How to Build a Raised Pond with Sleepers in 7 Easy Steps
Ponds are an excellent way to enhance your garden. They attract wildlife, promote relaxation, and make a beautiful feature in your outdoor space.
If you’re considering installing a pond, but the commitment, cost, and thought of digging puts you off, a raised pond is a great choice. They are easy to build and allow you to reap all of the benefits of an in-ground garden pond without picking up a shovel!
However, before building a raised pond, there are several factors to consider.
Below, we’ve covered everything you need to know to build a raised pond with sleepers or wood, including choosing the perfect location for your pond and the best ways to add pond liner. Check out our guide and enhance your outdoors with a fantastic new feature!
Table of Contents
- The benefits of a raised pond
- How to build a raised pond with sleepers
- How to build a raised pond with wood or decking
- The finishing touches: Fish and pond plants
- Build the perfect pond with Pond Planet
The benefits of a raised pond?
As well as being easy to build, raised ponds offer many benefits that a standard in-ground pond does not. Still on the fence? Below, we’ve covered some of the main benefits of a raised pond.
Safety
Due to their elevated design, raised ponds are instantly safer than in-ground ponds, making them a great choice for households with pets and small children.
They protect pond inhabitants
As well as protecting children and pets from accidents, raised ponds also protect pond inhabitants. Their elevated platform ensures that anything living inside your pond, such as fish, snails and mussels, is secure and guarded.
They are easy to manage
Raised ponds offer great visibility, allowing you to spot potential problems and rectify them easily. They also allow close contact with pond fish, especially at feeding times, so you can keep track of their health and detect any underlying issues.
In addition, the elevated design of raised ponds makes it easier to care for and maintain pond plants, which require varying levels of attention throughout the year.
Cost-effective
Raised ponds are cheaper to build than standard garden ponds, as they don’t require labour to remove soil and other materials. This also means there is no need to hire a skip – which can be more expensive than you might think!
They don’t require commitment
Raised ponds are a versatile fixture that can be moved around your garden as needed, making them a great choice for those who don’t want to commit to a standard garden pond. They can also be packed up and taken with you if you move house, making them a long-lasting investment.
How to build a raised pond with sleepers
Sleepers offer one of the easiest ways to build a raised pond. As well as being strong and sturdy, they are rustic, charming and bring a whole new dimension to your garden. Below, we’ve covered how to build a raised pond with sleepers in 7 easy steps!
Choose the location of your pond
Before laying down your sleepers, it’s important to consider the placement of your pond. You should build your pond in an accessible area where you can enjoy it and get to it for necessary maintenance. For example, next to an outdoor seating area or within view of your kitchen window.
It’s also important to consider the nearest powerpoints, as filters and pond pumps will need a reliable power source to work. Once you have found the perfect spot, it’s time to move on to the next step!
Ensure the ground is level
It’s important to build your pond on level ground, allowing it to fill properly and preventing the water from overflowing. It also looks more aesthetically pleasing, which is great if you want to create an attractive focal point in your garden.
To ensure the ground is level, place a long piece of wood across the selected zone and place a spirit level tool on top. Use this method across the area’s length, width, and diagonally to ensure that the area is flat.
If the area isn’t level enough, use a shovel to even the ground until the spirit level tool is central.
Check for rocks, roots, and possible punctures
Just like with standard in-ground garden ponds, it’s important to check that the base of your pond is free of any hazardous items that could puncture or damage your pond liner and underlay.
Clear the area of sharp objects, including rocks and stones, ensuring that the space is free of anything that could pierce the liner. Next, it’s time to build!
Position your sleepers
Placing your first layer of sleepers is perhaps the most important part of the building process. Their position determines the size and definition of your raised pond, so it’s important to get it right.
Set down your sleepers in a square or rectangular shape, with the wood at right angles to one another. Once you’re happy with their position, fasten the sleepers together with 90-degree angle brackets.
Once you have created your foundation, continue to layer your sleepers until you have achieved the desired height of your pond. However, don’t fit the final layer of sleepers yet! These will be secured after your pond liner has been added.
Of course, the taller you build your raised pond, the more water there will be, which places more outward pressure on the structure. With this in mind, be sure that your sleepers are fastened together securely, are flush against each other, and are built evenly to ensure a sturdy perimeter. It’s also crucial to ensure that no screws or sharp edges are exposed, as they can puncture the liner.
Calculate and add your pond liner
Next, you need to add pond underlay, ensuring it is laid smooth without bumps.
After your pond underlay is positioned, it’s time to add the pond liner. Though raised ponds are not built into the ground, a pond liner is important as it helps to prevent your pond water from seeping into the foundation. It also prevents waste and sediment from infiltrating your pond, meaning that your raised pond will be easier to maintain in the long run.
Our pond liner calculator makes it easy to calculate the measurements for your pond. Simply enter your maximum pond length, width and depth in metres, and make sure to include overlap. The overlap will hang over the top of your raised pond – however, don’t worry, as this is covered in the next steps.
At Pond Planet, we have a fantastic selection of pond liner and underlay for you to shop, as well as pond netting and liner repair. Discover everything you need to maintain your pond and its inhabitants in the long run!
Fill the pond with water
This step is when you start to see your raised pond come to life. Position the hose into the structure and let the water fill the space, ensuring to monitor the water level, so it doesn’t overflow.
Trim and secure your pond liner
Once you have successfully filled your pond with water, it’s time to add the final layer of sleepers and secure the excess pond liner.
After filling your pond, the excess pond liner will be visible around the outside edges. Take your final layer of sleepers to create your raised pond’s top frame, fitting it on top of the excess liner. Once it is secured, you can trim any visible excess liner from outside the structure, and that’s it! Your raised pond is built.
How to build a raised pond with wood or decking
Building a raised pond with decking isn’t dissimilar to doing so with sleepers.
After following the steps to choose the right location and ground to build your pond upon, gather your decking material and cut it to suit your desired pond size. You can use a measuring tape to determine the right length, and a hand saw to cut.
Next, use a drill to make a hole at the end of each piece of decking. The holes will be used to insert nails and connect the decking strips.
Line the first four boards in a square or rectangular shape to make a frame, using the holes you have created to screw them into place. Repeat this method, building upwards until you have reached the desired height.
Unlike the sleeper pond, your decking pond will require corner posts to withhold the weight of the water and support your structure. It’s important to use corner posts of the same height, as height disparity can cause issues further down the line.
The finishing touches: Fish and pond plants
For many, a pond isn’t complete without fish and pond plants. They are wonderful to look at and are a great way to bring your raised pond and garden to life.
Whether you have built a decking pond or a raised pond with sleepers, a filtration system is crucial if you want to add fish and create a healthy environment for them to thrive.
At Pond Planet, we have a brilliant selection of pond pumps and filters for you to shop, including pond pump and filter kits. Whether you want to build a koi pond or fill your feature with other aquatic life, we’ve got you covered.
Are you unsure which filter is right for your raised pond, or do you need help installing a pond filter? Check out our recent blog on how to install a pond filter.
Build the perfect pond with Pond Planet
Due to their versatile design, raised garden ponds are an excellent investment. Not only are they easy to build and cost-effective, but they also make for a beautiful focal point in your garden that you will enjoy daily!
In our collections, you can find everything you need to help your pond and other water features be the best they can be, from beautiful pond plant collections that help maintain your pond’s health to pond treatments and more.
And when you’re ready for a larger project, shop our range of pre-formed ponds to make building your first in-ground pond easy!
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