home depot had NO selection. do they come out with more styles as it turns more toward spring? or is it the same selection then also?
Full Version: Guess What!
my mom said that i can have a pond!!! an inground one!!! and that i can choose what i want it to look like, how much and what fish!!!! yay!!!!!!! i've looked at lowes online but they dont have much of a selection. (i want a preformed one home depot had NO selection. do they come out with more styles as it turns more toward spring? or is it the same selection then also?
home depot had NO selection. do they come out with more styles as it turns more toward spring? or is it the same selection then also?
ok faye has now talked me into doing my own with a liner and stuff. we are currently talking it through b/c i am thoroughly confused lol!
Chelsea, how did you manage to convince your mom to allow it? Wonderful!!!
Our HomeDepot has usually 4-5 shapes in preformed ponds available, but you can not go by Florida standards, we plant the veggies and impatients in the middle of winter!
I am sure they will have more selection in your neighborhood when the warmer weather approaches....
All you need for now is a shovel and some strong arms....Who is gonna do the digging?
Our HomeDepot has usually 4-5 shapes in preformed ponds available, but you can not go by Florida standards, we plant the veggies and impatients in the middle of winter!
I am sure they will have more selection in your neighborhood when the warmer weather approaches....All you need for now is a shovel and some strong arms....Who is gonna do the digging?
Congrats,
If I could give you one piece of advice when you use a liner get a (EPDM 45 MIL) liner. They are readily available and not much more expensive than what most home centers offer and are a thousand times better. They even come with a 20 year warrranty. Good luck and I wish you the best.
If I could give you one piece of advice when you use a liner get a (EPDM 45 MIL) liner. They are readily available and not much more expensive than what most home centers offer and are a thousand times better. They even come with a 20 year warrranty. Good luck and I wish you the best.
thanks for the advice guys! i intend on helping as much as possible! i think we are probably gonna go through with using the liner construction, as its less expensive faye said. i was thinking 100 gals? or is that HUUUUUUUGE? i'd like to do maybe at least that many so i can do at least 10 gf.
YOu can get to 100 gl pretty fast, but why not more since you are already having all the work? Dig a little deeper and wider, before your mom notices, and then there goes the familiar "Ooops, I didnt pay attention! But since its already there, why not buy some more liner?" 
And there is always the thinking that the water temperature is more stable with water. If you dig a bit deeper, the fish might be able to stay out there in the winter.
And there is always the thinking that the water temperature is more stable with water. If you dig a bit deeper, the fish might be able to stay out there in the winter.
you are right! i was talking to my mom this morning and she said "chelsea, the only reason we havent done this already is that there is no where for the dirt that we dig up to go." any ideas? i had a feeling there was gonna be a catch.
There is always a spot for the dirt to go. Put it on the rest of the lawn, sort of like fertilizer, it will make the grass grow better. Or haul it off to our property, we need to raise the level a bit more before we can start putting the house on top!
Sell it to the neighbors, and they can use it as fertilizer for their grass!
Sell it to the neighbors, and they can use it as fertilizer for their grass!
i came up with the idea of dumping it on a construction lot but she said its really heavy and theres no way we could do that. i think we should dilute it and pour it into the sink hole hehe.
Why not use it too build up the base of a waterfall.
(Ill can't wait until i move into a house so i can remake a inground pond)
ohh jetman that is smart thinking! but the only thing is, what about the rest of the dirt? i want to go for the biggest i can make lol. (you watch- it will really be like 400gallons and i'll just TELL my mom its only 100. haha!)
You could try putting an ad out for free dirt. I know of a place that used free dirt from someone's construction project to fill in a valley and make buildable land. Unless you get carried away you won't have THAT much dirt 
, but I'm sure there'll be someone out there who wants it for something, especially once spring rolls around and people are more in the landscaping mood.
, but I'm sure there'll be someone out there who wants it for something, especially once spring rolls around and people are more in the landscaping mood.
You will be surprised at how fast you can dig a pond. Me and my two sister-in-laws dug a 20fx6f in just one day. We stated approx. 4:00pm and by 12pm the next day it was done and full of water. We used a garden tiler to dig when the ground got hard. Man, that was fun. Has any one used the thick painters plastic for liners. My sister-in-law has and she hasn't had any problm for three years now. Don't forget to have a shalf around the sides for potted plants.
Here is another tip: You can use some of the dirt too build up the sides around the pond.
Whenever you build a pond make sure that the water level of your pond is at least 2-4 inches higher than the ground level (with 4"-6" being better) and this way you will not get any runoff in it. If your water level in the pond is lower than ground level you will be asking for problems.
I also like your sneaky idea of making it bigger and the best way too do this is too dig it deeper. Your fish will thank you. Just remember you did not hear that from me.
Whenever you build a pond make sure that the water level of your pond is at least 2-4 inches higher than the ground level (with 4"-6" being better) and this way you will not get any runoff in it. If your water level in the pond is lower than ground level you will be asking for problems.
I also like your sneaky idea of making it bigger and the best way too do this is too dig it deeper. Your fish will thank you. Just remember you did not hear that from me.
