Totally depends on the kind of pond you want. I don't know anything about your goals, kinds of fish, number of fish, so I'll have to leave it there.

My pond is four feet deep and in this heat the water would be too warm and the fish would no be comfortable if it was only two feet deep. Even with lots of plants. I vote for deeper.

Deeper is better, those that quoted you have no clue.

I would assume that the person quoting the pond was going to put rock and gravel on the bottom of the pond. I would guess that size was going to be 16 x 11 x 2 ft deep. Depending on the type and size of the rock it might be a good or bad price. The other determining factor would the waterfall/stream. Also depending on the equipment that was going to be used it might be high or low. I have done quite a few ponds where the equipment alone can be over 10,000.
Mike

In zone 5B your fishies would probably be better off during the winter at the 3 feet depth that is usually recommended.

Just remodeled my small pond (what a project). Remember that dry clay can weigh over a hundred pounds a cubic foot! It adds up fast! I ended up removing 5-7 tons (a pile a little less than the size of 2 Suburbans) by shovel & wheel barrow to create a 1500 gallon pond. Also never underestimate the power of free, got rid of it in less than a week, post an add for free fill dirt on craig's list (and yes they had to load & move it themselves)! I do however agree with others that deeper is better, for temperature control in summer & winter. You might find some local labor to do the digging cheaper than the bidder (also cash is a great bargaining tool so don't be afraid to haggle), but I think with all the rock work, materials, etc you'll find that it takes a lot of hours. Also someone else mentioned that rock prices vary by type, size etc, also the liner size & quality (I found my firestone EPDM at a bargain price at Drs Smith & Foster (I think) online because of free shipping offer), water features etc affect price. The bottom line is shop around a bit to see whats out there for both material & labor .

Thanks for all your advice! I think we're going to attempt it next season anyway.
I do agree that deeper is better. Like I mentioned it's now approx 4 feet deep and I really do like that depth. I know that the fish are never completely safe from predators but I find that the depth also provides some protection seeing we don't have any "shelf" type areas either. I'm guessing our most expensive part will be the liner?? We're going to round up some friends and have a beer and BBQ as a thank you :) Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated seeing we're just winging it!

Shalom- since it appears your now pond addicted, and waiting until next season, take the time to plan and think "ahead" what you might want to add so you make the room and have the infrastructure in place - think about a pipe size or so larger than you may need so it's inplace for future modifications. The smaller the pipe the more pressure you'll have at the discharge which can be a nuisance, the lager the pipe, more flow less discharege pressure. Had I used 1.5" pipe originally, I would not need to repipe now for the additions I've made.
An anothr example of planning - had I moved my pond out from the fence a mere 3' I would have had room for our swing to be on the high side of the pond looking down into it, but since I didn't, now the swing is on the low side, and we just barely can see the fish from the swing.

Same for the gazebo; had I moved it another foot or so, everyone sitting on the patio could see the complete pond setup without a column in the way - simple things, but they can make a real difference. Same thought process for ease of maintenance

McKool

Hi, I'm currently planning another pond. I totally agree with a 4 foot depth. Also if your worried about preditors, think about adding some 1 1/2 foot to 2 foot sections of pipe to anchor to the bottom of the pond. This will provide caves for the fish. I seen this used on Pond Diggers on youtube. They install some great ponds. Another idea, I wish to have a large pond for koi, and have a small water garden. I've seen where they did not put rock in the bottom of the pond, and just kept a black liner. You can also add a bottom drain that works with air bubbles. For the water garden idea, place one foot shelving in the pond. The rim should be lined by heavy rocks so you can fill the shelf with gravel. This allows the shelf to be 8 inches of gravel and 4 inches of water, perfect for planting. Hope this helps!

Craig

Deep water is more temperature stabilized, better for the fish to exercise in; they can swim up and down not just back and forth, better for predator safety too

Lori,

Here's a "what I would do in your situation" suggestion: Create a model of what you want. If you have the space, maybe even to the point of a big tub of sand; dig out your pond (more or less to scale), line with plastic of some sort, get some rocks, etc, place them, fill hole with water and see how it looks; see if you like it; see if it fits in with the rest of the yard. Much easier to tweak here than in real time and space and could be a great source of fun for the winter.

McKool has a great point about "if only" . We sure have all done it; well most of us anyway. There are a few things I'd do differently but I'm not going to pull my whole pond and skippy filter apart now.

Good luck and have fun. I love the planning part of a pond.

A few years ago I planned a pond for a friend. She decided to go with something different, so that is what we built. After 3 years she tore out that pond and built a new one. A couple of weeks ago I came across my original drawings and they were IDENTICAL to her current pond, even to the placement of the fish-watching chairs and benches. LOL Of course I emailed them to her saying, gee look what I found.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful ideas and advice.
Our water lettuce grew like CRAZY this year to the point where they covered the entire surface of the pond (water was crystal clear though). We would have to move it out of the way to feed the fish. I hadn't been out there in about 2 weeks but my husband kept telling me how big the fish were getting. Today I went out there and OMG.. they are huge! Our biggest fish is close to 10 inches, maybe even closer to 12. Anyway, we have more babies! Desperately need more space next year :) I'll be back to bug you all some more I'm sure!

Here's another pic of the pond (before the water lettuce took over)

shaslom; a very eye catching and ambience of a quiet place to relax - very well done.