# DIY summer pond project



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

Since it's winter and too cold for working outside already, I've been working out the details of the pond/patio I want to install this coming spring/summer.

The house sits on 3 acres, so there's plenty of room. I also wanted to have a nice "feature" to the entry of the property plus a nice place for outdoor entertaining. We have the driveway running along one of the fence lines then it doubles back to form a circle drive (kinna looks more like a sideways P where the leg is against the fence line).

Within the center of the driveway I want to install this:








(send your e-mail in PM if you want to see a larger, higher resolution copy)

The plan is to have it heated and cooled year round to 75*F, but after it's all said and done it might not be practical enough to try at 2000 gallons total. If I can heat and cool the pond I will stock them with tropical as well as cold water and maybe even some natives. If not, then it'll be all cold water fishes.

I know it's a little much to DIY, but I got time, tools, knowledge, and approval 

Let me know what you think!


----------



## redman88 (Jan 6, 2009)

you might want to make the ponds deeper then 2 foot. i think Koi like deeper water. and it would be easier to make caves and such for them.


----------



## FBG (Jan 2, 2006)

well, my first question was where are the pumps going to be and what are you going to do with the streams in between the 300 gallon ponds?
How is the water being returned to the fountain? (pipes under the patio or under the grass?)

I love the layout of option 2, the way the tables are positioned and the chairs will look amazing with a lit fire.

oh, lol by the way, I love huge DIY projects, it just goes to show you that anything can be done. I would inlist the help of either friends or machinery. friends being cheaper, but you don't get the chance to work with electronically/gas powered tools!


----------



## Viwwo (Oct 30, 2009)

wow :jaw: ... if you do this then I'm coming over to see it


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

redman88 said:


> you might want to make the ponds deeper then 2 foot. i think Koi like deeper water. and it would be easier to make caves and such for them.


I agree, but the ponds are pre-made fiberglass hauls. Actual dims are 88"L x 27"W x 30"H. Wish they were bigger, but I got a steal on them, so going to use them . I could add more fiberglass to make them deeper, but that would be a huge chore for all 5 ponds.

Kio aren't the intended inhabitants (though I would like to have some in at least one of the ponds).



FBG said:


> well, my first question was where are the pumps going to be and what are you going to do with the streams in between the 300 gallon ponds?
> How is the water being returned to the fountain? (pipes under the patio or under the grass?)
> 
> I love the layout of option 2, the way the tables are positioned and the chairs will look amazing with a lit fire.
> ...


Pump(s) will live in the lowest pond (the one at the very bottom of the drawing above). They will pump the water back to the fountain (the highest point within the system - water starting point so to speak). The water will flow through the fountain for aeration, then out to the first ponds. Out of the first ponds the water enters the rivers. The rivers will act as bio and mech filtration. Lots of rocks and undercuts/waterfalls for additional aeration. Don't think there will be any fish actually living in the rivers (might be a turtle or frogs, etc.). Out of the river and into the second ponds where it exits to another river (for the same reasons as above), then into the last pond where it's pumped back to the fountain to start over.

All plumbing will be on the outside of the design for easy access. Don't want to pull up my stones if I have a plumbing leak/problem . I plan to have some storage and pump house within the lower river banks (hidden within the rocks) and under the bridges. This will allow all the equipment to be hidden . The only piping within the patio area will be the gas lines for the BBQ and fire pit and electrical conduit.

Oh, and I'll build a chamber under one of the bridges (or where ever I can find a spot to put it) for an automatic top off system. Basically the chamber will be connected to the system, but will have calm non-moving water for a float switch (like in a toilet) connected to a well water supply

op2: I'll be having weekly BBQs with with dogs, burgers, ribs, brisket, and cooler full of Bud Light to sucker in some help (honey to flies type thing, lol), but I'll have a bobcat for the digging. And plan to borrow a backhoe if I need to get deep, which I don't anticipate. Everything else will be done by hand.

Yeah, gf liked the fire pit in the middle as well, but the tables will be a bitch to build with those radii. So might go with rectangular tables. Also want the tables to be removable (not bolted/concreted to the ground) for easy reconfiguration on a whim . Thought with the pit in the middle it would help keep excess heat outta the ponds as well.



