Hi equinecpa,
You can dig into the ground as deep as you want, and still have the raised timber part. Some people do that so if they have fish, they will get a little more warmth through winter. I think you live in an area where it wouldn't get too cold.
Do you have any problems with raccoons? They don't like deeper water, but they love shelves. That's up to you.
One thing nice about using upside down black milk crates, or pots with holes to hold up your plants is that it gives fish places to hide. Are you going to have fish?
If you're sure you could totally protect the wood shelf with liner, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Would you just put it between the timbers? If the shelf didn't go all the way around, would you have an uneven timber line the rest of the way?
Another nice thing about digging a little deeper is that it will keep the pond a little cooler in the summers, if you have fish.

hi
I did this ,originally for a rainwater holding tank but eventually turned it into a water garden. Mine is 5x10 feet 18 inches above ground 20 inches below. has been running since 82 with the main problem of invasive plants.
Some of the timebers have started to rot but so far still sound.
If I were to build another for a garden pond purpose it would be similar but with a flat bottom. This makes moving pots around much easier.. 18 inches above ground is just about right for sitting on but of course too narrow so will need a cap. At least a foot wide works best. You can elevate the cap about a quarter inch to allow for overflow.
I use Vinyl fence material which works but doesn't look too great. This not only makes a great place to sit but holds pots for additional planting. areas.
Be sure to get your first timbers completely level and very secure . if that first one ever shifts your in trouble. Place the first layer then do the digging on the inside being careful not to undermine of course.
I think if I were to make one in a cold climate I'd definitely go below frost line. Can't imagine bringing stuff in every winter??
Skip the shelves ,make the sides as perpendicular as possible not only will it make the walls stronger but will help avoid predators. If you intend to grow lilies at least two feet of depth above the pot.
Catherinet gave you good advice for marginals . This is where the flat bottom comes in..Won't have to fight with water depth. Too deep is a lot easier to fix than too shallow for sure.
Of course everything should be designed around what you intend to keep. What type of equipment you want to use .
gary

I bought the timbers and rebar today and will cut, measure, level and assemble tomorrow (as well as take pictures).I have opted to build a 2' x 4' pond 18" high, with a further 6" submersed. I had better order my liner! I need an 8x10' liner and have found I can order a PVC one for $30.00 and a butyl one for $50.00. Is it worth the extra $20.00 for the butyl liner? I plan on lining the frame with roofing felt (as I have a spare roll here).

Thanks for the help so far.

Carolyn

Hi, I was so happy to see your post. We currently have a 100 gallon pre-formed in ground pond but want to build something bigger. We saw ponds built with landscape timbers last weekend at a Buddhist temple and got the idea. Please post how your pond turned out and any suggestions you can share.

Here is my progress update: We ended up building a trapezoid shaped pond (a lot more work dealing with angles) but it is a better fit for the area and lets us maximize pond volume in our small area.

The hardest part: We learned that landscape timbers are very irregular in shape and since the sides are rounded it can be tough to measure some distances. I recommend anyone building a pond using these measure every layer -you'd think they would be the same but when the widths of the timbers aren't equal the measurements will vary.

Also drilling the holes accurately is very important. We'd use a square down the vertical side to give us a squared edge measurement to use. Than we'd measure the distance between the rebar to get out next measurement.

I'm ordering the liner today..and then will finish it out.

Here's what it looks like now:

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A few other pics are posted in my webshots album in the link that follows:

Here is a link that might be useful: Pond Construction...

Its probably too late, since you've ordered your liner, but I've always heard that PVC deteriorates alot more rapidly that EDPM.
Your structure looks great! I've always wanted to do that, since its nice having things up close and personal.
Post more pics as you progress!

It looks really good so far. I know those angles where hard, but I'm impressed. Please keep adding your hints pictures!

Oh and I did order the EPDM liner -pond construction is basically at a stand still until it comes..I can stain it but that's all..

PVC is a lot harder to shape and is stiffer and would not work as well for you as EPDM. Good that you got the EPDM.

We have a timber framed pond as part of our deck. It was installed by the former owner. The pond consist of three pools, with two weirs from the top pool, one from the middle pool to the lower pool, one from the lower pool to the pump chamber.

One of the biggest problems we have had is with the flow rate. Too much flow from the pump and the volume of water increases in the upper pools; as volume from the pump is greater than the volume that can go over the weirs. Consequently the pools rises above the pond liner.

If we were to rebuild the pond I would have it designed so that there were several inches of liner above the maximum possible height the water can rise.

When you get your pond operational you will find you have to learn about flow mechanics, biology, chemistry, and several other fields that you have avoided all of these years.

Looks nice. Now about that shelf. Remember treated wood is toxic. It isn't a good idea to use it if you are going to have fish. You can use bricks and a slab of granite. Or you can even pour a concrete slab yourself. you can just build a form and make it any shape you want.

lol knuttle! Gee.....I guess we should have been listening all those years in school. :)

This is a picture of my raised koi pond. The pond is 9 years old this July. The green colored thing on the back side is a shade cloth frame I built that I slide over the pond to keep the sun from creating algae bloom and ever sense I have covered the pond it stays clear and clean.
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Pic 2
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pic 3
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picture of pond covered up with shade cloth frame.
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Here is a link that might be useful: my rustic bajan garden

oops.....I would like to post a photo but can't do it.This is one of two I had made. I used landscape timbers and 2x4's then dropped a liner in.

Here is a link that might be useful: raised timber pond

Well thanks for all the posts..I got it done!

Here is a picture of the final product:

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And for those who want to see a step by step construction, please use link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pond Construction...

Way to Go!!! Looks great!!! Love the lilies! And the constr pics are great!!!