New construction question

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I had a small pond put in my backyard about 5 years ago. I really enjoy it but it has been leaking and other problems from the beginning. It is a small pond, waterfall feature, but the company that installed it pieced the liner together and it has never been right. I think they used remnants from another job. The pump recently went out and I have no way to circulate the water. Anyway, I recently retired and have time on my hands and was thinking about taking out the existing liner and expanding my pond. I have had other companies out to look at it and went to their previous jobs and was really impressed with what can be done. I just can't afford what they want. Here is my question. I have two choices. I can wait a year or two and save more money and have it put in by one of the companies or I can attempt to do it myself. I have always been pretty resourceful but I don't want to get in over my head (no pun intended). Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks
 
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I'm a consumate diy-er and if you give yourself enough time, can easily do what you can't afford others to do for you. My pond is approx 18' x 14' and 4-5' deep. Dug it all myself, half in the hot of summer and the clay was dry and hard, then half another year in the spring when the clay was much easier. Just pace yourself with any physical labor and you'll do fine (provided you're in good health to start). The biggest expense is going to be the liner, then any rocking you might do. And once the 'hard' part is done, you'll enjoy finishing as your vision materializes. Have a good plan and like almost all ponders should do; build/rebuild as large as you can afford/want because later, it will be wishful thinking.

There are basic items you're going to need for any pond with fish and a new pump will be one of them. I'd actually suggest getting 2 as that way, should one quit on you, the other can help you until a replacement is purchased. And a new liner is a must as it is the basis for your pond. Consider a bog (upflow wetlands) filter as it is less maintenance and typically, cost, than other types.

There's a lot of info here on the site as well as places to purchase what you need; read up and have a basic plan of what you want to accomplish. Took me maybe 2 months the first time, working on the pond sporaically after work and on weekends, to finish. The second time ( the expansion) was less as I already knew what I had to do.

Ask questions, post pics; there's many here that'll chime in and guide you along.

If having a pond is something you look forward to enjoying, the work to put one in is well worth it, imo.

Hope this helps.
 
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When I dug my existing pond, I rented a miniature backhoe called a Terramite from a local True Value hardware store. It cost me $300 for the weekend and was well worth it. I never used a machine like that before, but it was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. You just have to position the machine correctly and properly manage where you are depositing the soil.

Be sure to not skimp on the type of liner material. Stay far away from a PVC liner, believe me, I can tell you this from a very bad experience.
You'll want to use 45 mil. EPDM. That is the standard, most used material. Purchase the proper non woven underlayment usually sold along with the liner.

I second the use of a bog for filtration. You will find that many of us here use a bog exclusively. No other high cost, high maintenance commercially bought fancy inadequate filters are necessary. Dont waste your money. No UV lights are needed. Just the bog. There many threads here on bog construction.

So, you came to the right place. Lots of friendly, knowledgeable members here willing to share their experiences. Spend some time looking around the forum to help with your planning. Any questions, just ask...
 
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I enjoyed building my pond myself. It's a wonderful creative outlet for me. I enjoyed making the choices for it myself, and the satisfaction of knowing that (with a little help from my boyfriend) every rock is where I personally placed it.

Even professional companies don't necessarily make good decisions (after all, you've had problems with your current pond since the beginning). I figure if I am going to have issues with my pond, it will be easier to diagnose them if I know everything about the pond because I built it. I know the places it is most likely to leak or overflow. I know where plants have a lot of room for the root system in the waterfall because I know how much gravel had to be used to fill in the gaps.

My pond has flaws--places where the liner shows, for example. Those kind of flaws happen even with a contractor, and it's a lot easier to explain to visitors that my pond has flaws because I built it myself. The "flaws" stop being flaws and turn into charming home-made flair.

My pond is a constant work in progress. Because I built it and know exactly how it's set up, I can make dramatic changes that I wouldn't dare to do on a professionally built pond. It's not so "rigid" and "fixed."

My pond building skills have improved with practice. My first couple of ponds were not very good, and I already know ways I would improve my newest one if I had the time and money to start over. That is both a positive and negative of building your own pond. It is a steep learning curve and you are bound to make mistakes. However, I believe that you're just as likely to make something as good as what a contractor could make with just a little education and practice--and over time can probably go well beyond what most contractors could do.

But then, that's just me. To be fair, I've never had the money to sink on a contractor, so I am only going off of what I've seen others post online of their own experiences. I could be massively underestimating the quality of contractor work. For me, though, I don't have the budget to get a contractor's help every time my pond has issues. I'd have to fix any problems myself anytime something went wrong, so I'd rather know exactly what's going on with the pond.

Plus, I just really really love doing it. I can't say you'll feel the same way, but if you enjoy creative projects (crochet, painting, whatever) you'll probably find it extremely rewarding.
 
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I'm a diy person for a couple of reasons. Saving money is #1 and I'm never satisfied with other people's work. Some contractors, not all of them of course, just want get the job done quickly and get paid. It's hard to know what quality of work you will get, whether they arrive on the job or actually complete it.

It reminds me of those shows on TV where they rebuild a classic car in record time to enter it into some auction or show. I dont care how good those guys are, I personally wouldn't want something like that rushed.
 
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Welcome to A very strong addiction.
That being said. lets take it from the top
Are you handy ?if only so so what have you built before?
How big of a pond do you want?
Koi ? gold fish ? both ?
Do you like the idea of plants and a tropical look or are you looking for pavers and flag stone?
Above ground or mix or a pond?
Pictures of the area you would like to build the pond are helpful.
Do you like a natural look with rocks and boulders in the pond or do you like similar to a pool smooth walls and floor.
 

cas

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If you are physically able, I think you should give it a try. There are so many helpful people on this site, if you just post pictures and ask questions, someone will offer some advice, every step of the way. Also, youtube has some great videos that can help give you ideas.
 

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