“My favorite place to read is next to the pond in my backyard.”
Rey Mysterio, Wrestler
Pros and Cons of Backyard Ponds
You think about getting a natural pond for your backyard? Great!
While backyard ponds can have many advantages, there are also some downsides related to them.
In fact, I show you all the pros and cons of backyard ponds in the following chapters so that you can better decide whether you still want to get a pond in your backyard or not.
Advantages of Installing a Pond in your Backyard
- You can make your garden look nicer
- You can increase the resale value of your home
- Backyard ponds can give you a feeling of peace
- Your guests will really love to come over to your home
- You can impress your family and friends
- You can make your garden more natural
- You can provide a natural habitat for many plants and animals
- Natural backyard ponds can help you relax after a hard day
- Chances are that you will spend more time in your garden
- You can keep fishes in your pond
- You may be able to build your own pond
You can make your garden look nicer
One advantage of installing a backyard pond is that you can simply make your garden look nicer.
In fact, many people just feel like there is something missing without a source of water in their yard.
A backyard pond just improves the overall appearance of your home and gives it a more luxurious feeling.
Hence, if you don’t have a pool in your garden yet and want to get something more natural and different, chances are that getting a natural backyard pond can be a great way to go for you.
You can increase the resale value of your home
Not only will your home look much nicer if you get a backyard pond, but also the property value of your home will increase as well.
Since people will feel more comfortable with a pond in their yard, they will also be willing to spend more money for your home.
While you might not think about selling your home yet, you should still make plans for the long run.
Sooner or later, you might consider selling your house and increasing the value of your property by installing a pond in your yard can also be great to get more money out of it.
Backyard ponds can give you a feeling of peace
Many people who have backyard ponds also report that they really enjoy sitting in their garden since they get a strong feeling of peace and inner confidence out of it.
It is hard to say why, but sitting next to a natural water source can be almost like a meditative process and it can just reconnect yourself to nature.
Always remember that our ancestors have lived in natural environments for many thousands of years and it is deep inside our DNA to make some experiences in those natural environments as well.
While backyard ponds are not entirely natural, they still provide you kind of a natural habitat in the stressful city life and can give you some room to go back to the roots and to slow down a little bit in general.
Your guests will really love to come over to your home
Another upside to having a pond in your yard is that your friends will really enjoy coming over to your home. In fact, sitting around a pond and watching the small animals inside is a highlight for many people.
Moreover, your friends will also really enjoy the relaxing atmosphere next to your natural pond, especially if they live in small apartments right now and don’t have the luxury to enjoy their leisure next to a pond or a pool at their home.
Consequently, you can also improve your overall social standing by getting a pond in your garden since you can do good for your friends and your friends will often really appreciate that and will do good for you as well in the long run.
You can impress your family and friends
Not only can you do good for your family and friends by inviting them over to your home and giving them the opportunity to enjoy the nice atmosphere around your pond, but you can also really brag about your new pond.
If you choose the right model, your backyard pond will look pretty impressive and chances are that your family and friends will really admire it and will get envious deep inside.
You can make your garden more natural
Another benefit of getting a backyard pond is that you can just make your garden look more natural in general.
Many people in big cities miss natural environments and habitats and having a pool in the garden is just not enough for them.
Thus, if you are one of those people who really want to make their garden as natural as possible and don’t want to get a conventional pool since it looks too artificial, getting a natural pond in your yard can be a great alternative for you also in this regard.
You can provide a natural habitat for many plants and animals
Not only can you do good for you and your friends by buying a pond for your yard, but you can also provide a natural habitat for numerous small animals and plants in your garden.
Every life form on earth needs water to survive and if you install an additional water source in your garden, you will just attract the local flora and fauna.
In fact, it can be quite interesting to watch these small animals, especially if you have kids since they will often be fascinated by those little friends and will also spend much more time in your garden next to your pond.
Natural backyard ponds can help you relax after a hard day
Having a natural pond at home can not only be great for your kids, but it can also be pretty nice for you since you can just sit down there and enjoy a cool beer or another drink of your choice after a stressful day.
In fact, many people come home after work and are just stressed since they have so many different tasks to do.
Many people who work in demanding jobs are also on the brink of burnout and depression and if you are one of those people who are stressed on a continuous basis, installing a backyard pond can be a great way to mitigate those issues since you can just unplug and relax from your stressful life for a while.
Chances are that you will spend more time in your garden
Getting a backyard pond may also lead to a state where you will spend more time in your garden instead of just sitting in front of your TV or your computer for many hours.
