FORMAL PONDS

For thousands of years, creative architects have employed formal ponds to provide focus, noise abatement, and evaporative cooling in both public and private courtyards and gardens. Although formal ponds were traditionally built of stone, today they can also be built with brick, concrete blocks, poured concrete, or pressure-treated wood. A raised wall will highlight attractive structural materials and offer visitors a place to sit by the water; a flush edge is easier to build and will make the garden feel more spacious. Simple rectangular shapes with vertical side walls are recommended for ease of waterproofing, but other shapes are possible. Fish and plants are optional, but some sort of fountain is a virtual necessity. A depth of 18" to 24" is sufficient, except in cold climates.

In the illustration, Liner Protection Fabric covers the sand-covered earth bottom and concrete-block sides. A custom-fitted Butyl rubber pond liner is dropped into place and secured with black metal bars and a tacky rubber tape. Water is drawn through a modular pre-filter and into a professional in-line pump which ejects it upward through a fountainhead supported on an adjustable-height extension.

• a custom-fitted Butyl rubber liner up to the kit size (up 30" deep)

• an equivalent quantity of our unique Liner Protection Fabric

• black wall-termination bars and tape

• a super-efficient, Oase submersible pump

• a frothy fountainhead

• a fountain extension

• dry bacteria to assist in maintaining water quality

• rubber liner repair tape

We also design custom kits for ponds of any size, shape or budget. For a less-expensive liner, we can substitute a flat sheet of Butyl or EPDM rubber that can be folded at the corners. If the rubber can be draped over the wall before the cap stones are applied, we can eliminate the wall bars. For a spectacular nighttime display, we can supply a transformer and two low-voltage lights that can be attached to the base of the pumps. We can also substitute different pumps and fountainheads, add a water-flow regulator, or add supplemental filtration.

Formal Pond Kit, 5 ft x 5 ft, $call
Formal Pond Kit, 5 ft x 10 ft, $call
Formal Pond Kit, 10 ft x 10 ft, $call
Formal Pond Kit, 10 ft x 15 ft, $call
Formal Pond Kit, 10 ft x 20 ft, $call
Formal Pond Kit, 15 ft x 15 ft, $call
Formal Pond Kit, 15 ft x 20 ft, $call