"...should I have the men doing the backfill work, try to find the weep holes to make sure they are there?" Yes. If they're there and buried, that may be a simple fix to the problem. "Would it be ok to use a double layer of burlap or would that be too porous? will the regular weed-blocker landscaping cloth be ok?" That depends on how you would be using the fabric. Generally, jute mesh (or sometimes burlap) is used in conditions where slopes that are to be planted with grass are extreme, and the likelyhood of any rain eroding the slope is high. The fabric is normally rolled out on the ground and held in place with long hand installed staples. The rolling is done down the slope, not across the slope. The open weave nature of the fabric and it being biodegradable allows for grass to germinate and under the fabric and grow up through it. In places where the grass will not be mowed, the biodegradable fabric can be left in place to rot. In areas where the grass will be mowed, leaving the fabric in place presents the likelyhood of the fabric being lifted by the mower and causing all sorts of problems. Jute mesh will degrabe faster than burlap, and it's weave is quite a bit more open...and it's usually less expensive. If your lot slopes 2 feet over a very short distance and the slope is steep, then using the natural fabric can help keep the topsoil and seed in place. If the slope is not steep, the fabric is probably not necessary. The black fabric should not be used at all on top of the soil if you're intent is to grow grass. Either way, mowing with the fabric in place will be near impossible, and pulling the fabric up after the grass has begun to grow will probably pull the grass up with it. The black weed fabric is used on the surface of the ground so that nothing will grow through it. It can be used to halt erosion, but if it's woven and has a tight weave, water will tend to run off faster than if it was a more open non-woven fabric. Again, if the slope isn't ateep, it may be a waste of money to use the fabric there. Erosion control fabrics, woven and non-woven, are usually used in a vertical fashion, stapled to stakes (essentially the same things as tomato stakes) with the bottom hem buried in the ground so as to catch and slow surface runoff. Normally, that sort of installation is used where required either by local or state code, or by site conditions such as steep slopes and open ground exposed to the elements without benefit and protection of turf or groundcover. On a quarter acre lot with shallow slopes, I'm not sure it would be beneficial, but then again, I can't see the lot, so local opinion and expertise may be a better option for you. Just get more than one opinion. Another use for fabrics is actually in the ground, separating different soil types. In the case of a wall like yours, it might be that the designer will call for such a fabric to be installed prior to placing the clean free draining gravel behind the wall. The fabric in this case would keep the gravel open and free draining by keeping the fine particles from adjacent native clayey or silty soils from infiltrating and blocking the voids in the gravel.In this case, burlap would not be used as it would degrade over time. There are many specialty fabrics for this use, and most are not available at your local nursery or big box vendor. Some weed block fabrics may be similar in weave and nature, some are not. Can't say whether yours is or not. If the soils behind the wal are removed and atrench prepared for gravel backfill, the fabric would normally be placed along the bottom of the excavation with 3-6 inches rising up agains the back of the wall. The rest would run up the excavation and be laid on theground away from the wall until the trench was filled with gravel and compacted. Then the remaining edge of the fabric would be pulled over the top of the gravel, back towartds the wall, covering the gravel before the topsoil or planting mix was replaced. This more or less creates an envelope around the gravel. I wouldn't bother putting anything against your neighbor, especially if they still have the timber wall. Understand that a fabric envelope like this isn't always part of the design. It really depends on the nature of the existing soils, groundwater, and the wall design. Your situation may not require it at all. Only local inspection can insure that you're not throwing money needlessly in a hole. I don't think I said anything about using fabric at all. What I did say was that each 'weep' hole in the wall should be covered by a 'screen'. That screen would only cover the hole and extend a few inches beyond the hole in each direction, on the back side of the wall. The gravel would lie up agains that screen, and groundwater would find it's way to the hole and through the screen. If the erosion is most visible where your wall meets your neighbors, remember that your wall may be acting as a dam, and any water building up behind it is seeking a way out. The junction of your wall with yuour neighbors would be that point, and the flow may be significant. Weeps through your wall would likely provide the necessary outlet to reduce the pressure forcing groundwater to find that junction and causing it to erode. I would stay away from constructing anything that looked like a berm on the creek-side of the wall. It wouldn't serve the purpose you think it might. It may only make flooding problems worse. And, you may be running afoul of local regulations having to do with wetlands. Good luck. And remember, this is only an internet forum. We can't see what you see, we can only read your words. Even pictures would serve as limited assistance. Your very best bet is to inquire locally, and get as many second opinions as you think necessary.

