Everyone can decorate their summer cottage with a decorative pond. This will require a sufficient amount of time. At the same time, material costs will be minimal.
You can choose any shape and size of the pond. The advice of experienced builders will help you do this job well. How to make an artificial reservoir with your own hands will be discussed in the article.
General characteristics
Decorative pond (photo below) can be the highlight of a summer residence or a personal plot. Here you can organize an excellent recreation area during the daytime. Nearby it is recommended to put a bench or hang a hammock. By making a small waterfall or installing a fountain in the pond, you can enjoy the murmur of water. It calms the nervous system, restores mental strength.
In addition, a well-chosen and built pond can beautify the site, highlighting it from others. It is necessary to issue a reservoir at your discretion. You can apply imagination by ennobling the appearance of the pond. However, the advice of professional designers is worth considering beforethe beginning of such work.
It should also be noted that the water on summer nights attracts a lot of mosquitoes and insects. Therefore, if you want to arrange gatherings near the pond in the evening, you need to provide for a special pavilion or move the venue away from the water.
Types of water bodies
Decorative pond in the country (photo below) can be very diverse. There are several varieties of such elements of landscape design. Conventionally, all artificial reservoirs for a summer residence or a personal plot can be arranged into 4 groups.
The first category includes small ponds. They are included in the overall landscape composition and serve exclusively as decoration. The second group includes ponds with shallow depth, which may have streams, waterfalls or fountains. It is near such ponds that a recreation area is arranged.
The third category includes "personal" lakes. Fish can live in them. This is a decorative object that resembles a huge aquarium. The fourth group of reservoirs are pools. You can swim in them, take water procedures. It is impossible to combine a pool and an aquarium in one pond. Swimming in water with fish and vegetation will eventually become unbearable.
Place for a pond
Creating an ornamental pond is a time-consuming process. In this case, the master must take into account a number of requirements that are put forward for such objects. First of all, you need to choose the right place where the pond will be created.
The best place to create a pond is an open area where there are no large trees nearby. Otherwise, their roots can damage the pool bowl, and the leaves, falling off, will clog the water. Also, do not build a pond on the sunny side. Because of the heating, the water in the pool will bloom, bacteria and other unwanted microorganisms will actively develop in it.
It is also necessary to provide for the possibility of further expansion of the landscape design object. Many owners of a dacha or cottage, after building one pond, want to create another one nearby or expand an existing reservoir. There should be enough space nearby to create a recreation area, install a gazebo, a pavilion, etc. It should also be noted that fountains, bridges, waterfalls may be present in the landscape design of the pond. They will also need enough space.
Selection of materials
Decorative pond to the country can be made from different materials. For small ponds, various improvised forms are suitable. It can be barrels, bowls and other forms that are at hand in the country. However, a medium to large size pond will require slightly different materials.
Most often, the walls of an artificial pond are created from a finished form or a special rolled material. Each of the presented options has a number of features. If the owner of the site wants to create a small reservoir, he can purchase a ready-made form. It is made from PVC orfiberglass. The second option is preferable. Fiberglass is more resistant to mechanical stress, more durable than PVC.
Special PVC or butyl rubber film is also on sale. They are also used in the creation of reservoirs in the country. The second option is more expensive, but more durable. Butyl rubber has a long service life (up to 50 years). PVC film will last up to 10 years. Then the work on arranging the pond will need to be done again.
Which option to choose?
The arrangement of decorative ponds requires maximum efficiency from the master. At the same time, it is important to carry out the correct planning process for future construction. You need to choose a place for the pond, calculate its dimensions. In this case, it is necessary to correlate the area of \u200b\u200bthe site and its free space with the size of the reservoir. The pond cannot be too large if the plot is small.
It is also worth considering in advance the design of each object of landscape design. They should be in harmony with each other and with the general view of a summer cottage or personal plot. Exterior design should be in harmony with the style of the facade of the house.
Among the options for arranging a reservoir, you should choose the one that best meets the requirements of the owner of the site. If you need a small or medium pond, you can give preference to ready-made forms. In this case, the creation of the pond will be as fast as possible. For large and medium reservoirs, it is recommended to purchase a film. It can be used to create any objectconfiguration.
Pond from an old bathtub or ready-made form
You can make a decorative pond with small dimensions from an old bathtub or a special container that can be purchased at a specialized store. This is the easiest and fastest way to create a pond. Do not use too small containers with a volume of up to 100 liters. In such recesses, the water will dry up quickly on hot summer days. In this case, it will not be possible to plant plants nearby, launch fish into the pond, etc.
An old cast-iron bathtub or a fiberglass mold is ideal for creating a pond. First you need to choose the right place to create a reservoir. Next, you need to dig a pit. Its walls should be 30 cm larger than those of the bath. The earth must be immediately removed from the construction site.
The bottom of the pit needs to be compacted and levelled. It has a bathtub. Using the level, you need to determine the correct location of the sides. They must be even, skew is unacceptable. Sand should be poured into the space between the sides and walls of the pit. It is carefully packed.