Viwwo said:


> wow :jaw: ... if you do this then I'm coming over to see it





> op2: I'll be having weekly BBQs with dogs, burgers, ribs, brisket, and cooler full of Bud Light to sucker in some help (honey to flies type thing, lol), but I'll have a bobcat for the digging. And plan to borrow a backhoe if I need to get deep, which I don't anticipate. Everything else will be done by hand.


 Come on over any time rofl. Even if you just stand around and watch it should be good fun. Heck you can even help/look over shoulder if there's something you don't know about the process and want to learn. It's all pretty simple stuff. Hard part is getting the design approved by your SO.

Someone suggested adding viewing portholes/windows around the patio side for seated viewing. Since the hauls are fiberglass, I should be able to cut and install some small windows, but will need to do my homework first to see how the best way to seal and keep them sealed.
I'm work on all the elevations and plumbing/electrical plans, so stay tuned.
Side Elevation:


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

More concept drawings


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

The fire pit in the middle seriously limits the layout of tables etc. It is a hazard to navigation. Put the fire pit to one side. Opposite the BBQ is fine, and put some built in benches around it, that also overhang the lowest pond.

Remote equipment, with just an intake at the lowest end. A filter and pump room can be quite a ways from the pond and river system with no real problems, as long as it is approximately level with the pond and river system. Slightly downhill is helpful. Intake can be built into one of the rivers and hidden under the bridge if you want, but it needs to be accessible for periodic cleaning. Leaves tend to build up in these locations. You could leave it more open and cover it with a flat rock. Perhaps a plastic box roughly a 18 x 18 x 18. There are pre-fab ones, and some even have holes near the bottom for the plumbing.

Heating: Is solar an option? If not, then I think heating will be too expensive. There is a LOT LOT LOT of surface area to lose heat, and when the weather is cool the water will indeed cool off a lot.

What are the average winters like in your area? Regular snow? Rare bit of frost? Swimming pool weather year round? The colder it gets the harder it is to heat it.

Another option is to build an arbor over the bulk of the area. In the summer there is shade. In the winter use the arbor to support some type of greenhouse roof and walls. Check local regulations about using gas appliances in covered areas.

Here is a link to several skimmers that make good intake places for the water from the pond to get to the pump. If you go back to their home page you can see where the skimmer is, under that flat, grey rock closest to you as the pond comes toward you. 
http://www.thepondwarehouse.com/pond/skimmers-34-1.html


----------



## RestlessCrow (Nov 5, 2009)

Hey.... Looks like a good project..... but I gotta bust some chops.... TOO COLD TO WORK OUTSIDE?!?!? C'mon.... It snowed here in October! (northern NJ)

Ok... all busting aside....

I would seriously look into a filter that used to go by the name of "big sister".... or some of the filtration systems by the Cyprio comany. I used to build and maintain ponds, and these two filters were TOPS.... EASY to maintain, and did an excellent job.... Forget about pressurized filters.... you've got WAAAY too many gallons there..... You're gonna get a good lesson in plumbing from what I see from your diagrams. 

I've got a few ideas for "easy to build" bridges if interested.
I'd be happy to share any knowlege I have about ponds for you if you request...
I have quite a few "advanced tips" as far as plantings go...and I urge you to plan ahead for plantings.

I read that you have already purchased fiberglass liners... BOO.... Hiss.... 

However it seems you are going for a more formal look, so your liners will have their place... If there's any advice I could provide... I'd be more than happy.

(PS.... the drawings look awesome.... you've got a great concept there!)


----------



## RestlessCrow (Nov 5, 2009)

One last thing.... for the rivers.... you're going to need 100gph PER INCH of width... PER HALF inch of depth.... so for a 12in wide river, one inch deep, you're going to need about 2400gph.... and it looks like you're going to spit it two ways.... so that's 4800gph.

You might wanna google "Tsurimi pumps"


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

Diana K said:


> The fire pit in the middle seriously limits the layout of tables etc. It is a hazard to navigation. Put the fire pit to one side. Opposite the BBQ is fine, and put some built in benches around it, that also overhang the lowest pond.
> 
> Remote equipment, with just an intake at the lowest end. A filter and pump room can be quite a ways from the pond and river system with no real problems, as long as it is approximately level with the pond and river system. Slightly downhill is helpful. Intake can be built into one of the rivers and hidden under the bridge if you want, but it needs to be accessible for periodic cleaning. Leaves tend to build up in these locations. You could leave it more open and cover it with a flat rock. Perhaps a plastic box roughly a 18 x 18 x 18. There are pre-fab ones, and some even have holes near the bottom for the plumbing.
> 
> ...


