Sunday, February 13, 2011

Adding a Pond to the Backyard

When we moved in to this house, there was a swingset in the backyard.  Because our kids are past the swingset age, we took it out.  Apparently when it was put in, they wanted it to stay forever--we took over 800 pounds of concrete to the dump!




The next step was removing the sod from one side of the area.  After several hours of digging and a couple of trips to the dump, it was gone!




I then spent the next few days digging for the pond.  Luckily, my son was home from college, so by mid-day each day, I did have a helper.  (haha)  The problem with that was, that by mid-day each day, it was over 90 degrees, but I'll take whatever help I can get!



We dug and dug, and took load after load to the dump. My husband would come home and help us dig and let us know we needed to dig some more!  The depth had to be at least 30" so fish could survive during the winter.  30" doesn't seem like much until you are the one digging a 30" deep hole! 
We put a carpet remnant between the dirt and the liner (sorry, no picture of that), then put the liner down.  They recommend putting something soft underneath the liner so it doesn't get any tears in it.  We then spread the liner out.  Luckily it was really hot, so the liner was very pliable.  We started adding rocks to the waterfall area first.  There were a lot of rocks put in, then taken out, then moved here and there until we felt it was looking the way we wanted it to.  Also the 'pool' area behind the waterfall  had to be high enough to spill over the rocks, but also not leak out anywhere.  We used lots of landscape foam between the rocks once we got it high enough and leak proof!




Once we got all of the pond rocks in, we put in a flagstone pathway around the edge.  I've filled the cracks in with thyme, but at the time this picture was taken, it hadn't filled in very well yet. 


The mesh draped across is to keep Max in his area. (He would love to swim all over, but the liner could get ripped, so he has to stay in this area.) Having the mesh isn't our preferred 'look', but we do love him and need a place for him to cool off in the summer when it's regularly over 100 degrees.

We put koi and feeder goldfish in and they are all doing great!  The koi were pretty small when we got them and the feeder goldfish cost 27 cents each at Petsmart, so there was very little investment.  We put several plants in the pond so that the fish could get shade in the summer. 

Having the pond is so nice.  We spent every evening out here last summer and fall and can't wait to get out there again this year!

Thanks for visiting!

Pam

I am linking to:

62 comments:

  1. Your pond looks great. Max loves it, too! He is too, too cute! I like the flagstone walkway around it. Flagstone is so pretty! What kind of plant did you plant in the pond?

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  2. That is unbelievable Pam! It looks wonderful. And look at cutie pie Max! He loves it too. Enjoy the party. XO

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  3. Your pond is beautiful! I would love one in our yard one day! I love that Max his own side! So cute!

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  4. Wow! What an unbelievable pond! The photo of max in the pond is so cute!

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  5. oh my goodness - your pooch in the pond makes me laugh out loud! 800 lbs of concrete....really? wow - that is crazy! you must have thought your dream may never come! Love what you've done & you must link up this week for Cottage Flora Thursday and share this beautiful and inspiring post. We too just took out our swing set - instead of cement we have solid clay...huge disapointment with all i've been dreaming up in my head for that area! Your post gives me hope!!! xoxo

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  6. It looks FANTABULOUS Pam! I just love your backyard! You and Pat are pros!

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  7. So nice Pam! Ile bet u cant wait til summer, ur gonna have the best yard on the block! LOL

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  8. Wow, fabulous job! I took the easy way out with my pond-I ordered a huge pile of dirt and dug out a hole in that-much easier! HEE HEE. Your Max looks so happy-oh the things we do for our fur babies. I am your newest follower.

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  9. Your pond looks amazing! You guys worked so hard and it paid off. Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I look forward to seeing some spring/summer pond pictures!
    ~Crystal

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  10. Looks like a lot of work, but the finished product looks so good!

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  11. Love your pond! We have one to, lots of work but it is soooo worth it. Good job!

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  12. Wow this is great, but I think you should re-think "pond verses Niagra Falls"! This is no little pond girl! Its beautiful and Max is adorable!
    Terry

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  13. I love your pond and it turned out just beautifully!
    Lot's of hard work too, bravo!
    Cindy

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  14. I just did a post on water fountains today on my blog and I'm going to create a link to yours from Mel's Cabin.

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  15. I love your pond. I'm your neighbor this week on Metamorphis Monday. Sheila www.junkandjewels.blogspot.com

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  16. Your pond is beautiful! You did such a nice job with it, it looks so natural. That's one of the things on my 2011 House Goals. Max is so cute cooling off! Can't wait for the snow to finally go away so we can start on our yard.

    Thanks for sharing your beautiful pond.

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  17. Pam, I can't even tell you how excited I am about this backyard pond, I have wanted a water feature for years now, this has given me the desire to get out and get started. I love this!
    ~Jo
    LazyonLoblolly

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  18. Stopping by from Debbiedoos.... Wow, I love the pond, it looks so peaceful!

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  19. That was a lot of work, but it looks great! I really like the pic of max in the new pond cooling off!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

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  20. Hi!!
    I'm here from Debbie's newbie party!
    Your pond is amazing! Yes, 30" deep doesn't seem like much, but it also looks like it's 20 feet long!
    Excellent job!!
    I'm following you now too!
    xxDaniella

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  21. What a great idea and it is so nice, don't you love to hear the sound of running water, very pretty back yard I'm jelous

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  22. Oops forgot to say I am here from Debbie's don't you just love her for helping us meet new *friends*

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  23. WOW! Pam that is so beautiful! I love your skills...noticed hubby is a engineer...so is mine!

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  24. Your metamorphosis is absolutely fabulous. I so hope that you enjoy every bit of it.

    Have a very Happy Valentine's Day!

