Hello - Pond under construction

[Rex]

I built a 1,000 gallon koi pond back in the day before kids. We moved houses and didn’t feel safe having open water around with young ones. The kids are finally old enough, where water safety isn’t a major concern, so I’m building a pond again!

I’ve been digging as much as time allows for the last 10 days. I haven’t calculated approx. gallonage lately, but maybe around 3,500 gallons is what I’ll end up with. Just using hand tools and a wheelbarrow. Too bad summer isn’t right around the corner, because (after approx. 18 tons of excavation) I should be in plenty good of shape. The first ledge in my pics is for coping rocks/boulders. I will rock the vertical walls in the pond and gravel the horizontal surfaces. I hope to dig some plant pockets on the shallower shelves so that I can plant directly in them without using pots. I’ll use pots for my lilies that are down deeper. The area along the back fence will be my raised upflow bog filter (approx. 13’X5’) that will waterfall back into the pond. The pond will be 36” at the deepest and I plan to stock with koi. I also hope to cut some fish caves in the shelves at a couple of spots.

My liner will be here in 3 days and I have my submersible pump on order. Wow! This is a high dollar project and I’m doing all the work myself. I’m thankful I’m able to do my own work because I would never break loose enough money to pay to have this done, and I know I’ll like the final product a lot more if I do the work.

What a great forum this is. I’ve spent hours reading different topics over the last day since I discovered it. I really liked Addy’s Bog Building thread. That took a while to read, but I’m glad I did. Lots of good info! Lots of other good threads also.

Below are 3 pics from my first 10 days. Still have more digging to do. Once my liner gets here, I’ll probably extend the L (right hand side of the picture) out more as I see exactly how much the liner will allow. That porch off of my barn will eventually be covered and a swing will be on the near side to allow viewing of the pond.

 

[Somethin' Fishy]

Welcome @Rex, Your pond site looks like it will be amazing! I hope you will continue to share your progress, because I'm sure all on the forum will enjoy it.

 

[j.w]

@Rex
Looks like a nice spot for your new pond! Keep us updated on your progress as it's fun to watch and help you along w/any help you might need. You've already done this before tho so you know how it's done.

 

[addy1]

Hello and welcome to our forum!

Love my bog it takes great care of the pond.

Your dig looks great!

 

[sissy]

welcome and the shape is great but getting the liner in may be a lot of work for one person so help would be great .I had no help but the pond is rectangle so the liner was easy as I thought of it like a pie crust ,fold and fold and then get under it and with a rectangle not as many fold to work in .I don't want to ever do it again so I am now knocking on wood so my luck does not go bad from saying that

 

[Tara]

Your build looks great, the best thing about digging a pond yourself, is when it's done, then up and running. I build my own pond and I never get tired of looking at it, I also get bragging rights and so will you. "Yes I built this pond" it never gets old.

 

[Becky]

Great to have you here! Welcome

 

[bagsmom]

How exciting! Makes me want to do another one!!!!!! Hey, for your fish caves, do you know the little trick The Pond Digger uses? Inserting a piece of black culvert pipe into a notch carved in a shelve and then rocking over -- if you are rocking, that is. I did it in my pond and it worked great! Can't wait to see your progress. It is going to be a beautiful pond!

 

[Rex]

Thanks everybody! I'll update this post with pics as I make progress. The liner came in a day early. It is here now! I just got off from a double shift at work (48 hours total) though and I'm smoked. I get he next 4 days off so maybe I can make some good progress.

bagsmom - yes I've seen the Pond Digger's fish cave culverts and I like that idea. I can't find any scrap pieces of culvert though and I don't want to buy a full joint of that high dollar stuff. I'm thinking about using milk crates or some other tough plastic tote.

 

[Telion]

Welcome, that looks like it's going to be a beautiful pond. With a n excellent sized bog. Looking forward to pics if the build and kudos to you on the hand labor wow. I know that's not easy, but your right doing it yourself is going to put your cost around a 20th of what it would cost to pay someone.

 

[GBBUDD]

I can't understand for the life of my why so many like the idea of a pipe for a fish cave. Now if your in an area where nothing bt baseball or basketball sized rocks are all that's available ok that makes sense but why not use large flat rocks over a dug out depression in the soil . it can be the size of 3 or 4 pipes wide and what ever length you want or you can even place some rocks like columns on the liner and place large flat rocks as a roof and create tunnels on page 12 of my build you can see two different photos with the fish cave and the lower on the same page you can see the fish tunnel it's a good 6 feet wide and 6 feet long one side is wide open while the other has a 12" x12" exit

 

[Rex]

gbbudd, Wow you have an awesome pond! Now I'm going to have to spend a couple hours reading all 26 pages from your pond construction post. If I had heavy equipment like you do on page 12 (https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/going-for-it-phase-one-12-000-gallon-pond.22563/page-12), I would probably do what you did, but I I have to go the poor man route. To create a decent size cave, I can't get (or don’t currently have) a rock in my pond that big to cap it. The pipe/crate/tote provides the structural stability so that I can step on the flagstone above it without worrying about it breaking/collapsing.

 

[GBBUDD]

gbbudd, Wow you have an awesome pond! Now I'm going to have to spend a couple hours reading all 26 pages from your pond construction post. If I had heavy equipment like you do on page 12 (https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/going-for-it-phase-one-12-000-gallon-pond.22563/page-12), I would probably do what you did, but I I have to go the poor man route. To create a decent size cave, I can't get (or don’t currently have) a rock in my pond that big to cap it. The pipe/crate/tote provides the structural stability so that I can step on the flagstone above it without worrying about it breaking/collapsing.

Thanks its coming along mostly as planned but the pond has also swayed me in a couple directions i had not planned,

I wish i did own the equipment , if i did i would have to think long and hard about starting my own company again . but this time just building ponds. This is only my first attempt at building a pond so i'm learning like all of us. so far what i have done is working well . even better then i hoped for but ask around for your own project don't use me as a bible. But always happy to give an honest opinion

 

[GBBUDD]

but I I have to go the poor man route

I GOT RID OF THE X WIFE AND TREATED MYSELF TO MY POND I DIDN'T CARE WHAT THE DOLLAR CAME TO


I'M FREE AND THE WITCH IS DEAD TO MY WALLET

 

[Telion]

I can't understand for the life of my why so many like the idea of a pipe for a fish cave. Now if your in an area where nothing bt baseball or basketball sized rocks are all that's available ok that makes sense but why not use large flat rocks over a dug out depression in the soil . it can be the size of 3 or 4 pipes wide and what ever length you want or you can even place some rocks like columns on the liner and place large flat rocks as a roof and create tunnels on page 12 of my build you can see two different photos with the fish cave and the lower on the same page you can see the fish tunnel it's a good 6 feet wide and 6 feet long one side is wide open while the other has a 12" x12" exit

Blame the pond digger. But in my case yes it made more sense than maneuvering rocks larger than I can carry to do the same thing and honestly at that depth a free found tube is just as good as a huge rock if its finer de tdd ails cannot be seen.