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Deciding whether to make your pond below ground or to build a raised pond is one of the first steps of pond building. The principles are the same for both, but your choice will affect the way you build and, in the long run, maintain your pond.

The site of your water garden will be the biggest influence on your choice. Depending on your pond’s position in the garden, you’ll have to prepare for things such as debris, weather, light exposure, utilities, and soil quality. Above and below the ground ponds each have advantages that will make one or the other more suited for the pond site.

Ultimately, planning, thinking, and research should go into this and every other choice you make in your pond project.

Building Below Ground

Below the ground ponds are simply excavated ditches that are lined and filled with water. In backyards, as well as in nature, the majority of ponds are below ground. This type of pond is usually easier and cheaper to build, not to mention that it has a more natural look than an above ground pond. Outdoor ponds built below the ground seamlessly blend with most garden and yard designs.

Below the ground ponds have the usual problems: debris, water runoff, ground conditions, and climate changes.

What is an Above the Ground Pond?

Above the ground ponds are walled, much like a raised swimming pool. The walls of an above the ground pond are made with brick, wood, or cement-basically, a sturdy material capable of holding the weight of the water. Liner is also used in above the ground ponds to ensure that it is waterproof.

Above the ground ponds are quite obviously man-made, but sometimes that is a good thing in terms of pond design. Many above the ground ponds are made to match the architectural style of the pond builder’s property. It is a perfect addition to formal estates where the aesthetics of the buildings and gardens complement each other. A properly made raised pond can look just as beautiful as a natural pond. Also, building the pond’s walls allow you to do custom work such as built-in filtration, insulation, and many other features that you could not do with a below the ground pond.

And now for the cons. The biggest problem of building a raised pond is judging the strength of the wall. It must be built to contain the weight of the water. Otherwise, it could crack and leak water all over your beautiful garden.

Slow and steady is the key to successful pond building. Think things through before executing them and try to plan ahead for problems. Design your pond in a way that is both practical and beautiful to your eyes.

Learn more about Pond Building. Visit Michael W.’s site where you can find out all about building an outdoor pond, with practical tips, tutorials and inspiration.

An outdoor pond absolutely needs to be water-proofed. One of the easiest ways to go about this is using a pond liner. But how does one choose? Well, your liner should be selected with respect to the size and shape of your pond. Fitting it to your budget wouldn’t hurt either. There are two primary types of liners: pre-formed and flexible. Pre-formed liners are basically rigid shells that you can install in a hole or a raised pond structure. The drawback is that they can be pricey. On the upside, pre-formed liners are durable, easy to use, and come in many shapes and sizes.

But sometimes, you’ll have an unusual pond design that just isn’t covered by the available pre-formed liner styles. In that case, flexible liner is the choice for you. It’s also the only choice when you building a large pond. Remember, you can order flexible liner in sizes many times larger than any pond shell on the market.

Flexible liners vary in thickness and material. The two most popular choices for backyard ponds are PVC plastic, which is cheap but thinner, and synthetic rubber, which is expensive but much more durable. Either type is available in stores as rolls of pre-cut sheets ranging from twenty-five to over a thousand square meters.

Durable and reusable, flexible liners can be modified to fit a pond of any shape. Certain manufacturers even allow you to order liner in custom sizes. You shouldn’t have any problems using it as long as you remember to clear out any sharp rocks and roots that may puncture the liner.

Signs of a Good Pond Liner

Liners for outdoor pond use should be resistant to ultraviolet light and free of harmful chemicals. Some liners will also require a cushioning under layer, especially when used in rocky soil.

Pre-formed liners have a set depth. If you’re using one, make sure that it’s deep enough to house all your fish and plants. Make the mistake of choosing too small a liner and you could end up with a stagnant outdoor pond.

Liner repair is difficult and expensive, whether it’s flexible or rigid liner. It’s best if you invest in a good liner at the start, so make sure you ask your local pond building community where the best materials can be bought. Taking the proper steps in choosing and installing you pond liner will eventually pay off when you have a beautiful pond that will last for decades.

Learn more about Pond Building. Visit Michael W.’s site where you can find out all about building an outdoor pond, with practical tips, tutorials and inspiration.

