build4

PREPARING TO LINE THE POND - 1997

We decided to line the sides of the pond with old carpet to protect the liner material from possible punctures from below. Bill and I spent an eventful afternoon with our old beat up 3/4 ton pickup truck cruising along access roads behind strip malls in Canandaigua and poking around in dumpsters behind carpet stores. Having called a store or two ahead of time, we knew that the trash would be collected on Friday morning, so we went out on Thursday afternoon. We found a lot of grungy, smelly sections of old carpet all different sizes (and colors - what colors!) which we extricated from the other stuff in the dumpsters and brought home. Not a task for the faint of heart.

Here you can see some of the carpet pieces lying in the hole and a larger piece already in place at the left edge of the photo.

The sunny side of the pond is terraced so that potted plants can be set at different levels underwater. The carpeting was used mostly on the non-terraced (shady) side of the pond, but some carpeting did mold itself over the terraced portions as well.

Besides the carpet, we also used sand to line the bottom.

Different members of our household had different reactions to the pile of sand. To avoid crushing some underground plumbing, we had the dump truck dump the sand about 50 feet from the pond edge.

Then a neighbor with a tractor helped scoop it into the pond while Bill and I raked and shoveled it around. The sand covered the bottom and packed up on the sides very nicely.

It was hard work. Bill's sneakers started out black (I think).

Finally it was time to roll out the liner.

	Here you can see some of the carpet pieces lying in the hole and a larger piece already in place at the left edge of the photo. The sunny side of the pond is terraced so that potted plants can be set at different levels underwater. The carpeting was used mostly on the non-terraced (shady) side of the pond, but some carpeting did mold itself over the terraced portions as well.
	Besides the carpet, we also used sand to line the bottom. Different members of our household had different reactions to the pile of sand. To avoid crushing some underground plumbing, we had the dump truck dump the sand about 50 feet from the pond edge.
	Then a neighbor with a tractor helped scoop it into the pond while Bill and I raked and shoveled it around. The sand covered the bottom and packed up on the sides very nicely.
	It was hard work. Bill's sneakers started out black (I think). Finally it was time to roll out the liner.