Hi guys,
I recently completed my new gravel bio/veggie filter project and now, after perhaps surprising myself with the DIY handywork of my father and I, I have decided that I really want to build a new pond. I've dreamt up a design and everything.
As I've mentioned before, we have a bridge over my current pond that leads to a large decking patio. The thing is, in 2011 we converted our shed that was joined to the back of our house into a large dining room, and added two patio doors out onto a slabbed patio area with outdoor dining table, outdoor seating area and a built in brick barbecue and clay pizza oven. This means that the patio is now completely unused, apart from for a washing line.
The decking area is approximately 4 metres x 10 metres. What I really want to do is to take up the decking boards (trying not to be bitten by one of the resident snakes). I would then cut away the decking supports and refit them to allow a square hole to be dug in the middle, approximately 7 metres x 3 metres. What I would then like to do is dig down approximately 2-3 feets, and build in some foundations.
I would then intend to build a square wall which would have two sections - one 7m x 1m, and the other section 7m x 2m. I would fit 2 bottom drains and a surface skimmer, which would be run with an inline pump (housed at the rear of the pond in a pump house) and this would then pump the dirty water into the bottom of the gravel/bio filter section (the 7mx1m brick section). The water would rise through the gravel bio filter (with a sump to drain waste regularly) and then would poor into the pond (the 7mx2m brick section running parallel to the filter). I would raise the rear and sides of the 7mx1m filter up, so that the pond side formed several nice overflows into the pond (like the stainless steel waterfall/waterfeatures with water troughs). The top of the gravel filter will have about 6 inches free water with loads of nice water plants - reeds, mint, hyacinth, etc etc.
Does this sound like a feasible design? Can you seal brickwork or do you have to put a liner in? What products are recommended to do this? And has anybody built any ponds of a similar design?
Many thanks in anticipation.
Ps. This isn't anything that will happen anytime soon - it will probably be planned, and then I will acquire as much of the kit as possible through summer (as and when I get some disposable income, which is like rocking horse poo given I'm a student!) and start the project in autumn, in order to concentrate on cycling the pond over the winter and ready to stock in spring 2013! By which time I'll hopefully have persuaded one of the ambulance services to recruit me and will have a bit of money to invest in stocking it!
Regards,
Ed
I recently completed my new gravel bio/veggie filter project and now, after perhaps surprising myself with the DIY handywork of my father and I, I have decided that I really want to build a new pond. I've dreamt up a design and everything.
As I've mentioned before, we have a bridge over my current pond that leads to a large decking patio. The thing is, in 2011 we converted our shed that was joined to the back of our house into a large dining room, and added two patio doors out onto a slabbed patio area with outdoor dining table, outdoor seating area and a built in brick barbecue and clay pizza oven. This means that the patio is now completely unused, apart from for a washing line.
The decking area is approximately 4 metres x 10 metres. What I really want to do is to take up the decking boards (trying not to be bitten by one of the resident snakes). I would then cut away the decking supports and refit them to allow a square hole to be dug in the middle, approximately 7 metres x 3 metres. What I would then like to do is dig down approximately 2-3 feets, and build in some foundations.
I would then intend to build a square wall which would have two sections - one 7m x 1m, and the other section 7m x 2m. I would fit 2 bottom drains and a surface skimmer, which would be run with an inline pump (housed at the rear of the pond in a pump house) and this would then pump the dirty water into the bottom of the gravel/bio filter section (the 7mx1m brick section). The water would rise through the gravel bio filter (with a sump to drain waste regularly) and then would poor into the pond (the 7mx2m brick section running parallel to the filter). I would raise the rear and sides of the 7mx1m filter up, so that the pond side formed several nice overflows into the pond (like the stainless steel waterfall/waterfeatures with water troughs). The top of the gravel filter will have about 6 inches free water with loads of nice water plants - reeds, mint, hyacinth, etc etc.
Does this sound like a feasible design? Can you seal brickwork or do you have to put a liner in? What products are recommended to do this? And has anybody built any ponds of a similar design?
Many thanks in anticipation.
Ps. This isn't anything that will happen anytime soon - it will probably be planned, and then I will acquire as much of the kit as possible through summer (as and when I get some disposable income, which is like rocking horse poo given I'm a student!) and start the project in autumn, in order to concentrate on cycling the pond over the winter and ready to stock in spring 2013! By which time I'll hopefully have persuaded one of the ambulance services to recruit me and will have a bit of money to invest in stocking it!
Regards,
Ed