DealDash Speaks On: Outdoor Ponds
When you hear the phrase “outdoor pond” does your mind conjure up a fabulous mansion? The good news is that you can have a pond on a budget in your own backyard.
The great thing about an outdoor pond in your backyard is that you can choose if you want it to be an extremely budget-conscious small one, a medium-sized one, or go all out and break the budget with an extremely large and fancy one. What’s also nice is that you don’t have to get everything all at once. You can start your project, complete the basics, and then add-on more decorative or additional items later on.
Building your own backyard pond can be a bit labor-intensive, but if you put your mind to it (and don’t plan too big of a pond) you can knock this project out in a weekend. Read on for a quick primer of installing your new outdoor pond.
Materials needed
- Shovel
- Tape measure
- Flexible pond liner
- Water pump
- Filter
- Edging stones
- Heater (optional)
Directions
- Use your shovel to remove the grass in and around the area where you want your pond to be located. Remember to remove the grass 6 to 12 inches beyond the perimeter so you’ll have a flat surface.
- Starting along the outside edge, dig out the edging to a depth of around 10 inches. Then remove all dirt within the pond area by layers, digging from the center outwards. Dig out an extra 2 inches deeper for an underlayment. Most people use sand. If you live in a colder climate be sure to create a spot to overwinter plants and fish. In cold areas, you need a zone that won’t freeze to keep your fishies happy. It should be 3 feet deep and 3 feet wide. Don’t place a fountain or pump in this deep zone. Alternately, you could skip the no-freeze zone and purchase a pond heater that you would need to use as soon as the night-time temperatures drop to anywhere near freezing. The top of the finished edging should be 1-2 inches above the area outside your pond to prevent runoff from entering the pond.
- Be sure to inspect the hole for sharp stones or roots and remove them. Flexible liners can easily puncture from rocks, gravel, and other sharp objects. Cushion the liner with an underlayment of some kind. Options include 2 to 3 inches of sand, fiberglass insulation material or newspaper. Place your chosen material in the bottom of the hole and on any shelves cut into the sides of the pond. Also, pack damp sand into any holes in the sidewalls where large rocks were removed.
- Using a partner, drape the liner loosely into the hole with an even overlap on all sides. Then weigh down the edges with a few of the pieces of edging that you are planning on using when the pond is complete. Once the liner is in place to your liking, fill the pond with water. As the pond fills with water, adjust the liner to conform to the sides of the pond, and smooth out as many creases and wrinkles as possible. When the pond is full, trim off excess lining with sharp scissors. Leave enough liner around the pond rim to extend underneath and a few inches behind the first row of edging stones.
- To keep the liner in place while adding your edging stones, push long nails through the liner into the ground every foot or so around the pond rim. You can use natural flat stones that you find yourself for the edging, or you can purchase stones. You can even use driftwood, or bricks. To prevent your stones (or bricks or driftwood) from moving, mortar them in place. Mortar comes premixed and is fairly inexpensive.
- After the liner is installed and the water has been filled then you can add your pump and filter. Please consult your local pet shop to figure out what sort of living animals that you would like to put in your pond, anything from cheapie feeder goldfish, frogs, koi, etc.
I hope that you found this article about backyard pond installation helpful. If you would like to save some money with your project be sure to check out DealDash. DealDash offers both Lowe’s and Petco gift cards up for auction regularly. Check out the Gift Card category on DealDash and see how much you can save! Good luck and happy bidding everyone!
