Imagine sitting on your new paver patio listening to the gentle sound of water running, watching the sun set and enjoying the company of your family and friends.  Many people would love to embrace the serenity of the water while enjoying their outdoor living area but are nowhere near a running stream, ocean or pond.  A reasonable solution that can be created at any home is a water feature.  Water features not only provide a calming atmosphere to your backyard, a home for birds, fish and plants – they are a piece of artwork for everyone to discuss while you are entertaining!  In this 2 part blog we will take a dip into water features and, the newly popular, water gardens.

For homeowners who are looking to create a place of Zen at their home a water feature is the perfect addition with the most common being a manmade pond. 

The first and most important thing to decide on is the location – when plotting your space for the feature you will want to ensure that your pond will be provided with at least 6 hours of sun a day, most specifically morning sun.  Be mindful of trees that may drop leaves and/or fruits in your water feature.  The debris can create issues of clogging and harm your aquatic life.  You will also want to think about how you will fill the pond and supply power to the pump. 

When it comes to the size of your pond, the choice is yours! The average pond is 176 square feet (16×11 ft) taking 2000 gallons to fill BUT you can make your pond as small as 6×8 ft.  Always keep in mind what you will be planting around the edge of your pond as this will require an additional 2-3 feet.  If you will be adding fish and you live in a region that experiences very cold winters your pond must be deep enough that they can live when temps reach freezing.   FUN FACT! By the end of the first summer, most homeowners wish that their pond was bigger!!!

Pricing varies when talking about ponds – the installation of a pond generally starts around $1200.00.  When you begin adding more detail you are, in turn, increasing your costs.  Waterfalls, plants, live aquatics, plants, lighting and other items are beautiful additions that are worth the added costs – remember, you don’t have to do everything at once.  A pond is an investment that will provide you years of happiness!

No matter the size of your pond you will need to provide care to keep everything running smoothly.  The general rule is weekly in spring, every few days in fall, every other week in summer and monthly during the winter.  If you remain faithful to staying on task with these checkups, it should not take more than 15minutes each time.  You will want to ensure that you empty and clean the skimmer, tend to algae, check for leaks, check water conditions, prune dead leaves/flowers, etc.  It is recommended to cover your pond in the late fall and complete a spring cleanup/cleanout as well.

If price or maintenance are a concern of yours, no need to fret!  There are tons of other water features on the market now that can be installed at your home.  You can go online and find a ton of pictures & pros/cons for features such as water walls, pondless waterfalls, rain curtains, bird baths, fountains, sconces and more!

Stay tuned for next week’s blog where we will talk about water gardens and how to incorporate them into your pond!

In the meantime, if you are interested in talking with our experts about your ideas for water features at your home – contact us today for a FREE estimate!