Swimming Ponds

Who has not had the urge to jump into a pond on a hot summer day just to cool off and enjoy the feel of the cool water on them? Some streams have natural swimming ponds in them. If there is a stream close by one can with a little imagination and labor make a natural swimming pond. Building a swimming pond requires that first one should examine the overall area of the stream where one wants to build the swimming pond. The sides and the floor require special examination. Remove all stones and any sharp objects that maybe on the floor of the area that one has selected for the swimming pond. If one wants to raise the sides of the pond to make it deeper one can either dig the bed which can be quite tedious or one can hire a contractor to do this. If the sides are naturally high enough for the swimming pond then all one would need to do would be to dam the stream. The dam does not have to be a properly constructed concrete dam as one can just place boulders and stones which will hinder the water flow and raise the water level in the swimming pond. Before taking on any such project where public property is involved make sure that all the state required perquisites have been fulfilled and all safety measures are in place.

Garden ponds and garden swimming ponds are becoming increasingly popular worldwide as they cost less then regular swimming pools to construct and also require less maintenance. So having a garden pond or a garden and fish pond with a swimming pond is quite gettable thanks to pond liners which are quite durable and long lasting.

To construct a swimming pond in the garden one will need to work out the swimming area required and the depth of the pool and if one wants to attach it with garden pond. After working out the size and shape of the swimming pond do remember to add an overlap in the dimensions before ordering the liner. For example a rectangular swimming pond that is 30 feet long, 12 feet wide and 10 feet deep would require:

(30+10+10+2) x (12+10+10+2) = 52 feet by 42 feet piece of pond lining would be required this is including a 1 feet of overlap on all sides.

Swimming ponds construction is very similar to a garden pond or fish pond construction. Make sure to leave some extra space on the sides to be filled in after the pond lining is installed. Also make sure that there are no sharp objects on the bed or the sides that could puncture the pond lining. It is a good idea to dig the pond deeper then the actual size of the swimming pond and lay sand flooring one can also put an underlay which could be an old carpet, newspapers or pond underlay. Put in the pond lining and make sure it is level. Reinforce the sides with earth or sand and make sure that it is firm. If there are pumps or a waterfall or a stream that need to be installed then install them and then fill up the swimming pond.

Some precautions are necessary especially if the swimming pond is in an area where the pond may freeze up during winters. Make sure to place safety markers or a fence around the swimming pond. A frozen pond with snow on it is not going to look any different then the surrounding area.

Try and keep the same landscape as that of the surrounding garden as this will cause the pond to blend in well with the garden. Adding a waterfall will also create a nice effect to the pond. One need not worry about keeping the pond safe for swimming even if there is a garden pond attached as once one decides to get a swimming pond there will be sufficient instructions with it as to how to maintain it and keep the water fit for swimming.