Three months ago, I received a call from a previous client who said he needed to quarantine his fish and two turtles off-site for a year. This was unexpected, because he had just built his dream home — and his dream pond — in 2016. He had decided to build a new home and pond, […]
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Just over two years ago, a former client contacted me about a new pond construction and design project. I had designed a 20,000-gallon pond for him and his wife about 10 years prior, and I figured he was calling about a pond issue. To my surprise, he had a new project coming up and asked […]
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I’ve had calls in the past about turtles and turtle ponds, and I always try my best to advise people on any related construction needs. But I have to say that desert tortoises are a little different. A rule of thumb is that ponds built near a tortoise habitat should be raised or securely fenced […]
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When the new owner of a yet-to-be-built home wants a koi pond and the house gets built around it, the pond shell is often the first concrete to be installed. This project started in late 2019 and finished in the spring of 2021. The pond is a trapezoid-shaped interior koi pond inside the home’s entrance […]
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The aesthetic aspect of pond design incorporates many characteristics, such as edge treatment, spill or waterfall type, bridges and, sometimes, islands. Island construction can come in various forms depending on the technique, but the visual impact and the portion above the water line are usually all the customer is interested in. The designer or contractor […]
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When it comes to pond construction methods, there are several types to consider. One of the most common methods is using a rubber liner or other flexible sheet over dirt. This is by far the easiest, and when used in an area with very stable earth, it can work well over a long period of […]
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Circulation for ponds is an aspect of design that needs to be addressed early on. Many of us have had to assess a poorly performing pond only to determine that, even with good equipment, one of the main problems is poor circulation. This can be in the form of debris that collects in some areas […]
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The water feature industry is relatively young when compared to most of the established trades within construction, so it’s not uncommon to see seminars at sales conferences that focus on the bidding of a project, selling a project and closing on a deal. No question, the initial project consultation should instill confidence in the customer […]
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After 20 years in this industry, I have found that many products manufactured for pond construction are just new versions of components and methods that have been around for years. This begs the question, when did it all start? Who were the creators of our industry’s components? Most of us have no idea about the […]
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The most common pond size across the country is 2,000 gallons. Potential customers often call me asking, “How much will it cost to build a 2,000-gallon pond?” Unfortunately, this question can never be answered over the phone without further consultation. So many factors are involved in making individual decisions about a specific design, including location, […]
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