Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site I am not giving up yet

I know it's a lot of $$. I did a quote for a client a while ago, and the biggest headache was disposing (read that as moving) the dirt from the hole. This was for 2 ponds that were already dug, and dug improperly. Groundwater ponds, dug in sand. Banks were sloped 2:1, when the water dropped you literally have to walk down sideways, and the sand is pushed down by your feet as you sidehill to the water. Forget about standing facing the water, your toes are 4” below your heels. Very little area for fish to spawn, if the water drops the beds are out of the water. Ponds average 6’ water depth, but water is (right now) 4’ to 5’ below the flat grassy area around the ponds.

I would have to rent equipment to do it. Here's some rental rates:
Excavator: 40 hrs $3,000.00 plus tax and insurance Add close to another thousand for delivery and pick up.
LGP dozer: 40 hrs $1,400.00 plus tax, insurance and delivery
Off-Road dump truck: 40 hrs $2,500 plus tax, insurance and delivery.

Now diesel fuel. Figure on roughly 5 gal per hour per machine. So, @ $4.00/gal that is $480.00 per day just in fuel; $2,400 per week.

Diesel fuel tank rental $? You ain't going to fill them up with 5 gallon cans......

Erosion mats and grass seed.

What is the cost of $$? The state charges taxes on income, so figure taxes on top of equipment rental. I don't know when I'm going to be paid, and the rental place expects their $$. I pay bills as they come in, I don't string 'em out.

What's the cost of labor? You aren't going to find operators that know what they are doing for $10/hr. Then figure in FICA, insurance, etc., etc. Hours of labor aren’t just 40 hrs for 40 hrs of machine time. Machines need to be greased at least once a day, filled with fuel, etc., etc. I figure somewhere between 1 to 2 hrs per day per machine for maintenance – even if it’s a rental I take care of it. That comes back to me – the rental company usually gives me their newest piece of equipment. Last time I rented a backhoe, it was a JD 310K extend a hoe with 2 hrs on it.

What's my knowledge worth? 4 years of college, years and years of experience. Like Bill said, there IS a difference between digging a hole and building a pond. You have to know what slope to make the sides, so they don't collapse, you need flatter areas for spawning areas, etc. What’s it cost if I get a piece of equipment stuck in the pond basin? Do I charge the customer extra for the expense of getting it out? Or does it come out of my pocket?

A friend who farms hired a operator to run the combine for $10/hr. Operator thought he could drive thru a soft area instead of stopping and backing up. It took 3 days, 2-3 guys and $10,000 in rental equipment expenses to get it unstuck. How much $$ did he save? Brand new $200K+ combine.

Growndwater ponds need a dewatering pump to keep the water out as you dig. So, you have a pump that can move 15,000-20,000 GPH, suction hose, discharge hose, gasoline for the pump, labor to fill it, etc.

Then you gotta figure in $$ (and time) if you hit something that is buried. If I give the customer a quote, I figure it in. If everything goes smoothly, then I came in under budget and I don’t charge the full quote. Or, should I charge just the bare minimum, and if a snag is hit, do I say “We’ve got a problem, instead of $10K, it is going to cost $20K to do it or I gotta walk away.”?

Digging a pond isn’t as simple as “get a piece of equipment and dig a hole”.