Digging A Pond For My Mom

[cjsimmonss]

I started excavation on the new pond my mom wants for the backyard. We rented a mini excavator and cleared out most of the dirt. There were only a few sprinkler pipes that I may have destroyed in the process. I used a laser level and dug out the shelves by hand. We want to put a waterfall where the dirt pile is on the left side and a river that flows down into the pond. I have many questions I have to get this project done. I am almost to the point of knowing how much liner we will have to order and also wondering where would be a good place to get it from. We also need a skimmer and a biofalls system that will work for the waterfall. If anyone has suggestions about how I can move forward with this project it would be kindly appreciated!

 

[Hound Heaven]

Boy you are jumping right in - so welcome. Thanks for providing a photo, that really helps. I hope you take some time to research on some of our collective mistakes and misjudgments. There's a ton of experience documented here so please take advantage of it in hopes it might save you some effort or headaches. And people are more than willing to provide answers to your questions so ask away.
On my current pond I have a bog to filter everything - no skimmer, filter pads to clean, etc. Just plants in gravel and it works just great. @addy1 provided me with inspiration and has this for reference: https://www.gardenpondforum.com/thr...upflow-filter-eco-filter-wetland-filter.6894/
Congrats on the progress so far - your Mom is going to love it

 

[Lisak1]

Well, I can’t fault your enthusiasm. Just not sure you started in the right order here… you may need to “move forward” by taking a few steps back. How much pond construction research have you done?

I have to say your dig looks good though! Looks like you have excavator experience.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! What a lucky Mom! Where do you live?

 

[GBBUDD]

Ambitious a a good kid for doing this for your mom.
But
I would think long and hard about a bog over a biofalls . The biofalls will require the pads be taken out and cleaned. Not a huge deal untill your older and even combing ones hair can become a challenge.
A bog is going to give you clean crisp water. Your waterfall and next to no maintenance.

I see a pile of dirt in the right and I hope that 's not where you mean
Waterfalls should not only face the house but visible from as many rooms as possible. And particularly from her favorite sitting in in the back yard.
I would also think about making a stream sorta speak from the pond over to where she will be sitting so the fish can swim right up to her or just so she can see them up close. This will make the pond interactive.

You obveously have been watching some YouTube videos you have a great design. Wide shelves that look like you have rocks in mind and there size already picked out and those shelves are ready. Pitching the shelves toward the wall that rises up can help hold smaller Mellon sided boulders in place.
Here is a very large blog I put together that should answer a
Many questions you may have and raise others you may not have thought about. Second half is the building of the pond

Honored and Proud to have been chosen Aquascapes DIY pond of the year for 2023. 12,000 Gallon Koi Pond, Full Build

Touch of Serenity This oasis started off with my wife asking if we could put a small water feature next to our patio off to one corner. Her father had Italian figurines spitting water, that was about as far from what I had in mind. So, I told her I'd see what I could come up...

• GBBUDD
• Feb 9, 2022
• Category: Garden Ponds

 

[Pablo]

To respond to your question about the liner and skimmer. I ordered the liner and underlayment from justliners, others here have used them and they have good service along with a lot of choices for sizes. I bought the Helix skimmer, a bit on the pricey side of things, again others here have used it and others have made their own type of skimmer. Like the others said you will need to do a lot of research, read past posts in this forum. When I started reading this forum last year it can be a little overwhelming because there are so many posts, started to whittle it down by looking at threads that had a lot of responses since those usually had a lot of information, not that others did not but it can be hard to narrow down the focus, also look at the sticky threads. Youtube videos are great starting points, the Ponddigger, ozponds, Aquascape, Modern Design Aquascaping, Tussey landscaping to name a few are popular. Great job with the excavating, looks nice with the varied design.

 

[GBBUDD]

Second just liners , as a back up underwaterwharehouse

 

[j.w]

@cjsimmonss
Wow that is going to be a nice huge pond for your mom! Listen closely to those here who have lots of good info on how you should do all of this as it will really be worth it in the end. They can help you step by step on all the tricks to get things running smooth for you and have an easier to manage pond.

 

[Lisak1]

@cjsimmonss - don't leave us my friend! We have lots of opinions, but they're based on real world experience.

 

[Mmathis]

@cjsimmonss - don't leave us my friend! We have lots of opinions, but they're based on real world experience.

Absolutely, positively! The best way to learn is by making mistakes….but here, we like to learn from the mistakes of others.

 

[j.w]

Who said he was leaving? Hope not

 

[Lisak1]

They always seem to leave us @j.w ... we just aren't for everyone, are we? haha!

 

[j.w]

Maybe they will return as I didn't see anything that made me think they are gone for good unless I missed it.

 

[cjsimmonss]

Hello and welcome! What a lucky Mom! Where do you live?

Utah

 

[cjsimmonss]

Hello everyone, here is a quick update for the pond im digging for my mom. We have continued excavation by hand with shovels and cleaned up the shelves. We used the excess dirt to build the ground up where we want to put the stream. The pond is 36’ x 27’ feet and 4 feet deep. I plugged it into the calculator and figured the pond will hold about 20,000 gallons of water. The stream is 70 feet long and max 14 feet wide. I told my mom I needed a 50’ x 40’ liner for the pond. We also have been searching for good rocks to use to build our retaining walls in the pond and around the waterfall. As of now I need to figure out a good pond filtration system that will work for this dirt creation. If anyone has any suggestions to point me in the right direction please let me know. Thanks!