Before building your pond, you’ll need to decide the size of the water garden you wish to install. There are a few limiting factors to consider when deciding how big your water feature should be. First off, it should be in scale with your house, the surrounding yard, landscaping, and hardscaping. In other words, don’t create a water feature that encompasses the entire yard, leaving no room for sitting areas and surrounding landscape. It is important that the pond blend into the yard, not take it over.
Budget can also be a limiting factor. Remember that the materials needed to build the water feature make up only a portion of the total cost. Rock and plants need to be added into the equation as well. Make sure you keep your finances in mind throughout the entire design process. If you stay organized and keep track of costs as they add up, you should have no problem staying within your allotted budget.
Ponds can be made large enough to swim in, or small enough to fit in the tiniest city garden. One thing most new pond owners agree upon is that they wish they had built a larger pond. In fact, the average pond owner will upgrade their pond 3 times!
It’s okay to start small, but eventually you’re going to fall in love with your water garden and decide to make it bigger to fit a few more plants, or to support a few more fish. So be sure to start out at a desirable size and don’t undercut yourself. You’re never going to want to make your pond smaller.
On the flip side, you definitely don’t want to approach a job that is way too big for you. The biggest problem with do-it-yourself projects occurs when people start something that’s not within their means physically and financially, and the project never gets completed. Your family is not going to be happy with a large crater in the backyard, so if you decide to go big, you’d better be ready for a big job ahead of you.
