backyard ponds are out of style now

[Lisak1]

Oh I agree 100%! Building our own pond was an amazing experience for our family. When I am enjoying the peace and beauty of our pond I am reminded of the hard work my kids did to help make that dream come true. But without my three strong sons and their willing hands (and backs and arms) we would have been in no position to build the pond ourselves.

But paying someone for their expertise to build a pond would be totally worth it to me, if I had that choice to make. After all, we didn't build our own house but we still love it and take pride in it. My point to Wayne was $46,000 is totally out of reach for the average person for a pond install. The professional pond builders here work to promote ponds that can be built for far less than that, making a pond affordable for the average homeowner. Now if it was for an entire backyard WITH a pond, patio, landscaping, etc., then that's more in line with what we would expect to pay here.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

The problem with someone else doing all the work is that you don't even know how to fix the minor problems, and then the expenses pile up quickly when you have to call in an expert for every little thing. If you're doing a huge pond and need to hire someone to operate the digging machinery, that's one thing. If you need help designing your filtration system or making certain you don't have any leaks... sure. But if you're going to have a pond, you really need to get in there and take part in the construction. You see or hear about so many cases where someone paid a lot of money for a contractor to come in and design/build the entire pond, then they get upset when there's the initial green water, then they're surprised by Winter maintenance, then they can't afford having someone come in every few months to clean the pond or kill the algae.......... It's just this huge mess, and if they had actually taken some time to learn about their new water feature, they would have discovered that the things they're paying someone else hundreds of dollars to do were actually simple things they could have done themselves in a few minutes, or things that really didn't need to be done at all.

I know I'm rambling, but the point is that I think if people want something, they should take a little time to learn about it.

 

[Lisak1]

I know I'm rambling, but the point is that I think if people want something, they should take a little time to learn about it.

I agree! I think the difference may come in whether the water feature is being added for the sheer beauty of it or whether the pond is going to be a hobby for the owners. We've visited many ponds that were professionally built and maintained and looked like they were rarely visited by their owners - they were simply the gems in a showplace landscape. But for us, our pond is our hobby and our recreation so knowing how it all works is an integral part of the enjoyment for us. As well as being a real source of pride - "hey, we built that!!"

 

[addy1]

To me it is a little slice of paradise for the critters that live near by, in and around the pond. I built it for them and for my enjoyment.

 

[Dave 54]

I agree! I think the difference may come in whether the water feature is being added for the sheer beauty of it or whether the pond is going to be a hobby for the owners. We've visited many ponds that were professionally built and maintained and looked like they were rarely visited by their owners - they were simply the gems in a showplace landscape. But for us, our pond is our hobby and our recreation so knowing how it all works is an integral part of the enjoyment for us. As well as being a real source of pride - "hey, we built that!!"

Totally agree with you Lisa even though Jff has helped create our pond everything weve asked Jeff to do hes done for us but Jeff is doing this as a project up [till he met us he had never made a pond before] and it ill be something he can put in his CV at the end of it .

The problem with someone else doing all the work is that you don't even know how to fix the minor problems, and then the expenses pile up quickly when you have to call in an expert for every little thing. If you're doing a huge pond and need to hire someone to operate the digging machinery, that's one thing. If you need help designing your filtration system or making certain you don't have any leaks... sure. But if you're going to have a pond, you really need to get in there and take part in the construction. You see or hear about so many cases where someone paid a lot of money for a contractor to come in and design/build the entire pond, then they get upset when there's the initial green water, then they're surprised by Winter maintenance, then they can't afford having someone come in every few months to clean the pond or kill the algae.......... It's just this huge mess, and if they had actually taken some time to learn about their new water feature, they would have discovered that the things they're paying someone else hundreds of dollars to do were actually simple things they could have done themselves in a few minutes, or things that really didn't need to be done at all.

I know I'm rambling, but the point is that I think if people want something, they should take a little time to learn about it.

We went into pond keeping at the deep end we either had to quit there and then or move over to a pond enviroment
This pond we had to retro fit into a foot print that didnt ht the original build so it caused us major problems .
We got around that by over engineering everything making sure that there were no leaks .
.It left us problem with access to the valves but by thinking on our feet weve worked a way round that .
We over-thought everything from the pipework through to the insulation for the winter and it worked thankfully we did get help from other pond keepers from the club who have stood by and talked us through every inch of the way .
I wont say its not been a struggle because it has but its paid off for us

Dave

 

[Lisak1]

An article in the June issue of Forbes magazine (primarily about Aquascape) had this to say about the pond business and the future of the back yard pond:

"And slowly the pond industry is climbing back. Last year Aquascape netted $2.8 million on $35 million in revenue, and it projects double-digit growth this year. One competitor, New Jersey-based Savio Engineering, had $6 million in sales in 2014 and is seeing a 15% increase this year, says its president, Valerie Steele".

