Starting at
6x8 koi pond with waterfall
from $9,195
Pond Builder in Charlotte, NC
Most Charlotte ponds we're asked to build sit under big trees, on red clay, behind a house where a truck can't easily reach. We've been the pond builder Charlotte homeowners call since 2002, and we plan for all three of those things before anyone picks up a shovel.
- Master Certified Aquascape Contractor since 2009
- BBB A+
- Based in Belmont since 2002
- One-year workmanship warranty
- Financing available
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What Charlotte homeowners hire us for
Calls from inside Charlotte tend to fall into four groups.
- New koi and fish ponds. Most fit a package size, from a 6x8 patio pond to an 11x16 pond with a stream. See our koi pond page.
- Ponds that came with the house. Older neighborhoods have plenty of bare-liner ponds with no skimmer and a pump on the bottom. Many can be saved. See pond repair and renovation.
- Pondless waterfalls. Moving water with no open water, which suits families with small kids or dogs.
- Swim ponds. Some buyers start out pricing an inground pool and end up asking about a natural swim pond. More below.
Process
Building a pond under Charlotte's old oaks
Myers Park, Dilworth and Eastover are known for their tree canopy, and those mature oaks are a big part of why people buy there. They also change how a pond has to be built.
Roots. Big oaks send roots well past the drip line. We site the pond to avoid cutting major roots where we can, and we lay a protective underlayment beneath the EPDM liner so the small ones that find their way in can't puncture it.
Leaves. A properly sized skimmer pulls oak leaves off the surface before they sink, and fall netting keeps most of them out. See our post on fall pond netting for Charlotte-area ponds.
Shade. A shaded pond fights less algae, but water lilies and many marginal plants want several hours of sun. We pick plants for the light you actually have.
Newer neighborhoods like Ballantyne and Highland Creek have the opposite problem: young trees and full afternoon sun. There we lean on heavier plant coverage to shade the water and starve algae.
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Pond digging in Charlotte: clay, access and the dirt that comes out
Digging the hole is the easy part. Here is what matters on a Charlotte lot.
Piedmont red clay holds a clean edge when it's dry and turns to grease when it's wet, so we schedule excavation around the weather when we can. It also drains poorly, which means we plan where rain and downspout water will go so it doesn't flood the pond or wash mulch into it. Clay is not the seal, though. Every pond we build holds water because of the liner, not the soil.
Depth. In this climate a pond needs to be at least 2 feet deep for fish to ride out winter. Deeper zones are a design choice, not a requirement.
Access. Charlotte lots often have one narrow side yard and a fence. Part of the 10x12 koi pond we built on the Catawba River sits under the house, and our operator Rafael worked the machine with very little room to spare. On the jungle koi pond renovation in Charlotte, a rebuild of a 20-year-old pond's skimmer, filter and stream, there was no room for an excavator, so every boulder was set by hand.
Spoil. A 10x12 pond produces a surprising amount of clay. We decide with you up front whether it gets hauled or reused as planting berms.
One honest note: we build lined ecosystem ponds and swim ponds.
Pricing
Pricing an inground pool in Charlotte? Look at a swim pond too
If you're collecting quotes for inground swimming pools in Charlotte, a natural swim pond is worth one conversation. It is filtered by a wetland zone, plants and circulation instead of chlorine, and it looks like part of the landscape.
We don't publish a swim pond price, because each one is designed to its site. What we can tell you is that the build cost generally overlaps the range of a quality gunite pool. Start with our swim pond page or the swim pond planning guide.
Pricing
Starting prices for Charlotte projects
These are the same package prices we publish for every customer. Electrical is not included, and financing is available.
Starting at
8x11 koi pond with waterfall
from $13,200
Starting at
11x16 pond with 2 ft waterfall and 8 ft stream
from $34,400
Starting at
Mini pondless waterfall (4 ft, 2 drops)
from $6,000
Starting at
Spillway fountain
from $5,935
Starting at
Pond maintenance, The Basics
from $1,980 a year
Renovations, repairs and lighting are priced after we see the site, because the cost depends on what we find. The full list is on our pricing page.
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Getting to Charlotte from Belmont
Our shop is in Belmont, just across the Catawba from west Charlotte, and we work across the city: Myers Park, Dilworth, Eastover, SouthPark, Cotswold, Plaza Midwood, Ballantyne, Steele Creek, Highland Creek, University City and the streets in between. Brian Hoagland handles the first call himself, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 6pm.
The site
Charlotte neighborhoods we serve
We work across Charlotte, including Ballantyne, Myers Park, Dilworth, SouthPark, Eastover, Cotswold, Elizabeth, Plaza Midwood, NoDa and North Davidson, South End, Wilmore, Fourth Ward, West End, Sedgefield, Chantilly, Steele Creek, Highland Creek and University City. If your neighborhood is not listed, call 980-522-6166 and ask.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Our packaged koi ponds start at $9,195 for a 6x8 pond with a waterfall and $13,200 for an 8x11. Larger ponds with streams run from $23,000 to $122,500 depending on size and filtration. Electrical work is extra. Access, rock and how far the pond sits from the house can move the number, which Brian will tell you plainly on the first call.
Yes. The clay is not what holds the water. We lay a protective underlayment and a fish-safe EPDM liner, then cover it with rock and gravel. Clay matters for other reasons: it drains poorly and gets slick when wet, so we plan grading and runoff around the pond and try to excavate in drier weather.
Usually not, if the pond is planned around them. We avoid cutting major roots, use underlayment to protect the liner from smaller ones, and size the skimmer for heavy leaf drop. Fall netting handles the rest. A shaded pond also tends to have less algae, though it limits which aquatic plants will bloom.
For many families, yes. A swim pond is cleaned by plants, a wetland filter and circulation rather than chlorine, and it is built to look like part of the landscape. It is not a budget option: the cost generally overlaps a quality gunite pool. Every swim pond is priced to its site during the design conversation.
Get started
Ready to talk about a pond in Charlotte?
Tell us about your yard and your trees. Brian will tell you on the first call whether it's a good fit.