Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond cost help!!!!!

I am currently talking to excavators about digging a 3/4 acre pond. The bids I am getting seem to be VERY high. They are ranging from $12,000-20,000. Is this possible? I get the feeling they see a city boy wanting a pond and are giving me some inflated prices. $20,000 for a 3/4 acre pond? There is no way I will pay that. What is everyone else paying? Thanks!

The pond would be excavated. The dirt would then be spread around the outside as a berm. I was thinking a 3/4 acre would be around $5,000. Thanks.

Sound about right to me, I paid 2800.00 for a 1/3 acre excavated pond dug with a backhoe and loader 55.00 per hour. I used a septic installer who had never dug a pond but was willing to listen to me and follow my instructions to the letter worked out great. After that a neighbor of mine about 3 miles away paid about 1500.00 to have the dirt hauled to his place 56 loads with a large semi-truck dump bed. It was cheaper in the long run for him and worked out to save me some money. Not only do you have to figure the hourly rate for the trackhoe around here 95.00 per hour but also the dozer work 55.00 per hour to spread your dirt.

Bob in North Alabama

south louisiana,4 1/2 acre pond dug with trackhoe,bulldozer and 11 trucks.paid $76,000.00.friend of mine paid $110,000.00 to dig a 7 1/2 acre pond.it all depends on what needs to be done,were it's being done,what the ground is like and what the market will pay.

in my market a large dozer with operator goes for $750.00 a day and trackhoe $850.00 day and truck $300.00 a day.

I highly suggest learning how to use the equipment and renting it yourself. Most rental companies show you basics in operation and if you're not dumber than a bag of hammers you can figure out the rest...even safely! In West (spit.....tang) Virginia renting a dozer for a week will cost 850 bucks. Far better than twelve grand. My own opinion...I'm not a pond builder nor do I have a pond...YET. And...I'm a do it yourself kind of guy...I'll be happy to take any constructive criticism though

I just had a pond dug using the free technical help of a soil conservation guy. He also gave me a list of pond diggers that were very good at what they do.You'll save alot of money by getting a professional with a big dozer. You have a choice usually about how you pay the dozer person. By the hour or by the cubic yard. If your grond is all dirt the digging will be easy and you might want to go by the hour. But make sure it's a big dozer. My 4.7 acre pond with a island and a peninsula cost me about 10,000 dollars.I bought used pipe & welded up my over flow. That saved a few bucks. Main thing don't get in to big of a hurry & shop around.

The dozer guys here were getting $900 per day 2 years ago. If it's dug out and they have to push or haul a lot of dirt that is very possible.

Dude are digging a 1 acre hole in the ground or putting up a dam, because that will make a world of a difference. I my self am trying to build an 8.7 acre lake and the dozer guy and came up with around $40,000....

A good, well built, completely excavated 3/4 acre pond with 8 ft wide core trench in NW Ohio will cost $10,000 to $15,000. It will take two large dozers about 5-7 days (8hr) of work to do a 3/4 excavated pond. Variables are depth, side slope ratio, availability of good clay near the surface, stone lined around the upper 3' of depth, dirt sculpturing. Basic charges are based on cubic yards of earth moved.