There's a trend, especially among the upper class, toward having water features in the backyard. It's caught on like wildfire, rearing its head in Port Perry real estate as well as the land down under. Some of the most popular include fountains, waterfalls, and ponds. If you're thinking you'd like to have a pond in your backyard, here are some things to think about and some ways to go about obtaining one.
Before you commit to having a backyard pond, think about your climate. If you live in a very dry climate you may think that means you'll extra appreciate having a lovely wet pond in the yard, but it also means you'll have to go to added expense for the water and refill it more often as it dissipates due to evaporation. By contrast Streetsville homes and houses in wetter climates sometimes have free natural ponds that require no maintenance.
If you happen to hit upon the backyard pond idea while you're in the process of looking for a new house, you can add the pond to your list of requirements for the realtor. Keep in mind though that while you might be able to convince the builder to add one to your brand new home in Georgetown, Ontario, few houses outside of the very top tier of real estate come with ponds already installed, so your options will probably be limited.
If you already own your home and are intending to have a pond put in, your first decision is: natural or artificial? Obviously some climates and terrains will not accommodate a natural pond. Only the wettest yards will, and those type of yards are likely to suck up your decorative wrought iron furniture. Torontonians are therefore most likely to end up installing their own. This can be done by a professional contractor or by you as a do-it-yourself project. There are kits available at most home improvement stores.
Once you have your pond installed your work is not done. In fact, it will never be done. Stagnant water fosters the development of algae and becomes home to disease-carrying mosquitoes, so you either need to clean it frequently or install a feature that will move the water. After all, you don't want your Oshawa, Ontario real estate to become a public health hazard. Once the cleaning is handled, you can think about adding decorative items like statuary or lily pads, or buying some fish (koi are popular) to live in the pond.
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