Instead of just wasting your time that way, it can be pretty nice to sit outside in your backyard and enjoying nice evenings next to your pond with your favorite people.
Not only will this make you more relaxed and balanced in general, but it can also help you to reload your batteries for the next stressful days yet to come.
You can keep fishes in your pond
If you don’t have any pets yet and are interested in fishkeeping, getting a backyard pond can also be a great way to start this hobby.
Instead of just having an aquarium inside, you can provide a natural habitat for your little friends and your fishes can grow up in a much more natural environment.
You will also be able to keep larger fishes with a pond compared to a normal aquarium and this gives you more flexibility regarding which fishes you want to keep in general.
You may be able to build your own pond
If you have some experience and talent for building things, you may even be able to build and install a backyard pond yourself.
Not only will you be able to save significant amounts of money if you do all the work, but you can also learn a lot from this experience.
Moreover, you will also have a greater level of freedom regarding the design of your pond and you can be sure that it will be indeed one of a kind once it is finished.
You may even be able to make a real business out of it in the long run.
If your friends come over to your home and see how well your pond looks, they might want to have a similar one and you may be able to make some additional money out of it.
While we have only discussed the advantages of backyard ponds yet, it is now time to take a look at all the downsides related to them to give you a better picture of what having a pond in your yard really looks like.
Disadvantages of Having a Pond in your Yard
- Backyard ponds may attract snakes and other unwanted animals
- Frogs can be annoying
- You may no longer sleep well
- Installing a pond in your backyard can be dangerous for kids and pets
- You may have to install additional safety measures
- Backyard ponds can be expensive
- Significant maintenance efforts and costs
- It can take a while to install a pond in your backyard
- Algae may develop in the long run
- Your pond may smell quite bad
- Ponds can be a hatchery for bacteria
- Your pond may attract mosquitos
- Official permission may be needed for getting a pond in your yard
- You need to get some knowledge to maintain your pond properly
- You need some space for installing a pond in your yard
- You can’t swim in small backyard ponds
- Removing a pond can be time-consuming and labor-intensive
Backyard ponds may attract snakes and other unwanted animals
One disadvantage of backyard ponds is that they will often attract many unwanted animals to your garden.
While you might enjoy the company of squirrels and rabbits, the opposite will likely be true for snakes or spiders.
In fact, you will just not be able to control what animals will come to your pond and chances are that you will experience many unpleasant surprises in the long run in this regard.
Hence, if you are afraid of those animals, you should rather install a pool instead of getting a natural pond in your garden.
Frogs can be annoying
While snakes and spiders can be intimidating and potentially even dangerous for humans, attracting frogs through your backyard pond will just be annoying.
They will often croak all day long and this may not only lower your own quality of life quite a lot, but it will also make your neighbors quite angry since they will be disturbed as well.
In turn, the relationship between you and your neighbors will likely get worse over time and you should make sure that you are really willing to pay this price before getting a pond for your yard.
You may no longer sleep well
Due to the croaking of frogs and other noises from animals that might populate your pond, chances are that you will also no longer sleep that well.
In fact, you will often wake up in the middle of the night due to the sounds that come from your pond.
Thus, make sure that you leave enough space between your natural pond and your sleeping room and that you also grow some plants around your pond so that the noise pollution from your pond can be lowered and you can sleep better at night.
Installing a pond in your backyard can be dangerous for kids and pets
Another problem with backyard ponds is that they can simply be quite dangerous in case you have children or pets.
For instance, your small children may just fall into your pond and if they are not able to swim, they may just drown.
This is not only true for your children, but also your pets may fall for the same trap.
Consequently, backyard ponds are an additional source of insecurity and you will always have to look after your kids and pets to assure that nothing bad happens to them in this regard.
You may have to install additional safety measures
Due to the additional risks that come along with installing a backyard pond, you may also want to get additional safety measures around your pond.
You may want to install a fence so that your kids and pets can no longer fall into the pond.
While this may sound pretty simple, installing a solid fence is not that cheap and can add up to plenty of money, especially if you want to have a big pond in your yard.
Backyard ponds can be expensive
In general, you will have to invest significant amounts of money in your backyard pond.
Depending on the size and the materials you want to use, the initial costs for building the pond can reach many thousands of dollars and you should really make sure that you are willing to invest those sums of money for your pond or if you rather want to invest the money in other projects that are more important to you.
Significant maintenance efforts and costs
Not only will you have significant upfront costs if you want to get a backyard pond, but you will also have significant maintenance costs and efforts.
