Small pond project

I would really apreciate any thoughts anybody has on a small pond I am shortly to start work on in my back yard.
The length will be about 6ft long and 3ft at it's widest. The stone retaining wall is 7inches high.
My wife has always wanted a fountain, so I have found one that I can fit into the wall in the form of a lion's head, and make a pond beneath it. I am using a butyl type liner to fit inside the existing stones. I am assuming I need to dismantle the front retaining wall and cut the inside of the stones out leaving a profile like a sideways "L".



Should I construct a concrete edge for the liner to sit on, with the stones on top of that?

Thanks

Andrew

 

Could you extend the pond to the border on the otherside of the slab path? You could lay the slabs back down on a couple of steel beams :-)

 

As a long time fish-keeper (30 years) let me give you a bit of information if I may, because I'm sure you'll get quite a bit.

I used to belong to the Northern Koi Society, where the members mostly built their own ponds of all sorts of sizes. The common thought amongst them all was; "If I were going to build it again, I'd do it differently."
There are lots of books to show you how to build one, but it isn't how I built mine.

Before I built mine, I took advice from many people, but the best thing I did when I started and it's still going strong after 25 years, was to construct a concrete collar before digging it out. (It also came in handy a year after I built a two-foot deep goldfish pond when I converted it to a 5ft deep koi pool).
With a collar for a small pond, it doesn't have to be very wide, but you will be able to get it dead level and there's no possibility of the sides caving in if you step on the edge. It also stops the rest of the garden being "ruined" while you build it.

I won't go into lining it and all the rest as that information is available.

This is how I started (the rocks were for the rockery on one side).



You can see the collar here (finished with a rounded edge). I "shuttered" it with bits of old pallets. I hired a concrete mixer, but with a smaller pond you could do it by hand. The collar is only about four to five inches thick.


If you're putting in "marginals" you'll need a template like this to get the shelf level all the way round.



This is the end result. But it's deceptive, it's only 9ft X 12ft overall.
The edging as is the path and patio, finished in York stone. Because I had a collar which to the right was as wide as the path, I got everything level. Actually there's a very slight "fall" to move any rainwater away from the pond.



A year later it looked like this, but that's another story.

 

My Dad built quite a lot of ponds over the years (They moved house every two - three years) and he always without fail made a concrete collar. He also said "go a third bigger than you think you want it!

Doghouse's advice is spot on.

 

Thanks for the pics Doghouse. I shall follow your advice.


Andrew

 

Hi Andrew, there's a bit more information and more photos in an old topic of mine.

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/our-pond-t23925.html

 

I am going to follow the advice of Doghouse Riley. One question though - I am wondering whether I need to buy a new long spirit level, or will it be accurate if I fit my 24in level to a straight length of wood? If I tried it one way, then turned the level 180 degrees, it should show up if it un even would it?

Thanks

 

As long as you've a long very straight bit of 3" X 2" then that's all you need.
If you look at the photos on my topic on pond construction you'll see the various lengths of timber I used for levelling and the 24" spirit level which was the only one I had.

Anything about which you're unsure and you think I can help, feel free to send me a p.m. if you don't want to post it on here.
I'd no experience before I did mine, I just got a lot of advice before I started.

 

wow what a pond! that is lovely,