Bobbss, Congrats! Start thinking now about structure, trenches, mounds, and root balls for your builder. Knowing and planning ahead of time is a LOT cheaper than the job creep costs of telling an equipment operator to stop, and do this or that, as you go along....

Another thing would be to get soil samples from your water shed and basin to get tested and find out how many tons of Ag Lime to add, per acre to bring your pH to 7.4-8.0...again, it is a LOT cheaper to spread in dry ponds.

Last, be prepared to seed ALL disturbed areas as soon as the tracks stop turning to reduce erosion and muddying. Use whatever grass seed you like on the shore, watershed, and a blend of Buck Oats, annual ryegras and wheat in the pond basin areas. As your pond fills, the flooded grasses will jump start your microscopic aquatic life....FHM can go in as soon as you have a permanent foot or two of water....