How To Build An Above Ground Pond The Right Way

Anyone can build a pond but not everyone builds a pond correctly. If you are thinking of building an above ground pond, read on for some tips to make sure you get it right first time.

Knowing how to build an above ground pond is easy – if you don’t care if the pond works or not. Knowing how to build an above ground pond that does work is a little trickier. However, it is not as tricky as trying to build a traditional pond. Depending on the size of the above ground pond, you can get it going in less than half the time of building a traditional pond.

Decide Where It's Going To Go

One important part of how to build an above ground pond is knowing where it shouldn't go. You shouldn't palace a pond directly under overhanging tree limbs that can drop a lot of detritus into the water, making it impossible to keep clean. You don’t want the pool so far away from a water source (you have to fill it periodically, remember) that you half kill yourself hauling buckets of water back and forth. And you don’t want the pond too far away from the power sources it will need to keep the filters and air pumps going.

Prefab, System Or DIY?

There are two main kinds of above ground ponds – an already made shell or a flexible system you put together like a model airplane. The preformulated shells only have a couple of dozen gallons in it. If you just want a little water feature to give the birds in your area a literal watering hole, then that should be fine. But if you want to swim in your pond, then you'll need a system and a sturdy backbone.

Knowing how to build an above ground pond knowing what type of pond you can afford to take care of. If you don’t like the choices available to you in premade above ground pond shells or above ground system kits, you can always try to do it yourself. If you've never done a construction project before, forget it. This is not the time to learn. If you do know, then you can follow plans of how to build an above ground pond from online or real world blueprints.

A General Idea

Basically, how to build an above ground pond is a lot like creating a painting. You want your picture to be the pond. But you need a frame and a canvass before you can break out your paints. With an above-ground pond, you need a frame, some kind of pond liner to keep the water from draining away, and your imagination.

Frameworks can be made in bricks, stones or treated timber. Avoid untreated timber, since it rots after a while in water (oops). Your liner can be any pond liner from a hardware or garden store. You need to put an underlay before you lay down the liner. This helps the liner do its job. Underlay can be sand or old carpet.