| Sure, why not? If the landscaper will build the pond I want, to specifications intended to provide the best environment possible for my koi then I do not see a problem. BUT first we must define the term "koi pond". It means different things to different people.
The vast majority of us on this board want a pond that exists for the koi. It is not intended to provide visual and auditory ambience for our back yard as the main purpose. (those can be worked into our design, but are not the main purpose for our ponds) We want a pond that will allow our koi to develop to their full potential. However, other folks want a pond that will provide a home to pretty fish for their visual impact with plenty of plants and a nice water sound.
Most landscapers are just that...landscapers. Folks who make bare ground attractive for the owners. They know how to dig a hole, seal it, and maybe put in some "bio-filter/s". And of course the plants and rocks give the pond a "natural" look, so it must be good. This is where the problems surface. They can build a pond with koi in it, so that makes it a koi pond. Most likely not one designed the way we would.
It is my responsibility as the owner to know what I want out of my pond. That is a hard learning curve. Speaking from experience here. I had a pond built by a landscaper. An outstanding builder who completed very high quality work. EXCEPT for the fact that he really did not have an understanding of pond design for optimum koi growth. But I was ill informed. So a large part of the responsibilty for the poor pond environment was/is mine. I did not spend enough time learning about koi. It was after the pond was completed that I found out what top quality koi can achieve. So the "Saga of the Pond Remodel" continues. Had I known then what I know now about pond design, filtration, pumps, and plumbing design; the pond would have been built much different.
Would I hire a landscaper, or anyone else for that matter, to build a koi pond and leave the design, filtration, etc up to them with no review. Absolutely not. I would be very involved in the design and in fact would probably have a pond design in hand when asking for bids to build it. Would I hire a landscaper to build a koi pond to my design specifications, Absolutely.
Rambling I know but trying to make the point that we as pond owners must know what we want out of our ponds before we have them built.
Steve |