze — plus ongoing maintenance, cleanouts and repairs on existing ponds.
Water features that respect Lake County clay
Our heavy, slow-draining clay soil is unforgiving of a pond that isn't built for it. We excavate and shelve for stable edges, bed and protect the liner properly, and set the plumbing and overwintering depth for a climate that swings from summer heat to hard winter freeze. A water feature designed into your wider landscape — not bolted on afterward — reads as one intentional whole; see how we approach that in landscape design.
Every water feature is different, so we quote each one at the free on-site consultation rather than pin a single price to work that varies this much.
From first walk to flowing water
Walk the property
We meet you on-site, find the right spot for sound, sightlines and grade, and talk through koi vs. pondless and how much upkeep you want. Free, no obligation.
Design & estimate
You get a plan for the feature — shape, boulders, plantings, pump and filtration — with a clear estimate, and we can preview it as part of your wider landscape design.
Build with our crew
We excavate, shelve, set the liner and boulders, plumb the pump and filtration, and plant it in — the same family team, start to finish, no subcontractors.
Open & close each season
Optional seasonal service opens the feature in spring and closes it before the freeze, with cleanouts and tune-ups so it looks its best year after year.
Real pond work, not a one-off
Water features reward builders who've done them before. We've built them on the North Shore — our Winnetka koi pond is proof — and the same family crew designs, installs and maintains yours, so there's one team accountable for how it looks and runs.
Ponds & water feature questions
- Koi pond or pondless feature — which is right for me?
- If you want fish, lilies and a living pond to tend, a koi or garden pond is the way to go. If you mostly want the sound and movement of a waterfall with minimal upkeep and no open water, a pondless (disappearing) feature is ideal — especially with young kids. We'll help you choose at the consultation.
- Can koi survive a Chicago winter outside?
- Yes, when the pond is built for it. We design enough depth for koi to overwinter below the ice and keep a hole open for gas exchange with an aerator or de-icer. Getting the depth and plumbing right up front is exactly why pond experience matters.
- How does Lake County clay affect a pond build?
- Heavy clay holds water and shifts with freeze-thaw, so edges and shelving have to be excavated and compacted carefully and the liner bedded and protected properly. Built right, clay is manageable; built carelessly, it leads to slumping edges and leaks. We build for our soil.
- Do you maintain and repair existing ponds?
- We do — seasonal opening and closing, cleanouts, pump and filtration service, and repairs, even on features we didn't originally build. Reach out and we'll take a look.
- What areas do you serve?
- Lake County and the North Shore — Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Winnetka, Lake Forest, Riverwoods, Lincolnshire, and the surrounding communities.
Start with a free design consultation
Tell us about your yard and the kind of water feature you're dreaming up. We'll set up a free on-site walk and start turning it into a plan — pond, waterfall or pondless.
- Free, no-obligation on-site visit
- Koi, garden, waterfall or pondless
- Built & maintained by one family crew
- Engineered for Lake County clay
