| As my garden was in a mess {an over grown field with a rotten fence around it} I did fancy tidying it up a bit. So what better excuse to build a pond and landscape it at the same time and this will keep the wife happy as well.
So a year went by and the thought of a pond was still in the back of my mind, one evening when I was surfing the net I stumbled on to Koi Cymru. I actually went to bed that Friday night at 5.30am all the questions I ever wanted to know was laid out before me and there were other Koi keepers out there just like me, but had took the plunge and with the help of K/C took time to send in there pics of their pride and joy and how they built it.
That was it, my mind made upand I did the drawings in M/S Paint and set a date of mid September when it was a bit cooler to work out side.
I built the pond myself, but as I had no experience on filtration I decided to buy my filters ready made.
Later when I got a bit more confident and understood how the filters worked I did eventually build my own and they are working very well indeed.
I finished the whole garden project this year May 2006 and we have had a number of garden parties and BBQ's. Everyone ends up around the pond looking at the fish (the pond is lit up at night) drinking their wine and commenting on how relaxing it looks. Nice feeling that!.
We have had our evening meals outside on the decking during the summer months and when my wife is not looking I throw in a slice of bread and to watch “my little ones” enjoying there treat is a sight to behold.
Work started on the pond on Monday 19th September 2005.
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I have a friend that had the use of the digger for a week this saved a few bob. This work was done in the evenings as the digger was needed during the day.
We worked into the night for a week digging and dumping the dirt into a wheel barrow that I then dumped by hand into the skip at the front of the house about 34 tons and 3 skips. Hard work that. |
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A trench was also dug to lay ducting for the mains power for the filters and pumps.
This was run from my workshop on the other side of the garden. |
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The dirt that we dug out was solid clay and lumps of spar {Crystallised rock}. It was very hard does not suffer from cave in even when full of rain water |
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The bottom drain was fitted to remove the waist from the bottom of the pond. |
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Nine inches of solid concrete was mixed and laid down also six inches was placed under the bottom drain to support it. It did not need any steel support in the concrete base as the ground was so hard. |
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Click on any image to see a larger image |
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