I was thinking the same thing with the fire pit in the middle (limiting the table configuration), but the fire pit near the ponds worries me regarding overheating the pond. At 500*F+ potential (can easily reach 700*F+ using good ol' TX oak in my smoker) I'd rather have it back a ways from the ponds/water if possible, or I'd have to install a heat shield which is very do-able. Also not shown in the isometric view is a bench in front of each pond within the grass. These will be park style benches, easily moved/relocated.

The fire pit and tables/benches are not 100% finalized, and the current drawings are only "ideas on paper" so to speak. I plan to put 4 benches around the fire pit, which will double as benches for the tables. The tables and outside benches (away from the fire pit) will be mobile/removable, which the fire pit and it's benches will be permanent. I'll update the concept drawings to reflect this .

There will be several equipment "rooms" within the design (not shown ). Near the larger rivers, closest to the fountain where the bottom to top distance will be greatest, will be hidden equipment locations. The rock facade will act to hide the doors/access hatches. All of the pumps, heaters, other equipment, etc. will live within these locations with the plumbing going to each pond from there. Since they'll be within the exterior rock facade, I'll just construct them outta 2x4s and plywood (all painted for water protection).

Solar heating will help, but I have to compensate for winter nights. In North Texas we see about 2 weeks with temps in the 20's during the night, so the coldest I'll need to account for is 20*F to 70-75*F. But we also get 110*F during the summer days, so cooling is an issue too (ponds will be exposed to full sun year round - until the cover is built and grows in). I think the heating part might be a little ambitious. It'd be a nice option, but not a deal breaker if it doesn't happen. One idea I had was to build a small, hidden box where I install several (whatever my heat exchange cals say - like you said there is a LOT of surface area within this system) water heater elements to heat the water. Once the actual layout design is finalized I'll start working on all my math to work out these type situations. Once the cals are done I might realize heating the ponds isn't practical (which is what I expect to find). Cooling will consist of a single pump per pond connected to a loop of tubing (50', 75', 100' whatever is needed) running 24"-36" below ground to keep the water at 70-75*F all summer. Each pump will be connected to a temp sensor within the pond it serves- they'll act semi-independently of each other.

There will be some sort of covering over the entire thing (probably a pergola). But it'll be the last thing built and it'll take a while for the vines to cover it, but it's in the design, just not shown .

I live outside the city limits... my county does not have "residential building codes" that you'll have within the city limits . Not to mention most cities do not have limitations on residential home modifications as long as the owner does them (no permit required, nor inspection). This may or may not include gas piping, but I do not have NG so it's basically between me and my propane provider, which I'll simply ask them what my requirements are if they know. Thanks for the heads up anyway. Might have to build a chimney for the fire pit.

Thanks for the link and advice! This is exactly why I posted up the drawings and concepts before "construction started". Hopefully I'll avoid any major design flaws and have the project go smoothly.



RestlessCrow said:


> Hey.... Looks like a good project..... but I gotta bust some chops.... TOO COLD TO WORK OUTSIDE?!?!? C'mon.... It snowed here in October! (northern NJ)
> 
> Ok... all busting aside....
> 
> ...


Bust my chops all you want. I'm good to about 50*F, but below that it's indoor only weather for this Texas boy. Give me 120*F over 20*F any day!!! But the delay in starting is actually due to getting the design finalized and approved first. Then construction will begin regardless what time of the year it is .

Thanks for the equipment suggestions. I'm definitely lacking in pond equipment knowledge . The plumbing and electrical will be big ol' bears to finish up and I suspect both will take the majority of the project's overall time frame to get complete. But I think it'll be worth it.

Plants are a definite, and I'll design a plant/landscape/aquascape plan once the hardware, so to speak, part is finalized.

Heck yes, I'd love any help and advice I can get. Anything you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for the compliment. I figured it'd be 1,000,000 times easier for everyone to understand what I mean with a drawing rather than just trying to do it with words (1 picture is worth 1,000 words ).

