Stepping stones

[James_Pond]

I've decide to add three stepping stones to my pond. This is one of a series of afterthoughts. As I've already laid the liner, I can't add footings underneath as I've seen suggested elsewhere.

The flat stones I want to use for the steps are not tall enough so I want to build up the base by about 3 inches. I've done that with lots of cobbles which seem secure but do still have a bit of a wobble.

Any other suggestions on how to put these in place?

I don't want to cement. I tried sand, but that was a disaster.

 

[sissy]

cobble under them and people walking on them will put holes in your liner .I would put extra liner under and put them same sized stone until you get up to your desired height .Or you could start off with a slightly larger stone as the base to give the top stone stability .But something under is a must .

 

[James_Pond]

cobble under them and people walking on them will put holes in your liner .I would put extra liner under and put them same sized stone until you get up to your desired height .Or you could start off with a slightly larger stone as the base to give the top stone stability .But something under is a must .

I have put about 4 layers of extra underlay and an extra layer of liner under the cobbles.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Its a gamble without providing a stable footing under the liner. Over time settling will occur which will put strain on the membrane (liner) inviting rips and/or tears.
Personally I would not do it without footings.

 

[James_Pond]

My other option is to build a small wooden bridge to get across.

I think I should have considered this fully before building the pond.

 

[sissy]

A bridge is always pretty .You can even make planters to hang off the railings

 

[RobAmy]

I agree with Meyer, footings long term will be best

 

[James_Pond]

Ok. The stepping stones are history. I'll be making a bridge instead.

 

[KC Crook]

Sure love to see some pics! Dont be stingy now! Lol

 

[James_Pond]

I decided to stick with the stones. They look ok, I think.

 

[sissy]

I like the white ,shame you could not get a hold of some sugar sand that is white ,it would almost glow

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I decided to stick with the stones. They look ok, I think. View attachment 91293

Is that some sort of submerged gridwork that I am seeing? What is the purpose of that?

 

[James_Pond]

Is that some sort of submerged gridwork that I am seeing? What is the purpose of that?

Yes. It's to stop the children drowning. Bit of a pig to get in, but it looks better than I thought and the wife says shed be a bit annoyed if we lost one.

 

[KC Crook]

How old are your children? I assume very young. Looks like something you can remove in the future when they are old enough?

 

[James_Pond]

4 year old and 6 months. I think if it was just the 4 year old, I wouldn't be too concerned but I have a feeling our smaller one is going to be her own boss and just go where she wants.

You're right, it effectively sits like a table. It has legs that I've cut to length based on the depth at that point. I'll just lift it out when I don't need it any more.