Building a Raised Pond

Download: How to Install a Raised Pond

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Step 1

A raised pond can be made from rough-cut timber of suitable dimensions, although railroad ties or sleepers can equally well be utilised. It is important for such a structure to have a solid base, and so the first layer of timbers should be laid out accurately on soil that has been levelled. Each timber should be cut so that the corners fit in much the manner of the carpenter’s cross-halving joint. Stakes should be knocked into the ground on the outside edge of the timber to prevent them moving while concrete is poured in to create the floor.

Step 2

If concrete can also be poured around the outer side of the base of the structure and allowed to set, then the timber foundation is secure. Usually the base outside a raised timber pond is paved, or it is certainly intended for foot traffic, so the concrete is not a distraction. Likewise, use the set-square to ensure that the pond sides are vertical as they are constructed and a spirit level to make sure that they are level. In positioning the base timbers use a set-square to ensure that the corners are at 90°. This is vitally important as if the lower timbers are out of square, by the time the top timber is being positioned any inaccuracies will have been exaggerated.

Step 3

All timbers should be secured by screws and metal plates at the corner joints. When all the timbers, except the top row, have been secured the pond liner can be installed. This should be when the pond structure is about 40cm deep. Shallower ponds can heat up very quickly during the summer with dire effects upon the fish.

Step 4

Introduce the liner and lay it as neatly as possible, making bold folds in the corners where necessary to eliminate creases. Slowly add water, at the same time smoothing out any wrinkles. The pressure of the water within the structure assists greatly in removing creases and wrinkles in the pond liner. Take the surplus liner over the edge of the penultimate timbers and secure it all around with the final lengths. Any surplus pond liner can then be trimmed. The timbers used for the pond can be painted before or after construction.