Where’s the job?

Scope of Works

• Survey pond, boundaries, access, underground services and any protected wildlife features

• Drain pond and remove fish or notify specialist if relocation or licence required

• Excavate and remove liner, silt and vegetation where needed and prepare sub-base

• Import and place appropriate fill material (granular sub-base, sand or topsoil) and compact in layers

• Lay geotextile or sub-base membrane where specified and set out edges for flagging

• Lay flags to pattern, cut to fit, point joints and finish levels to match surrounding paving

• Remove arisings, tidy site, and reinstate adjacent finishes such as turf or gravel as agreed

Typical Cost

Time on Site

Most small garden pond fills with basic flagging take 1–3 days on site; larger ponds, difficult access or specialist fish relocation can extend to 3–7 days

Questions to Ask Your Tradie

• Do you have experience converting ponds to paved areas and can you show recent examples

• How will fish and wildlife be handled and will any licences or an ecologist be needed

• What materials and sub-base do you propose and why for this specific pond size and soil type

• Will you supply a written quote showing labour, materials, disposal and any provisional extra costs

• What plant will you use, is access suitable and will you need to book separate plant hire or skips

How to Avoid Surprises

• check access and parking for diggers, lorries and skips and let your tradie know tight gates or steps

• confirm who is responsible for fish removal and whether an ecologist or licence is needed

• clear the area of garden furniture, pots and delicate planting before work starts

• agree waste disposal method and allow space for a skip or arrange off-site collection

• flag any underground services before excavation and ask the tradie about PPE and contamination handling