* For enquiries about maintenance, please contact Pristine Ponds.
Pricing
Cheap pond building will always result in;
visually ugly ponds with the appearance of a quarry
poor water quality
very high maintenance
leaks
gravel etc gradually sliding into the bottom of the pond
sludge - thus high cleaning costs
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 lose.
- 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 chose 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.
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.