Fancy home water features have long been an amenity enjoyed by the privileged (Mets All-Star David Wright and NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco both own elaborate aquariums) and the spend-happy subjects of HGTV's Million Dollar Rooms who think nothing of dropping hundreds of thousands on elaborate lazy rivers nutso indoor pools. Today the Journal piggybacks on this trend; "once a second thought when it came to residential design, [water features] are now moving to the forefront of home construction," writes Lauren Schuker Blum. Naturally, Blum interviews a rowdy cast of characters (including, yes, a "fish habitat and water consultant") with some rather poetic thoughts about the matter. Take it away (again!) really rich people:
8. "Not everyone can live on a beautiful, placid lake, but we can bring the placid lake to them."
7. "That's the beauty of Florida," he says. "You can buy property on the water, or you can just dig and make the water appear instead."
6. "Five years ago, it was unheard of for people to drop $120,000 on a nice pool and water feature for their house. But now, it's common," he says. "Rather than go on an elaborate trip, people are investing in their backyards."
5. "I really built and designed the house around the fish tank, which came first," he says.
4. "My last aquarium gave off so much humidity that it ate away the ceiling joists and the roof almost collapsed. I learned my lesson," he says.
3. "In many parts of the country, water is absolutely more valuable than gold," says fish habitat and water consultant Shannon Skelton, who runs CFI Global Fisheries Management, a company that helps landowners manage their water assets.
2. "Water is expensive in Vegas, but to my surprise it's much cheaper to have a backyard of water than a backyard of grass."
1. "If I could do it again, I would tone the water stuff down—some buyers who looked at the house didn't like the feeling that they were walking on water."
· High Water Marks [WSJ]
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