Building Pond Plans!

[attibones]

I'm so excited! My bestie said that she'd let me build a pond in our yard if I can find the place and do all the work. I'm totally pumped! I can't wait.

However, I've still got to figure out how to do it. Anyone know any good resources about how to find an appropriate spot? What sort of dimensions will I need? Any of this.

I'd stock it with a few comet goldfish and maybe some handsome koi. As winter is coming, though, I wouldn't stock the pond until the spring.

 

[Jazziecatz]

Is there a home depot near you?  I know they sell great pond items.

 

[fluttermoth]

If possible, site the pond where it won't get too much direct sunlight, or you'll have problems with green water later.
 
Stay away from trees though (the leaves get blown into the pond in the autumn, and roots can be an issue) and try and find out if there are any drains/sewage pipes so you can avoid those too.
 
If you want koi, you're talking a big pond; at least six or eight feet long and three or four feet deep. Just for goldies, four or five feet around and two foot deep (unless it get's very cold where you are).

 

[attibones]

We have a lot of trees up the slope of our hill to the house, but it levels out nicely. The trees that used to live on the plateau of the hill were cleared a while ago. I suppose I have to look at the plans of the house or find some guy with skills to figure out if there are any pipes or things I've got to watch out for but this one area could be really great. The house itself provides a nice cover from the sun. However, I would also have to clear the area of kudzu which has overwhelmed the slope of the hill and is creeping up to the plateau.

Once I get the area properly surveyed and measured, I'll know for sure how large I can make it, if it will work of course, at that point.

Our winters are pretty warm. We only have a few cold snaps that very rarely get under thirty degrees Fahrenheit which last, at most two weeks before it is back up to 50-60.

Can you guys think of anything else I need to know as I begin the research for this project? Are there any ways to make it more cost effective? I'll be doing all the digging myself, plus it will be my duty to cycle the pond and find all the appropriate tools, as well as stock the pond (the best part, of course).

Is there a home depot near you?  I know they sell great pond items.

I've got a Lowes, which is basically the same thing. I'm going to pop by there today to price some stuff so I can get a general idea of the cost.