Originally, the pond was supposed to look somewhat like this, but I was thinking the other day about doing a "theme" per pond where they'd all look different (swamp theme, jungle/amazon theme, desert theme, etc.). Guess it somewhat depends on if I can heat the ponds or not.



> I read that you have already purchased fiberglass liners... BOO.... Hiss....


Why?



RestlessCrow said:


> One last thing.... for the rivers.... you're going to need 100gph PER INCH of width... PER HALF inch of depth.... so for a 12in wide river, one inch deep, you're going to need about 2400gph.... and it looks like you're going to spit it two ways.... so that's 4800gph.
> 
> You might wanna google "Tsurimi pumps"


 there might be 100 pumps associated with this system to achieve the flows I need. Regardless, I need all these little "rules" I can get. I know them for aquariums, but lacking knowledge on ponds.

Yes, I realize there are 10,000 pond related forums, etc., but I figured I'd start with trusted sites and see if I get any recommendations .


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

To improve the flow of one of my waterfalls I added a pump that did just that: Pick up water from the pond below and pumped it just to the beginning of the waterfall. All it did was add about 200 gph to the waterfall. Made the difference though in a wimpy, stream-like fall where the water sort of fell off the wrong way, and a nice sounding, visually impressive water fall. 

However, I wonder what the economy of the project would look like if you planned one (very large) pump, and a complex manifold of valves to control the flow, vs several smaller pumps to achieve different effects. 

My son and I were talking about the same idea to provide heating and cooling: Deep underground the temperature is more stable, so a closed system of pipes to pump the heat out of the ponds in the summer is good. Now to figure out how to heat the ponds. Use the same pipes that are probably buried in the substrate or immediately below the ponds, and run them to a heat source. (Run the fire pit 24/7 in the winter?) Valves would be turned by hand twice a year to direct the water to flow through the 'heating loop' or through the 'cooling loop', and a thermostatically controlled pump.


----------



## RestlessCrow (Nov 5, 2009)

AndrewH said:


> Bust my chops all you want. I'm good to about 50*F, but below that it's indoor only weather for this Texas boy. Give me 120*F over 20*F any day!!! But the delay in starting is actually due to getting the design finalized and approved first. Then construction will begin regardless what time of the year it is .
> 
> Thanks for the equipment suggestions. I'm definitely lacking in pond equipment knowledge . The plumbing and electrical will be big ol' bears to finish up and I suspect both will take the majority of the project's overall time frame to get complete. But I think it'll be worth it.
> 
> ...


Ok... First let me start off by stating that I prefer to work with 45 mil EPDM pond liner by Firestone. I'll get into that in a bit.

Second.... hire a good electrician, and have him install the juice. At least eight outlets that are protected by GFI. Here's a little anecdote for you:

A few years back I was doing a drain and clean on a 10,000 pond. It was so neglected that when i got there there was actually floating newspapers in it. This sucker had a PROFESSIONAL pump in it. (Think OASE professional fountain series) It was at the high end of what could be run off a 120v outlet. It sat on the bottom, in two feet of water, and when turned on, would form a whirlpool on the surface... TWO FEET above.

Well the story was the the "Well off" customers I was working for were going to get married Pond side. It was coming down to the wire. I had two days before the wedding and had just finished the drain and clean. It's 8:30pm and I'm STILL working on this sucker and I hook the pump back up and plug it in...... and Nothing. Absolutely Nothing happens. I knock on the door and their "Handyman" (Sal, from Brooklyn...I swear he was "Family") takes me downstairs and we check the breaker panel. The pump blew a 50 amp breaker!!!!! We flipped it back on and it instantly tripped.

I went outside, got in the pond, checked the pump for Obstructions. I had unplugged it because i didn't wanna go stickin' my fingers anywhere NEAR that intake. Sal came out. Still standing in the water, I plug the pump in and it blows the breaker. Unplug it again.... check better for obstructions... Sal goes and flips the breaker again. Before I try plugging it in again, Sal whips out an electrical tester and tests everything. He looks at me with this surprised look, and says "Buddy, you're lucky to be alive. This sucker ain't grounded!

The moral of the story: Have a GOOD electrician wire your stuff up, and do NOT stand in the water whilst plugging and unplugging things.

