Building your own Pond.
Discussion
I did one at my Nan's house a couple of years ago. It was about 6x5m at its widest points but was sort of kidney shaped. Depending on if you want plants etc will dictate the depth. The one I did was shelved for different plants with some room left for boggy plants at the edges. In the middle there was a small section that went down to about 1.5m. Make sure you level the ground off before digging the pond as its a right hassle to level after as I found out.
If doing it by hand it's also bloody hard work! I then used a Butyl pond liner- you need a fair size to allow for the depth etc. I didn't use an underlay we just use some old carpet and blankets that were lying around. Also make sure there are no roots that are likely to grow up through your liner!
Finally don't put the fish in too early, give the pond some time to settle.
If doing it by hand it's also bloody hard work! I then used a Butyl pond liner- you need a fair size to allow for the depth etc. I didn't use an underlay we just use some old carpet and blankets that were lying around. Also make sure there are no roots that are likely to grow up through your liner!
Finally don't put the fish in too early, give the pond some time to settle.
http://www.bradshawsdirect.co.uk/BradshawsSite/pag...
Used these folks in the past for pond liner, it was some time ago so not sure how they stack up price-wise now, but that 'how-to' is pretty good.
Used these folks in the past for pond liner, it was some time ago so not sure how they stack up price-wise now, but that 'how-to' is pretty good.
Dig big hole.
Put in old carpet.
Put in liner.
Fix liner around the edges (either buried, or under stone slabs etc).
Give consideration to topping it up in the summer. You might also want to run electrics in for a pump etc - 8x4 is pretty big, you might need to look into filters and things, not sure.
Get digging...
Put in old carpet.
Put in liner.
Fix liner around the edges (either buried, or under stone slabs etc).
Give consideration to topping it up in the summer. You might also want to run electrics in for a pump etc - 8x4 is pretty big, you might need to look into filters and things, not sure.
Get digging...
Don't so as my Dad did years ago and start digging only to find concrete 8" or so under the topsoil, so decide against a pond and leave your 13 yr old son and his mates to break it all out by hand while you claim to not want a pond in the first place!
We dug ours out, lined the bottom with soft sand, removing any sharp stones first (carpet would have been good here for some bits!) laid the liner over the top with plenty of overlap and filled with water. Once full we cut the liner and tucked the edges under some slabs around the edges.
Also, watch out for theives! I kid you not, we had our pump and a double section waterfall stolen, cracked the paving slabs yanking the power cable until it snapped!
s!
We dug ours out, lined the bottom with soft sand, removing any sharp stones first (carpet would have been good here for some bits!) laid the liner over the top with plenty of overlap and filled with water. Once full we cut the liner and tucked the edges under some slabs around the edges.
Also, watch out for theives! I kid you not, we had our pump and a double section waterfall stolen, cracked the paving slabs yanking the power cable until it snapped!
s!Cheers chaps, sounds easy enough, and I certainly hadn't thought of lining it with some old carpet first, great idea 
I'm actually thinking of building it at the back of the house, if you look at this picture you can see the patio, then the garden slopes up by about 2 metres, then it's flat again (where I want to dig it), then it slopes up again. So the pond would actually be about 2 metres above the level of the patio. D'you think that might be a problem?
I'm actually thinking of building it at the back of the house, if you look at this picture you can see the patio, then the garden slopes up by about 2 metres, then it's flat again (where I want to dig it), then it slopes up again. So the pond would actually be about 2 metres above the level of the patio. D'you think that might be a problem?
I've done it, not sure how many litres but the mud filled up two skips (clay as well, back breaking!)
There are loads of guides online, have a check. Here are a few random pointers from my experience:
- Plan the pond first. Consider positioning, over hanging trees, daylight per day etc.
- Also consider whether it can be seen from your favourite seat or window!
- What are you going to do with the edges? Paving slabs, or perhaps a gently sloping beach?
- Mark the rough shape using rope before digging
- Consider where the filter will be placed (you have got a filter, right?)
- The filter is big and ugly, so consider disguising it but make sure you have easy access
- Also consider how you will hide the pump tubing
- Save the top soil for the garden (if applicable)
- Once the shape is dug, use a gloopy mud/water mixture to smooth off the sides and floor. This will highlight any sharp stones or twigs that need removing and help lay the liner
- No need for carpet as it has rough edges, use carpet or pond liner underlay
- Add gravel and rocks to the top of any plant baskets. Else the aquatic mud will just cloud the water
- Consider looking up 'fishless cycling'. More applicable to aquariums but same probably applies to ponds. Our pond filter was already established, but you shouldn't just add loads of fish to a freshly set up pond
I'll add some pics when I get home and tidy up my post, but HTH.
There are loads of guides online, have a check. Here are a few random pointers from my experience:
- Plan the pond first. Consider positioning, over hanging trees, daylight per day etc.
