Been lurking here for a year and reading a lot.
Tomorrow, the bulldozer comes and by next week, my dream pond will be dug.
I am planning to add a small pier just enough for the wife and I to sit at the end in five or six feet of water.

I would appreciate any tips/advice on construction materials and methods. For instance, can a backhoe push in a piling? Floating vs. fixed?
Thank you all for the distilled wisdom I have found on this forum.


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One acre, heavy clay all the way down, surrounded by oak/hickory forest, small watershed, Texas County, MO.

Welcome to the forum. I have a floating pier. When the water level drops the pier does too. I like the fact that the distance from the water is constant.

Mine is simple but easy to build and add on to in the future. 4'W x 10'L using 2" X 10"s for frame with decking on top. Anchored at 4 corners by 6"x 6"s bolted to them. Cost about $200.00 to build. It originally wanted to put another 4' L 10' W section bolted to it for a total length of 20' but now I decided to add a 12' x 12'square on it for more room to sit. Nothing fancy but it is strong and functions.

Found this old post. I made mine out of earth. Just kept putting dirt where I wanted it.

RStringer,
Can you explain your process? How do you keep the earth 'stacked' in the place you want it without washing away? How did you get the earth to start stacking up in areas where there was water already?

I also find it interesting that in MI the only pier we have is the one that is made out of reinforced concrete and extends out into Lake Michigan from the various places where rivers meet the big lake. A pier is a large breakwater to help take the heavy wave action.

lakes and ponds by definition around here do not have piers but have 'docks'

I find it interesting that the texas people call them piers even if they are small wood squares floating by the shore of a small pond?

Is it a north/south thing? At what State as you go south do they start calling them piers, Tennessee? Georgia? Florida? I love learning these things

What does a Texas person call a dock then? Is a dock where a semi trailer backs up and gets loaded with freight?

"I find it interesting that the texas people call them piers even if they are small wood squares floating by the shore of a small pond?"

Otherwise, the great state of Texas would be peerless AND pierless.

You can see my pier in this picture. I just brought in dirt from another spot and started placing it where I wanted it. A dock around here is either for trucking or a wooden or metal (aluminum) fishing dock. I wish i would have took pics then. I didnt find this forum til mayb a year or so ago. Tip if you make it out of earth make it wide enough so its ez to mow. I didnt at first so i could barely mow it with a rider.

I cant speak for all Texans..
but in my mind a pond pier is something simple and usually straight out into water. Almost nothing more than a sidewalk out into water.

A pond dock is something wider, maybe has a roof, maybe a boat slip, maybe picnic tables, maybe cleaning sinks...maybe a gathering space.

https://goneoutdoors.com/difference-between-dock-pier-8488977.html

Dock:


Dock:


Pier:


Pier:

Very interesting! When I think of a pier, I think of more robust structures like Navy Pier in Chicago where a guy can find restaurants, shopping etc....A dock is where you park the boats. Would not be unusual to here a couple of guys exiting a bar on the pier say, "Where did we dock the boat!"

Zep, I would call all the structures in your pictures "docks."

Bill do you call it a Cree-eeek or a "crick"?

I married an Iowa girl way back when and my first time to visit my in-laws in Iowa they told me "please go have a seat on the "divan". I was like ummm I wonder what they mean by "divan"? The chair?, the sofa?, love seat? recliner? I had never heard the term before. It was a sofa or a couch to me. Also didn't know what they were talking about when they started discussing "snowblowers".

Zep, We call it a stream.

I remember going to visit my brother-in-law's parents farm on the Florida panhandle back in the late 60's. I was there maybe three days. It took me a couple of months to stop saying "ya'll" once I got back to Indiana!

Creek

Bayou here in La

I got a little crree---eeeekkk in my back yard. My grandma used to say divan. I havnt heard that in a long time (RIP grandma stringer). That brought a tear to my eye.

RStringer...I remember my ex-Mother-Law (very sweet lady) had doilies on all the sofas (divans).

Yes mine had dollies also (everywhere). Heres a picture of my pier. It's gone now I have dug it all up and made a bigger one and moved it.

Interesting "pier" RS!
But hey it works.

I am changing docks too
in the process of trying to sell my floating dock.
I will only get dime on the dollar
But personally for me...I don't like floating docks

Hey it was free besides maybe a gallon of diesel. I like the looks of them. It look alot better before I was draining it. The pond is prolly 2 feet down at that point.

RS it's a cool idea for sure.

I've always wanted a "boulder-pier" or stepping stone pier, but have yet to make it happen.

I love tht top one. I might try that also. I have been thinking of a big boulder or 2. But love that look

+1 If I ran across structure like that in a BOW I was fishing, I would be all over it! Beautiful!

I had this one built about two years ago.

Nice one Tommy

Yes tommy that is very nice. Not in my pond budget thou. I do have a rock quarry about 2 miles from my house. I will be checking into some boulders now for sure.

Are there prizes available for comment of the year? You've got my vote!

Kris who are you referring to. I see in another thread you are going with an earth pier. Will you take some before and afters for us.

Anthropic's "pierless and peerless" quip made me laugh out loud.

Will do! The pond renovation is about halfway done and I'm having some second thoughts about the bulkhead, I must confess. We shall see.