Now.... on to my preference for pond liners. (I know this is getting long.) For a planted pond, liners provide the.... (Excuse the pun) Flexibility when designing the planted areas. You can build bogs, you can build little "craters" into the bottom to fill with soil for lillies and lotuses..... etc. In my experience, if you build shelves for bog plants, slant them towards the OUTSIDE of the pond. When you put them in, they WILL at some point, slip and slide into the middle of the pond otherwise. Also, having these shelves slanted OUTWARD will keep you from doing the "I don't wanna go in" dance while sliding into the pond because the liner WILL get covered with slippery stuff.

While working on that 10,000 gal pond, the lower main pond was dug like a big old bowl, with sloping sides. The first time I set foot in it, I promptly, slowly slid to the middle. I could not get out, and even fell in twice before finally discovering an escape route that offered me a little footing.

A Few last notes: Decide first where you want your filtration equipment. Make it so it is hidden from view, yet easily accessable. Secondly, lay out your general plan, Lay out your planting areas.... and then finalize the design. Don't add your plants as an afterthought. I have seen too many ponds where people use unsightly cinderblocks.... bricks.... etc to elevate their plants to the right height.

I prefer the EPDM because it allows you to create ANY design, it allows you to create natural planting areas.... If you can visualize it, you can dig it, lay a liner and fill it with water. With fiberglass ponds, you are stuck with whatever someone else's vision was. This stuff is TOUGH, and I have never seen a leak that wasn't caused by something from the rodent family. (Or poor design in the first place.) LAST off.... if at all possible, avoid seaming the liner. Spend a few bucks right up front and get the right size. Seams are unreliable and two years down the line chasing leaks... you'll remember that someone told you not to... and kick yourself.

PM me if there's anything else I can help you out with.


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

Diana K said:


> To improve the flow of one of my waterfalls I added a pump that did just that: Pick up water from the pond below and pumped it just to the beginning of the waterfall. All it did was add about 200 gph to the waterfall. Made the difference though in a wimpy, stream-like fall where the water sort of fell off the wrong way, and a nice sounding, visually impressive water fall.
> 
> However, I wonder what the economy of the project would look like if you planned one (very large) pump, and a complex manifold of valves to control the flow, vs several smaller pumps to achieve different effects.
> 
> My son and I were talking about the same idea to provide heating and cooling: Deep underground the temperature is more stable, so a closed system of pipes to pump the heat out of the ponds in the summer is good. Now to figure out how to heat the ponds. Use the same pipes that are probably buried in the substrate or immediately below the ponds, and run them to a heat source. (Run the fire pit 24/7 in the winter?) Valves would be turned by hand twice a year to direct the water to flow through the 'heating loop' or through the 'cooling loop', and a thermostatically controlled pump.


That's exactly what I was thinking. It's simply a matter of adding pumps (or increasing their size) 'til I get the correct flow rate. Hopefully, I can get more of the "rules of thumb" for ponds and I can get it right the first time .

Problem I see with one or even two pumps would be if one failed. It might be a while before I could get a new one shipped in and the pond would be down if trying to run at half flow - I'd start losing my bacteria, etc. My personal philosophy is to use just enough pumps so to keep the system going if one goes down, but not too many so that the plumbing costs an arm and leg. Trying to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) it as much as possible .

Well here's my actual heating and cooling idea. Below the ground the temp is much more stable and constant. I'll have 1 pump per pond with an XX' long loop underground. This will keep the ponds at the same temp as the ground below year round (these pumps will run 24/7). So in the summer it'll cool the ponds and in the winter it'll heat them. So if I do add extra heating it's only from that constant temp to my desired temp (say 60*F to 70*F). So heating the ponds isn't going to be all that difficult. I'll just have to account for the extra heat loss due to all the surface area on a 20*F night.

Running some coils around the fire pit to use it to heat the system isn't a bad idea. I don't think it needs to run 24/7 since I won't need heat during the summer, but for winter use I could mark a "low" spot on a ball valve and keep the pit on a low heat with the water flowing through the coils. That'd be cheap and simple, plus wouldn't use any extra electricity (fire pit might be able to use several different fuel sources - propane, wood, oil, etc. so it'd be cheap to operate at a low setting).



RestlessCrow said:


> Ok... First let me start off by stating that I prefer to work with 45 mil EPDM pond liner by Firestone. I'll get into that in a bit.
> 
> Second.... hire a good electrician, and have him install the juice. At least eight outlets that are protected by GFI. Here's a little anecdote for you:
> 
> ...


