Pond Building in East Texas

[EddieWalker]

...The other parts of the structure have no wobble, just the "tall posts region" so I think it will be ok without the bracing?
...

ML,

Remember that in time, it will NOT get stiffer. If you decide not to brace part of it, the odds are that it will get weaker over time and it will be allot more dificutl to brace it then, rather then now.

Saying that, and not actually being there, you can create sections that are heavily braced that will support areas that are not braced at all. This is how allot of decks are built. The house and ledger board keep the deck stiff without any bracing to a certain degree. If you created areas that were maxed out with X bracing, then in theory, the areas next to it would be supported by that strong area. This is what an engineer is paid to do, and not what I'm qualified, or capable of doing. Especially from just the pictures I've seen.

For X bracing, put one board on one side of the posts and the other board on the other side of the post. There is no need to tie the two cross board together with each other. It's the triangle that's giving you all the strength and locking it together.

I'm thinking that with the length of your pier, and it's height, I'd X brace every other pair of posts to stop any side to side movement. I don't think you need to do every set, but I'm not there and you'll have to decide how much movement you have. Any movement now, means more movement in the future. Something this amazing needs to be done right. I just hope you have the time with those storms on the way.

You might want to pre drill a pair of holes on the lower posts at water level and then if you have to, you can bolt on your bracing under water with a pair of wrenches. Two 5/16 galvanized carriage bolts would be more then strong enough.

I like that light idea too. Do you have a generator that you could put in your truck when your down there? Might be kind of nice to have some lights on it in the summer for night fishing. Just run the wiring to where you park your truck with an outlet box that you can plug a generator into. I've been thinking of doing that myself when I build my gazebo next to my lake, but it would be nice if you went first. hahaha

Eddie

 

[Tim Stuart]

Meadowlark, if the pond is in a remote location, I would look into some sort of 12v dc lighting. Are you planning on any type of a handrail? If you are you could hide the 12v lights and wiring under the handrail. You could get a trolling motor battery and a solar charger to keep the battery charged. Some years ago we had a 24x24 camp house at the mouth of the Trinity River where it dumps into Trinity Bay we had wired the whole camp house with 12v dc. In by doing this we were able to go out there without having to lug gas cans and a generator in the boat every time. Plus that way if you went down there at night you could see that timber rattler laying on the dock before you step on him.

Just out of curiosity, who is your lumber guy? I have used Twin Lakes Wholesale in Goodrich, TX with great results on treated lumber pricing. They are not a hardware store just a lumber yard.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

I put up the bracing in the critical areas today between showers. No question, the X bracing helped greatly, but in the one tall posts area, I'm still not satisfied. My requirements are probably tighter than most because of the fly fishing...on each cast the body weight is shifted from back to front in a rocking motion and that means no wobble in the walkway is a requirement.

All other areas are rock solid, no wobble. I put bracing on the piers areas and mid-way on each walkway and it is all rock solid.

Not giving up yet, I started digging out a trench to drain the area so that I could get a couple of posts set next to the wobblers to get that additional stiffness and rigidity. Just when I got a good flow of water running out the trench, the skies opened up.....some days we're the windshield and some days the bug. I don't know if Nature will allow fixing this one...I may be oversome by events. Will keep trying, however as long there is some chance.

Tim, you mentioned guard rails. I'd really like to not have them at all as they get in the way. The width is 2 feet 8 inches which is a good bit of margin. However, I know I'm probably going to loose this one with grandkids around and will have to add something. The after Thanksgiving dinner tour will tell the tale, e.g. some in the family will most likely say "you are going to add handrails aren't you?" In the wobbly area for sure, I will have to cave in on this one.

Eddie, I love to fish on the full moon and most of the time I don't even need any artificial light around the pond....I love a natural approach.

Tim, for large orders of treated lumber I always use Red Barn....can't beat their prices but I haven't compared to the Goodrich outlet. For example, I bought just over 100 2x6x8 from Red Barn at about $3 per board. Lowes (highs) wanted $4.97 for the same board. Plus Red Barn delivers and with that much lumber and 3600 pounds of concrete, you want to move it as few times as possible. They unloaded right at the pond site saving me hours of hard labor.

Tomorrow is another day and hopefully a "windshield" day.

