I've avoided this whole thread, because the POV's interested me.
What I did was a knock on doors around our county, and got info on the guys neighbors used for their ponds. Then I contacted a guy that had several happy customers, and we walked some of the ponds he had built. I guess I was naive, but I ultimately hired the guy, as he was right on board with my expectations.
Having said that, he came in $10,000 over budget, but only after I made changes to my original plans.
I know it was probably stupid not to get more bids, but the guy had a great rep, and his hour estimate was right on the money. I've only had one problem in 10 years, when we had a partial collapse in the upper third of the dam, and he was out the next day with a crew to repack and repair the area at no charge.
I still don't know what I would do next time, but my gut feeling about the dirt guy worked out very well for me.