In another part of the article it's stated that 30% of Aquascapes revenue today is from DIY pond builders.

 

[sissy]

I feel a lot of people don't want ponds because they don't want more work or putout more money for all the electric and stuff you need .To rebuild my pond last year was less than 1 thousand dollars and that was because I bought 2 laguna pumps and an aerator .Lou I think some of that increase is coming from commercial businesses building ponds .I saw 2 hotels remodel in NC and they both have huge ponds that aquascape did .Up in NJ Raritan Center added a pondless feature and regular pond to attract attention .Also my son said a restaurant that my hubby and I loved to go to added a pond .Here I see mostly farm ponds and even one house on the house tour from a year ago filled in there pond .I was shocked at that because it was a really nice pond

 

[pecan]

I saw a recent study that the Millennial generation (the generation currently joining the workforce and becoming adults) is the first generation that puts more value in experiences rather than possessions. Some may not think that is a bad thing but what it causes is a generation of people who aren't interested in owning a home, they would prefer to spend their money doing things. They don't mind living with their parents well into their 30's. Homes they are interested in are simply a place to stay dry. They don't care about yards or making the house a home.

I believe that affects the growing lack of interest in yards in general, including ponds.

Of course there are always exception but the study I read said this will affect home values in the future. Low maintenance small homes will be sought after over larger homes with landscaped yards.

They say Generation X is the last of the generations who truly value home ownership.

 

[johan]

They say Generation X is the last of the generations who truly value home ownership.

Maybe, but the flipside of the coin is that if home ownership were more affordable, more Generation X would aspire to it. In the south of England and London young people have a really hard time getting on the ladder, it's very sad.

 

[pecan]

Unfortunately here that us not the case. Even after the housing bubble that shattered our economy lenders continue to give loans to people for more than they can afford with bad credit. We did not learn our lesson the first time around and will have another housing crisis because of it.

A guy who works for me just sold his old home and bought a new one. He went to his lender asking for $200,000 which was the max loan he knew he could afford. The lender approved him for $400,000 and tried to convince him to spend that much!!! He knew better and stayed with original $200,000 limit.

Maybe, but the flipside of the coin is that if home ownership were more affordable, more Generation X would aspire to it. In the south of England and London young people have a really hard time getting on the ladder, it's very sad.

 

[sissy]

very true pecan .Here houses sell in the 20 thousand dollar range and you can get fixer uppers as low as 9 thousand .There are 2 houses near the post office that are going up for auction and starting bid is 10 dollars .They are both small 1 bed 1 bath homes on 1 acre and taxes are 43 dollars a year .They are not in bad shape .I looked at them .They are right next door to each other .Need some work but are cute .When I bought my first house in NJ it was less than 40 thousand and I was approved for 60 thousand but I knew I had a budget in mind and stuck to it .Dad did not raise a fool .Here it is cheaper to buy than rent ,apartments for 2 bed 1 1/2 bath are 495 dollars a month ,back in NJ the same is close to 2 thousand a month

 

[Tula]

My daughter is 33 years old, single and makes a very good living. I'm always trying to talk with her about buying a small home or condo, to which she replies " I don't want to be responsible for it." I remember being so excited to buy our first starter home, sigh.

 

[Lisak1]

Young people have changed their attitudes about homeownership. And financial advisors give different advice now than we got. We were told our homes were an investment - obviously lots and lots of people found out that isn't always the case!

But honestly, I wouldn't expect most young people to want to have a pond even if they did have a house. I know when our kids were young, I barely had time to mow the lawn. Gardening was a distant dream! Now that they are all grown and out of the house, we have lots of time to pursue hobbies and ponding/gardening is our hobby of choice. Correction - it's our lifestyle!

 

[sissy]

I was lucky I got out of my house in NJ before the bubble burst .Looking back I got the house preforeclosure but thinking of all the money I could have saved that I put into upgrades on the house was probably what I got back when I sold it .Here I guess it is the same because all I had was dirt and a house that was paid for .Years of landscaping and upgrades cost money .Then you add in the hours of work I put into it .Now I look back and say I was nuts but then I come home after a day out to my little piece of heaven

 

[Tula]

Sissy, What a wonderful piece of heaven you've created