Water Feature Decisions

When you are in the process of deciding to build a water feature there are some major decisions to make. A water feature is a number of things. Its an expense and an investment at the same time. If you are selling your house and there is a house down the street in the same price range and similar in design and size and you have a water feature in the back yard cascading the soothing sound of water, which house do you think people will want?

A water feature is also a rather permanent structure and addition to your landscape. A poorly designed water feature can detract as much if not more than a well designed water feature. The materials you make it with and the components you use to make it all work will either add to or take away from the charm of this incredible piece of your landscape.

One of the first decisions to make is the location. Once you have decided on the location the next decision is the liner or the container you will use to hold the water. Here we take a look at the options, their pros and cons and applications to help you decide what will work best for your particular situation. Choose well as the choice you make will be one you will need to live with for a good bit of time.

Pond Construction Instructions

The Pond Liner or Container:

There are basically 4 choices when deciding what your are going to use to hold the water for your pond.

1. Preformed - These are made from fiberglass or PVC. The pros are they thick and not easily punctured and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are the easiest of the 4 to build a waterfall pond with. The drawbacks are you are limited to the available shapes and sizes of the preformed liners and hiding these liners are a bit more difficult then the liners. If you are looking for a quick and easy waterfall pond - this is your choice.

2. Rubber Pond Liner Sheets: There are a large variety of choices here but over the last 5- 10 years these have become much more sophisticated. The good ones thick and come with a 20 year warranty, UVC protected to prolong the liner's life, fish safe and give you much more flexibility in creating your pond. They also allow you the ability to create a stream to feed into your pond which I highly recommend. Its easy to do and adds so much to your water feature you will be grateful many times over that you went the extra distance and included a stream with your water feature. You will need to be careful during construction to make sure you don't puncture the liner. One of the ways I have insured this from happening is to cut a small piece of liner, put that piece under a stepping stone you position at some access point where you are getting in and out of the pond during construction and do not use any other access point to enter or exit the pond. That way you don't have a but after its in it is very secure as long as kids and dogs aren't running through the pond.

3. Cement: I don't recommend this option as it is not fish safe but there are still ponds created this way today. It is more work and once you create the pond, if you ever want to make changes down the road it is near impossible to do without tearing out and repouring your new design. It is the most durable though and if you pour it correctly and strenghthen the concrete with chicken wire and rebar it will be a rather permanent structure for generations to come.

4. Containers: This would provide you with the easiest of choices as they are typically some form of container you might have laying around. Old bathtubs or large barrels, anything that can hold water and be incorporated into the landscape attractively. They typically do not have pump systems and are more or less a holding container for water and some water plants.

There are a few more important decisions to make such as pump size and hardscape work that might be a part of your design. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Enjoy the process, it is incredibly satisfying and fun.

Happy Hubbing