It really all depends on what the contractor runs into, how deep you want it, dig a hole in a field vs damming a ravine, etc. Some contractors seem to do work by the hour whereas others are cubic yards of dirt moved. Mine did a 1/2 acre pond on the site of an old dried up pond. Not much dirt had to be moved, but he didn't get to go as deep as I had hoped. it only took 3 guys 2 10 hour days to complete mine. It ended up costing $2500, but I traded some work and got it for $950. It was a simple pond but it is a shot in the dark. I didn't put in any overflow pipes (it has no where to overflow to so it will just back up even more if it gets too high). These are just some of the risks I took to have a cheaper fishing hole.
