From the front porch
of Walter and Diane's house
Saturday -- 8:27 a.m.

Dear Friend,

There's no doubt...
sitting out here on a cool Saturday morning, enjoying a cup of coffee and watching our koi fish open their big mouths to get the food we just tossed in for them is a complete reversal from what we used to look at...

Does this "plain-jane" look seem familiar? Have you ever thought about making a change to your place? "Yeah", you say, "but it's too much work and too expensive". Well it can be, that's true. But that is only for those who don't take a little time to learn that there might be easier or less expensive ways to create their own pond or water garden.

So friend, now that you know it may not be as hard or as expensive as you thought, imagine yourself and your loved ones sitting around your own pond, the sound of water gurgling and splashing and pushing the rest of the outside world a million miles away...

If you'd like to add some natural beauty to your landscape, if you have an area of your yard that could use a makeover, or if you would just like to add some color and life to an otherwise drab and boring patio or yard, then designing and building your own koi pond, gold fish pond or water garden may be the answer you are looking for!

Keep reading and see how we can help you create your own peaceful and relaxing oasis just about anywhere, and save your valuable time and hard earned money in the process.

We'll show you how you can have your own pond or water garden no matter where you live or what your budget may be! Even if you live in an apartment in the city you can still have a small fish pond or water garden on your patio or balcony or sitting in front of that sunny window for your enjoyment year 'round (and dream of that big koi pond you'll have someday!).

• You CAN make a pond or water garden even if you have no building skills
• You CAN save money and time by following the ideas and suggestions we give you
• You DON'T have to hire expensive contractors or dig up half your yard

From a small barrel or tub water garden to a large in-ground koi fish pond, you will save time and money by following our pond and water garden planning and building tips. You will also save more money by following the tips we provide on buying supplies.

Can't decide where to start building your fish pond?

Wondering how to design your own water garden?

Well, don't worry, because there is no "master plan" you have to follow!

That's right, there is no "master plan" because each persons situation is unique: your lot may be hilly while mine is flat, or you might not even have any land (and yes, you can still have a small pond or watergarden). Your pond building budget may be very limited or it might be nothing but the best for you. As you can see, many different factors will affect what style of fish pond or water garden you can build and where you can build it.

While there is no "plan" on how you HAVE to build your pond, there are definite steps that you need to take even before planning and designing your pond and then more during your building phase. We'll take you step by step thru what you need to know to design, plan and layout your own customized in-ground or above-ground pond or water garden. We'll give you specific plans for an above ground pond that virtually anyone can make by adapting to their situation. Plus, we'll also give you tips and ideas to make your in ground pond or water garden construction go a little smoother and maybe a little easier for you, and hopefully even save you some money in the process.

 

Looks better than the "before" picture, don't you agree? Sign up for our FREE 7 part pond site development mini-course. In it we'll go over the basics to determine where would be the best location for your pond and many other items you need to know before you start construction, plus check lists to determine what would work best for you. Your first section will arrive this Saturday, so be on the lookout for it. The mini-course will require you to do some work outside, and on the phone. The rest of the course will arrive every few days to give you time to complete each step before starting the next, and most will generally only take a few minutes of your time (except for the day dreaming about how good it is going to look!). If you are not sure if owning a pond is right for you and your location, we encourage you to sign up for this short course and find out for FREE! First Name: Valid email address: We dislike SPAM as much as you do, so we will never share, sell, give-away or otherwise disclose your information with anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time from within the emails. Privacy Statement

So now you are probably asking "How did you find out all these things about pond and watergarden building?"

Well, we didn't learn it the easy way that's for sure. Some came from previous experience helping friends and family build their own ponds, some came by searching on the internet and reading what the "experts" said about pond construction and (way too much!) by our own trial and error. But considering this was our first semi-above ground pond, it came out pretty good.

Shortly after the pond was finished (view our pond pictures here), some out-of-town friends came to visit and wanted to know how hard it was to make their own pond. I told them it was work, but it wasn't really too hard if you had a good plan. Since I was not able to go and physically help them with their pond, I started making notes about basic things to do and check when planning their pond including questions to ask themselves: what did they want from their pond, how much work would they commit to do to maintain it, etc.. This gave them something that they could follow and use for reference while planning their pond. When I emailed them my first set of notes, they joked that they didn't know I was going to write a book for them! I soon realized I DID have enough notes to make a small book and thought "Why not help others new to this fun and interesting hobby and make this information available outside of my immediate friends, and help them avoid some of the mistakes and problems along the way? "

I liked this idea, so I started thinking back even more about all the details we learned along the way in building our pond and how it would have been helpful to have known some of these things when planning our pond. We also found out that some of the good sounding "expert" advice did not work as well in the real world. Not that it was bad advice, it usually sounded pretty good, but there were often better or more versatile ways to accomplish the same thing.

Here are some of the things we will share with you:

How a simple idea grew and grew and grew...

Shortly after buying this house, I "discovered" this hard-to-mow, must use the weed-eater, double square corner of my yard that I hated (sound familiar?). One day while trying to mow it, I came up with the idea for turning the area into a simple flower garden to avoid having to mow it all. A year or so later (I don't jump into projects too quickly), after a job change I had access to garden building blocks (at a very good price) and the idea of a raised flower bed came about and I started planning for that. Then I got married and one day my newlywed wife happened to mention that she loved koi ponds and maybe someday we could... So, now you see how we came about having an above ground, garden block walled koi pond!

When we made the decision to "officially" write all of our information on pond and water garden designing and building into an ebook, we knew we would have to adjust for how we built our pond, which may not be practical for everyone. So we made plans that anyone can use to build an above ground pond or water garden made out of readily available wooden landscaping timbers (or any other sturdy timbers). We take you step by step through your pond construction, from readying the site to landscaping, plus giving you a detailed plans and parts list.

But I want an in ground pond! No problem, we give you all the tips and suggestions you need to make your pond or water garden building experience as easy and trouble free as possible.

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Well Guys, that's it so far. Still need to revise this some for my book as is, like the in ground pond part isn't in the book yet and think I need to change a few other benefits listed that aren't in this release. I'm probably going to do this in 2 parts to get it up: Use the original book I have and modify this to go with it and offer it at a discount - half price - and then offer the same amount in credit towards the "new updated 2009 edition" when it becomes available.

here's the link for the original book and the semi-finished revised one I want to make the final version - it's in html format, haven't converted it yet into the final ebook form. Let me know what you think! (oh yeah, here's the cover and table of contents too)

Walter

(and I can tell how long ago I started this project by how bad my coding was then. Would definitely be different now. Will probably upgrade to my SEO frame before I finalize the 2009 version)