When you're building a pond on your property, the process is a little more complicated than just digging a hole in the ground. Luckily, if you have the correct machinery, then carting away the extra dirt, hauling rocks for an edging, and other aspects of the process may be much less arduous.

Here are some of the major steps in the pond construction process that you may need to rent machinery for. 

1. Clearing and Preparing the Area

If you have any trees in the spot where you plan to build the pond, you'll likely need a variety of machinery, from chainsaws to stump grinders, to remove these trees. You may want to hire a professional to help remove any full-sized trees before you get on with the clearing process. But you can likely take care of small sapling-sized trees yourself with the right machinery.

For brush clearing, plan to use a large mulcher and a bulldozer. Grinding up any vegetation in the area is an essential way to allow access to the site so excavation can begin.

2. Excavating the Pond

Digging out all the topsoil from the area where your pond will be is a very big job. You'll typically need excavation equipment such as a backhoe or a front-loading excavator for this job, especially if you plan to create a large pond.

Whether you choose to operate this heavy equipment yourself or hire an operator should depend on variables such as:

• Your level of experience and qualifications for this machinery
• How much work you need this machinery to do 
• Whether any job complications exist or are likely to occur

Even if you do have basic qualifications for a backhoe, you'll find hiring an expert is the safest option if any complications are likely to crop up or if the job requires long hours of backhoe use. 

3. Laying Irrigation Lines

If you plan to use your pond for irrigation, or if you need to bring electricity to your pond (to run a fountain, for instance), you'll likely need to bury power lines or irrigation lines. A machine such as a trencher can make this job much quicker and easier. 

A walk-behind trencher machine may fit the bill here. It's more maneuverable than a ride-on trencher, and unless you're doing an industrial-sized amount of trenching, it should get the job done easily.

4. Edging With Rocks or Berm

Once you've dug the pond and added a liner (if applicable), you'll need to finish the bank of the pond. One option is to use excess topsoil (excavated from the pond) to create a berm around the pond's edge. You'll want this berm high enough to keep stormwater runoff from draining directly into the pond, yet it shouldn't be too steep for you to easily tend the grass on the berm.

If you decide to create a berm, you'll need to use your excavating and loading equipment to move the soil into position. If you decide not to use a berm, and simply line the edge of the pond with rocks, you'll likely want machinery such as a skid steer loader to help you bring the rocks to the right spots.

5. Laying Sod or Seeding

After the pond is fully in place, you'll need to repair the lawn to finish the project. You'll need to reseed any areas of lawn that the machinery tore up (perhaps using a mechanical reseeder), and you'll need to seed or lay sod over any berms you created around the pond. To install sod, you may need equipment such as a lawn roller attachment for a skid steer loader.

These are just some of the processes involved in pond construction that you may need to perform with machinery. For more information about the equipment we can provide and our terms and pricing, get in touch with Ever-Joy Rent All today.