First, my compliments for digging your hole before buying your components. Many people end up with a hole way too big or way too small for the equipment they've ordered. I am a retailer/installer and enjoy giving my 2 cents as ponding is my job as well as my passion. Liner: 45mil EPDM Firestone Pondguard. This liner suits 99% of ponds in your size range. Sometimes we'll go thinner to save on weight for giant ponds or use a different material for specific applications, but that shouldn't be necessary for you. Underlayment: Buy the Geo-Textile underlayment that the reputable stores sell with their liners. Carpets and cardboard are relics from the days of ponding when we didn't have industry specific components to choose from. They rot away over time, hold moisture (equals mildew), and don't hold back roots no matter what anybody tells you. 2 years from now when you step into your pond and a piece of shale comes thru the liner you'll wish you had used the proper underlayment. Sand: We always put 2-3" of sand on the flat bottoms and shelves of the pond - BETWEEN THE UNDERLAYMENT AND THE LINER. It helps to level and smooth these surfaces. When you combine the wrinkles of the underlayment with the wrinkles of the liner, it makes for a lot of folds that trap guck and stick up out of your rocks. Also makes for softer stepping when constructing the pond. Filter/Pump: Depending on what you expect to use your pond for (fish keeping, plant cultivating, dynamic waterfalls, etc) will help determine what products to use. Remember, plants are natures filters and we've built plenty of ponds that have tons of plants and no mechanical or biological filtration (also no 12" Koi polluting the water). For most ponds of your size we go with the Savio Skimmerfilter and the Livingpond Waterfall Filter. Your pond is probably about 1700 gallons so you would want the Savio Water Master Clear 1200. 1200gph, 176 watts (very-low), about 40 cents a day to operate. Savio stuff is awesome. This coming from a guy who used to build ponds 15 years ago with polyethelene tarps and swimming pool filters. Opinions are like you-know-what and everybody likes different stuff. I can tell you that up here in the Northeast where winters are not very hospitable to pond components, Savio components have performed so well that they're all we sell for pump and filter products. Electricity: It goes without saying to have an electrician look at your situation. We typically have an outlet installed that is supplied by two power wires (separate power for each plug). We have the electrician run outdoor rated wire thru underground conduit to somewhere within 5 feet of the skimmer/pump. Remember to install plugs for lighting, multiple pumps, etc. We like to house the outlet in one of those black and green sprinkler housings that you can find at Home Depot. They are about 10" x 18" x 12" deep with a removable green lid. They make for an accessible, waterproof and hidden place to keep your power. bury your cords in mulch or stone from your skimmer box to the sprinkler box. Keep the outlet in the sprinkler box above the surrounding grade in case of torrential rains. ALWAYS use GFCI. P.S. Beware of advice from people whose pond plumbing systems look like they were designed at NASA. Your pond is a nice manageable size. Don't overcomplicate it. If you do you'll end up spending more time fixing/adjusting/maintaining your system than enjoying your pond. Hope this helps. Good luck and happy ponding!

My yard is the same but different. Either red clay or black clay, mixed by the contractor when the house was built to get the correct grade. I am a believer in the "bucket effect" with clay; if you add too much organic material (peat, compost, etc.) you can change the percolation (soil's ablility to pass water through) rate of the soil and, inadvertently, make the hole around the newly planted plant drink water more rapidly. What happens is that when we experience very wet periods the water zips through the modified soil and stops cold at the solid clay bucket, the freshly dug hole around the plant, "ponding" underground. Water builds up in the soil, drowning some roots by depleting their oxygen supply. Add to this our tendancy to install plants too deeply, and even more roots are affected (damaged or killed). If you are getting ready to do an entire bed, add compost to your heart's content and rototill the heck out of it as the entire area now has a new percolation rate. If for one plant, maybe a shovel or two of compost to provide a slow release starter fertilizer, but not so much as to greatly modify the percolation rate. hortster

What are the trees that you have there? Do you want something that will eventually give you privacy, such as evergreen trees or a tall hedge on one or both sides? Do any of your neighbours have plantings that you admire? It can get pricey to landscape a large area - how big is the area we are looking at?