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Saving the Right Way |
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If you only build one pond in life it is difficult to determine what is really necessary. Many just want a large pond but give up in the end because of the high costs. Others build expensive wall constructions which are totally superfluous. A lot of money is often wasted.
Here we show you where there is potential for saving:
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Who's interested in what?
Different suppliers have very different priorities:
DIY stores often have very low prices for liners, but earn their money back on fish feed and filtration systems.
The landscaping gardener, on the other hand, earns on working time:
A lot of extra decoration work is often added to ponds, so that from a cost point of view the originally planned pond becomes a secondary concern. |
 This is our interest: A solidly made pond with long term stability and attractive surroundings. |
Construction Costs
The construction costs for a pond consist of:
- Planning
- Excavation
- Sealing
(fleece, liner, possibly sand)
- Plants
- Labour
- Possibly a 'system surcharge'
- Possibly hydraulics and filtration
- Possibly decoration
(rocks, statues, etc.)
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Running Costs
These costs are determined by the way the pond is constructed. Temporarily compromising on visibility, a 100m² swimming pond can easily be run on 1kW per day (about 15 Euro-cents). Ponds without fish but with large surfaces of open water require about 2 minutes per m² of maintenance per year. Any kind of land vegetation demands more work.
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 The larger the pond, the larger its practically maintenance free water surface, the less work it is. |
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Mistake: Not Planning
This mistake happens mainly with small ponds: you shovel until fatigue suggests that the pond is large enough.
Or with large ponds, the cost for the bulldozer decides about its size. Planning and construction are uncontrollably interwoven in these cases.
Eminently important: Separate planning from construction.
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Usually Not Necessary: Plan of Execution
This is the other extreme case: The architect draws every plant - and charges a few thousand Euros for it. Such plans are necessary when you need a court-proof contractual base when working for third parties. In those cases this is essential. On the other hand: If you build yourself, you can save this cost.
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Ideal: Planning Aid from NaturaGart
This is the economically reasonable compromise and you get a plan for all the larger portions of necessary work, as well as manuals for the details.
We charge a fee of 30.00 Euros, which is redeemed against purchases of liner.
The advantage: NaturaGart customers have guiding plan at no extra cost. |
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Contracting Work: Excavation
A 15m² pond requires 7-8m³ of excavation. That makes for about 80-100 wheelbarrows full of earth. Bulldozing costs for large ponds are often determined by how much the constructor thinks you are willing to pay rather than by real hours of labour.
NaturaGart customers can request a list of excavation services with approximate prices to aid them in negotiating with the excavation firm. Largest savings at one project: about 15,000.00 Euros.
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 Depending on the pond and transport distance, larger bulldozers manage about 20-50m³ per hour. Cost per hour: 100-150 Euros depending on the type. |
 Done right, a bulldozer can finish the excavation for all but some evening out. |
Careful With Fixed Prices
If the construction of the pond is contracted as a whole, then usually no concrete liner specifications are agreed on. In those cases a low to medium grade liner is often used - especially if supplied for a fixed price.
Liner prices vary between one and 20.00 Euros per square metre, depending on quality.
NaturaGart liner lies between 4 and about 8 Euros/m², depending on grade of the material and size required.
On procurement everything should be exactly defined.
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Relative Costs
There have been liners that didn't make it over the first winter. In those cases the pond has to be completely demolished - this is usually more expensive than building a new one.
The difference in price between a cheap and a good quality liner usually is a few percent of total cost of construction. But this small difference finally decides durability.
Therefore, don't save on the sealing, but rather on decoration!
A cheap construction with leaks is more expensive than doing it right from the start!
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Anyone can Plant
Planting is not hard physical work and can be easily done by yourself or your helpers.
NaturaGart supplies the plants sorted by their location.
All plants are packaged together by species and labelled for quick reference.
You need no prior knowledge so you can plant them immediately.
Purchasing from NaturaGart you buy directly and inexpensively from our nursery.
NaturaGart often dispatches more than 20,000 plants per day.
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Building Ponds Mostly Requires no Special Skills
Labour costs are probably the largest factor when contracting work. Building it yourself, or with a few friends will save you most. Much of the work when building a pond requires no special skills (transporting or spreading out earth). It is usually possible to get that done for less than 30.00 Euros per hour...
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Careful with Extra-Charges
These are costs that do not count as material or labour costs. Sometimes they appear as artistic or licensing costs. Usually, however, they are hidden in the fixed price and the clients ask themselves why a few hours of work were so expensive.
Fixed prices without exact definition of services are always a mistake!
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Review Water Technology
Ponds do not necessarily need expensive pumps. A bit of thought goes a long way toward minimising electrical consumption. Sometimes even natural ponds are equipped with thousands of Euros worth of filtration technology that is completely superfluous. Other times energy guzzling pumps generate high running costs.
You should therefore carefully examine your quotes for the technology packs. |
Postpone Decoration
A lot can be said for optimising pond construction and postponing investment on items that are not strictly necessary. This includes any objects for any sort of artistic means. In many pond builders' estimates stones and other decorative components easily make for up to half the total cost.
If your budget is limited, carefully evaluate what you need. |
Decision Making Aid:
Build a 'proper' sealing because a broken liner can only be changed by demolishing everything.
You save most by doing things yourself and/or asking friends or cheap workers to help.
It is very important to do things right - but there we will supply all necessary information.
Important for your decision:
You do not need any special skills! |
 This shore of flowers costs 1 Euro per metre. For a pebbled shore you can easily spend 20 times as much. |
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