Greening a pond from a bathtub
Decorative design of reservoirs can be very different. Most often, a pond from an old bath is decorated with plants. The roots of plants will be able to stay at the bottom if a number of special measures are carried out. First you need to pour a layer of dry clay about 6 cm thick into the bath. Then water is added to it to make a solution of sufficient density.
The solution must be smeared around the perimeter. In clay, you can immediately fix the root system of perennial plants. They will become a luxurious decoration of the pond. From above you need to fill up a layer of earth. Various plants are planted here, decorative stones are laid out.
You can put a water lily bulb inside the tub. This must be done in the spring. In summer you can see a beautiful flower on the water. The lily will bloom for a long time and beautifully, delighting the owners of the cottage with its delicate bud. In the fall, it will need to be removed from the pond and put into a small container of water. She is taken to the basement.
Calculation of a large reservoir
To create a decorative pond with your own hands, which will be large in size, you will need to make a preliminary calculation. This will avoid soil shedding. In this case, summer residents use a film. Ready-made forms are suitable for a small or medium-sized body of water.
First you need to decide on the length and width of the pond. For example, it will have dimensions of 3 x 4 m. Further, the smaller figure must be divided by 6. This will allow you to find the optimal indicator of the depth of the reservoir. The calculation looks like this: 3 / 6 \u003d 0.5 m. This depth can be a pond.
Next, you need to correlate the desired dimensions of the pond with the dimensions of the pit. It can be calculated using the following formula: length (width) of the pond + double depth + 1 m of stock. The calculation will be as follows:
Pit length=4 + 0.5 x 2 + 1=6 m
Pit + 0.5 x 2 + 1=5 m.
The pit should have these dimensions so that the soil does not crumble when creatinggrooves.
Earthworks
You can make a decorative pond yourself. To do this, you will need to perform a series of earthworks on the site. First you need to markup according to the previously calculated data. If the bottom is stepped, each of them is dug out separately. In this case, the depth indicator should be 5 cm lower than the expected level.
The pit must be dug carefully. Its walls must be rammed. Stones and other unnecessary objects are removed from the bottom. The surface must be even. A layer of sand 5 cm thick must be poured into the pit. A stepped pit is more stable.
Special attention should be paid to the upper edges of the pit. They must be strong, well-packed. It is necessary to use the construction level in the course of work. It determines if the surface is flat or not. Only after the correct arrangement of the pit, you can proceed to subsequent work.
Film arrangement
Decorative pond must be properly covered with foil. When a sand cushion is created, it is tightly compacted. From above, you will need to lay a layer of non-woven material. It can be felt, batting or other similar canvases. Such a layer will not allow grains of sand to rub the film.
When the backing is straightened, gently stretch the film onto it. In this case, you need to pay attention to the position of the bottom canvas. It shouldn't move out. The edges of the film should extend 45 cm beyond the pit. They do not need to be fixed yet. It will only be necessary to press the film with stones in several places. In this case, she is notmove.
After carrying out the above work, the pond can be filled with water. This will allow the film to lie tightly to the bottom, the relief walls of the pit. When the water is in the bowl, you need to remove the stones and sprinkle the edges of the film with earth. Next, the sides need to be further strengthened with decorative stones.
Expert Tips
The construction of a decorative reservoir requires a certain skill from the master. He must take into account several nuances. Filling the pond with water, you can not make a big pressure. You need to use a small hose. With the gradual filling of the bowl, the film can be straightened. If the pond is completely filled with water, this procedure will be much more difficult.
It should also be noted that the water after filling the pit may become cloudy or green. This is a natural process. Don't worry about it. After 2-3 weeks, a certain balance will be established in the reservoir. The water will become clear again. Tadpoles clean the water well. Therefore, when frog eggs appear in the pond, you should not remove it.
If there are small children in the house, even a small pond should be protected. According to statistics, babies often fall into such ponds. To avoid an accident, you need to carefully fence the reservoir, not allowing a child to enter here without adults.
Decoration
Decorative pond can become a real masterpiece if you think about its proper design. You can provide for the presence of slides, fountains, waterfalls. Some owners install various compositions, for example, in the form of a jug. From it, water will flow intopond.
You should also pour soil around the pond. Plants are planted here. You can put fish in the pond. A real aquarium is set up here. At the bottom, you can install a model of a ship, houses, plant algae. Fish need to be fed periodically.
The slides along which the plants descend to the water look beautiful. It is quite difficult to create them. Mounds of earth are decorated with stones. Flat cobblestones are not suitable for this. They will slide down the slope.
Features of care
The water in the artificial pond needs to be cleaned periodically. With a net, fallen leaves and branches are taken out. Otherwise, algae will grow here, the water will turn green and cloudy.
If the pool is used for swimming, a filtration system must be installed. It is covered so that debris, leaves do not fall into the water. The pool with fish cannot be closed, as they will not have enough air.
Having considered the features of creating a decorative pond, you can make it yourself. The pond will decorate the entire site.
