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•Improper sealing of liner seams;
•Holes in the liner caused by the weight of the boulders sitting on the surface stretching the liner;
•Holes created by burrowing animals (gophers, ground squirrels, rats, mice, chipmunks, groundhogs)
•Holes created by children with sharp toys or objects like sticks, lawn darts etc.;
•Holes created by the sharp claws of dogs, raccoons, hooves of deer, moose etc.;
•Holes made by roots of trees and plants like rhododendrons;
•Leaking around drains, piping and skimmers.

There are many of these pond builders who have tried to solve the leak problems to satisfy their clients, but have done so at a very high financial cost. After 15 years of pond liner construction in Southern California, these liner short falls are showing up on a regular basis.

The problem is so prevalent that many realtors are asking their clients to remove the liner pond from their yard and fill the hole before they will list the house since the liner ponds are such a great liability and litigation risk for the realtor, bank and seller of the home.

I would highly recommend to any contractor who is constructing ponds with liners, that they should make it very clear to the client prior to signing a contract that there are certain liabilities associated with this type of construction.

You should let your clients know in advance that a liner has limitations, and then explain in detail what those limitations are. You should also let the customer know that for approximately 20% more, you can construct their pond and waterfall out of concrete and rebar which would increase their pond's lifespan by decades.

Because many pond builders only know how to construct a pond using a rubber liner, they do not make concrete and rebar an option for the client. This fact alone can create a serious customer relations problem in the future, when the customer finds this fact out on their own, especially after a couple of minor leaks.

If the customer is told about all of the potential issues with maintenance and upkeep associated with liners and compares this to the peace of mind, lack of maintenance and upkeep, and the overall longevity and the equity added to their real estate, they will most likely opt for reinforced concrete construction for the extra 20% in cost. The author has constructed well over 2,000 reinforced concrete ponds and waterfalls over the past 30 years and has never encountered a crack or leak of any kind.

There are a number of other issues associated with liner ponds, such as the use of submersible pumps and the lack of bottom suction drains, that also create a serious issue with water circulation within the pond and higher maintenance costs associated with the inefficiency of a sump pump's energy consumption.

Many liner pond installers avoid cutting the liner to install bottom suction drains since they can become a source for a leak. Unless water is drawn from the bottom of the pond, there can be areas that do not receive adequate circulation.

Consequently, it will lead to stagnant water and algae problems.

When used in the proper applications, pond liners can become an asset rather than a liability for the simple fact that they do cost less than concrete construction and are quick and easy to install.

So for situations where the pond is needed for a short period of time, a liner pond is the perfect solution.

If you have ever designed a water garden by sketching with colored pencils on a sheet of graph paper, let me be the first person to tell you that there is a better way! Here's why:

1. Increase Your Net Profits

Prior to introducing digitally designed water gardens, I would close 6 out of 10 sales, or 60 percent. Now, by using a digital design, I sell 80 percent. On the remaining 20% I still made money even though I did not close the sale because I charged $350 for each design.

So besides earning an additional income of $2,800 ($350 for each of the eight signed contracts for building a water garden), the digital designs earned an additional $700 for the two building contracts that were not signed. At an average of 100 water features built per year, I have added $35,000 to my bottom line just with this new revenue.

Finally, you must consider the additional contracts that were signed on the basis of the digital design alone. If my annual gross income before offering these types of water features was $600,000, then 20% or $120,000 is money I would not have had without digital designs.

2. Set Yourself Apart from the Competition

Our designs elicit positive responses and compliments, which we rarely received before with sketches and floor plans. Unlike sketches or floor plans, digital design provides a virtual photograph so a client sees what he is getting in advance. Water gardens designed this way eliminate misunderstandings that can sometimes arise from poor communication, involving vague or convoluted descriptions, drawings and sketches. What you see is literally what you get.

Digital designs look (and are) professional, and with computer software so widely available now, and various instructional programs that are easy to follow, there is really no reason to wait! Any edge you can get on your competitors will affect your bottom line. And don't forget to design in a water leveler for your customer's pond, even though they won't see it in the actual digital picture you show them.

3. Reassure your Customer

A portfolio of previous digitally designed water features can be used to sell the design option to future clients. When offering the package to a customer, the portfolio shows them what other clients received, and that they are not alone in a decision to opt in to getting their own digital design.

4. A Personalized Picture

A digitally designed water garden actually allows the client to see the finished water garden in their own back yard. This allows them the feeling of ownership since the photograph is of their own yard, except now they see the finished water garden in it.

5. No Tape Measures

Providing a digitally designed water garden eliminates the need to sketch out their back yard and take extensive measurements. Sketches and measurements are replaced by the simple click of the camera shutter, and the computer mouse in the virtual world of the water garden digital library.

6. No Sale? No Problem!

Even if you do not get the sale, you will earn $350 for a design you otherwise would not have made. Before offering the digital design option, all the time you spent with the client consulting, sketching and measuring, plus travel time, was wasted if you did not sell the job. By selling this design, you have received $350 for your effort and walk away feeling fairly compensated.

7. The Digital Design Fee is Refunded

By offering a refund of their design cost if the client decides to sign the contract, your closing ratio will increase. You tell the client that $350 will be deducted from the labor in the contract if they decide to sign with you. They are now more willing to part with their money. You explain that they not only will see exactly what they are getting, but they will have a photograph to use when they get other bids. The labor in the contract is not an exact amount, and will vary from job to job. So it is impossible for the client to know where their $350 refund shows up. You simply state in the contract that the $350 refund was deducted from the labor cost. The labor figure is necessarily an estimate; it is never itemized, nor are materials. So in reality you can easily add a few extra dollars in either category to cover the refund money, which is actually only on paper.

In summary, I can tell you that by adding digital designs to my business, I have increased my bottom line by 38 percent! You can easily see how someone could make a good living just designing water gardens, especially at $350 per hour for a six to eight hour day.

Retired "master waterfall builder" Doug Hoover.