Naramata Bench Vineyard Estate: A water feature & entertaining hardscape build

The Brief

Properties along the Naramata Bench tend to share a particular kind of view: rows of vines running downhill toward Okanagan Lake, with the home and its outdoor living space perched to take in as much of that sightline as possible. A property like this typically calls for an outdoor space that feels like a natural extension of the vineyard setting rather than something bolted on top of it — a water feature and gathering area that reads as calm and established, not manicured within an inch of its life. The goal on a build like this is almost always the same: soften the transition between cultivated vine rows and the home’s own hardscape, and give the owners (and their guests) a reason to linger outside past sunset.

The Approach

Bench terrain is exactly what the name implies — a series of natural terraces cut by old lake levels, which means grade change is a constant on almost every Naramata Bench lot. Rather than fighting that slope, we design water features to work with it, letting a stream or waterfall follow the property’s existing fall line so the water looks like it belongs in the landscape rather than being forced into it. The Okanagan’s dry summers and thin, well-drained bench soils also mean any planting around a feature like this needs to hold up to heat and limited rainfall without constant babying, so plant selection and stone placement both have to account for a climate that is closer to high desert than coastal BC for several months of the year.

What We Built

The centerpiece is a naturalistic stone water feature designed the way we approach most of our water feature builds in this region: hand-placed boulders and flagstone forming the streambed and waterfall edges, with a recirculating pump system sized to the head height and flow the design called for. Stone selection leans toward materials that read as native to the Okanagan hillside rather than an imported look, and planting around the water’s edge favors drought-tolerant species that can handle bench-country summers once established. The feature sits close enough to the home’s entertaining area that its sound carries onto the patio, giving the space a quiet backdrop for evenings spent looking out over the vines toward the lake.

Curious what a custom water feature could do for your own property? Explore our full water features service, see how it pairs with a 3D landscape design plan, learn more about projects on the Naramata Bench, or browse more of our work in the project gallery.