Are we your local pond specialist or are you just looking for help with finding a pond specialist near me?

Are you my local pond specialist near me?

If you have found the right pond specialist, these are some important questions to ask them.

You are in the right place if you are you looking for a Pond Specialist Near Me or a local pond specialist?  Ask these essential questions to your pond specialist that is near you, you might be surprised.

If you are looking for a definitive list of pond specialist near your location. Please do contact me for your local pond specialist.  I have a large network of friends worldwide.  Well, when you have been doing something for 30 years. You meet people and want to be around the same types of people.  Most of my best friends are local pond specialist in their areas.

The 2nd question after “are you my local pond specialist near me”

What is your speciality?

Every pond specialist will have a favourite type of pond. Be it a more formal design, or a more natural sympathetic style. Pond design is like other forms of garden design; it covers a whole spectrum of different skills and of course styles. No pond specialist, designer or construction company can be an expert in all forms. So it is essential to find one that has a synergy with what you want to create.

What is your favourite type of pond to build?

This question follows on from the above speciality question. Every pond specialist will have their preferences. These personal preferences do not mean that your chosen pond specialist. Will not build you to the pond of your dreams. But having said that only a fish pond specialist. Can put their heart and soul into a spectacular water feature to showcase your prize fish.

Like a landscape artist can draw and paint a dramatic landscape. But would you ask them to paint you a portrait of a loved one? Would you want it to be spectacular, yes if you’re going to hang it front and centre?

Personally, given a choice. I would prefer to have a specialist that shares the same passion and loves building the type of pond. I have in my mind. Even if they are an up and coming artist that’s is still finding their feet. You see a pond specialist can be at many different levels for the same style of a pond.

Will your local pond specialist be your point of contact?

A quick word of warning is this specialist going to be building or working on your pond. Or will they be handing the build off to someone else?  Their staff might not have that much experience and they will definitely not have the same artist flair.  We see this sometimes in person and all the time on the internet.  So be warned ask these questions.

I do not like fish pools that are built by general builders. As they tend to produce only one type of pond (but call it anything you want). You might be talking to a self-proclaimed pond specialist that does not know the difference between a fish pond or a fish pool.

If I wanted a pond or pool with minimal maintenance (less maintenance and attention than a garden lawn), but also enjoy a little of everything, a beautiful garden pond can provide you, without seeing any liner or pipework. Low maintenance to us means attention once or twice a year, not having to do daily or weekly backwashing or any real monthly pond maintenance, we would be looking for an ecosystem pond specialist.

Our pond packages all look and feel very different due to the natural components we use during a build, i.e. size and shape of the rocks, types of soft landscaping materials.

What type of pond, does my pond specialist near me have at their home or what water features can they show us?

Most pond specialists get involved in the industry because they have a love for ponds and water features themselves. However, I can’t understand why not all pond specialists that are living and breathing within the fantastic industry, do not enjoy their spare time sitting by a pond or water feature.

Do you not want to see the passion behind the closed doors, like visiting an artist in their studio, it would be strange if they had no real masterpieces hanging on their walls, for sale or not, its art I want to see it, feel it, hear it.

I need to be inspired.  I can’t get this by looking at the pictures, no amount of drawings (if it’s not a formal pool) or plan is ever the same as in person. A video gives you a message (but it’s not the real thing, you need to see it, hear it, how does it make you feel when you are sat by it).

I want to enjoy a little bit of the water gardening lifestyle the sound of the water, the smell of the hardy water lilies, the feeling that different types of water features can give you.

If they don’t live or experience the lifestyle themselves, they must be able to show you their work in the flesh. How will you know you have made the right decision.  I would question, do your local pond specialists love what they do day in day out, will you be happy after 6-12 months.

Which garden pond design ideas would you recommend?

While you will probably have a reasonably complete idea of what style, size and type of pond you want to create in your garden, ask the question and listen carefully to the answer. Very often it is all too easy to get too close to the design yourself and miss some exciting ideas. A right specialist may as your lifestyle question to figure out which feature is best for you, so be open and honest with your answers. With the experience of building and maintaining many different types of pond and water features, a seasoned pond specialist will be able to suggest what will work best for you and your garden.

