Underlayment / Overlayment?

[GBBUDD]

As the temps drop the splash from the falls creates and igloo . insulating the water from the extreme cold 3 out of 4 water drops right now are covered over this way.

 

[ATP]

it's between 300 and 400 bucks a day for a mini excavator my back is well worth the money. Plus you can make adjustments which there will be as it is your first build. But with an excavator YOU HAVE to remember as well a 15 foot reach is well more then a mini has and add three feet deep you have to dig from the center out of from all four sides. or start at one side and you work your way out . now if your doing rock around an in the pond that may require equipment as well . i used a all terrain fork truck for that. it all depends on your soils your site restrictions. there's more to it then just moving a joy stick.

I hear the motivated i broke ground the day after x mass. Now some may so ok so what. i'm in new england. not the best time of year to start excavating

Good point on the excavator. i didnt think about having to dig from center out. Yes, using rock. I would like to get the biggest that I can still muscle around and get into place but if i can find rocks that are heavier than i can lift I woud be open to renting something.

I noticed you were able to find a lot of large rock. Did you just get them from quarries, mainly? The large rocks really give it that professional looks IMO.

Yes, I guess you could start digging in winter in the NorthEast with machine but you may be limited in other areas. I have to imagine you dont want the fresh dug hole to be in the elements for long.

 

[combatwombat]

@ATP, my friend... get that excavator. Whatever you have to do. Get it. It's a game changer. Opened up so many options on my pond that would have been impossible without it.

Takes a day to learn the controls (but a lifetime to master), so you can get to work quickly. Recommend testing reach/weight limits over level ground before lifting any large boulders into the pond. They can pick up and move really heavy stuff when you're right next to them, but the weight limit drops quickly as you start to reach with that weight. Just like your arms.

Anyway, get the machine if you can. If you can't, you can still make a great pond. You'll just have to use smaller rocks or figure out how The Egyptians worked.

 

[GBBUDD]

The biggest part to equipment and a rookie with any machine is keep the throttle down . the arm moves slower but also has less strength so untill you get the hang of it keep it slow and NO ONE comes within reach of the machine.

 

[addy1]

Mine is very simple, pvc and pea gravel. Been running for over 10 years with me only pulling excess plant growth, the pond has great water readings. The fish are healthy and I hope happy!

It is 2.5 feet deep plus minus, 27 or so feet long. The wood is the wall between the pond and the bog. One liner went over everything.
Ignore the red lines, don't remember what I was pointing out at the time. The biggest expense was the truck load of pea gravel, not counting the liner.

 

[ATP]

Mine is very simple, pvc and pea gravel. Been running for over 10 years with me only pulling excess plant growth, the pond has great water readings. The fish are healthy and I hope happy!

It is 2.5 feet deep plus minus, 27 or so feet long. The wood is the wall between the pond and the bog. One liner went over everything.
Ignore the red lines, don't remember what I was pointing out at the time. The biggest expense was the truck load of pea gravel, not counting the liner.
View attachment 146718View attachment 146719

Thanks for the pictures Addy1. its your success with the shallow bog that has made me lean toward that in my build. Plus I have years of experience in the saltwater reef hobby and have gotten pretty comfortable with PVC.

I like the idea of having the bog right next to the pond, however I am not sure I will be able to make a slightly raised bog look natural without having to stack some rocks between it and the pond.

I havent even thought about the pea gravel and cost. I will factor that in. I was thinking that would be the cheap part. At least that is something i can probably get with my truck and save on delivery fees.

 

[brokensword]

Thanks for the pictures Addy1. its your success with the shallow bog that has made me lean toward that in my build. Plus I have years of experience in the saltwater reef hobby and have gotten pretty comfortable with PVC.

I like the idea of having the bog right next to the pond, however I am not sure I will be able to make a slightly raised bog look natural without having to stack some rocks between it and the pond.

I havent even thought about the pea gravel and cost. I will factor that in. I was thinking that would be the cheap part. At least that is something i can probably get with my truck and save on delivery fees.

ATP; ah, her's is one of the deeper builds, so do take note. But we have a lot of shallow boggers (almost typed 'shallow buggers'; heh, Freudian slip??) here, no major issues that I'm aware of!

If you make a 'wall' either of wood or stone/blocks, then cover over with your liner, that will get you the required height (6" minimum) to get your waterfall exit back to the pond. And if you want to camo this liner, do as I did and make sure you have a shelf wide enough IN FRONT of this wall-under-liner to support your facia, no matter what it ends up being. (pics in my showcase, for example).

I want to say a yard of pea gravel (in Mi) cost me about $40. I used 3 yds for the 12" top of MY bog (20'x3'x3 deep).

