Build a Pond

As the team settled in for yet another busy and exciting year, they decided that they needed somewhere quiet and peaceful to spend precious ‘time out’ moments to catch their breath and recharge their batteries. What better way to do this than to sit quietly beside a pond?

What You Need

• Fibreglass pond (1800 x 1000 x 320mm)
• 300l per hour submersible pump
• 3 x pavers (500 x 500 x 40mm)
• 3.5m2 quarter pavers (240 x 240 x 40mm)
• 24 x coping stones (240 x 240 x 40mm)
• 3 x underwater plinths (450 x 450 x 300mm) or use concrete blocks, painted with a waterproofing sealant
• 2 x bags cement
• 30 x bags river sand
• 12 x bags gravel
• 1 x roll of landscape fabric
• 4 x Syzigium paniculatum balls

Tools

• Spade
• Builder’s line
• Pegs
• Straight edge
• Spirit level
• Rubber mallet
• Metal rake
• Tape measure
• Wooden float
• Block brush
• Builder’s trowel

Steps

Step 1: Place the fibreglass pond upside down on the site and mark the outer edge with river sand. Move the pond away and dig out the space to a depth of about 370mm. The depth must be 50mm deeper than the fibreglass pond to allow for a layer of sand at the bottom of the hole, while still having the pond level with the ground.

Step 2: Add a layer of sand to the bottom of the hole and compact it firmly. Make sure the levels are correct before placing the fibreglass pond in place. Set up builder’s line with pegs all around the pond to get the levels right for the coping stones and quarter pavers. Set the lines around the pond taking into account the 30mm overhang into the pond.

Step 3: Measure the surrounds by placing a coping stone on the edge of the pond, overlapping 30mm over the pond. Measure a metre length from the outside of the coping stone and place a quarter paver on the outside of this measured length. Knock in a peg at this point to mark the spot. Continue measuring in this way and placing pegs all around the pond. Remove all the grass within this pegged-off area.

Step 4: Place the pump in the pond and run the electrical cord to the power outlet. When the coping and the quarter pavers are being installed make sure that the cord fits through the gaps between the pavers.

Step 5: Mix a batch of cement using four buckets of sand to one bucket of cement, adding water until the mortar has the consistency of thick porridge. Start laying the quarter pavers around the pond using the builder’s line as a guide. Check that the level of each paver is correct, knocking it into place with a rubber mallet.

Step 6: Use the same method for laying the quarter pavers, a metre away, around the pond.

Step 7: Place the Syzigium Paniculatum balls in the four corners. The plant holes should be filled with plenty of compost and bone meal or super-phosphate before the shrubs are planted.

Step 8: Place the landscape fabric in the spaces between the pavers, cutting it to size and filling the area with gravel.

Step 9: Place the plinths in the pond, making sure that they are level and evenly spaced from each other and the sides of the pond. Cement the three large pavers on top of the plinths. Allow the mortar to dry thoroughly before adding water to the pond and switching on the pump.