How to make an above ground

[daniellicon]

I am having an problem making an above ground pond. I am using 8 foot timbers that will be interlocking. My question is: how do I make the timbers stay together? Am I to drill a hole all the way through all of them then jam a piece of rebar or something through it?

Please help. Any instruction, plans, direction is much appreciated.

 

[Burko]

"Am I to drill a hole all the way through all of them then jam a piece of rebar or something through it?"

yeah that will do it.

Or you could brace each corner on the inside or out.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

I've never tried for a pond, but for a garden... I nailed each timber together using large timber nails.

 

[Lillee]

How did you go with your build?

You can do it several ways, using very long galvanised heavy duty screws and drill a hole all the way through the width of one sleeper and secure it to the other.

Another way is to buy a very long post bolt (essentially a 2ft or 3ft (depending on how deep you want the pond) metal pole with a screw thread on it) You can then drill a vertical hole in each corner and thread the post bolt through it to secure it.

But the strongest way to do it is to brace it with vertical timbers on the outside of each of the corners. Dig the vertical timers into the ground if you can manage it. Also bracing the inside corners with heavy duty brackets, esp near the bottom of the pond where the pressure will be greatest. You can also screw in long heavy duty screws at intervals along the 8ft timbers to secure the top one to the bottom one etc to ensure it doesn't bow out.

Just remember to build it as strong as you can because each gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds of pressure on the frame. (2000 gallons = 16680pounds of weight!)

Good luck!

 

[thatupsguy]

View attachment pond build.jpg Im building a 12x16x4 in ground above ground.Using 4x6x16 lag bolted together on each end and then 4 lag bolts per board then repeating for each row

 

[thatupsguy]

forgot to mention that first row also has 4 pieces of 2ft long rebar per board driven into ground

 

[Duncan6618]

Looks Nice! Are you putting in a bottom drain?

 

[thatupsguy]

no am not putting in bottom drain. will be using aqua art retro bottom drain and have a large pond vac.4 lane highway right behind house lot of serious vibration in ground has caused cracks in foundation, to be safe no in ground drain