Take time to think about the size of your pond before you start your pond building project, as it will affect many of your succeeding choices. Construction time, cost, plant and fish capacity, and maintenance-each of these increases with the size of your pond. You want to build a large pond, a place where you can fulfill all your desired pond activities. Just don’t build it so large that it becomes too hard to handle.

But that’s only the practical side of pond sizing. Obviously, you also want to size your pond to make it look good. Scale your pond to match your property. The pond is a part of your garden and should blend in. You don’t want it to be overwhelming large or negligibly small. The size should also match its purpose. If you want a formal pond, keep it small and neat. For the natural look, you want a large, sprawling pond.

Room to Grow

Living things have space requirements; that is a simple fact. Plants need room to grow and spread. Fish need a place to swim and spawn. What you want is an outdoor pond where life can freely grow.

Small ponds can stunt the growth of pond life. Overcrowding in a pond makes the wildlife compete for resources, which would eventually lead to their demise. In contrast, a larger pond is more forgiving. However, it does require more plants and fish in order to look lively and attractive.

Aside from that, you’ll also need to invest more in fish pond supplies and equipment. A small budget is ever the frustration of a home pond builder.

How Pond Size Affects Pond Health

Water circulation, temperature, oxygenation, and evaporation should be kept at optimal levels in any pond design. Equipment such as pumps and filters are commonly used to maintain a pond’s health, but you should know that a good pond must be able to survive on its own in case of power outages and other unwanted events.

A lot of first-time pond builders like to plan on a small scale, thinking that it will be easier that way. They soon regret their decisions when it turns out they don’t have enough space to try out all their pond ideas. What they also don’t realize is that large ponds are more forgiving for a newbie water gardener. When a large pond encounters a problem, it takes longer for it to succumb to the damage.

In the long run, maintenance is made easier if you know more about how the pond’s size affects it.

Pond Sizing Advice

You can save yourself a lot of hardship and frustration by choosing the right size for your outdoor pond. Ensure that you consider the size of your property, the amount of fish and plants you plan to have, your equipment and other such things. You could also take a few tips from your neighbors. What works for them will most likely work as well for you.

Looking for some ideas and inspiration for your outdoor pond, then visit pond-building-mastery.com to find essential tutorials, know-how and tips about pond building.

A pond plan is like the blueprint of your pond building project. Depending on how large and elaborate your pond will be, a pond plan could go from a one page drawing to a stack of diagrams. Take note that it does require much work to draw up these documents. Some water gardeners actually skip this part of the process, especially when building small ponds. However, making a pond plan can be a great help in spotting and solving problems before they happen. Pond plans also allow you to refine your pond ideas and designs.

For large projects, a pond plan can also be used to coordinate group efforts. The people working on the project can simply refer to the plan instead of asking you for directions, save you and your project a lot of wasted time. You can also use your pond plan to more easily acquire building permits from local authorities.

Steps in Making the Pond Plan

You can save a lot of time if you have the blueprints of your house to refer to. If not, don’t worry. It’s easy enough to start from scratch. Basically, you should identify existing features of your site and draw it into your plan, then mark what you need to change to build your outdoor pond. Just stock up on paper and measuring tape, and prepare yourself for a couple of hours of drawing.

Property lines and permanent features, such as your house, should be clearly marked along with paved paths, trees and gardens. Understanding the limits of your building space will allow you to better position your pond’s main features. Coping, walkways, fountains, streams, and waterfalls are a few of the things that you should carefully draw into your plans, especially if these features need to be approved before being built.

Make sure that you don’t try to site your pond too close to your property’s limits, as that would constitute a form of trespassing. Check your diagram against local building restrictions to ensure that your boundaries are correct. The plan should also indicate other important pond building details such as wind direction, plumbing, gas lines and electrical circuits. Take care when crossing new utilities with existing ones.

When to Draw Cross-Sections

Partial and fully raised ponds require the construction of one or more walls. You’ll probably need a permit for this so it’s best if you draw a cross-section of the wall. Apart from the walls height, width and thickness, you should also indicate the pond’s depth, water capacity, shelf locations, and utilities you plan to build into the wall.

Learn more about Pond Building. Visit Michael W.’s site where you can find out all about building an outdoor pond, with practical tips, tutorials and inspiration.