Build a Water Garden - Build a Pond

Build a Pond
Plan to build your own water garden or garden pond? This sample installation will show a few of the 'build a pond' techniques that we have developed over the years!

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Pond Tip - Sandstone, limestone and cement should be avoided in a pond because they raise the pH of the water, increase algae growth and a pH above 8.2 is harmful to fish.

The Pond: This pond design is a typical installation and a compromise for a wife that wanted a plant pond and a husband that wanted a Koi pond. The result -a two pond system with an 8' x 12' shallow (16" to 18" deep) upper pond packed with plants, keeping them safe from hungry Koi and acting as a huge filter, and a 12' x 12' lower pond (36 to 40" deep) for Koi. The lower pond does have some shallow planting areas to provide some shade and cover for the fish. These two pools are connected by a 3' wide by 10' long stream and falls. The biggest challenge was that the area was relatively flat so we had to raise the top pond above grade and try to blend everything together with planting berms using soil from the hole and some addition loam. I wanted the pond backed up to the woods so it would look more natural and not so 'placed', but there were other considerations such as view, distance from water and power and zoning easements to be taken into account so the pond was moved away from the woods and towards the house.

Build a Beautiful Water Garden - $7.50

This informative project offers detailed instructions and time-tested techniques to make pond installation easy!
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JB at metrocast.net says:
None of my friends believe that I put it in myself!

This page highlights a typical installation, but it's far from a complete picture! Before you start digging, I strongly recommend our Pond Place CD for years of 'dirty hands and wet feet' experience, knowledge, tips and techniques of professional water garden design, installation, maintenance PLUS all of 50+ Pond Projects at your fingertips.

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Build a Wetland Filter - imitate nature's perfect filtration - $5.25

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NB at hotmail.com says: My wife said I couldn't do it...built a beautiful two-pond system with stream and falls and now I'm making your waterwheel.

Pebble Pond Fountains - great way to get started - $3.75

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	The area is wide open and relatively flat (slight slope toward the foreground) so the upper pool has to be raised above grade to gain some extra height for flow in the stream. The system will be an 8' x 12' upper pool to be crowded with plants (for the wife) connected by a 12' long stream to a 12' x 12' lower pool for some plants and lots of fish (for the husband). This was was an excellent compromise because the husband wanted Koi, which are notorious plant eaters, and the wife wanted just plants. This way they each get what they wan and the upper plant pond will add to biofiltration for the lower onet!
	The upper pond is laid out with 8" and 4" blocks to raise the sides 12" above grade and the excess from the hole is used to build up outside the pond for future planting beds. This upper pool will be 16" deep and have a small deeper hole for the pump just to make pump-outs easier. A box filter is dug in behind the upper pond. Build/ Maintenance Tip: If there is a deep hole, the water will all drain into the hole when pumping the pond dry for cleaning so there would be very little bailing when the water is too shallow for the clean out pump intakes in a flat bottomed pool. You do not have to keep the pump in this hole all the time and actually, it will clog less if you don't, but it will be handy for pumping the pond down for maintenance. This particular pool has no pump at all because the pumps are in the lower pool, but when it' time to pump down the pond, this deeper area will make the work easier.
	The blocks are leveled and digging has begun in the lower pond. Note how the blocks are at grade level at the front of the pond and the leveling places them about 18" below grade at the rear of the pond. This adds some more height for the falls so between this and raising the upper pond above grade we have a bit more than 2 -1/2 to 3 feet of vertical drop for the stream and waterfalls. We could have hauled in a mound of soil to raise the upper pool even more for a taller waterfalls, but we compromised to keep the area closer to original grade and make the ponds look more natural and less 'placed'.
	The lower pond is dug with a large shallow area (16" deep) for some marginal plants and a deeper area (36" to 40" deep) is being placed in the foreground for wintering fish below the winter ice. The 3' wide stream bed has also been laid out and the 45 mil EPDM rubber liner and the underliner have already been placed in the upper pool. Build Tip: Many books, magazines and TV shows recommend blankets, tarps, newspaper, etc. for underliner, but it's definitely worth the few dollars spent on a good quality commercial grade underliner to protect the much larger total investment of a pond installation. Some also recommend sand or stone dust in the bottom of the hole...This is fine, but does not prevent stones and debris from working up through the sand and eventually the liner so go with the sand if you wish, but add a layer of underliner too!