Here's the bracing on the critical area. Thanks again for the tips.

 

[EddieWalker]

ML,

Nice job on the bracing.

You got it solid going lengthwise but you didn't put on any bracing going sideways.

I added a few X's to your latest picture to show what I mean. I think this is what is giving you the wobbles.

Eddie

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Eddie,

You're the master....added the inside X bracing and it solved the problem. It is all solid through and through. I think I will do as you and Tim suggested and add bracing on parts of the other long runs for insurance, but first I need to make a lumber run for some more 10 foot boards.

My thanks to you and Tim for your insightful comments. I got trapped by the other two piers I had built which did not need any bracing at all....but they were 1/10 the size of this one.

See the added inside X bracing below as well as the almost finished product.

Next step is to build a grow out pond with a system of underwater fence(s) and gate(s) to hold fish in place and be easily opened/closed from dry ground.

 

[Tim Stuart]

Meadowlark, Awesome Job!! There is one area that concerns me from looking at the photos. I have high lighted it below. I do not see any stringers under the decking. I think this area will get progressively springy as time comes. You may want to consider framing up under this area if you haven't already.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Tim,

Good observation. That is the place where a 5x8 pier ties into walkways going west and on the other end going east. The area you noted has a span of 4 feet from stringer to stringer and the posts are cross braced. If it ever stops raining, I'll add something and I also want to add the rest of the bracing.

We aren't getting that much rain but it is too much to work outside in the pond....really nasty conditions.

 

[Tim Stuart]

I hear you about the weather!!! I need some rain as I am also trying to fill a pond, but I have been stuck in this house since last Wednesday and Cabin fever is at epidemic proportions.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

The post-Thanksgiving dinner tour resulted in a couple of requirements changes....the addition of hand rails and bench seats to the piers. I've got to admit, with the length of the walkways and the depth of the water below, hand rails are needed. The attachment below shows the walkways/piers with the bracing added and without the additional requirements.

Also shown is the start on the grow out pond which doesn't look like much yet, but it will soon.

 

[EddieWalker]

ML,

Are you going to put railings on both sides? I'd think that one side would provide a level of saftey needed for occasion use, but don't know about liability issues. When I built my pond, I had plans for two piers. They were going to be really something too, but I kept running into liability issues, so I scraped the docks and built two peninsulas instead.

The nice thing about a railing is you can really dresss it up nice if you wanted to. King Architectural Metals wrought iron metal balusters finials casting steel ornamental forged gate fence stairs Access control has a massive selection of metal for railings and gates. If you can imagine it, they have the stuff you want!!!! Prices are also very good with about the best service I've ever come across.

Lowes has some nice railings that are aluminum and powder coated. Price isn't bad when compared to PT wood, but the finished results are amazing.

I have a plan for a railing on my bridget that I will biuld over my spillway that will use cedar logs for posts and metal for the rest. In the middle, I'm cutting out my symbol and welding it into the railings. Wouldn't a Meadowlark look awesome in your railings? Just think of all those gates you've seen with the Texas Star in them and replace that image with a Meadowlark!!!!

Just some thoughts, I'm sure I've gone over the top. hahaha

I'm a little confused on your grow out pond. My thinking is that it will be a pond next to your pond that will be for baby fish to grow until big enough to survive in the main pond. The confusion is how do you circulate the water from both ponds so that the small one doesn't get stagnent without letting your baby fish out?

A solid gate would be the easy way to build a solid seal, but won't let water flow. I don't even know if you want water to flow between the two ponds? Keeping it simple is always best, especially with it being under water all the time.

One thing that I saw allot when duck hunting the rice fields of Central California was gates made of 2x wood. I'm guessing it was Preasure Treated, but don't know for sure. They just poured concrete on either side of the opening with a channel down the middle wide enough to slide the boards in there. None were the same, but just guessing, I'd say they were 2x8's about two feet long on edge. Three or four of them would give you two feet or more of height, and if one rotted out, it would be simple to replace. Just cut another 2x8 and slide it in there. Holding it down was just a cement block on most of them, but a few had latches that I don't remember how they worked.

Mostly we walked across them, or jumped across them when walking the levees, so it's really just an observation that I'm telling you about. Not something that I have any experience with.

Eddie