Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Contractors: What to look for

You can try to get a "job" bid. That's how it's normally handled around here, and I'd be mighty scared to do it any other way. That's one nice part about using NRCS. They calculate number of yards to move and the bid is usually so much per yard. It would be very different (twice as much?) if they had to hog out a hole and then haul the dirt away, unless they (digger) had an immediate use/customer for that overburden...

2 ponds, to very different scenarios...first was NRCS had $7200 for me (10 year interest free loan), and I had them bid the pond, and add as many extra features (island, structure, beach) as they could fit in and not exceed that amount. I chose contractor based on (gut feel?) their ideas of what could be done.

Second pond, NRCS says "We will pay half the project up to $5000, so if it exceeds $10K total, the rest is yours." I had to take bids based on "...here's what NRCS says needs to be done, how much can you do this for?"

Both worked out well for me...your situation will vary.

I found the first contractor by just driving to a pond under construction that looked extremely cool. Talked to him a year before first pond and called him for a bid when the money was there.

2nd contractor built my BIL's pond and it was nice...