Mine won't have gravel around it so I suppose I should stop at the stones. Anyway I'll cross that bridge when I've dug another hole. How much space should I leave between the pond and the fence? I don't want the liner slipping into the pond on that side. Plenty of room on other sides so I don't think that will be an issue.
I have always dug out a central pit at least 4ft in diametre and 4ft deep from the finished water level to allow any fish, critters etc. to hibernate during the winter and me not have to worry about the pond freezing over. When I finish a pond I float some ceramic stones on the surface to create air holes and to save having to break any ice. I have always folded any surplus liner back over the edge of the pond, onto the surrounding soil, usually around 12 inches minimum. It will be weighted down by paving, slabs, or whatever you decide to edge your pond with. The space between the fence and the edge of the pond should be wide enough for you to walk around the pond easily and safely for maintenance etc. My sister built her pond close to the bottom of a fence and she was never able to get to the far side of her pond, a pain in the proverbial. Avoid any edging stones, gravel or pebbles, etc. small enough to be knocked or rolled into the pond. It is a real pain to retrieve them. Despite you thinking no one will want to go all the way around your pond or get close enough to the edge to knock anything in, believe me, someone will want to get really close to see clearly what is going on in the water. It will very likely be you! Ponds are irresistible and addictive. They are also terrible time wasters. A cup of tea, a folding chair and a biscuit or two beside one and you can easily lose a couple of hours just sitting and watching. Allow for a shelf all the way around your pond, except for the beach area, to stand plant pots on, it needs to be 9-12 ins wide. Good luck and enjoy.
I built my pond on my own, with a spade, during the first lockdown - it's quite large about 4m x 3m - but I absolutely love it, it has given so much interest and pleasure. I had a nightmare trying to hide the liner edge of the flexible liner - thanks to some help from this forum I have eventually managed using a combination of grasses and creepers, but if I could do it all again I'd go for a pre formed liner. Because I wanted it to be a wildlife pond I followed the guidelines of several wildlife books and I filled it all with (low fertility) soil to plant in, rather than using baskets. Although it's been good to hide unsightly baskets and plants have germinated like mad, if I could do it all again I wouldn't use soil. Although the wildlife absolutely loves it, it is messier and also means you can't have a filter. The water is by no means stagnant as if you fill it with enough oxygenators (you do have to be patient) the water becomes mostly clear, but if you fancy having a bit of movement in your pond (eg a waterfall) it becomes very tricky to do if you've used soil vs baskets. Hope any of this helps! Good luck - be prepared for it to look a little unsightly for the first 8-10 months, but it will fix itself and be an absolute joy!
Had a look around GC prices are extortionate . Call it pond equipment whack on £100. Looks the same as stuff you'd get in a builders or plumber's merchants to me
I think pond-specific stuff is probably a bit more robust and build with things like UV exposure in mind. My large window box was £20. The equivalent dimensions of a pond box that size were £120. Hopefully a window box will be built with UV exposure in mind.
It's probably not worth skimping on liners etc. I have old carpet if you need some for underlining.
Still haven't made up my mind. Someone has offered us a performed job but I haven't seen it. I found the aquatics department as confusing as a coffee shop ( I don't drink coffee).
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I have always folded any surplus liner back over the edge of the pond, onto the surrounding soil, usually around 12 inches minimum. It will be weighted down by paving, slabs, or whatever you decide to edge your pond with.
The space between the fence and the edge of the pond should be wide enough for you to walk around the pond easily and safely for maintenance etc. My sister built her pond close to the bottom of a fence and she was never able to get to the far side of her pond, a pain in the proverbial.
Avoid any edging stones, gravel or pebbles, etc. small enough to be knocked or rolled into the pond. It is a real pain to retrieve them. Despite you thinking no one will want to go all the way around your pond or get close enough to the edge to knock anything in, believe me, someone will want to get really close to see clearly what is going on in the water. It will very likely be you!
Ponds are irresistible and addictive. They are also terrible time wasters. A cup of tea, a folding chair and a biscuit or two beside one and you can easily lose a couple of hours just sitting and watching.
Allow for a shelf all the way around your pond, except for the beach area, to stand plant pots on, it needs to be 9-12 ins wide.
Good luck and enjoy.
I found the aquatics department as confusing as a coffee shop ( I don't drink coffee).