Want to Put a Pond in Your Back Yard?

With Spring just around the corner, many of us are starting to think about what to plant in the garden this year, or about when we can have our first barbecue without fearing the rain. But how many of you are dreaming a bit bigger — perhaps of building a pond in your backyard? My dad and step-mother did, and with my help, we made it a reality about 5 years ago. They have since sold their house in Kirkland, WA, but the pond is still there (switch to the “South” view for a better look). The cost? My family ended up spending about $4,000. That may seem like a lot, however, my dad’s friend recently got a $50,000 quote for something similar to what we created! Obviously, the price will vary depending on the quality of the finished product and the amount of work you are willing to do yourself. Here is how we went about the process:

Before — A lush green lawn.

Mid-Excavation — There’s nothing like digging with a Takeuchi trackhoe. This part of the project was definitely the most fun. (Yup, that’s me!)

Final Product — A nice 16’ x 20’ pond, complete with mini-waterfall.

We even stocked the pond with goldfish and several koi (the larger white fish), a fish closely related to the goldfish that originated in China.

I’m not going to say it’s not hard work, but it is POSSIBLE to do the work yourself. If you’re interested, here are some tips & tricks my family learned during the process:

• The pond needs to be deep enough to avoid freezing over in cold areas — although in some colder climates this may be hard to avoid!
• Line pond with a rubber liner to avoid leakage. Use newspaper (thick) or an old carpet under the liner so the rocks underneath don’t tear it. The latest tactic is to spray with gunnite or concrete so you don’t have to cover the liner with pebbles.
• You’ll need a powered water pump to cycle water from your pond to your waterfall. A 100 volt power source near your pump is required - this needs to be run underground to protect it from the weather. Don’t forget a power source for lighting above and beyond the pump!
• For the waterfall, you can use fake rocks (fiberglass), which are easier to position
• Don’t feed the goldfish! They can live off the plants (just make sure you get ones they will find appetizing). And for the record, Herons find goldfish quite appetizing — we ended up putting a net over the pond to keep predators from eating our fish (yes - herons really ate our fish!)
• To help cleanse the pond water, put some Barley (like a bail of straw) at the top of the waterfall. No chemicals need to be added to the pond, but the water will evaporate. To replenish with water, just use your garden hose
• Plan your pond placement so as to avoid tree roots if possible. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself sawing through tree roots (not fun — trust me!)
• In heavy rain — there will be some flooding. We added a french drain in the corner of the yard so the excess water stayed in our yard and not the neighbors
• There is a negative — liability. A pond is similar to a pool — if a kid falls into your pond, a lawsuit from their family is certainly a possibility. Make sure to place a “No Trespassing” sign on any gates leading into your backyard to protect yourself.

For those do-it-yourselfers who wish to embark on the process — I’ve created a wiki page titled “Constructing a Pond in Your Backyard” for everyone to collaborate on tips, tricks, and resources in your quest to construct your very own pond.

Other Available Resources:

• How to Build a backyard lily pond that contains fish and plants
• On goldfish pond - in your backyard
• Construction of my pond