- Also consider whether it can be seen from your favourite seat or window!
- What are you going to do with the edges? Paving slabs, or perhaps a gently sloping beach?
- Mark the rough shape using rope before digging
- Consider where the filter will be placed (you have got a filter, right?)
- The filter is big and ugly, so consider disguising it but make sure you have easy access
- Also consider how you will hide the pump tubing
- Save the top soil for the garden (if applicable)
- Once the shape is dug, use a gloopy mud/water mixture to smooth off the sides and floor. This will highlight any sharp stones or twigs that need removing and help lay the liner
- No need for carpet as it has rough edges, use carpet or pond liner underlay
- Add gravel and rocks to the top of any plant baskets. Else the aquatic mud will just cloud the water
- Consider looking up 'fishless cycling'. More applicable to aquariums but same probably applies to ponds. Our pond filter was already established, but you shouldn't just add loads of fish to a freshly set up pond
I'll add some pics when I get home and tidy up my post, but HTH.
Yes, helped a mate do his. It's just digging a hole, ensuring there are no jagged bits - we used a bit of sand and a bit of digging out stones etc. then used a liner sheet (this stuff is rather expensive, but still cheaper and easier than a fibreglass pond IMHO especially given the size you want). We also got the pump and electrics sorted out before putting all the slabs on top so that the cables were not visible (another cable ran past the pond to the back of the garden for a small waterfall). Also then had a three way outdoor switch unit so that the pumps and lights and filters could be switched on and off when necessary just by pushing a button.
He set up the BBQ and picnic area next to the pond with benches etc so that they could actually sit and look at the pond and watch the fish.
He set up the BBQ and picnic area next to the pond with benches etc so that they could actually sit and look at the pond and watch the fish.
I designed and helped build one for my folks, years ago. It was about 9'x18' and 5' deep at the deepest part. We dug horizontally into a fairly steep slope, and then down vertically 5' from there. The house was built on the site of an old mill - we found an old and very robust stone wall at the back of the excavation which stopped us going any further back but provided a useful foundation for us. I prefer not to remember the brick floor we also found and had to dig out with pickaxes. We lined the excavation with internal walls of concrete blocks and installed a bottom drain before putting in a Butyl liner. We put in a flat wooden bridge at one side and built steps up the slope, and then built a vertical retaining wall of stone along the rest of the rear of the pond, giving a sheer drop of 2-3 feet to the water at the back. We continued the wall around the sides, following the slope, and then a few inches high at the front.
The bottom drain led to two large coldwater expansion tanks, packed with filter brushes and connected together in series with water entering at the bottom of the first tank and leaving via a standpipe at the top. These were positioned such that they filled by gravity. A submerged pump in the second chamber pumped water up the garden to another plastic tank above the pond, where it trickled through Flocor plastic filter medium and gravel. It then ran into a small, shallow pool about six inches deep, filled near to the top with gravel and heavily planted with reeds and watercress and then out via a shallow stream to a tiny pool adjoining the rear retaining wall of the main pond. From there, it returned to the main pond via a slate lip in a notch in the wall.
It was actually built in two stages - the first pond was half the length and only 3' deep and fed the filter at the top of the garden via a submerged pump in the pond. We decided later to double the length of the pond, increase the depth and add the bottom drain and gravity fed filtration. As I recall, the only bit that was a massive technical pain in the arse was getting the join between the small upper pond liner and the slate waterfall lip arrangement not to leak, eventually achieved with a lot of silicone sealant.
The pond was really too big for the garden (if you are the kind of person who buys their cars in silver for easy resale) but actually when they moved they sold it to a bloke who had always wanted something like that. Looking at Google maps and aerial photos, it's still there.
I've built a few much more modest ponds since, but now that I've got a garden bigger than a postage stamp am starting to feel the itch for a monster koi pond
The bottom drain led to two large coldwater expansion tanks, packed with filter brushes and connected together in series with water entering at the bottom of the first tank and leaving via a standpipe at the top. These were positioned such that they filled by gravity. A submerged pump in the second chamber pumped water up the garden to another plastic tank above the pond, where it trickled through Flocor plastic filter medium and gravel. It then ran into a small, shallow pool about six inches deep, filled near to the top with gravel and heavily planted with reeds and watercress and then out via a shallow stream to a tiny pool adjoining the rear retaining wall of the main pond. From there, it returned to the main pond via a slate lip in a notch in the wall.
It was actually built in two stages - the first pond was half the length and only 3' deep and fed the filter at the top of the garden via a submerged pump in the pond. We decided later to double the length of the pond, increase the depth and add the bottom drain and gravity fed filtration. As I recall, the only bit that was a massive technical pain in the arse was getting the join between the small upper pond liner and the slate waterfall lip arrangement not to leak, eventually achieved with a lot of silicone sealant.
