The architect's plans for the entrance to this 400-home subdivision in Mt. Sinai, N.Y., challenged several firms, but when AquaFX by Island Land Care looked at the schematics it suggested a different approach.

The company's principal, Jeffery Ingrassia, proposed a natural ecosystem that would let his company's creative abilities shine with natural boulders, liners and filtration.

The result is a tumbling brook that cascades over natural rock into a 40-foot pond. "You think you're vacationing in the mountains, but you're really driving to your new home," says Ingrassia of the design. Entering the development after dark is a treat, too, as lighting creates a dramatic effect.

To create the welcoming oasis, AquaFX excavated the location and laid approximately 3,000 square feet of liner and 40 yards of gravel. Two pumps flow at a combined rate of 15,000 gallons per hour while landscape evergreens, creeping shrubs and marginal water plants complete an authentic wetland setting.