* For enquiries about maintenance, please contact Pristine Ponds.
Budget ponds new for 2024!!
Lots of people are feeling the pinch at the moment, so we're now able to construct small ponds for those on a budget.
Prices start from just £3000 + vat for a shallow pond with a solar pump, and for something a little larger around 8 ft x 5 foot would be around £5000 + vat. A mains pump is preferable if you have a nearby outdoor socket. Unlike others we also include a bespoke bio filter in our budget ponds, whereas they will only include a small pump with inbuilt filter that needs constant cleaning.
This offer might now be around forever!
If you want us to include a small cascade and fully rock-in the pond then one like this below will cost around £6500+ vat, but in a budget rock like yorkstone as opposed to this premium slate option;
Pricing
Before we talk about cost, the first question most people ask is 'HOW DO I GET A LOW MAINTENANCE POND'?
Whether we're designing a natural rock & gravel pond, or a sleek contemporary water feature, filtration and flow are key.
A low maintenance pond with clear clean water like those above, relies on beneficial microbes to clean the water and consume debris. Providing the right conditions for these microbes is the key to a low maintenance pond. Old school ponds with a pump and a filter will never be low maintenance. A pump plonked into a pond will only filter part of the water column and never filter the rest.
It all begins with the correct design that allows the best flow of water and reduces stagnancy. You need water to be pushed across the pond surface and then sucked into a specific area where leaves and other matter are drawn into for simple removal from this one area.
Sufficient oxygen needs to be present to enable the beneficial microbes to thrive.
The edge of the pond should be impenetrable to surrounding ground water run-off, so as to avoid dirt being washed in.
The habitat must be suitable for a full range of beneficial microbes to thrive. For example they do not thrive on bare rubber liners, so if budget allows, you should be planning for how the liner can be covered with natural materials like gravel and rock.
In summary, a properly constructed ecosystem will self-maintain and minimise maintenance.
Cheap pond building will always result in;
visually ugly ponds
poor water quality
very high maintenance
leaks
gravel etc gradually sliding into the bottom of the pond
sludge - thus high cleaning costs
blockages
plants going out of control and causing leaks.
If you want to avoid these costly outcomes, read on!
A new pond or refurbishment cost depends on the package you select. Here are the basic packages available (you can mix and match packages as you wish);
- Level One - rubber liner with underlay, loose rocks to the upper perimeter to disguise and retain the liner, pump and internal biofilter. Hoses, pump and liner will be visible. There are alternative to rocks such as turfing but this will result in dirty rain run-off into your pond.
- Level Two - As per One (above) with the addition of an intake bay (skimmer) designed to pull leaves & other solids into one corner for much easier netting-out.
- Level Three - As per Two (above) but with rocks foamed into position rather than loose.
- Level Four - As per Three (above) with the entire liner rocked-in - no visible liner, pump or hoses. This option gives better water quality as beneficial microbes inhabit rock surfaces.
Other options you can add to your pond or water feature;
- Gravel pond bottom and /or planting pockets inside pond.
- Premium rocks - the larger and more visually appealing the rocks are, the higher the cost. The ultimate rocks are obtained direct from mines and look spectacular. Typically, we use lower cost rocks such as Yorkstone. You can opt for premium surface rocks, and budget underwater rocks - this works well.
- Depth options - the deeper we go, the higher the cost because everything takes longer and must be scaled. Once we get over 75cm in depth, it is important that any underwater rocks are exceptionally stable which requires large /and or rounded rocks.
- Waterfalls and streams added. Waste soil is handy if you want us to construct a waterfall attached to the pond. The larger and higher the waterfall, the higher the cost. Remember - high waterfalls look odd in most typical gardens - going low looks in-keeping and classy.
- Planting package - aquatic plants.
- Planting package - terrestrial plants.
- Removal of soil from site. Some clients choose for us to remove soil from site but this is labour intensive and adds to cost. The alternative is we pile it next to the pond and you can plant this / have a waterfall added. If client takes responsibility for other waste, this reduces the cost.
- Lighting - underwater lighting brings your pond to life in the evening!
- Premium filtration package - the ultimate filter is a constructed wetland filter. These are immensely less maintenance compared to any factory made filter and have no parts that need replacing. These are highly recommended for larger ponds / koi ponds, but they are expensive, price on application. These outperform any factory made filter and unlike those, will not go wrong over time. They require a simple hose out once or twice a year.
- Landscaping - there are many options such as paths, planting terraces and patios.
- Circulation jets - for those wanting fantastic water quality, circulation jets are recommended. These typically require their own pump.
- Stepping-stones - kids and adults can't resist walking across ponds and streams via stepping-stones. These need careful placement so as to reduce the accumulation of leaves around them.
- Lawn protection - when using heavy equipment / constantly trampling lawns / placing materials on lawns, there is inevitably lawn damage. We are not lawn specialists but can if you want bring-in lawn protection boards where practicable, but these do not last more than one job and are very expensive. Boards do not fully protect the lawn anyway. The vast majority of clients have a lawn specialist make good any lawn damage.
- Sub-liner drainage. If ground water is an issue, the first step is for us to install a drainage system to remove water from beneath a liner. Pond in areas with a high water table, are a bad idea unless drainage is installed.
Here are some example base prices for bespoke water feature design and construction:
Ecosystem Ponds
For a small feature which is fully "rocked in" (almost no liner is visible) and has internal ecosystem filtration, prices start at £6000 + VAT. A typical pond which is fully rocked-in and has good filtration, costs around £15,000 + vat. For bare liner the costs are comparatively less.
Cost can be reduced if:
- The pond is not fully rocked in (more liner showing).
- Rocks are not foamed into position.
- Clients take care of waste disposal.
- Soil remains on-site next to the pond.
Alternatively, prices will increase depending on the size and other features such as underwater lighting and aeration jets.
Pondless Waterfalls & Streams
The price for a pondless waterfall will be dependent on many factors such as type and size of rocks used. We're happy to tailor a project to your budget, large or small.
A small feature for example, could consist 3 rock columns with water babbling over the top and falling to a gravel layer below. A feature of this scope would start from £2,000 + VAT. Larger features may cost considerably more if they encompass a number of streams and pools before splashing onto the final gravel bed, the cost will be reflected by the scale and scope.
Streams are perhaps the ultimate garden water feature. If your budget allows us to use premium rocks, the final result will be optimal.