JL of Trenton NJ says: I couldn't get my husband off his a__ so I got your pond CD and put in my own pond. Thanks

Build our Shorty Bridge - It's easy and fun - Only $6.50

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Clean Water Tip: Over-feeding is a common reason for a pond not staying clear. Fish can live off the natural foods in the pond and DO NOT have to be fed at all...Feed no more than fish can eat in 5 or 10 minutes and use a floating food so excess can be seen and removed! Our Pond Place CD has many more helpful tips.

Build our Bench/Picnic Table - It's great by the pond - Only $6.25

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	The underliner and liner are placed in the lower pool and it is ready to fill as soon as we pleat or fold the wrinkles at the edges. Note that there's plenty of extra at the back edge for overlap of the stream liner. Note: The liner from the upper pool comes out of the pool and overlaps the stream liner and the liner from the lower pool extends into the stream area so the stream liner can overlap it. Build Tip: Don't start adding the coping or edge stones until the pond is almost totally filled. The liner will pull tight as the pond fills and you want the liner to be a little slack and don't wish to risk the stones being pulled off the edges into the pond possibly damaging the liner!
	The top pool is filled , the lower pool is filling and the stream and falls are roughed out and running. The pumps are in the deep end of the lower pond and you can see a piece of the tubing at the right side. To save electricity, this pond has a 1200 gallon per hour maintenance pump (runs all the time) that flows through the filter and into the upper pool and a 3600 gallon per hour 'feature pump' (used when a big flow is wanted) that enters the upper pool over a one step waterfalls at the back corner. Note how the liner goes up behind all the stones so soil will not wash into the pond when the rock work is completed. Build Tip: It takes about 100 gallons an hour of pump flow to put an average flow of water over an inch of falls width. By this formula the 4800 gallons per hour (two pumps combined) will put a heavy flow over the 30" wide falls into the lower pond because it works out to 160 gallons per hour per inch of width -well over the 100 per inch. It's good to test pump flows for the effect you want, but this formula will get you close! We go into more detail and other styles of falls on the Pond Place CD
	The rock work is about done and the soil at the edges of the ponds is being graded to minimize runoff entering the pond. The liner is folded over the coping stones under the top layer of stone and the excess trimmed off. This technique helps keep soil and runoff from the pond and allows the lower layers of coping stone to be under water so no liner shows above the waterline.
	A close-up of the stream and back wall of the pond again shows how leveling the pond edge starting at the front (lower edge) of the pond gains some height for a nice drop at the falls. The stream is lined with rock, pebbles and crushed stone to look natural and to act as a settling area for suspended debris and to add aeration by splash.
	The grading is finished and the pond and surrounding planting berms are being planted. A patio area is being planned for the front right corner of the lower pond and a patio/gazebo is going to be added to the side next to the upper pond, but those will be part of next year's landscaping budget! I hope to add some future pictures showing how the pond looks with some shrubs and flowers around it and the aquatic plants have had a chance to grow and take away the new pond 'string of beads' look of the edge stones. Build Tip: Another way to eliminate the 'string of beads' look of new ponds is to mix up the edging a bit. You can use a mix of boulders with small stones and/or pebble beach, lay an old tree trunk or set a stump on the edge or have the lawn come right up to the water's edge. People usually don't choose these options, but we do discuss them at the Pond Place CD

Remember...
Water gardens should be designed to fit your landscape, desires (fish pond, plant pond, birdbath pond, fountain pond, etc. or a combination) and budget. We used this pond for an example because it gives an overview of the construction process, but your pond does not have to be this simple nor this complex!