Gardening · Updated August 2026
Garden Pond Cost UK 2026: Built & Priced by Size
A typical liner pond costs £1,500–£4,000 built. Small preformed ponds run £500–£1,500, large or koi ponds with proper filtration £4,000–£12,000, and a standalone water feature £300–£1,500 installed.
Garden pond cost by type — 2026
Dug, lined, filled and planted, with pump and filter where listed.
| Type | Typical built cost | Running cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small preformed pond (up to ~2m) | £500–£1,500 | £2–£5 / month | Rigid shell, part-day dig |
| Liner pond (2–5m, planted) | £1,500–£4,000 | £3–£8 / month | The common wildlife/garden pond |
| Koi / large pond with filtration | £4,000–£12,000 | £10–£30 / month | Bottom drain, UV, serious filter |
| Standalone water feature | £300–£1,500 | £1–£4 / month | Self-contained, no pond needed |
| Pond electrics (outdoor RCD supply) | +£150–£450 | — | Pump and UV need a safe outdoor feed |
Indicative 2026 UK prices, compiled from published installer pricing (Checkatrade, MyJobQuote, MyBuilder and BookaBuilder cost guides, August 2026). BestBuilders has no quote history in this category yet, so treat these as a budgeting guide and confirm against three written quotes.
What changes the cost
| Cost factor | Typical impact | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Size and depth | the base cost | Spoil from even a modest pond is measured in tonnes - digging and carting it away is the labour |
| Liner grade | £100–£600 | EPDM rubber outlasts cheap PVC by decades; underlay is not optional |
| Filtration spec | £200–£2,000 | Wildlife ponds barely need it; fish stock decides the filter, not pond size |
| Electrics | £150–£450 | An outdoor RCD supply by a qualified electrician - not an extension lead |
| Access for the dig | ±20% | Wheelbarrow-only access turns a digger day into hand-dig days |
Garden pond built cost by UK region — 2026
Modelled from regional labour rates rather than measured in this category — materials cost much the same everywhere, the labour does not.
| Region | Typical cost | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £1,900–£5,200 | +25–30% |
| South East | £1,700–£4,800 | +15–20% |
| South West | £1,600–£4,200 | +5% |
| Midlands | £1,500–£4,000 | baseline |
| North England | £1,350–£3,800 | −5–10% |
| Scotland | £1,350–£3,600 | −10% |
| Wales | £1,350–£3,600 | −10% |
| Northern Ireland | £1,300–£3,400 | −15% |
Getting it priced properly
1. Decide fish or wildlife first
The filtration gap between a wildlife pond and a koi pond is thousands. Everything downstream of this decision changes.
2. Insist on EPDM and underlay
The liner is the one component you cannot upgrade later without draining everything. Buy the 40-year one.
3. Site it away from trees
Leaf fall is the number one maintenance complaint. Ten metres of distance saves twenty autumns of netting.
What this costs at a glance
The same table, drawn.
Garden ponds — frequently asked questions
A typical 2–5m liner pond costs £1,500–£4,000 built in 2026. Preformed ponds start around £500 installed; koi ponds with real filtration run £4,000–£12,000.
Usually not - domestic ponds are normally permitted development. Exceptions: listed properties, conservation areas, and very large or front-garden excavations. Two minutes on your council's site settles it.
A wildlife pond with a small pump: £3–£8 a month. A filtered koi pond with UV running continuously: £10–£30 a month depending on pump size and tariff.
Substantially. Wildlife ponds need little or no filtration - the plants do the work - so you skip the £200–£2,000 filter system and most of the running cost.
Related cost guides
Cleaning, repairs and seasonal care priced.
French drains and soakaways priced.
New lawns priced per m2.
Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team on 18 August 2026 · Next scheduled review: November 2026 · See our editorial standards.