Take a good look at your yard and make sure that the location of the pond can be enjoyed from any decks and windows. Pull out the garden hose and create the shape of your pond right on the lawn. Live with it for a few days and watch how both the sun and slope of your yard will effect the space you have chosen. Plan your pond building so that you can easily add a waterfall or a second garden pond in years to come. During pond building, most people base the depth on whether or not they would like to over winter goldfish or koi in the pond. To over winter, a deep spot must be planned during the pond building that will go just past the frost line in your area of the country. The deeper section only needs to be large enough to accommodate whatever fish and pots you would like to keep in the pond during the winter.

In warmer parts of the country, deeper pools will help keep water temperature down during the hot days of summer. Very shallow water can heat up quickly in the hot sun and this could kill your fish.

Outline the shape of your pond with a shovel, adding an extra 1' in all dimensions. Be sure to slope the side of your pond to add stability; after all soil is removed check carefully that the top edges of the pond are level - they must be level before you begin to install the pond liner! Remember to add a place for a skimmer while pond building.. There are floating skimmers that aliviate the need for digging a hole for large skimmers..

Line the bottom of the hole with pond liner underlay. This protects the pond liner from damage after pond building..

You can now begin putting the pond liner in place, first by draping it loosely over the excavated area. You may wish to gently pat the pond liner to conform to the shape of your excavated area. Place a few stones or bricks around the top perimeter of the pond liner to loosely hold it into place.

Now that the liner is in place, it's time to install the garden pond pump, pond skimmer, and pond filter. There are a variety of pond pumps to choose from, visit Pondliner.com's pond pump section to find the right pond pump for your water accessories. Pondliner.com has a large selection of pond skimmers and pond filters to choose from.

Slowly begin filling the pond. The weight of the water will gradually allow the pond liner to assume the shape of your excavated hole. As you fill, the pond liner will likely shift and you will need to makeadjustments in the stone weights to assure that the pond liner fits snugly to the contour of the sides and bottom. Once the water is at the desired level, plug your pond components in and make sure everything is working properly.

Now, your personal creativity can take over! You may edge the pond using decorative flagstone, plants, brick, or a medium of your choice. To hide the edge of your pond liner, overlap whichever edging you choose to form a narrow "lip" over the pond. If, in the process of completing your project, the water becomes muddy, drain the pond and replace with clean water. Never allow dirty water to remain in your pond, as this will lead to odors and may be toxic to fish and plant life within your pond. Have a wonderful pond building experience.