Greetings from Louisiana

[harrisonjones]

thanks everyone for the greetings and responses

 

[sissy]

We all have something in common our ponds no matter how big or small .We enjoy the work and seem we all have a lot to share and enjoy doing it .We are just a bunch of pond nuts .

 

[mtpond]

Welcome!

 

[Mmathis]

I also worked on someone else's build over the summer as well

So take it you already know Larkin

 

[minnowman]

Welcome from Thibodaux.

 

[harrisonjones]

So take it you already know Larkin

yes I know Larkin quite well

 

[sissy]

I think they have so many I am an expert pond builders everywhere .We had 3 here but they have all shut down or moved somewhere else .Not much interest in ponds here ,well except farm ponds but they are for mostly watering fields when they need water or fighting fires .Maybe you have heard of haydite it is an old time filter material that a guy near by me uses in his filters and he has a big pond and several streams and his pond is really clear .He had told me he was using haydite before even my beloved lava rock came about being used for pond filters .It seems to be hard to get here though .He was a speaker at our local garden pond center and I found out he lives only 3 miles from my house and he offered to let me see his pond and i was amazed .Not sure how they got him to speak there because he seems to be a very private person ,but nice .

 

[Mmathis]

yes I know Larkin quite well

Recognized the pump house!

Hey, if you ever make it up to this part of the state.....

Got to say I'm in awe of your ponds [yours & Larkin's, and everyone else's]. To be honest, I never looked into the pond building resources in this area. Hubby always seems to think we can do it ourselves for less money and effort... And I only know of 2 places that say they do ponds [and there may be more, just that our searches didn't find them], but by the time we'd made our plans, we only checked them out to see what they had in the way of fittings, liners, pumps, etc. And when we talked to them, seemed like they were mostly into the "package deals" as far as equipment, and were doing a lot of the "pondless" systems. Mention "bog filter," or anything out of the ordinary and they looked at you real funny-like.

My main reason for going DIY [digging it yourself] is that I wanted to incorporate a turtle-safe area for my box turtles [and save money]. Happy with the outcome, but if I had it to do over again [depending on the cost....], I might have gone with having it done professionally. NEXT pond!

 

[sissy]

I think it is more satisfying to say you did it yourself .If money is not a thing with you and you don't care what they build then it would be great to have someone do it all for you .But I am a control freak and have to put my input on everything .Depends on how good your health is and next time I would go with pondless ,The noise with out the work and to me easier and cheaper .A good pond builder will take what you say and learn about it .A pond builder to me should have an open mind it is your money so he should be happy not only to get the job ,but happy to give you what you want .It looks great on his reference that way .I would love a gazebo off the back of my house with a pondless water feature running under it .What a nice place it would be to eat your meal .But will settle for my view and pond and front porch .

 

[fishin4cars]

Welcome aboard Harrison! I was wondering how long it would take someone on here to connect the dots. Harrison and his father have not only helped me with the filter house and the filter installation. They have also become really good friends. Harrison is a great person, his love for the hobby and the professionalism he shows has been unmatched by a full array of different people that have helped me make my dream come true. I thought that Harrison would be a great student to help, Not only did I help him learn, he has taught the ole man a trick or two himself. I can't say my set-up isn't DIY, I was pretty much involved in every step of my adventure. I have had to hire some help, Due to my injuries I simply couldn't do this by myself. I have made sacrifices along the way, all to try and for fill a dream to one day run my own business as well. Harrison Has a dream as well, and I hope that between the two dreams you'll all see some more amazing ponds we help with in the future. I just can't wait until Harrison and his father get ready to build theirs! Believe me, It's going to be well thought out and designed for Koi!

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome aboard Harrison! I was wondering how long it would take someone on here to connect the dots.

Well, you shoulda known it would be me!

 

[Tanya]

Wow, lots of Louisiana people here. I'm from New Orleans.

Those ponds are gorgeous.

 

[harrisonjones]

Whenever I build a pond for someone i try to incorporate as much of their ideas into it as possible. I think that is one of the things that I like most about it, besides just growing the community, I like to help people build what they have envisioned and want; I prefer as much input as possible which is what I feel like more "pond builders" need to do. I just want to be able to expand the community and help correct some of the misunderstandings and common misconceptions about ponding. I feel like south Louisiana is a prefect place for the pond community to take off.

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome to Garden Pond Forums! :wave:

 

[Mmathis]

Whenever I build a pond for someone i try to incorporate as much of their ideas into it as possible. I think that is one of the things that I like most about it, besides just growing the community, I like to help people build what they have envisioned and want; I prefer as much input as possible which is what I feel like more "pond builders" need to do. I just want to be able to expand the community and help correct some of the misunderstandings and common misconceptions about ponding. I feel like south Louisiana is a prefect place for the pond community to take off.

What I'd like to see in a pond-builder is someone who listens, but who also isn't afraid to offer suggestions and alternatives. Everyone has different opinions, different experiences, and different knowledge bases. If something will, won't, or might not work, I like to know the "WHY" behind it ['cause engineering and physics are not something I know a lot about]. One of the reasons I enjoy the GPF so much is that [for the most part], folks are open-minded, and they don't [for the most part ] jump down your throat, criticizing your every move. I like that we all learn from each other here -- another attribute of a good pond-builder, IMO.

Yeah, LA in general, does have the perfect climate for ponding! After reading others' posts, I've grown to appreciate our longer warm-weather season.

Keep up the good work, and again, welcome on board!