The Fixie Chick blog

Friday, June 20, 2008

Dreaming of a Backyard Pond?

Dreaming of a backyard pond? You can make your dream a reality, and you can do it yourself.

While my husband went off for a day of golf on Father's Day, Mommy went over to the home store. I was browsing for a new patio umbrella and somehow browsed myself right into the pond department. Water features have always interested me, but I never knew I could build one myself. I found a pond "kit" for around $70.00 and decided to skip the umbrella and go for it.

The box read "complete pond kit with water fountain and pump; installs in under two hours." Once I brought it home and opened the box, I found the instructions to be less detailed than I would have liked, so I decided to add my "own" instructions and post them on my blog. If you are dreaming of a backyard pond, start with a pond kit and follow my lead. You can always add on later if you'd like.

I chose a three tier pond kit and decided to bury the basin. I used retaining wall blocks and slate stones that I had around the yard to build up the top two tiers. I finished of the design with some potted plants and round rocks that I found around my house.

STEP ONE: I used the round basin itself to measure the circumference of hole I dug to bury the basin. I dug two inches deeper than the basin and used pea gravel to level the foundation for the basin. Then I inserted the basin and wiggled it firmly into the hole. I placed six rounded retaining wall bricks around the edge on top of the basin.

STEP TWO: I used five retaining wall bricks and placed them on the round behind the basin for the second tier. I set the second tier on top of the bricks and leveled it using the slate & round rocks.

STEP THREE: I built a third tier in the same fashion as the second, just a "brick" higher than the last. Now that the "foundation" was in place, I was ready to install the pump & fountain.

STEP FOUR: The pond kit that I purchased came with a black tube and a pump. The manual instructed me to drill a hole behind the "edge" of the third tier. That made me nervous. First of all, it didn't tell me what size hole to drill and the tube wasn't marked with a size either. I used my drill bit case to determine that the hose was 1/2". So I chose the 1/2" drill bit and drilled the hole.

STEP FIVE: Once I drilled the hole, I inserted the hose from behind. I pulled the hose a 1/2" through the opening and even though the instructions didn't say to do so, I out a tiny bit of clear caulk behind the hole to prevent it from leaking. I ran the hose under the next basin and down to the bottom basin, hiding the hose in the rocks, then connected the hose to the pump. I placed the pump in the center of the bottom basin and attached the water fountain. I placed some small rocks around the pump to hold it in place.

STEP SIX: I filled all three basins to full capacity, and plugged in the pump. The pump must be fully submerged before turning it on.

After a little fidgeting with the fountain, the pond was complete and in under two hours! Just like the box said!

Have fun this weekend.
-The Fixie Chick
PS. Remember to tune in tomorrow morning at 10am. Home&Yard Radio with the Fixie Chick WROC 950 am.

posted by Fixie Chick at 9:05 AM