The pond was really too big for the garden (if you are the kind of person who buys their cars in silver for easy resale) but actually when they moved they sold it to a bloke who had always wanted something like that. Looking at Google maps and aerial photos, it's still there.
I've built a few much more modest ponds since, but now that I've got a garden bigger than a postage stamp am starting to feel the itch for a monster koi pond
As an afterthought,(once finished), it might also be worth thinking about some netting. We had a large well stocked pond and lost loads of fish to Herons.
http://www.netfloat.co.uk/?gclid=CNnNwNnB4qcCFUtC4...
http://www.netfloat.co.uk/?gclid=CNnNwNnB4qcCFUtC4...
otolith said:
I designed and helped build one for my folks, years ago. It was about 9'x18' and 5' deep at the deepest part. We dug horizontally into a fairly steep slope, and then down vertically 5' from there. The house was built on the site of an old mill - we found an old and very robust stone wall at the back of the excavation which stopped us going any further back but provided a useful foundation for us. I prefer not to remember the brick floor we also found and had to dig out with pickaxes. We lined the excavation with internal walls of concrete blocks and installed a bottom drain before putting in a Butyl liner. We put in a flat wooden bridge at one side and built steps up the slope, and then built a vertical retaining wall of stone along the rest of the rear of the pond, giving a sheer drop of 2-3 feet to the water at the back. We continued the wall around the sides, following the slope, and then a few inches high at the front.
The bottom drain led to two large coldwater expansion tanks, packed with filter brushes and connected together in series with water entering at the bottom of the first tank and leaving via a standpipe at the top. These were positioned such that they filled by gravity. A submerged pump in the second chamber pumped water up the garden to another plastic tank above the pond, where it trickled through Flocor plastic filter medium and gravel. It then ran into a small, shallow pool about six inches deep, filled near to the top with gravel and heavily planted with reeds and watercress and then out via a shallow stream to a tiny pool adjoining the rear retaining wall of the main pond. From there, it returned to the main pond via a slate lip in a notch in the wall.
It was actually built in two stages - the first pond was half the length and only 3' deep and fed the filter at the top of the garden via a submerged pump in the pond. We decided later to double the length of the pond, increase the depth and add the bottom drain and gravity fed filtration. As I recall, the only bit that was a massive technical pain in the arse was getting the join between the small upper pond liner and the slate waterfall lip arrangement not to leak, eventually achieved with a lot of silicone sealant.
The pond was really too big for the garden (if you are the kind of person who buys their cars in silver for easy resale) but actually when they moved they sold it to a bloke who had always wanted something like that. Looking at Google maps and aerial photos, it's still there.
I've built a few much more modest ponds since, but now that I've got a garden bigger than a postage stamp am starting to feel the itch for a monster koi pond
Sounds awesome, pics please! The bottom drain led to two large coldwater expansion tanks, packed with filter brushes and connected together in series with water entering at the bottom of the first tank and leaving via a standpipe at the top. These were positioned such that they filled by gravity. A submerged pump in the second chamber pumped water up the garden to another plastic tank above the pond, where it trickled through Flocor plastic filter medium and gravel. It then ran into a small, shallow pool about six inches deep, filled near to the top with gravel and heavily planted with reeds and watercress and then out via a shallow stream to a tiny pool adjoining the rear retaining wall of the main pond. From there, it returned to the main pond via a slate lip in a notch in the wall.
It was actually built in two stages - the first pond was half the length and only 3' deep and fed the filter at the top of the garden via a submerged pump in the pond. We decided later to double the length of the pond, increase the depth and add the bottom drain and gravity fed filtration. As I recall, the only bit that was a massive technical pain in the arse was getting the join between the small upper pond liner and the slate waterfall lip arrangement not to leak, eventually achieved with a lot of silicone sealant.
The pond was really too big for the garden (if you are the kind of person who buys their cars in silver for easy resale) but actually when they moved they sold it to a bloke who had always wanted something like that. Looking at Google maps and aerial photos, it's still there.
I've built a few much more modest ponds since, but now that I've got a garden bigger than a postage stamp am starting to feel the itch for a monster koi pond
I've just finished mine. It's 10' x 10' and triangular with a bowed hypotenuse if that makes sense. I dug out 2 skip loads of muck so it's 3' below ground level. I lined it with old carpet and polythene before putting in some proper liner backing material. Then I put in a decent liner. I've built a 2' high wall so now it's 5' deep and the fish are really close when I sit on the wall. I really like it Oh, the wall is made from a double skin of bricks and seems to be holding the water just fine
Oh, the wall is made from a double skin of bricks and seems to be holding the water just fine JFReturns said:
I'll add some pics when I get home and tidy up my post, but HTH.
Hmm, did we miss them? Were you too busy asking others for their pics, hmm, hmmm? 
Thanks for all the input. The one thing that concerns me slightly is whether the side of the slope would burst under the pressure of the water, that would be a bloody catastrophe!
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