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  25. Beautiful job! It looks great! That si exactly how we did our pond and that was 20 years ago!!!! It is covered in snow right now so I will ahve to post it at a later date:) Happy V's Day! XO, Pinky

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  26. Wow, that looks incredible - great job !!!!!

    thanks for sharing !

    gena

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  27. You are such a worker bee.. I need for you to come for about a month and help me out with "tons" of projects.. lol... Your max is a cutie.. I'm glad he has his own little section.
    hugs ~lynne~
    Happy Valentine's Day!

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  28. It looks really nice, like it's always been there.

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  29. It's absolutely beautiful. What a perfect setting with the pond, the rocks, and Mr. Max to boot!

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  30. thanks for commenting on my Measurements post, i really appreciate the support!

    i love this pond, i wish i had a backyard like yours! great job.

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  31. Wow Pam! I am so impressed - by your pond AND by how much your blog has grown in such a short period of time! We can tell how much work and love y'all put into your home. It is looking great!

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  32. That looks great! I so want to have a pond or waterfall in our yard. And love your dog!

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  33. You did a great job and you know one member of the family finds it cool and comfy. Hope you'll stop by and see our bedroom ideas. Jane

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  34. Looks great-you guys did a lot of work. Max appreciates it.

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  35. WOW! Just a gorgeous transformation. You guys should be so proud of your hard work. Max is a cutie!

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  36. Your yard is gorgeous. It sounds like taking out that swing set was most of the battle. This project was well worth it and pupster thinks so too.

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  37. The pond looks beautiful and like it has always belonged there. Great job!
    CAS

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  38. Hello,

    You truly inspire me. Your yard looks so beautiful and the pond came out so lovely. I can't wait for Spring.
    Thank you for sharing. It's stunning!
    Claudia

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  39. I have been wanting a pond for about 10 years now...maybe one day:) Yours looks GREAT!!!!


    Blessings,
    Linda

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  40. Your project resulted in a really great pond. Love that your dog gets to cool off in part of it. :-)
    I'd like to have a water feature in my yard someday; it'd be so soothing.
    Visiting from Kim's party.
    ~ Sue

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  41. Great looking pond. They are so enjoyable and yours is lovely. I don't have any dogs that get in mine only raccoons and they are so distructive...your dog is much cuter! Thank you for visiting me and leaving such a nice comment.

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  42. I have always wanted a pond. Yours is beautiful and looks like it was worth all the work. It also looks natural to the yard. Great job. Thanks for sharing.

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  43. That was some hard work, but I am sure it was worth it. Looks wonderful. Thanks for joining the party.

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  44. Your pond sure did turn out just great and it is probably filled with lots of wildlife becuase it looks so natural. Thank You for dropping by to day.......Julian

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  45. It turned out so pretty! Isn't it wonderful to have some beautiful water flowing on those hot summer days?
    Oh, now I'm dreaming of hot summer days!

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  46. Your pond is so beautiful. It was so worth all that digging and planting. I really enjoyed the photo of the dog having fun in the pond. I am so glad I stopped by from Sunday Showcase.

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  47. Hi Pam! As a landscape designer, I know how hard it is to install a pond and get it to work right -- you did a FANTASTIC job -- it looks so beautiful! and I know you will get a ton of pleasure from it! (Max too...)

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  48. oh this is great!!! I want one! ! It would be frozen half the year but oh well. What a wonderful job!!

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  49. Wow! What a big project! It looks amazing and you guys did a fabulous job. Thank you so much for coming by and linking up to Inspiration Friday this week!
    Vanessa
    P.S. Following you right back! :-)

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  50. You certainly arent afraid of hard work! Wow what a fantastic project I just love the look of ponds and sound of the water is so tranquil. I love that your dog has his spot and the fish theirs. Everyones happy! Great job

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  51. Wow, so gorgeous!! Love that your pup can enjoy it too :) Makes me miss our pond at the old house!

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  52. It looks amazing. I'm your newest follower. I would love it if you linked your project up to my link party.
    More The Merrier Monday.

    http://diyhshp.blogspot.com

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  53. I am so impressed! So much work but look at those results! Something to enjoy all year long!

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  54. Hi Pam...

    Welcome to the Sunday Favorites party, my friend! I'm just tickled pink that you were able to join in with us this week...and what a great post to share! Ohhh my goodness...your backyard is beautiful! Love, love, LOVE your pond and waterfall! We are wanting to do something just like this in our backyard and seem to never get around to doing it. I need to show my honey all of your photos...inspire him! Hehe! Girl, I can't believe the amount of work that went into this project...from tearing out all of that concrete...right down to digging out the pond...eeeks! It truly is worth it though (easy for me to say...right? Hehe!)

    What a fabulous project and so inspirational to get my backyard whipped into shape! Thank you so much for sharing this with us for the Sunday Favorites repost party! Hope you'll join us again!

    Have a wonderful week, my friend!
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  55. Hi Pam, I have become a follower. I am impressed with your home improvement projects, WOW! Great job, I can't wait to get out and start working on my yard. I love your Max, we have a Shaba (black lab) that loves to be outside.
    Gayle from "Vintage Farmhouse"

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  56. Beautiful backyard pond! What a wonderful spot to sit by and relax, I'm sure that you get many hours of enjoyment from it!

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  57. That's so funny with Max in there! You're so going to enjoy that pond. I know I enjoy mine. But I switched mine last fall to a pondless waterfall, as I didn't have any more fish.
    Brenda

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  58. Hopping over from Censational Girls Outdoor Party. Hope you enjoy my 'patio time' post. (link #205)


    I have always thought it would be fun to have a water feature and your pond is lovely. But thanks for the pre-warning about all that digging. No college boys at our house to help.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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