Build a Successful Water Garden Waterfall in your Back Yard

Building a do it yourself water garden waterfall in your yard need not end up in a disaster. With some planning, you areable to create a feature in your garden within a strict budget andwhich will still add value to your home. The most important aspect isplanning for the future - the long term vision of how you want yourgarden to develop, both for your enjoyment while you live in the houseand as an added value when you come to resell sometime in the future.Do it yourself waterfalls are not difficult to build, so long as youtake on a project which you are both able to afford, and able tophysically manage.

The only areawhere you should consider saving money is in the labor costs of theproject. Professionally installed waterfalls cost simply because of thework involved.  Let's quickly walk through the steps you must considerwhen tackling such a project.

Steps in the Building

1. Consulteveryone who is going to directly benefit from the project. View theproposed position of your pond from the outside of your house, but viewit from the inside as well. Make sure you will be able to see it fromyour favorite rooms.

2. Decide on thesize, shape and style of the water feature you want. This includes thestyle of waterfall.  Look at many waterfalls, both man made and naturaland see what you like.

3. Do not usecement or large rocks in your design. These cause complications in thedesign that the home builder can do without.  Cement is not the bestconstruction material for a backyard natural pond and large bouldersthat require machinery to move can be costly and impractical.

4. Lay out theplanned shape using a hose. Move it about, deciding on how best to usethe natural shape of the area itself. When the final shape has beenchosen, paint the outline using a spray can of paint.  Only paint thegrass when you are confident that you have the final design.

5. Buy and use a water garden pond kit.These not only come with all the things you need to make your pond, butyou save money on the purchase as well. Choose a kit that s suited tothe volume of water you wish to have in your system, making sure thatyou will pump the entire volume of water through the filtration atleast once an hour as a bare minimum.

6. Dig your hole,and then check that the edges are level. There is nothing worse thanmaking a pond and filling it, only to find that a section of the linerprotrudes simply because you missed the leveling stage!  Water willalways find it's own level so it is hard to hide a poorly leveled waterfeature. 

7. Select a rubberliner - these last longer than synthetic ones in the long term, and donot skim on the quality of the underlay - it will cost more in the longrun.  By using a reputable quality pond kit you will install a qualityunderlay with a quality liner.  After all, you want the water to stayin the pond.

8. When buildingyour waterfall, lay the stones in a natural manner, and do not try toarrange them in any specific way. The waterfall will look more naturaland you will be happier with the results.

9. Ensure that thevolume of water in your holding areas, both top and bottom, issufficient to fill your system when it is running, and that your waterand filtration pumps are large enough to shift the volume of water inthe entire system at least once an hour.  Again by using a pond kit,your equipment will be sized to fit the dimensions of the feature youbuild.

10. Plant thefeature with flora that will happily grow in the area where you live.Do not waste money on exotics that will need to be replaced becausethey cannot survive well in your environment.

12. Maintain your pond regularly, clean out your skimming filter at least once every two weeks.

13. To find a leak after you have finished the construction of your waterfall and pond,stop the pumps, allow the water to settle. Mark the level when youswitch off, and watch over a period of hours where the water levelstabilizes. The water will always be below the leak. In pipes, run thesystem, uncover all the pipe work. Watch for leaks and repair/replaceas required.

14. Enjoy the process, work within your budget, plan according to your physical capabilities and get started!

About the author: Through his website www.buildingmypond.com and his Water Garden Pod Cast,Garth Epp aims to disseminate unbiased and practical advice on creatingyour own water garden, including the best equipment and pond kitsavailable to the DIY back yard pond builder.