Lizzie
Pond Novice
I have a tiny pond (maybe 150 gallons) next to my front porch. I am trying to make it a permanent fixture, but I'm unhappy with it and have rebuilt it two different times. I am trying to cover an unsightly window well (not the kind big enough to be used as an escape route, and I don't care if I block out the sun to my basement) and also make the pond so that it runs all year round, but I fear that it may be too small for that. I'm not getting fish. I'm not ready for that kind of commitment yet. How should I cover the window well?
The first year I used boards and just piled dirt on top of them, but I decided that probably wasn't such a good idea since the boards were wooden and were bending under the weight AND the trickle-down part of the pond was leaking. I had also bought one of those hollowed-out rocks with a hole in the middle for a tube, but that didn't work very well (because it leaked).
The next year I bought one of those giant, plastic, hollow, fake boulders and cut the sides so that it fit over the window well, but that doesn't really work either because there were still parts of the window that were exposed to the rain/snow/leaves. I would like to permanently cover the window well but I don't know the best way. I also bought a pre-formed, peanut-shaped, black plastic liner last year with a matching waterfall. But the black plastic looks so fake! I want to have the "natural" look of a trickle-down fall that comes out of the base of a mountain and forms a small pond.
This year I bought an expensive pond kit that says it is for a 4x6 pond, but after opening the two HUGE boxes I got in the mail, I quickly realized that the 7x10 ft space that I have to work with would be WAY too small for the rather large kit pieces (mainly the 17.5x24x22" skimmer and the 16x20x14" filterfalls). I might take the kit back or I might use it for a larger pond in my backyard (but then I have the sprinkler system to contend with!)
I am at my wits end! I don't know what I should do or where I should start! I have attached some pictures of my pond last year and my deconstructed pond now as well as some of the other materials I have to work with. Please help!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Lizzie
P.S. Sorry for the long post. I didn't mean to write a book!
The first year I used boards and just piled dirt on top of them, but I decided that probably wasn't such a good idea since the boards were wooden and were bending under the weight AND the trickle-down part of the pond was leaking. I had also bought one of those hollowed-out rocks with a hole in the middle for a tube, but that didn't work very well (because it leaked).
The next year I bought one of those giant, plastic, hollow, fake boulders and cut the sides so that it fit over the window well, but that doesn't really work either because there were still parts of the window that were exposed to the rain/snow/leaves. I would like to permanently cover the window well but I don't know the best way. I also bought a pre-formed, peanut-shaped, black plastic liner last year with a matching waterfall. But the black plastic looks so fake! I want to have the "natural" look of a trickle-down fall that comes out of the base of a mountain and forms a small pond.
This year I bought an expensive pond kit that says it is for a 4x6 pond, but after opening the two HUGE boxes I got in the mail, I quickly realized that the 7x10 ft space that I have to work with would be WAY too small for the rather large kit pieces (mainly the 17.5x24x22" skimmer and the 16x20x14" filterfalls). I might take the kit back or I might use it for a larger pond in my backyard (but then I have the sprinkler system to contend with!)
I am at my wits end! I don't know what I should do or where I should start! I have attached some pictures of my pond last year and my deconstructed pond now as well as some of the other materials I have to work with. Please help!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Lizzie
P.S. Sorry for the long post. I didn't mean to write a book!
