Please recommend someone to do small garden pond revamp

C

coolaboola

Registered User
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I'm looking for a recommendation for someone to revamp my small (2 m x 1 m) garden pond.

The work involves removal of exisiting (butyl liner) pond, reworking of the ground (removal of some concrete blocks), relaying the pond, rekerbing edges (including supply of kerb stones), setting up a little waterfall feature (we'll supply the pump), some minor repairs of a raised bed wall and the construction of a small fence to 'dog proof' a raised bed (which I'm hoping to convert to a veggie plot).

I've had a couple of people quote, one of whom I accepted and they've disappeared into the ether and haven't been in contact for a month (after suggesting starting the work at the end of April). So I'm now reluctant to give them my business.
 
I used a guy called James recently for garden work.. he was cutting trees for me, and other maintenance work, I found him quite good to deal with.. good work etc, but as with all tradesmen make sure you are both clear as to what is to be done and don't be shy about complaining if it isn't done as you agreed..

James 087 7503125
086 3557823
 
Hi Joe,

Thanks for the recommendation. Do you know by any chance if James has any pond-building experience?

I had a recommendation of a very dependable and honest gardener but as he admitted himself, he didn't have pond experience. Its not that pond-building is rocket science but if its not done carefully it can be a bit of a disaster ... especially when the goldfish are flopping about in the bottom of a leaking pond! (And my pond is home to 14+ goldfish - we only bought 6 but they're frisky feckers!)

c
 
Hiya

No, I don't know if he has any experience with ponds.. I would have thought so though.. he comes from a family of gardeners and landscape gardeners.. his brother and father are gardeners, and he seemed to know all the names of the plants in our garden and the correct thing to do with each of them, like times of year etc.

You'd really have to ask him about the pond itself.. make sure you mention the problems you want to avoid. We also had goldfish in a large pond about fifteen back.. they grow really big, one must have been ten or twelve inches long before it died.. and it started out very small, goldfish bowl size. I don't remember any little ones though.. maybe they were all male or female.
 
Thanks Joe. I'm impressed by your big goldfish. Ours our heading in that direction too. Hope they don't grow much bigger though - won't be room for them in the pond! I didn't think goldfish would breed in our climate but mine have proved me wrong.

I'll give James a call.
 
coolaboola said:
Is it bad that I'm turned off a tradesman who addresses me as 'love'?
Click to expand...

Are you male or female?;)

Some people are just that way, it quite possibly isn't sexist or derogatory. If you're happy with what your getting workwise then I don't see a problem.
 
coolaboola said:
:) Fair enough! It just makes my (female) toes curl - infinitely patronising.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I bet a lot of the older country generation would be shocked to think they were thought of a sexist just for using the word. Although I seethe with rage when I'm referred to as a 'youngfella', so I get your point!
 
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