Im not sure how big to make it.(How many gals)
b.oranda, youre probably gonna want to go with at least 100 gals but maybe bigger (thats what andrea said kinda).http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=56569-000001569-LP7918 see, that doesnt look very big does it? my parents i think want to go with a preformed one. they dont seem to understand that its CHEAPER to go the other direction (not to mention if we used the preformed then i wouldnt be able to be sneaky haha) so im trying to talk them into that.
Chelsea,
I'm glad to hear that your parents are going to let your have a pond. The question I have is are you going to have koi or goldfish? If koi 100 gallons isn't nearly big enough (IMHO). I've always felt one should decide how big they want the pond to be then make it bigger. For some reason we (maybe not all) but I know myself and other ponders build our first pond smaller than what we'd have liked. It's easy to do when considering the cost and of course the work involved in building it. My first pond was 100 gallons and the first year I thought it looked big. When the newness wore off I realized it wasn't really as big as I liked. Since then I added to my pond several times and finally I have the pond that I really wanted in the begining. It took me seven years, a lot more work then needed and probably twice as much money. So here is my suggestion. Get your parents involved in figuring out the best solution for your pond. Remind them that they said you could have one
but that if your going to put one in it's gotta be right. Your not only building it for your enjoyment, but theirs as well, plus the health of the future inhabitants has to be thought of. The pond will add to the property value, which is a big plus.
The pond liner is the best way to go. The preform ponds aren't so deep. If you live in a warm climate the depth isn't so much a worry as if it get's cold where you live. Unless of course you are not going to put fish in the pond? If there are going to be fish and your pond isn't deep enough cats will be after your fish (I lost 5 koi 2 of them were 12" last year to cats) please don't make this mistake. I was heartbroken when I found scales all over the deck where the cat had taken one of my prized koi. At the begining of last spring my pond was 3 ft. at it's deepest but mostly between 1 and 2 ft. the water was heated all winter, and it held about 1,200 gallons. After the cat incident, which occured in the spring, I dug my pond out to 5 ft at the deepest up to 1 ft where the plants are. It's approx. 4,000 gallons now.
Okay, I rattled enough, but I hope I haven't detered you. Having a pond is fun and relaxing. You might want to check out the Koivet.com message board for some good ideas on building your pond properly. You can never do enough research on this. Good luck!!!!!
Scott
http://www.81x.com/pond/mypond
I'm glad to hear that your parents are going to let your have a pond. The question I have is are you going to have koi or goldfish? If koi 100 gallons isn't nearly big enough (IMHO). I've always felt one should decide how big they want the pond to be then make it bigger. For some reason we (maybe not all) but I know myself and other ponders build our first pond smaller than what we'd have liked. It's easy to do when considering the cost and of course the work involved in building it. My first pond was 100 gallons and the first year I thought it looked big. When the newness wore off I realized it wasn't really as big as I liked. Since then I added to my pond several times and finally I have the pond that I really wanted in the begining. It took me seven years, a lot more work then needed and probably twice as much money. So here is my suggestion. Get your parents involved in figuring out the best solution for your pond. Remind them that they said you could have one
but that if your going to put one in it's gotta be right. Your not only building it for your enjoyment, but theirs as well, plus the health of the future inhabitants has to be thought of. The pond will add to the property value, which is a big plus. The pond liner is the best way to go. The preform ponds aren't so deep. If you live in a warm climate the depth isn't so much a worry as if it get's cold where you live. Unless of course you are not going to put fish in the pond? If there are going to be fish and your pond isn't deep enough cats will be after your fish (I lost 5 koi 2 of them were 12" last year to cats) please don't make this mistake. I was heartbroken when I found scales all over the deck where the cat had taken one of my prized koi. At the begining of last spring my pond was 3 ft. at it's deepest but mostly between 1 and 2 ft. the water was heated all winter, and it held about 1,200 gallons. After the cat incident, which occured in the spring, I dug my pond out to 5 ft at the deepest up to 1 ft where the plants are. It's approx. 4,000 gallons now.
Okay, I rattled enough, but I hope I haven't detered you. Having a pond is fun and relaxing. You might want to check out the Koivet.com message board for some good ideas on building your pond properly. You can never do enough research on this. Good luck!!!!!
Scott
http://www.81x.com/pond/mypond
thats really cool chelsea, and its much better to do it with liner the pre formed ones can give way if the ground shifts
yay for u \o/
the pre formed ones can give way if the ground shifts yay for u \o/
omg i just saw those posts, scott and kev! im sorry! no, scott you didnt deter me- you educated me!
the preformed deals make good "pre-ponds" for the water falls to splash into. then you can have two or even three waterfalls to further aireate your water. use the displaced dirt and stone to build up under the waterfall and catch pond, and to fill in planters around your pond where you will plant the flowers and leafy green things that will shade your water and give your fish protection from the sun.
i agree you should figure out how big you want to go, then increase it by ten percent or so. much like tanks, once you get it in, you will want to go bigger. and the liner way is by far better. damage that may occur is actually repairable in a liner pond, but not so likely to be able to be repaired in a preform, because of the composition of the preformed liners.
i agree you should figure out how big you want to go, then increase it by ten percent or so. much like tanks, once you get it in, you will want to go bigger. and the liner way is by far better. damage that may occur is actually repairable in a liner pond, but not so likely to be able to be repaired in a preform, because of the composition of the preformed liners.
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