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Home » Gardening » Pond construction prices

Pond construction prices

Minimal costs

€ 1.000

Average costs

€ 2.950

This project costs on average between

€ 2.420 - € 3.480

Maximum costs

€ 40.000

When you want to build a pond, you can go in different directions, because ponds come in many shapes and sizes. Building a pond is not only good for the appearance of the garden, but also has a calming effect. Are you curious to know which pond best suits your needs and what the corresponding prices are? On this page you will find more information about ponds and their costs.

What does it cost to build a pond?

On average, it costs £2,950 to build a pond, but this price varies greatly and depends on your wishes. If you want a small pond, you can be done for as little as £950. Do you want to swim in your pond? Then you’re more likely to head towards £20,000. See the overview below for average prices.

Type of pond Average price
Swimming pond (30 m²) £ 20,000 – £ 40,000
Small koi pond (10 m² excl. koi) £ 4,000 – £ 5,000
Small ornamental pond (incl. plants and fish) £ 2,000 – £ 3,000
Small natural pond (incl. plants) £ 1,000 – £ 2,000
Pond pump £ 100 – £ 1.500
Filter £ 100 – £ 1,000

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Pond construction prices

Price examples

The price of a pond depends on your requirements. Do you want a pond for swimming or purely for decoration? Check out 3 handy price examples below to get an idea of the average prices per situation.

Pond for swimming

Do you want a pool in your garden, but don’t like the look of one? A swimming pond is a nice alternative. Not only does it look more beautiful, it also allows you to swim in healthy, clear water, without chlorine and other chemicals. For a swimming pond you do need a lot of space, as a swimming pond needs to be at least 30 m² to swim in. The average cost of a swimming pond is between £20,000 and £40,000.

Pond with plants and fish

A pond with plants and fish is called an ornamental pond or mixed pond. Both plants and fish live in this pond, so it is important to choose fish that will not eat the plants. On average, a small ornamental pond costs between £2,000 and £3,000.

Pond with plants

Building a pond often requires a lot of maintenance. If you don’t feel like doing that but still want to enjoy a pond in your garden, a plant pond is the best option. The maintenance of a plant pond, also called a natural pond, is limited to maintaining the plants and checking the water quality. Also, the cost of construction and maintenance is relatively low compared to other types of ponds. The construction of a small natural pond costs on average between £1,000 and £2,000.

Price structure pond construction

Cost overview Pond construction prices

What choices determine the price of your pond?

When you are going to lay out your garden and choose to have a pond installed, there are several choices that determine the price.

Choice 1: What kind of pond

The choice that most determines the price is the kind of pond you will have installed. Here, you often have a choice between: a swimming pond, koi pond, ornamental pond and natural pond.

Swimming pond

A swimming pond consists of 2 parts: a part without plants for swimming and a filtering marsh plant part. Keeping fish is not usually done in a swimming pond. It is possible, but the fish won’t really like the fact that people are also swimming in their habitat. A swimming pond needs to be at least 30 m² in size and 140 to 160 cm deep to swim in. This is also why a swimming pond is usually one of the more expensive ponds in terms of construction. Building a swimming pond can be quite a task, which is why it is often better to let an experienced specialist do the job. Prices for a swimming pond are on average between £ 20,000 and £ 40,000.

Pooling pond

Another popular pond is one in which koi carp are kept. You cannot put koi carp in a pond with plants, because they are herbivores and will therefore eat all the plants. The koi pond needs a lot of care and maintenance, because the koi need optimal living conditions. Koi ponds need a high-quality filtration system to stay healthy. A koi pond should have a minimum capacity of 10 m³, and be 150 cm deep. This is important, as a koi can grow up to a metre long and thus needs living space. The guideline is to have one koi per 1,000 litres of water.

The cost for a koi pond with a minimum volume of 10 m³ is on average between £4,000 and £5,000 (excluding the koi).

Pond construction prices
An ornamental pond

An ornamental pond is a pond in which both plants and fish live. This pond is basically constructed the same as a natural pond, but with an ornamental pond, fish are also added. To keep the fish healthy, it is important to build good filter systems. It is wise not to buy any herbivorous fish because otherwise not much of your plants will remain. An ornamental pond including plants and fish costs on average between £2,000 and £3,000.

Nature pond

A nature pond is a pond in which only plants live. A natural pond does often attract other animals such as insects or amphibians, so it still has a lively appearance. With no fish living in it, a natural pond often remains clear and balanced even without a filter system, although a filter system is still recommended to keep the water nice and clear. Maintaining a natural pond is relatively low-maintenance because you only need to maintain the plants and check the water. In addition, the costs are lower because you don’t have to buy fish and fish food and only buy the aquatic plants once. Building a small natural pond (incl. plants) costs on average between £ 1,000 and £ 2,000.

Choice 2: Fish or no fish?

Before you start building a pond, it is wise to think about whether you want fish in your pond. You then have the opportunity before construction to think about the type of filter, the size, what kind of aquatic plants you take and how many. After all, it is important for a pond to have a good biological balance. That way, the pond stays nice and clear. So you don’t want to have too many plants or too many fish.

Not all fish are suitable for keeping in a pond. You don’t want herbivores because they will eat all your plants. Fish that are suitable are:

  • Surface azers: These are fish that find their food on the surface and not in the bottom. As they swim on the surface, they are easier to see and won’t clutter up your pond.
  • Fishes without camouflage colour: Fish from the wild often have camouflage colour which makes them difficult to see. Therefore, buy your fish from a specialist retailer and do not catch them yourself.
  • Fishes that do not grow and reproduce quickly: To maintain biological balance in the pond, it is important that there are not too many fish in the pond. If there are too many or too large fish in the pond, the plants and the filter cannot handle the waste products, making the water cloudy.

Examples of these fish are: the golden bindweed, the sarasa and the golden alfalfa.

Choice 3: Build the pond yourself or by a specialist?

Building a pond is a tricky project, because you have to think about a lot of different things. If you lack knowledge and experience, it is wise to have it done by a specialist. The costs are much higher if the construction turns out not to have gone well and you have to have the pond repaired or even completely rebuilt. In that case, it is better to let a professional do it right away. Most specialists charge an hourly rate of £50 or a fixed price per project. Get free and non-binding garden landscaping quotes to see how much it costs to hire a specialist.

Choice 4: Additional options

Product Average price Benefit
Formed trough £100 – £2.500 Easy to construct, as the correct shape and dimensions do not need to be determined.
PVC, HPDE foil £ 3 – £ 7 per m² You can determine the shape and how big the pond will be. Cheaper type of foil and lasts about 15 years.
EPDM foil £ 8 – £ 10 per m² Strengthened foil, lasts longer. (30 years on average)

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Frequently asked questions

How deep should a pond be?

For a normal pond, the ideal depth is approximately between 80 and 100 cm. For a small pond, a depth of at least 60 cm is sufficient.

What is the best time to build a pond?

The best time to build an organic pond is in spring, March or April. It is also possible to do it in autumn, but then you have to wait until spring with the planting.

Do you need a permit for a pond?

In most cases you can build a pond without a permit, but it is useful to check beforehand. With the permit check you can easily check whether you need a permit to build your pond.