dannyboy1978uk

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Hello everyone and welcolme to my progress thread. As I go along I'll try and keep you up to date with pics and info and hope I can get some tips and help from you guys in return.

Just to give you some background information I moved into my new house in May and the first thing I wanted done was to build a koi pond and thats where I met my first hurdle THE MISSES!!! She wanted a new kitchen as much as I wanted a new Koi pond so after that battle and help from Nishikiboy I kind of turned her around,I think!

So the build commenced and I ordered in the digger and Help from My Sister's boyfriend who owns his own gardning company and my friend Micheal who is on the digger in the pic.

The plan is to build around the conservatory so feeding and viewing can be done from inside as well as out side. I will be using two drains, one aerated. Half the pond will be 6 foot and the other half 3foot using 6 inch concrete base and hollow blocks for the walls. It will be a raised pond and the top will be 8 inches from the window sill.

I hope you get the idea of what I want once it is complete and look forward to your suggestions.

Dan

Eclipsar

Looking good, if you ask me I think you need the digger back in, to dig it 6' deep all the way round

You can never have enough water

Regards
Chris
www.eclipsar.co.uk
www.acmkoi.com

double doitsu

dan what i would be worried about is damp in the conseratry and are you building another wall against the conservatory for strenght, and if you are keeping the pond at two levels i would put both your drains in the deep end , and put two returns at the shallow end so it pushes the debrib and waste food down to the drains, and then put the final return in the deep end so that it gives you a kind of vortex effect to get it down the drains , also put a skimmer in the deep end.then you could use the swallow end to feed so that you can see the fish real nice and the skimmer will not eat all the food straight away , but so far its looking good mate ,

dannyboy1978uk

Two drains in the deep end now thats a good idea I never thought of that,just hope all the crud will find its way to the deep end.How steep do you think I should bench the shallow end?

When I build the pond wall next to conservatory I will leave a gap so it can breath. I did have concerns my self but the ideal is to leave enough space for the air to get around plus the gap is were I will lay the return pipes. Any thoughts on height of the returns? bottom middle or near the top?

Does any one else have an opinion about two drains in the deep end?

Dan

nishikiboy

I would tend to disagree, if the Koi choose to spend a lot of time at the other end, at night " sleeping " ( they rest, rather than sleep ) there will be a lot of mulm ( sh.t ) and no bottom drain !
In reality it doesn't travel well along the bottom !
and if you make it too steep, the solids will be left behind !!!
( see building regs re drains, the slope of a soil pipe has to be VERY gentle for this reason !!!! solids left behind )

A modern state of the art Koi pond, professionally built would not have any slope ! ....... maybe a shallow bowl approx 1 metre in diameter around the bottom drain cover.

If you go on EA website www.evolutionaqua.com
and go on the technical support part, send them your measurements and photo's and explain you have purchased a nexus eazy etc. and ASK THEM FOR HELP AND ADVICE ! they will be surprisingly helpful !

I'm no expert, but I think you may well be contravening building reg's by siting the pond wall so near to the conservatory wall,
I think it will cause problems with damp,
the conservatory wall looks damp now ! without the airflow the problem can only be aggravated.
Until you stand right next to the glass, you won't in fact see the nearest 2 or 3 feet when sat down ( try putting a pole up to the water surface height and sitting in the conservatory, to see where you can see it ! you may get a surprise ! )
Is the pond away from any drains for house, conservatory, next door ?
A building regs inspector has the power to make you dismantle the pond !

How do you intend to reinforce the base and the wall ?
What do you intend to do with the hollow blocks ?
What do you intend to put under the concrete ?
How high is the water table ?
Are you going to have a sump around the pond and sump pump ?

Dan, PLEASE don't think I'm trying to be a clever sod !
I thought of sending you a pm, but the idea of the forum is that we help each other, and learn from our mistakes, and we've ALL made them, not least me !
but I'm getting the impression some of these things have NOT been thought out ?
Peter.

dannyboy1978uk

Well when I say I want it next to the conseratory I dont mean touching or so close its going upset the current building.The reason it looks damp is because i had reasently steam cleaned the patio and conservatory plus the base has been damp proofed. I will be back filling behind the wall with cement up to ground leval and all the hollow blocks will have rods running through them for support.

