Michigan Pond Build Thread

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I figured I would start a pond build thread to document my pond building activities during the coming month or so. Right now I have a little waterfall with a "pond" about 4-5 gallons in size. The plan is to expand on this and create a real pond/bog/waterfall/stream. This first picture is a bird's eye view of the area we will be digging out and the current plan that I have in my head. I plan to reuse the waterfall that I have (on the small side), but also install a skimmer/pressurized filter. Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

pond%20plan_zpssdgbwcrd.jpg
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addy1

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That will look really nice, great view from the patio too.
 
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I'm hoping! :) We're putting a pergola in over the patio for some shade since it is a southern exposure with limited tree coverage.
 

sissy

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How wide and how deep and how long are you going .Darn a fire pit near it and you have it made for outdoor relaxation
 
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How wide and how deep and how long are you going .Darn a fire pit near it and you have it made for outdoor relaxation

Yeah a fire pit will go somewhere. Even installing a ceiling fan in the pergola to keep us cool and the bugs away. I think the approx dimensions are 5-7 ft wide and 10-12 ft long. Depth will be 2 ft max, as any deeper would require a fence. Plan on only having rock on the border and shelf.
 
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Hi paintguru,Welcome to GPF and good luck with your pond. It looks like it will be very nice design. One bit of advice..You can make sure that water run off from your patio doesn't go into the pond by building up the sides a little bit.
 
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Hi paintguru,Welcome to GPF and good luck with your pond. It looks like it will be very nice design. One bit of advice..You can make sure that water run off from your patio doesn't go into the pond by building up the sides a little bit.

Yeah that is a good call. I will definitely have plenty of extra dirt to use :).
 
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Looking forward to following your build! You mentioned that it will be two feet deep to avoid a fence. That sounds like it may be a local ordinance. Do you anticipate having any fish? In your zone how deep will the pond freeze in winter?
 
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Well here we go. Just finished up our 4-5 day build and boy was it a lot of work. Pretty happy with the results, but time will tell how things work out. First, some more details. My parents came to town to help dig, which was all done by hand. Rock was also moved by hand. Obviously, if you have the option, I do NOT recommend doing it this way. My soil is very sandy, so it wasn't too bad, but after 1 day of digging and 1 day of hauling boulder, my muscles were not happy. A little tip, if you need to move giant rock, a 2 wheel dolly works very well! Best $60 I've ever spent.

As I discussed before, I was intent on having a bog. However, I also but ordered a Tetra pressure filter. Let me get this out of the way right now....I'm already very annoyed with that filter. The box/description call for 1.5 inch tubing, but apparently the fittings included don't fit 1.5 inch flex PVC (too loose). Even cranking down on the hose clamps would not seal the barb/PVC connection. I had to build a hard PVC connection that I could glue in the PVC. Not simple and not something I should have had to do.

Other than the stupid pressure filter, everything else worked pretty much as planned. The bog appears to be running correctly (we'll see if the plants I add survive). Waterfall is flowing. I think I placed the rock correctly. Didn't do anything other than large boulders in the actual water to avoid waste traps and still keep a natural look. Even ended up with a nice spot for my daughter's fairy garden. I'll be sure to add more photos as things grow in, but I figured now that my 4-5 days of work is over, I should document things!

Well here is the before picture of the area. Day #1

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First rock delivery....1 ton 6-12".

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Two tons of 12-18"

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1 ton (plus extra I think) of 18-24". All washed up.

IMG_20150520_112314_zpsue8iggnq.jpg


Sod removed.

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Hole dug with underlayment.

IMG_20150521_093145_zpsunxz6psv.jpg


Liner over the region

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Hauled the rocks down the hill.

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Boggggggggggggg. I had to change the shape and size due to a surprise sprinkler line.

IMG_20150521_133009_zps6rlh6hfp.jpg


A rocking we will go.

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Hose is on.

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Almost full.

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Dirty water (drained it later and refilled)

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Final view from the patio.

IMG_20150524_091545_zpslaaq9k3y.jpg


Waterfall

IMG_20150524_091607_zpsiswnka0w.jpg
 

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