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Pond construction

Alan's pond - Wall construction

I am finally at the good stage where things start to take shape and the first of the 9" blocks are been laid by another friend who owed me a favour for motorcycle repairs during last year.
Jeffo as he is affectionately known to his mates is a bricklayer with speed and talent, I would unreservedly recommend him to anyone as he is cheap, a grafter, and does an excellent job in half the time it would take you or I.
[Starting the brickwork] You can see things taking shape now as Paul "jeffo", has started to lay the block work and I have fitted the filter which is a Matsuuba model 2,500 which I purchased second hand for £600 including van hire to collect it.
The filter is on it's own base utilising my original path.
You can make out on the picture one gate valve in the waste drain chamber from the vortex unit. The remaining three go into my garage and end up back in the wastewater chamber so I have easy access for purging them.
[Wall completed below ground] This picture shows the completed below ground wall and as the back will not be seen this was taken to full height, thus saving on the brick cost.
In the foreground the bottom drainpipe is now connected to the Matsuuba filter through a 4" gate valve.
The water return pipes have also been added to the far corner of the rear wall, one is from the pump which is a sequence 750 model and the other from a central heating pump that operates the Olympic surface skimmer you will see later.

The pool dimensions are now 20 ft by 16 ft and a finished depth of 4 ft 6 inches.
Cost for bricks and block work is £270 with a further £286 to finish the job up to full height.
[Filter] A better view of the filter which will have three chambers of Japanese matting and you can also see the addition of a small concrete base around the area which will carry a single brick wall to hide the filter etc.
Much to the delight of my wife the fence has now been re-fitted.
[Wall above ground] The walls above ground were constructed in 4 " blocks on the inner face and brickwork on the outer face the small gap between the two was filled with mortar and every 3 foot or so a steel reinforcing rod was added for the peace of mind factor.
[Starting the brickwork] The pond is well and truly on the way and jeffo almost done.
The Olympic skimmer is fitted in the foreground of the picture and the curved shape of the pond fits in well with the garden layout just as I had imagined it a year earlier.
All those arguments with Jill and me saying I will never see the finished product of my dreams now seem a very long time ago.
[Wall completed below ground] Jeffo grafted for a few hours more and continued to put up brick after brick after brick until the pond was done and the wall hiding the filters.
As a favour and a means of using up excess bricks He also built me a double step to allow me to climb up onto the area that will be covered in decking.
The sand and cement used up to now is 4 tons of soft sand and 35 bags of cement. This figure was later added to for the rendering which used 1 and a half tons of SHARP sand 1 ton of SOFT sand and another 5 bags of cement.
The render was not waterproofed and I did not add fibres in the mix, as I will be fibre glassing the whole pond as my waterproof lining.
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This website started with a booklet which I made up originally for the help of those members of the BKKS - South Wales Section who were intending to start building a koi pond, and as the website has expanded more information and articles from other people have been included. This is for general guidance only, and we do not take any responsibility for problems that might occur by following these ideas. It is important that you check out everything in your area, and check on local laws and rules that may apply.
Website Copyright © 1999-2006 Eric W Poingdestre