 

[GBBUDD]

Thanks for the pictures Addy1. its your success with the shallow bog that has made me lean toward that in my build. Plus I have years of experience in the saltwater reef hobby and have gotten pretty comfortable with PVC.

I like the idea of having the bog right next to the pond, however I am not sure I will be able to make a slightly raised bog look natural without having to stack some rocks between it and the pond.

I haven't even thought about the pea gravel and cost. I will factor that in. I was thinking that would be the cheap part. At least that is something i can probably get with my truck and save on delivery fees.

a bog / pond build is almost a waste of time without a water fall . you have the energy already pumped. if the spillway is two feet or even just a foot higher it is definitely the focal point and the sound is second to none

 

[GBBUDD]

At least that is something i can probably get with my truck and save on delivery fees.

talk to @poconojoe about getting the rock your self and how many loads are needed unless you have a 350 you dont carry much at all

 

[brokensword]

talk to @poconojoe about getting the rock your self and how many loads are needed unless you have a 350 you dont carry much at all

I second this; I USED to haul bed loads with my pickup a long time ago but the wear and tear, the multiple trips, wasn't worth the delivery fee. Unless you're getting 1/2 yd or less, just have it delivered. When you do this yourself, you'll be double handling the pea stone--first OFF your truck then probably off wherever you're throwing it. Yeah, you can off load into a wheelbarrow but it gets old fast and almost easier to just off load onto a driveway and do it that way. Just have someone dump it for you, preferably as close to the bog as possible!

 

[ATP]

a bog / pond build is almost a waste of time without a water fall . you have the energy already pumped. if the spillway is two feet or even just a foot higher it is definitely the focal point and the sound is second to none

Yes, definately is going to have a waterfall. just needs to figure out how I connect it to the rest of the pond. As of now it will be separate with one end a few feet away and that is where the waterfall will go. Not a big drop but enough to create a splash (hopefully).

 

[ATP]

talk to @poconojoe about getting the rock your self and how many loads are needed unless you have a 350 you dont carry much at all

I second this; I USED to haul bed loads with my pickup a long time ago but the wear and tear, the multiple trips, wasn't worth the delivery fee. Unless you're getting 1/2 yd or less, just have it delivered. When you do this yourself, you'll be double handling the pea stone--first OFF your truck then probably off wherever you're throwing it. Yeah, you can off load into a wheelbarrow but it gets old fast and almost easier to just off load onto a driveway and do it that way. Just have someone dump it for you, preferably as close to the bog as possible!

Yes, I do know this. I bought my truck for towing a camper not hauling anything in the bed and rock is heavy. My minivan has the same payload as my fullsize truck. Delivery unless I need to grab some bags or a small load.

 

[GBBUDD]

Good point on the excavator. i didnt think about having to dig from center out. Yes, using rock. I would like to get the biggest that I can still muscle around and get into place but if i can find rocks that are heavier than i can lift I would be open to renting something.

I noticed you were able to find a lot of large rock. Did you just get them from quarries, mainly? The large rocks really give it that professional looks IMO.

Yes, I guess you could start digging in winter in the NorthEast with machine but you may be limited in other areas. I have to imagine you dont want the fresh dug hole to be in the elements for to long

NO i stumbled upon a person who asked if i could remove a bunch of rocks for him that were next to a project i was doing. I could not touch them with the project but i could personally, and i had just started looking at the garden ponds but only a small version. He did not have all that i needed by any means the rest was spoils and a lot of hand loading from the project. I did get a couple choice pieces from a dealer but they were local rock spoils from someone else's job but i didn't pay any where near what you would from a landscape yard. there's a whole discussion about it and where to look for rock in my build

That was my biggest mistake as the hole was exposed all winter. At first i did nothing then i just threw straw at it which helped but then had a million points starw ends poking out toward what would be the liner that i had to deal with , and then came the freeze thaw freeze thaw that started to under mine the patio.

 

[addy1]

I havent even thought about the pea gravel and cost

I had to get 38000 lbs of the stuff, maybe it was 35000 will need to look it up again. Took that much to fill the bog. I had the truck load dumped right near the bog, used my tractor and bucket to haul it into the bog. The liner handled the driving on it.

 

[brokensword]

I had to get 38000 lbs of the stuff, maybe it was 35000 will need to look it up again. Took that much to fill the bog. I had the truck load dumped right near the bog, used my tractor and bucket to haul it into the bog. The liner handled the driving on it.

and now we ALL know where the 'quickstone' trap came from that surrounds the moat! Finally! I don't hafta keep THAT secret anymore!