A pond is a beautiful and tranquil way to transform your static garden into an oasis of colour and life. Whether you decide to add goldfish or Koi to your pond, or just choose to have water plants to attract birds and insects, your pond will give you endless hours of pleasure.

There are, however, a few careful considerations you need to make before you begin the big dig! Detailed planning concerning the shape, depth and location of your pond, as well as what building materials to choose, will help make sure you end up with the perfect pond.

Safety First

Depending on the size of your pond, and where you’re hoping to put it, there may be certain municipal by-laws and building regulations that come into play. How far from your boundary wall will be pond be, for example? You will also have to have the pond fenced or secured in some way, in the same way as you would a swimming pool. Make sure you make allowances for this in your planning.

Size Matters

One of the most common complaints from people who have built ponds is that they made it too small, so think very carefully right from the beginning what you want to use the pool for, and design its size according. A Koi pond, for example, should be at least 4000 litres in volume, and a minimum of a metre deep, although 1.5 or even 2 metres would be better. Koi hibernate in the winter, so it’s very important that your pond is deep enough to allow them to do this.

Location, Location, Location

The idea of having a pond is for you to be able to see and enjoy it. So, it’s not much good if the only suitable place is far from your house where no one will ever go. The pond also needs to be positioned so that rain water run off won’t flow into it, as it could carry fertilisers, organic debris and chemicals into the water, all of which are potentially harmful to the fish. If you’re only having fish in your pond, then it’s fine to put it in the shade, but if you want to grow water lilies, for example, the pond will need at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun every day. You also need to make sure that your soil is stable enough to support a pond, and that the area you’re going to be digging in is not transversed by water pipes, electric cables or sewer lines.

Pool Spa and Filtration Supplies has been helping people build ponds and pools for over 30 years. We stock a variety of pond supplies, including liners, planting baskets, filtration systems and many more. Come and chat to us about plans for your pond – we’d love to help.