Nothing lasts forever and you will have to clean your pond or pay someone who does the job.
Moreover, some items related to your pond may brake and you will have to get spare parts for repairing your pond, which results in additional expenses.
It can take a while to install a pond in your backyard
Not only will it cost plenty of money to build and install a backyard pond, but it will also take plenty of time to do so.
In fact, if you want to get a fancy pond that is also pretty big, chances are that it will take months or even years to finish the project.
Therefore, you should also have some level of patience before deciding for getting a backyard pool for your home.
Algae may develop in the long run
Another downside of getting a backyard pond is that algae will develop sooner or later.
While you can use some chemicals that are meant to remove algae, those chemicals are often pretty bad for our environment.
Moreover, you also have to apply them on a continuous basis to keep the water clean.
Additionally, those chemicals also cost additional money and you should make sure that you take all this into account in your calculation regarding how much your pond will cost you in the long run.
Your pond may smell quite bad
If you don’t take appropriate cleaning measures, chances are that your pond will begin to smell quite bad in the long run.
It will also begin to look quite poorly and it may even rather hurt the appearance of your home instead of doing anything good for it.
Thus, before getting a backyard pond, make sure that you are willing to invest time and money into this project to keep it clean and nice so that you can avoid unpleasant smell and an unpleasant visual appearance in general.
Ponds can be a hatchery for bacteria
If you don’t keep your pond clean, chances are that it will also become a hatchery for many harmful bacteria and you may even infect yourself with serious diseases if you are not careful.
Therefore, you should only get a pond in your garden if you are really willing to keep it tidy so that you don’t produce any bacteria that could be potentially dangerous, not only for your but also for the general public.
Your pond may attract mosquitos
If you install a pond in your yard, chances are that you will also attract mosquitos.
Mosquitos love the water and if you offer them a natural pond, chances are that they will just explode in population.
This can be quite annoying since mosquito bites are quite itchy and a high number of misquotes in your garden can greatly lower your overall quality of life.
Official permission may be needed for getting a pond in your yard
Depending on the state you live in, you might even get official permission for your backyard pond.
You might just not be allowed to install a pond in your yard in some regions and you should inform yourself about your local laws and regulations in this regard so that you can avoid any trouble that might come along with your pond from a legal perspective.
You need to get some knowledge to maintain your pond properly
If you want to get happy with your pond in the long run, you also have to inform yourself and acquire some knowledge.
Only if you have a certain idea of how to maintain your pond properly, you will be able to keep it clean and look nice for many years.
You need some space for installing a pond in your yard
You should also not underestimate the space requirements that come along with installing a backyard pond.
If you only have a small garden, chances are that you will simply not have enough space to get a backyard pond and you should invest some time to plan your project and to make sure that you meet the space requirements for your favorite pond so that you can avoid any unpleasant surprises in this regard.
You can’t swim in small backyard ponds
You should also think about what you expect from your backyard pond. If you just want to have it in your garden to improve the visual appearance of your home, you can simply get a small one.
Yet, if you also want to take a swim in it, you might want to go for a bigger alternative.
Removing a pond can be time-consuming and labor-intensive
If you come to the conclusion that you don’t want to have a pond in your backyard sooner or later, it will also be quite labor-intensive and expensive to remove it.
Thus, think twice before getting a pond in your yard and make sure that you want to have it for a pretty long time.
Top 10 Backyard Ponds Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Backyard Pond Pros | Backyard Pond Cons |
|---|---|
| A pond can make your home look nicer | Backyard ponds can be expensive |
| Backyard ponds can increase resale value | Significant maintenance efforts and costs |
| You can provide a natural habitat | Can be dangerous for children |
| You can relax next to your pond | Your pets may drown |
| You will spend more time in your yard | You may need additional safety measures |
| You can impress your family and friends | Water may get dirty in the long run |
| Backyard ponds can be relaxing | You need to inform yourself |
| Can give you a feeling of peace | Backyard ponds may be prohibited by law |
| Back to the roots | Your neighbors may become angry |
| You can keep fishes in your pond | You may attract unwanted animals |
Should You Install A Backyard Pond?
Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of backyard ponds, you have to make your final decision regarding whether you still want to get a pond in your garden or not.
You may also want to go for alternatives like conventional pools or you can also think about getting a natural swimming pond if you want to combine those two worlds as best as possible.
Sources
https://www.pinterest.ca/wwwdreamyardcom/backyard-pond-designs/
https://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Backyard-Pond
https://empressofdirt.net/backyard-pond-ideas/
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
