Garden pond construction is not a very complicated or complex thing or a "Rocket Science". Nevertheless, it's quite a daunting task especially if it's your first pond.

Planning, designing, and preparation are essential. Don't you worry; I will guide you to overcome these difficulties.

First and foremost, putting the "End" in mind is very important. Try to visualize what is your end result will look like. Go to the open space and imagine how your pond will be the focal point of your home, a master showpiece, the water garden of your dream.

Dream on.... OK.

Let's go....

Step 1 - Style of Pond

Having some idea on what kind of style your pond would be. It would help you to decide on the size and shape of the pond, the type of edging, water features such as waterfall, fountain, filtrations, and water course... and even type of planting.

There are a few type of pond namely
Pre-formed Shell Pond - molded in a variety of shapes. Made of plastic or fibre-glass. It's quite popular because it's cheap and easier to install. But the drawback is you can't customize the design.
Pond Liner (using Buthyl/EDPM Rubber liner) - the liner will sit in the hole and holdup water. It's very flexible, resistant to UV radiation, tolerated by fish, can withstand severe punishment, and normally can last for 15~20 years. This type of pond is easier, flexible in design and requires no specialist to install it.
Concrete Pond - obviously made of concrete cement and sometimes finished with fibreglassing. It requires a really deep thought out plan and specialist service. Budget is also a big issue. It is susceptible to crack and maintaining it can be costly.
Patio Pond - made of any form of rigid shape. Generally, it's installed on the patio with walling. Water leveling is very important.

A pond for fish?

Koi fish - require a great deal of space to thrive. Depth of the pond should be 4 feet or more. Deeper water means a chance of surviving the winter is great and in hot climate, it provides cooler environment. A 4500 liters or 1000 gallons of pond is a good starting point. Bear in mind that a Koi pond requires specialized filtration system. Consult the relevant books for more information on this subject. (For more in-depth info, Download e-book )
Mixture of Goldfish, shubunkins, orfe and tench - Depth of the pond should be 3 feet or more. An ideal starting capacity is about 900 liters or 200 gallons. Although smaller pond do works, they cost about the same yet hold fewer fish.

Here are some vital questions that you should answer and it might help you to decide on the size and style of pond.

What is the suitable proportion of the pond to the overall compound?
Is there any children playing around? Does a raised pond is a good solution?
What is the garden concept of your pond? Bali, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican?
Do you want the wildlife nature to blend into your pond? Like frogs, spiders, birds etc.
Is there any predators around that you want to protect your pond inhabitants from? How to do it?

Step 2 - Choose the site

The site should not be too sunny or directly beneath a tree. Overexposed to sunlight will promote algae problem. The root of a tree will grow out and puncture the wall of your pond.

Take out your water hose, outline it on the site of your choosing, preferably observable from your deck or patio. And take a note on how the sunlight interacts on your selected pond location. Make adjustment as necessary.

Avoid hollow or location at the bottom of the hill. There is a danger of water runoff from rain and overflows the pond. Problem also will arise during construction because excess water oozing out after soil excavation will make things very messy.

Beware of electrical wiring, gas piping, and water piping in that area. Minimize risk, it is better to conduct sites survey or looking at house/area plan. Always consider Safety first.

Step 3 - The Pond Excavation

Once you have chosen the suitable site for your pond, and decided on the shape and size of it. Discuss these points with a garden specialist.

Mark out the shape and where the shelves are.

Ground breaking ceremony.... excited and nervous..
The project takes off!!!!!

Remove the topsoil and keep it for later use. You can construct a waterfall feature without getting additional soil. Remember to slope the sides as you work. Make the base as flat as possible to ensure a good fit when you add the liner and leveling is very important. Remove all protruded stone or sharp objects from the surface as to prevent it from puncturing the liner.

Step 4 - The Pond Construction

There are 3 important components in a pond :-

Liner - to hold up water
Pump - to circulate water
Filtration - to filter unwanted substance and to nurture good bacteria for the healthy nitrogen-nitrate-nitrit cycle.

You have to calculate the size of the Liner (width, length and depth) and the correct power of your Pump you need to buy. (See Pond Calculator section)

For filtration, Koi pond and other fishpond have different kind of configurations. (For more in-depth info, Download e-book ) Koi pondkeepers always want a crystal clear water so that they can see their fish. Filtration system such as OASE Biosys, Filtoclear, etc.. can achieve the ambition. Generally, pond kits are available at the shopping store and they are good enough for other fish pond.

Tips of construction:-
After the excavation is complete, a concrete collar around the pond should be constructed. Dig 30cm width x 30cm length around the pond and pour cement a quarter deep into the trench. Build reinforced steel beam into the middle of it as to strengthen the collar and pour cement into the trench completely. This collar provides a level platform on which to place your chosen edging material. Most importantly, the edging is safely anchored when people stand on it.
Then lay out the spun underlay as to provide cushion to the Liner. Once in place, trim the edges of the spun underlay so that it overlaps the collar by half it's width.
Work in a team of at least two persons because it is going to be a long hard day. Line up the Liner accurately before laying it down the hole. Go inside the hole and fit the Liner to mould into more intricate places.
Slowly push the Liner into all curves and corners so that it can follow the shape nicely and evenly spread.
Fill up the pond with water to the first step. As the pond fills, adjust the liner to minimize the crease. The pressure of the water will shape up the pond.
Proceed to push the Liner to the corner of the shelves. Put bricks or other heavy things to press down the edges of the liner temporarily.
Continue to fill up the pond with water until to the shelves.
Start to work on the edges,

Step 5 - Edging the Pond

This is an important task which needs your creativity to conceal the liner and beautify the surroundings of the pond. Carefully choose the edging materials that can blend beautifully and in harmony with the garden; like brick pavers, stone decorated tiles, or stone slabs. Fixing it with cement and fill up the void in between. You should let 2~3 inches of the edging materials to protrude out towards the pond. This has two beneficial effects; it hides any pleats in the liner near the surface and protects the liner from sunlight. Brimming pond simply looks really cool.
For raised pond, you could choose water resistance woods or brick walls plastered with pebbles wash decorations. It simply look stunning.
How time consuming this task may be, it is well-spent time because your vision and desire to have a beautiful pond depends on your creativity and wise decision on the edging materials.

Step 6 - Building Waterfall

Waterfall water feature is really a matter of trial and error. To create a smooth and captivating waterfall, you need to experiment with the rock arrangement and selection the rock's sizes as well as shapes.
Using the excess soil unearthed after constructing the pond, you can add a waterfall feature that has beneficial effects such as rejuvenating the oxygen supply into the water and generating tranquility to the surroundings from the churning of moving water.
Firstly, pile up and compact the soil to your desired level. The slope of the waterfall should be 5 degree or less to have a nice water flow.
Secondly, lay out a pond liner on the base of the waterfall that is at least two feet wider than the "wetter" width of the waterfall on both side and one foot deeper than the waterfall's height. It's better to have an excess width of the liner so that the arrangement of rocks to make the watercourse can be designed without much constraints.
Thirdly, choose a correct pump capacity and filtration system. Rule of thumb says select the pump which can pump half of the pond volume in an hour. Pump rating is in gallon per hour or liters per hour. Another consideration is maximum height of the waterfall. The pump must capable of pumping to a higher level than the design. A combination of mechanical and biological filters as well as a UV clarifier is preferred.
Lastly, after testing the flow of the water, fine tuning the design until you are satisfied. Then trims the excess pond liner and hides all the pleats.

Step 7 - Decorating the Pond

Adding fish and plants.