Tom Frost, in front left with hat and glasses, poses with some of the project workers in Cabo, Mexico.
When Bernie Lucier’s
kids were growing up, he and his wife, Denise, installed a large aboveground
pool in their back yard. The kids loved the water and mom and dad enjoyed the
elaborate decking that went around it. But now that the kids are grown and doing
their own thing, the couple decided to take back the back yard.
"When we got rid of the
pool there was this big pile of sand and I said to myself the last thing I need
is more grass to cut," Lucier said. "I’d thought about putting a pond in for a
long time and then I met Tom and inside one week my yard looked completely
different."
Frost
said he designs residential and commercial projects.
"You’d
be surprised how many people want a pond, stream or waterfall on their property.
They’re all different, and I enjoy designing and building every one of them,"
Frost said.
Lucier said when it came time to stock his new pond with
fish, Frost was at the ready with goldfish, comets and Koi fish that range in
price from $40 to $400 per fish. "Because
the deck is still there, we can sit on the deck overlooking the pond, which is
tiered," Lucier said.
Waterfalls
and ponds seem to be very "in" right now. Frost said he installed a pondless
waterfall in front of a Brookline office building that’s become a favorite spot
for wedding photos.
Closer
to home, Frost plans to open a store at the Mendon Greenhouse this spring. He
will also exhibit his water creations at the Central Massachusetts Flower Show
in Worcester next month and at the New England Flower Show in Boston in March.
According
to Frost, the average amount people spend on water designs is $6,000, less for a
smaller design. However, customers have spent as much as $10,000 to $20,000 on
their high-end dream Koi pond.
At his Hopedale house,
Frost tends to his own Koi pond that he leaves open all winter long. He said
because it’s in his front yard, cars have been slowing down to look at it for
years.
"People
in the ’green’ industry told me for years that this is what I should be doing,
and I love it," Frost said.
To
learn more about MetroWest Water Garden Designs, log onto
www.metrowestgardens.com.