Pond expansion.

[FountainMan]

Once again I'm thinking big in terms of pond building. After a failed attempt last year to build a 2nd pond I would rather expand my current pond by 9' and have it the way I want. The liner has to be tossed anyways. Rats chewed holes in the liner and drowned when their exit caved in.

So I'm thinking about doing my pond like a miniature farm pond. The outer edge will be sloped allowing for a pebble beach. Embedded in the edge will be pockets for marginal plants. I'm going to get my Kasco fountain fixed. The pond right now is 18" deep. I want to shoot for 28-36" at the deepest.

So here's why I'm posting, I want ideas and pictures of your ponds. I want the inspiration. Most likely I won't do anything until fall. Too hot outside and I can't afford the EPDM right now. The liner I need is 550$ besides that I want to wait until everything goes dormant for the season.

 

[FountainMan]

If anyone is reading this, I'm thinking about my options, EPDM will cost me about 560$ from the cheapest seller. Pondliners.com.

I know EPDM is the best material but I'm considering polyethylene liner instead. The pond would be a bit shallow for being earth bottom. I'm too afraid it wouldn't hold water.

The fountain service will cost about 120$ for the cable and oil. 30' x 30' HDPE liner will cost about 260$.

 

[addy1]

That will be a nice expansion, if the yellow is the new pond area.

 

[max384]

The liner is not an area of the pond build that I'd cut corners with.

 

[addy1]

The liner is not an area of the pond build that I'd cut corners with.

agree with that

 

[CometKeith]

That looks like a really nice expansion. The original pond looks pretty shaded by trees. Are you hoping to do the same thing with the expansion?

 

[sissy]

have you checked every where pond liners can be found cheaper than pondliner.com .What size are you looking for .

 

[rodsboys]

I can't believe how expensive EPDM is there. If you were closer I could hook you up with a free one.

 

[michey1st]

Pondliner will price match to a certain extent. Their liner prices are cheap by comparison, but shipping more than makes up for it (Shipping a 20 x 25 liner would have added over $100 to the total cost). I emailed them and they did a price match for me against a website that was going to ship for free but charge me sales tax, and I ended up ahead by around $20 without the added tax.

 

[FountainMan]

I'm perusing a 2nd job. More $$$ Hopefully I can finance the project. I'm trying to shoot for late September-early October to get dig tess out here and mark underground lines. That will be critical to see if it's even doable.

If the dig tess report shows nothing in that area I can at least dig out the area. It would function as a earth lined pond until I can afford the liner. When the pond is dug out and filled I'm going to bring my Kasco fountain back home and run it in the pond.

Of course if I'm able to construct the pond.

 

[FountainMan]

That looks like a really nice expansion. The original pond looks pretty shaded by trees. Are you hoping to do the same thing with the expansion?

No. The trees cause obvious problems with the pond. I can see why books discourage pond building near trees. There's a tiered flowerbed that runs under the tree that has disintegrated due to the ground shifting. It will come out and help add to the pond. I'm hoping in the widest part of the pond I can achieve over 10' dia. Big enough to accommodate my Kasco 1400 fountain.

 

[FountainMan]

I've gotten pretty fed up with the cheap fountain kits with the little plastic nozzles.

My Kasco fountain is a true workhorse. As is Aqua Control if you have the room for one.

Some examples of real fountains in water gardens.

 

[FountainMan]

Next month I'm wanting to get the dig tess out and mark underground lines. I've never used the dig tess before. Is the process simple or is it a pain in the rear? They mention on the site calling 2 days before. Can I schedule a day in advance to work around my work schedule?

I want to get everything marked out in September. I've decided not to start digging until December. By then the plants will be dormant, leaves will have fallen off the tree, and with the rain they're expecting this season the ground will be soft and easy to work with.

 

[Mmathis]

Next month I'm wanting to get the dig tess out and mark underground lines. I've never used the dig tess before. Is the process simple or is it a pain in the rear? They mention on the site calling 2 days before. Can I schedule a day in advance to work around my work schedule?

I want to get everything marked out in September. I've decided not to start digging until December. By then the plants will be dormant, leaves will have fallen off the tree, and with the rain they're expecting this season the ground will be soft and easy to work with.

If "dig tess" is what I think -- where you call and they come out to mark the underground utilities? -- you can probably ask them to work around your schedule. Are you making the appt. online? It's been a couple of years since we did that, but I recall they were accomodating. In fact, unless you just have to be there [like for a access to a locked gate, etc.], you may not have to be there at all. When they've done ours, they used spray paint to mark stuff -- a different color for each utility. If it's going to be a while before you dig, take pictures of where they sprayed to use as a reference.

 

[DrCase]

You could get them to mark it any time.
Then you will know if any thing will be in the way or not