Where I live is at the top of a hill so no problem with water table and at the end of our garden is a farm so all drainage is pointing to the front of the house and not interfearing with next door.

Regards to the two drains I think its probably best to have one in the shallow end for the sake of when it gets cold in the winter and I can regulate how much warmer water I can keep at the deep end.

Building a koi pond is certainly a long job and im definatly not rushing it. Each and every decision I have to make will be well thought out.

gav

another thing to think about- how are you going to clean the roof / windows of the conservatory with out any of the water etc going into the pond. I think Peter is right about building regs I dont think youve got a big enough gap between the pond wall and the conservatory wall and the water will collect there also how close are you to the foundations of the conservatory-you dont want to disturb them.might be an idea to get a professional surveyor or the like (it will cost but i dont think its that expensive)to have a look before you build the pond rather than find out when its too late and you've spent all that money.I also agree -i dont think you will be able to that great a view of the pond and the fish from the conservatory.Its a shame though cos its a brilliant idea and will look fantastic once you get all of the minor niggles sorted.I'll have a word with my stepdad tomorrow- hes a qualified surveyor and see what he thinks.how big is the gap going to be between the two walls?

dannyboy1978uk

I had considered an 18 inch gap wall to wall then on top I will have slabs to make it look like its closer and make the effect better.
How bigger gap do you guys think?

Carl

I had a flick through Goggle and came up with this...

Ponds
Exemptions from approval for fish ponds, water storage ponds, ponds for water features and fountain ponds

Exemptions from development and building approval may apply to certain ponds not inside a building provided they comply with relevant provisions of Regulations. Examples of ponds not inside buildings include fish ponds, water storage ponds, ponds for water features and fountain ponds.

Exemptions from development approval
The development does not need development approval if it complies with relevant provisions of the Planning and Development Regulation 2008, Schedule 1. The following is a summary of the provisions and is correct as of the date the web page was last updated - scroll to the bottom of the web page to find this - however the Regulation's Schedule may have been updated since then. In summary, the development is exempt provided that:

:it is not for, or not used for swimming, wading or bathing;
:the maximum water depth is not more than 300mm;
:the surface area of water is not more than 6m2 when full (without overtopping effects);
:no part is between a front boundary and a building line for the block;
:no part is within 1.5m of a side boundary or rear boundary for the block;
it complies with relevant general exemption criteria.
See definitions to understand the terms in italics.

Exemptions from building approval
The development does not need building approval if it complies with relevant provisions of the Building (General) Regulation 2008, Schedule 1. The following is a summary of the provisions and is correct as of the date the web page was last updated - scroll to the bottom of the web page to find this - however the Regulation's Schedule may been updated since then. In summary, the development is exempt provided that:

:it is not for, or not used for, swimming, wading or bathing;
:the maximum water depth is not more than 1.2m;
:it will not affect the structural integrity of any part of a building for which a Certificate of Occupancy or other certificate under the Building Act 2004, part 5, has been issued;
:it will not affect a fire-rated wall, ceiling or floor;
:it will not affect a ventilation or air-handling system, fire protection system or other mechanical service;
:it will not affect a fire escape, emergency lift, stairway, exit or passageway to an exit;
:it will not affect the natural light of ventilation available to a building for which a certificate under the Act, part 5, has been issued;
:it will not affect the building in a way that reduces its compliance with the Building Code to a level that is less than the minimum requirements of the Code;
:it does not involve handling asbestos or disturbing friable asbestos (other than minor maintenance work, i.e. low-speed or hand-drilling, sealing, painting, coating if done personally by the owner or occupier of the premises)..
No building approval, licence, notice, certifier, plans, inspections, certificates, design or construction standards required under the Building Act 2004.


Hope that helps.

dannyboy1978uk

Well I will far enough from the border and I certainly wont be interfering with the building.

I have two large liners from the last pond and was considering using this underneath the base of the pond to stop any moisture affecting the concret base. The only problem I can imagine is if the liner deteriates in condition will it leave voides and make the concrete more prone to cracking? thoughts please. I will also be useing steal in the concret for extra suport.

Dan