When Can You Start Constructing My Backyard (Koi/Ecosystem) Pond?

So you know what the process for constructing a backyard pond is. You know how long the construction of a backyard pond is and you also know what kind of mess there is when constructing a backyard pond.  So what is left?  Well, once a client has reached this point the next question they will often ask is, "when can you start?"

The answer to this question will obviously vary from location to location, but for the purpose of this blog let's focus on the Midwest in particular.

The Construction Season

Once winter has passed and the spring season has begun the weather can be very touch an go when it comes to available construction days.  In the Midwest, Michigan in particular, has an average frost depth of 42 inches.  As the frost is thawing it will typically render most yards unworkable. It will vary from year to year, but the generally a construction project that is started to early generates much more of a mess and will often carry a higher clean up charge than a project started after the frost has left the ground.

During the thaw the Midwest will also see quite a bit of rain to add to the saturated soils.  For this reason you will see many Koi pond construction companies focus on pond maintenance and cleaning from mid-March to mid-May.  As they complete the pond cleanings and openings the pond construction season will begin in early to mid-May in the Midwest.

First Come First Serve

There are many different ways that contractors will get clients that are ready to enter a contract scheduled.  A very common way that pond contractors will schedule clients is, first come first serve like many businesses in the service industry.  Typically pond contractors are scheduling backyard pond projects as they are coming in.  Spring and Fall will often be the busiest flow of new business for Midwest pond contractors.  The Summer months will be ups and down as many Midwestern families are on vacation and not thinking about their yards as much.  The Winter is by far the slowest time of the year for a Midwest pond contractor, but a great time for the potential client to have their full attention.  While it is common for pond contractors to have an open calendar come Spring, many of the highly desired pond contractors will not.  If you are close to living the pond lifestyle and know that a company has lots of high ratings and great reviews reach out to them in the Fall or Winter to get on their Spring calendar. 

Down Payment

A first come first serve contractor will often require some sort of monetary commitment from a client that would like to reserve a spot on their calendar.  While the down payment will vary from company to company it would be good to expect a range of 10 to 50 percent of the total project to be the requested down payment.  A 10 to 30 percent down payment is fairly common with pond projects $10,000 or more, while a 30 to 50% down payment is more common with a pond project below $10,000.  A good pond contractor will have a detailed description of their payment options available upon request, have a tentative date for the pond project and give frequent updates on the calendar changes from weather or other contractor related issues.

Business image created by Pressfoto - Freepik.com

Calendar

With the construction season typically ranging from May thru October in the Midwest it is important to discuss how the contractor handles the scheduling calendar.  It is not uncommon to find landscape an even some pond contractors that are determined to fit in as much work as possible while the weather is good.  A contractor like this will generally work long days and long weeks to make their calendar work.  Contractors based on total volume of projects completed can be very effective and efficient, but are also one lost worker or one lost piece of equipment away from a catastrophe. Before you finalize your agreement to have a Koi pond constructed at your home talk with the contractor and see how they schedule work.  A great contractor will tell you they have so many man hours available per week and that they schedule their projects based on those numbers.  This same contractor will often spread projects out and not overlap them in case there is an unforeseen issue or addition to the ecosystem pond construction.  Instead of the call about pushing the pond project back a client will often get a request to move the backyard pond project up on the calendar.

It can certainly be challenging for a client to get their backyard (Koi/ecosystem) pond construction started depending on the contractor that they choose.  That great contractor will put the clients mind at ease with great consistent communication even if the construction is months or weeks away.

Owning a pond, waterfall or fountain certainly doesn't need to be difficult, so be sure to contact us to see what we can do to educate you and set your mind at ease.  For more educational information be sure to visit www.poseidonponds.com or for more inspiration visit our Facebook page and start following us!

Appreciatively Yours,

Cory Mann
"Poseidon Pond Mann"