Emily's Pond Build Log

Just a quick update here. I called the utility companies (well, technically the Georgia 811 line, which calls the utilities for me), and we got our dig ticket, which is good through November 4. We are planning to start digging the weekend of October 30. Perhaps earlier than that, but only if we have time in the evenings after work. Odds are we'll end up extending the dig ticket since I think it's going to take more than weekend to dig the pond, but we'll see how it goes. I've got a volunteer or two that are supposed to help (we'll see if they do though), and I'm hoping we can make good progress on it. Right now though I'm just hoping that the utility companies don't have anything in my spot. I'm 99% sure that they don't, but I won't know 100% until Tuesday (they have to mark by Tuesday).

I did want to ask - does anyone recommend a specific website or place to purchase the EPDM liner? I've done some browsing on the net and the prices are all over the place. I'm not going to purchase until after we dig, but I'm estimating that we will need a 20' x 25' liner right now and I'm finding prices of anywhere from $200 (plus $100 shipping) to $400 (plus $150 shipping), and everywhere in between. Does this seem right? And if so, why would one be half the price of the other? They are all described as 45 mil EPDM pond liners with the 20 year warranty on them, so I don't see any obvious differences in the liners, just the prices. Any thoughts there? Or anyone have a good experience they want to share with where they bought their liner? Thanks much! :D
 
3 out of 4 of the utilities have responded thus far with "no conflict" (yay!). Just waiting on AT&T to respond, and I am sure there is no AT&T line in our back yard. So hopefully we will get the "all clear" very shortly.

Wanted also to bump for the EPDM liner question I had above. Anyone?
 
DrsFosterSmith.com has EPDM liners on sale right now. The 20' x 25' is $262... almost $100 off their regular price and they usually have low cost or free shipping on big orders though I'm not sure about liners since they're HEAVY and I see a little disclaimer that they are only sent via ground shipping only so a 7-10 day shipping period. http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5181+9213&pcatid=9213

You could also check with a kinda local place. http://www.coastalpond.com/ They're located in the Atlanta metro area.. I think you're in Georgia.. right? Bill from Coastal Pond and Fountains participates in a pond related Yahoo Group so I kind of know him... at least online. He's also very involved with the Atlanta Koi Club and hosts their shows at his warehouse. He's a nice guy online.

They sell liner kits and also in bulk, cut to size and I see they have a 50' wide roll so you would just need 25' of that but you'll have to call for their price. They have both 45mil and 60mil so check both prices. http://www.coastalpond.com/liner-carlisle-45mil-epdm-c-11_68_707.html

They also have the Firestone Brand PondGuard EPDM liners, only in 45mil, that they can cut to size. http://www.coastalpond.com/liner-epdm-pondgard-c-11_68_358.html

Also ask them about any mis-cuts or returns as they might have what you need or larger for a lower price.
 
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Thanks Lenny! I will definitely check those out! We are not yet ready to buy the liner. I want to get it all dug first and make sure of the measurements first, but the ball-park size that I'm guessing at right now is the 20' x 25'. So we'll see once the dig is finished. :)
 
rainbowcharmer said:
Thanks Lenny! I will definitely check those out! We are not yet ready to buy the liner. I want to get it all dug first and make sure of the measurements first, but the ball-park size that I'm guessing at right now is the 20' x 25'. So we'll see once the dig is finished. :)
Click to expand...

Remember the "Carpenter's Rule"... measure twice, cut once. Use a soft measuring tape to lay it flat starting 1' outside of one end, then down the side, along the longest part of the bottom, down into any deeper holes, then back up the other side and at least 1' out of that end. Same for the widest side to side area.
 
Started Digging!!

Yesterday we had some time so we started digging the pond. Mostly we're just working on removing the grass and top-soil at this point. The dig right now is ONLY on the parts that will be deep (3'-4'). We are leaving the plant ledge and the stairs section alone for now since we'll need to do a bit of grading to level it all out. So the pics look a little funny, plus there's a section of grass still in the middle that hasn't been removed yet - it got dark and the mosquitoes came out so we quit for the night before we ended up with too many bites. Not sure if we will dig at all tonight - been raining all day, and it's probably all just mud at this point. We'll see how it is later though. We have a couple helpers scheduled to come this Saturday for more digging, so hopefully we'll have the majority of that completed this weekend.

Pics below:

The rounded section on the bottom left corner of this is the stairs:
October2010083.jpg


Stairs on the bottom right in this pic:
October2010082.jpg


Two of our helpers in the background here (Mimi & Gabby). A view from the opposite side of the pond - stairs in this pic would be top right (where Gabby is standing in fact). You can see the hose is about 1' away from where we are digging. That is the plant shelf between the hose and the currently dug area:
October2010070.jpg


View from a bit further away:
October2010069.jpg
 
Oh wow that gonna be a pain and a half lol. I remember when I was younger and tried digging through clay. It gets harder after 2 ft since its very compressed. Good luck on your pond. Wish I could build one here but last time I asked i got a big NO. LOL. I will have to keep an eye on this thread to see how it goes.
 
That's why I bribed strong helpers from work to come dig next weekend. :D I'm paying them in food and gatorade. And they all willingly said yes, so hopefully they can make some magic. ;)

I am hoping to get a lot of it done before they get here so there won't be as much to do. The leveling and the plant shelf and all that we will do ourselves over the next few weeks or so, but I want to get the majority of it dug. Our dig ticket w/ the state expires Nov 4, so that's our goal for finishing the actual digging portion, although we can renew it if we need to. We'll see. :)
 
LOL being paid with food and gatorade hmmmm sounds like what my family does with me. I go and do some work and they give me a rootbeer and food. Its good food though so I cant complain lol.

Any more picture updates???
 
No updates yet. It has been raining all week. But it is supposed to clear up for the rest of the week so we are still planning on our digging party saturday.

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