I'm an electrical engineer , don't need an electrician for this type stuff. Now if I were adding a new breaker panel and underground service (as in it's own electrical meter, utility pole, etc.) to the pond then I'd hire someone to do that part, but I can handle wiring up some plugs, lights, and pumps . The pond will probably end up getting it's own wind generator eventually. That with the rain water collection system I'm designing, the pond will be self sufficient - or at least pretty darn close .

Yeah, I was reading along with your story and screaming - get outta the water/pond before plugging and unplugging ANYTHING ainkille. "Danger Will Robinson, danger." LOL Glad nothing happen.

Actually, all the 120v circuits going to the pond will have GFCI breakers. The plugs will be normal. Pumps and if there's electric heating (backup) it'll all be at 220-240v.

The fiberglass liners are simply extruded rectangles, so it should be no problem adding shelves and plant areas within the ponds. They will subtract from the overall volume within the ponds, so that is definitely a negative aspect. Actually, I do have a free source for liner material (45mil Firestone), which I'll have to have for the rivers anyway. Might just have to go that route after all (fiberglass hauls make good rain catchers ).


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

Dang, the pond liner source ran out (lost the job), so I'm looking at about $600 for a roll of 15' x 100' x 45mil. So that's not too bad. I increased the pond sizes since I'm probably going liner now.


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I also can relate to Restless Crow's stories. Go with his advise, sounds like he has 'been there and done that' often enough to know better. 

Keep working with the formula he gave you on the first page about sizing the pump for a minimum 'nice' waterfall. Any less flow really does not give you a good waterfall effect.


----------



## redman88 (Jan 6, 2009)

question.... how much of a drop are you looking at from the top to the bottom of the rivers?


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

Diana K said:


> I also can relate to Restless Crow's stories. Go with his advise, sounds like he has 'been there and done that' often enough to know better.
> 
> Keep working with the formula he gave you on the first page about sizing the pump for a minimum 'nice' waterfall. Any less flow really does not give you a good waterfall effect.


Will do.



redman88 said:


> question.... how much of a drop are you looking at from the top to the bottom of the rivers?












Overall the ground at this location has a 1/4" to 1/2" drop (every 12" the ground drops 1/4" to 1/2" - .25 to .5:12), so about 12" difference between one end and the other (40' to 45' total distance).

The fountain and ponds will be set 12" lower then the last, so there will be a 1-1/8" (every 12" the elevation drops 1-1/8" - 1.125:12) drop between ponds, so that's my max I can do on the rivers with the current design. Is there an "ideal" number?

It was 19*F this morning. Brrrr, but that's about as cold as we get.


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

update:


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Hey, I'm just impressed with the drawings! I can't imagine this bad boy in my yard. It's gonna be beautiful. With all this knowledge floating around, I can't wait to see it. It'd sure be worth a trip out to Mineral Wells!


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Any fall smaller than about a foot does not really become a water fall, it is more like the rapids part of a river. 

To make a nice water fall it is better to have more than 1' of fall.


----------



## AndrewH (Dec 1, 2009)

Weird, didn't receive the post notices.

Oh well 



Tex Gal said:


> Hey, I'm just impressed with the drawings! I can't imagine this bad boy in my yard. It's gonna be beautiful. With all this knowledge floating around, I can't wait to see it. It'd sure be worth a trip out to Mineral Wells!


 thank you very much for the compliment.

Phase I - fire pit, surrounding patio, & lowest pond
Phase II - flanking ponds, rivers connecting to the existing lowest pond, & furniture installed
Phase III - fountain and upper ponds, rivers connecting to the flanking ponds, & pergola
Phase IV - finish everything else

I'm working on starting Phase I construction near the end of January. Current plan is to build the fire pit and surrounding patio, then the lowest pond. Hopefully I can get all this finished and Phase II started before the end of spring. With Phase III through the summer and Phase IV near the end of summer or early fall.

Heck yeah! Definitely need to some see it 



Diana K said:


> Any fall smaller than about a foot does not really become a water fall, it is more like the rapids part of a river.
> 
> To make a nice water fall it is better to have more than 1' of fall.


Don't think I'll actually have a traditional waterfall per say, but there will be water falling, but like you said it'll be about 12".


----------

