This Is How We Build Koi Ponds For Clients In Kansas City, Missouri
Beautiful koi pond with waterfall and spillway bowl

How to build a koi pond in a backyard starts with planning the design and placement. It ends with you loving your new water feature.

Find all 9 steps and more below-

But HOW?

“You really want to know how to build a koi pond in a backyard?” asks Jennifer.

Michael nods quickly. “Absolutely. If we’re going to have a big project like this happening in our backyard I want to know the steps. It’ll probably look really messy and I’d like to know if it’s just mess or plan.”

“That’s a very fair point,” agrees Jennifer. “But how’re you going to find out?” Michael smiles and pulls his phone out. “The same way I found out the cost of a koi pond– I’m going to look it up on Google! Maybe a local contractor explains the process on their blog or something.”

Here’s what the couple discovers:

How To Build A Backyard Koi Pond

Koi pond builders in Kansas City standing around a new pond
  1. Design your koi pond
  2. Mark out the design in your backyard
  3. Dig out the pond
  4. Put down underlayment and liner
  5. Install the skimmer and biofalls
  6. Add rocks and gravel
  7. Put in any additions
  8. Turn it on
  9. Add fish and plants once the water clears

More On These Steps

Larger and more complex koi ponds like this cost more

Designing your koi pond is fun, but it can be costly. Koi ponds come in standard shapes like circles. If you want a different look (aka custom) it may raise the cost of a koi pond.

When digging, we’ll dig down about a foot first. Then we’ll create a shelf. This shelf is great for plants and makes getting in and out of the pond easier (which is great for maintenance). Then we dig down another foot. 2 feet of water won’t freeze, keeping your fish safe during winter.

The underlayment protects the liner from roots, rocks, and burrowing animals. The liner itself helps keep the water in the pond and out of your yard.

The skimmer collects leaves, sticks, and other debris. You’ll want to clean this part out at least once a week. The biofalls help keep the water clean and clear using beneficial bacteria.

Closeup of large koi pond with 2 waterfalls and big boulders

Rocks and gravel give the bottom and sides of your pond a nicer look. Just having the black liner makes it look…fake, unnatural. They also house the beneficial bacteria that clean the water.

Additions are fun! You can add underwater lights that can change colors, a bridge, cleaning devices, and more.

It will take a while for your water to clear up. The dust and stuff on the rocks need to wash off and be filtered out.

If you aren’t pleased with your pond, you can do something else with it.

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“Now this is more like it! I feel a lot more comfortable now that I know what’ll be happening in my backyard,” says Michael. Jennifer smiles. “I’m really happy to hear that. Why don’t we keep looking on this blog? Might find some more good info.”