Ponds

Unless you are lucky enough to live on the waterfront, or have a stream running through your backyard, you probably do not have a water feature in your outdoor living area. This void can be filled however, by adding a pond. Building a pond is not as difficult a process as you may think, and with some help it can be completed in less than a week. With the proper tools and directions, you can add a water feature to your yard.

Strategies

First, determine where you want your pond to be and the size of your pond. After this, use the following formula to figure out the proper liner size you will need:

Length of Liner = pond length + (2 x pond depth) + 2 feet

Width of Liner = pond length + (2 x pond depth) + 2 feet

Area of Liner = liner length x liner width

The liner area is the size of liner you will need. Use spray paint to outline the shape of the pond on the ground. Start digging where the pond will be the deepest and work outwards from there. After the hole has been dug, apply about an inch of sand to all levels of the pond, and rake it to ensure it’s smooth. Cover the surface of the hole with underlayment before placing the liner in the hole. Make sure your pond edge is level all the way across to prevent a lopsided look and stop water from escaping. Once the liner is in place, you can install any electrical outlets required. Products like a filter and waterfall kit will come with instructions, so follow the manufacturer’s guidelines carefully. Once everything is in place, and the liner is clean with no debris or dirt, you can begin running water into the pond. Allow it to settle for several days before you make any adjustments. After this, you can add rocks, fish, and plants to shape the pond as you see fit.

Key Information

There are many different kinds of ponds you can build; so make sure you figure out beforehand what it is you want. For example, some ponds will attract butterflies, while others are meant to block out a view. They can be serene or noisy. Style is also very important. You need to know if your landscaping is formal or informal. Formal water features are typically geometric shapes, such as an oval, rectangle, circle, square, or L-shaped. Informal and natural ponds have irregular shapes. You want to make sure your pond matches the rest of your landscaping. Also, determine beforehand the amount of effort you want to put into both building and maintaining the pond. While small ponds are easier to build, they require more maintenance. Large ponds are easier to maintain, but can be tricky and more difficult to build. To maintain a healthy and clean pond, make sure you skim leaves and debris from the surface; avoid overfeeding fish; and clean and change filters as required.

Essential Tools

With some help and a few common garden and household tools, you can build a pond ranging from about 100 to 800 gallons. Some places even offer entire pond kits you can purchase to help simplify the process. To prepare the pond site, make sure you have a rounded shovel, a square spade, wheelbarrow, rope, hose, level, spray paint, measuring tape, fine sand, rake, and a straight board long enough to reach across both the length and width of the pond. To construct the pond itself, you will need a pond liner, underlayment, pump, heavy rocks, skimmer, pipes and fittings, filter, heater, water, lighting, and material to finish the pond edge. All of these products can be purchased at a local garden store.