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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Show of hands: how many are building a 'dock cover'?

14 years ago

I, too, couldn't resist the beautiful skimmer dock cover idea. My husband built a cover more like a "pier" than a "dock", but it turned out great. Thanks to jcjcjcx for the brilliant idea - my pond is so much nicer as a result. I just hated that ugly fake rock cover!

I just wondered how many more of us are building some variation of this? Everybody raise their hands and show their projects!

Before, with the ugly rock:

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After, with the beautiful pier:

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Comments (8)

Calamity_J
14 years ago
Picture perfect!!! Lovely pond, that is the cutest lil dock!!! Good job Hubby!!!
hardin
14 years ago
I am in the process of drawing up a 'blueprint' for my husband. He is a handy carpenter. Says he will make it, when I get it done, with measurements he needs.
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Thanks for the compliments everyone. My husband didn't use any plans or pattern. He just copied what he had seen in the past on regular docks. He grooved out the frame underneath to make it securely fit on the skimmer (I had asked him to somehow keep it secure so that it wouldn't accidently tip if our cats stood on the edge to drink or look down at the water). Basically, the 'dock' is just a nicer replacement cover and is very light and easy to remove. The original plastic cover has been removed (its not underneath) and is now stored in our shed; I will switch them around when the snow and ice arrives in the winter, this way protecting and preserving the nice cedar color of the 'dock' instead of leaving it buried under deep snow.
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I think lots of pictures would be the key to answering a lot of questions :) I have always been a listen to others and then try it to see for yourself type. After many years of using both expensive and cheap, I am now on the cheap is usually more than good enough side. My light garden has always been either unheated garage or heated basement so it's seldom been fancy. I have tried both shades and plexiglas panels on the front of my unheated garage light setup and both have done amazingly well. I have tried timers and 24/7. So bring on the FAQ, bring on the pics, bring on the practical advice, nobody will ever follow it exactly anyway :) But it makes fun reading and seeing! John
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Comments (21)
Wow, snow in San Francisco. Yes, we got another 10 inches here Sunday night, it blew around and caused enough problems with visibility that we had a 60 car pileup on 131 just east of me. Better than Elery got, they got about 3 inches of snow, then some ice, then some more snow. I don't like ice, and several hundred thousand people were without power, many in Kalamazoo where lakemayor is from (although she's in Florida right now). More cold, wind and snow on Friday and Saturday. Ah well, it's Michigan and it's February. I had Monday off and was supposed to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese and Amanda to the bridal shop to get measured for her bridesmaid dress. Now we're doing that on Saturday, depending on the weather. Annie
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OT: When selling, how many no-shows?
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Comments (20)
About a 20 - 25% no show rate has been our experience on multiple house sales, with another 25%+ spending OTOH, we've been the buyers who cancelled on short notice or zipped in and out in two minutes because our agent failed to take our list of requirements seriously (yes, we found a new agent, but that's happened multiple times.) RE agents justify showing properties that don't meet their buyers' wishes by falling back on the old saw: "buyers are liars." We tried to review the MLS sheets/web listings before touring, but when relocating that hasn't always been feasible. You'd think RE agents would realize they're wasting everyone's time, including their own, but I guess they sell enough properties that aren't what buyers initially said they wanted that it's worth the gamble. Anyway, I agree with the suggestion to freshen the listing regularly. Maybe your agent needs to reword the info about the condo fees and elevator. Offering a bonus to the selling agent can help; at least it worked for us on one house. Prepaying the buyers' condo fees for 6 - 12 mos. is a good idea, too. How would you feel about not leaving the condo until the agent and buyers arrive? You could greet them at the door, say you were just on your way out, and leave. I did that when we sold one house, and was able to park on a nearby street from where I could see the agent's car. If they stayed over 5 mins. then odds were good they'd be a while, so I'd go run errands. This reduced my frustration because I wasn't inconvenienced by no-shows.
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mondotomhead
14 years ago
WOW! I like yours also! It adds so much interest to the pond. Isn't it so much better than the fake rock? I tried to make a fake rock and it was awful.

Where is jcjcjcx? I don't think she knows how many people loved her idea. Check out the thread "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". This is where I posted my first pictures of the dock she inspired.

http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/mondotomhead/?action=view&current=000_0047.jpg"; target="_blank">{{gwi:216852}}
maryo_nh
14 years ago
That little dock is too cute!
We first have to buy another house before we put in another pond. Which will then have a proper skimmer. And a little dock!

:) Mary

*not as far-fetched as it sounds... looking for a plot as we speak to eventually put our retirement house on*
*room for a pond is a must*
*or two or three*
dbuys
14 years ago
That looks fantastic. It looks like the front support post are in the water. If so, how do you keep them from pushing through your liner or do you just make sure that no one steps on it?
cliff_and_joann
14 years ago
We built ours in 1998
Our skimmer in under neith

Here is a shot from 2004
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2003

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pompeii
Original Author
14 years ago
Wow, Cliff_and_Joann, a dock cover from 1988. I'm impressed. I'm even more impressed by your pond and beautiful fish!

Dbuys, there aren't any posts on the front extending down into the water, so no worries about the liner. And it is strong enough to step on, although I usually don't. Here is another photo that shows just enough of the front so you can see that there is only a board across there that does not touch the water.

Now, is there anyone in NE Ohio who would like a few water hyacinths? I'm in a suburb east of Cleveland.

{{gwi:216858}}
cliff_and_joann
14 years ago
Pompeii, Actually the year we built it was 1997, they year we built the pond.
It strong enough to stand on and four of the boards remove to acess the skimmer.

{{gwi:216859}}

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