How much is a pond installation likely to cost?

Most pond specialists that build many ponds each year should be able to give you an idea of cost, via their website or over the phone from a picture you have sent them. If you don’t know what you want to spend, that’s ok, this is pond packages from your pond specialists are great. Hopefully, you will already have a rough budget in mind. I don’t know many people that go shopping that does not know how much they have to invest into something.

If you were shopping for a car, you would know your price range. On the other hand, we do now and again get asked for some crazy prototype designs like during the RHS Flower Shows like Chelsea. This is when money does not come into play for some time (unique projects typically start at around 20k. The needed specialist pond designs usually are priced at 2K). I try to help these people to be particular in what they are asking for.

Example

As they say, if you were looking for a new car, this car is going to be unique, let say “A Rocket Car” as an example. But this could be so many different things to different people.

We could be talking about two entirely different price points.
1. Real rocket car with a real rocket engine (200K plus, 20K design fee).
2. A pre pretend rocket car which could be a simple fibreglass shell making a typical vehicle look like a real rocket (20K plus to build and design).

These are both rocket cars but completely different. Don’t expect any pond specialist to be able to give you a firm quote over the phone. These are one of a kind projects. They will be able to provide guide prices if they have done this type of work before. They will give you the fix design fee, however. It is always much better for both parties once you know what you would like to spend. So you can both then be on the same page and having the same conversation. If you are giving the pond specialist, a ball-park figure let them suggest a design that will fit around this figure.

What is the best pond design for my scenario?

This will come down to the brief that you give to the pond specialist or designer.

Why would you like this pond or water feature?
Are you looking to sit and relax on your own patio,
Reading next to your private natural pool,
do you want the sound of water from a little stream or a fish pond to keep all sorts of different fish,
or do you have green fingers looking for a pool for water lilies, or even perhaps you are a real enthusiast looking for a full-on koi pool?

Based upon what you want to create, the budget, the space and layout of the garden. The pond specialist will start to gain a more detailed understanding of what it is you want to achieve. Then come up with the right pond for you whether its a package or a combination.

What materials and construction techniques will be used?

This is very important if you are getting some quotes from different pond specialists. It’s amazing how we all vary in price. But going back to buying a car depends on what car you are looking for. You want to compare apples for apples ideally. Instead of the first example of the rocket car listed against the more basic rocket car listed above as number 2. To build a pond or water feature of your dreams. One that makes you feel the way it should.  Its built to last using the correct building techniques.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Good pond specialists should also have some questions for you too. The professional should be doing about 20% of the talking, as they will need to understand your needs and to determine what it is that you want to achieve in your space.

Are you my pond specialist near me?

Be prepared to pay for a pond design consultation. 

Pond specialist, designers and contractors, are all busy people and they may have to travel quite a considerable distance to visit you and your property. Generally speaking, you should be willing to pay for a design consultation. This will not only save time and money long term, but you should be wondering why the other companies are eager to visit you for free.

Why do they not charge? Are these pond professionals so short of work, I wonder why? The design fees will be hidden in the cost of the project (so why should they not be upfront about it, I don’t want to pay for other peoples designs, that don’t move forward with the project). Similarly, do not expect to get a wealth of information and ideas for nothing. It takes years and years for a top pond specialist to build up the wealth of experience required to build beautiful ponds. It is not fair to expect that personal service for free. That’s what the internet is for or visiting them in their back gardens.

Treat a pond design consultation as a two-way interview process.  Both sides need to be comfortable that they understand what the other wants.  If I was hiring pond specialist near me they must share the same vision for my pond.  But you know now as a pond professional myself I would be asking and answering lots of questions.  But you to will soon tell if you are going to be able to work together.

Thanks for reading this far. please do contact me if you have any question or you want someone to help.  Let’s dream together about ponds and water features.

Mark – The Pond Advisor