Is this the finished project? What is pictured to the right ( 2d pic ) of the water area? Just leftover debris? additiona pics showing the context would help.

I see from your pics that the water flows down the wide rocky area to the pond below. And it's a meandering route to get to the bottom. I don't think the whole design is that bad! The leak is definitely a BIG problem and the pond company definitely has to fix that. I kinda like the raised rocks around the pond part, they act like a bench and give you a place to perch and enjoy. I think once you add a lot of plants and the whole area is landscaped it will look better. Maybe add smooth river rock in different sizes to some of the areas that look like gravel. I wonder if it's possible to have more water flowing over the rocks? I can see kids loving this waterfall and crawling all over it. What you have are pretty good bones for a wonderful water feature!

Thank you... when running, the water goes down all the Falls. I should have added that I do love the falls... it’s the raised pond I really don’t like. I had a vision in my head and forgot the pond guys were not in my head to know exactly what I was picturing. I also didn’t have scale drawings so never realized that their vision was raised. I pictured a pond that went around my patio and sat beside it, not above it. I an hoping someone can tell me how to achieve that feel with landscape, or patio. If possible...

The pond guys have been working to fix the leaks, I never considered a new pond would have holes in the liner, so it’s something I now know.

Can we see what drawings you do have for water feature and patio?

Those look like leftover construction stones; you need something from nature.

I agree with @4holly_on. I think this will look much better once you get plants around the rocks, large soft grasses and spilling plants over the side. Maybe add a dry creek bed "leading" to the pond (looks like it's on a slope?) so it doesn't seem so plunked down randomly.

I’m wondering why with all that property your pond is so close to the house! Right now it looks kind of like an archeological dig but I’m sure with landscaping it will improve.

Lynartist— there was a retaining wall there, so the plan was to make a small waterfall that led in to a pond that kind of wrapped around our (soon to be) patio. Large fail. :(

I am so sorry. Who would have guessed that pond builders would elevate a pond like an above ground swimming pool. I too would have assumed it would be in the ground.

Maybe river smoothed boulders isn’t something they could get in your area.

I would get rid of it. I understand cost but you would be sad every time you look at it. Maybe the rocks could be used for landscaping somewhere else on your property. Or just have them moved out.

T: Landscaping will help, but don't add smooth rocks, only use similar ones to those you have. That will look more natural. Change the total squarish formation to something less angular. One way to do this is to add soil to the outer edge, just like a natural rock that you partially uncovered. And it might not be too difficult, by pivoting some, to align the larger stones so that they will appear to be part of a single larger formation that has been fractured by time and weather. To align them, imagine drawing a line through them and then examine each large rock to see if there are veins or grain, similar to fabric, that run through. Then align the grain to your line. Right now the larger rocks seem to be perpendicular to one another. Then add some soil over the lowest points and add natural plants. That will increase the appearance of a natural outcropping. Best wishes. PS I like the idea of keeping one side, maybe one third, without mounded dirt so that you have a sitting ledge. The fish are fun to feed!

Lots of planting will soften the look of the stone .. what it need is some round rocks like you would find next to a stream ..the square rock is very harsh

It does kinda look like rocks threw up. I think the problem is that you have rocks in this one spot /nowhere else. If you had more rocks elsewhere -- skirting flower beds, piled near the fence -- it'd look more natural. It'd look like rocks were a part of this landscape, not something relegated to one spot of the yard.

I’m wondering why with all that property your pond is so close to the house!

I agree with putting this feature near the house. It allows you to see it while you're relaxing on the porch. I hate that I can't see mine from the porch. Incidentally, this is an easy DIY project. I did one myself years ago -- not as big as this one, and I used much smaller rocks -- and it's super easy. Backbreaking, yes, but nothing difficult.

hold back 50% until I am absolutely certain everything is up and running...and not leaking.

Ugh, what is it with contractors? Our shower was leaking, and we had a guy out to the house to measure /give us a quote. The quote was very high, but we were going to go with him ... until he wanted 100% up front. Said it was industry standard. Said anyone else who came out would demand the same. Said he'd made it clear earlier that we'd be "processing payment" -- yeah, but not 100% payment. We would not do it.
He was SO ANGRY, he was shaking, said we were wasting his time, said he'd rearranged his schedule to see us that day ... we showed him the door in a heartbeat. That he was so unprofessional and angry just made us feel that we'd made the right decision. I'm not feeling a bit bad about kicking him to the curb.

Hold your guns on this one. Never pay 100% up front.

following

T-Alpacas, I think your pond is shaping up just fine, and truthfully, with time, landscaping, and patience, it will be beautiful - I see so much potential! I'm not typing this to make you feel better, it's my honest opinion.

I've been there... hired someone to install our pond (and I had a to-scale drawing, with clear notes!), it was an unmitigated nightmare. BUT, several months later, many hard weekends of repairs and work we had to do ourselves, and it's starting to shape up! More time, mature landscaping, etc., is needed, but I now love it. It's smaller than yours, and yes, just outside our patio seating wall. Our pond is ground level.. but rocks stacked around prevent us from seeing the fish from the patio. So what, I can sit on the rocks and view them much more closely. Make lemonade from lemons! And I'm not seeing lemons here : )

Those huge squarish rocks? I love them. Yes, they have tons of potential and I've seen many ponds (quite dramatic) use them. I see you've got a mix of rocks - love that look too! Didn't at first for our smaller pond, but now I realize it improved the movement of the overall space. Great place to sit (someday I promise, you will sit high on one of those rocks, looking down on your fish and feel such a sense of thrill and happiness). I also think you'll find some things you currently dislike to be among your favorite features later. I hated that we had a river rock bed sloped into the pond (I wanted straight sides), but all the birds and chipmunks drinking and bathing are a delight to watch - I wouldn't change it now.

I'm seeing a lot of great colors in those rocks as well. The falls are lovely (just need time), the pond is a very nice size and shape, and the rest.. it will come together.

I'd suggest you spend a peaceful day online, googling pond photos, collect them into a folder, and note things you like - from rock arrangements to plantings and everything in between. Some may not be possible, but can serve as a guide as you move forward. Share your favorite photos with the people building your pond. But try to keep them in line with what you currently have.

Foremost is that they are repairing the leaks and correcting any issues (at least they are doing that! Our guy left us high and dry.. or rather, wet). Stay on top of them with that.

Landscaping comes later, and will make a huge improvement, but it will take time. Mine is in it's baby stage, but I see the potential for ours in years to come, and eventually, you will too.

FWIW, we hated our pond initially. Hated the d@%#$ thing. I love it now. You will too.

@2manydiversions — thank you for the kind words and motivation!!

Our pond guy’s people have been here weekly trying to fix it, which I am thankful for. I am trying to look on the bright side for sure with this one and get past my expectations. Spending over 13k on this (yep, that bad) and ripping it out is not what I want to do... if money were no object, it would be gone, lol, but I am hoping to fix this as best I can and then add on to it - a stream, or something to make it softer, next summer.

we are adding a Roman paver patio abutting the pond... so if I add a large garden bed beside the patio on the large rock side, will it look okay sloped in to the patio? I am hoping to find a landscaper who can help me, but it’s proving very difficult at this time of year now.

@MrsPete—yes, I totally agree with you about location. I didn’t want a pond where I had to walk to sit at it. The pond contractor has terms of 50% hold back until completion, but it never occurred to me that a new install would have holes and leak and I would need them back, after completion. Going forward, I will always wait a few days after to make sure everything works. I am lucky they are fixing it. It is crazy the amount of bad contractor stories I have heard.

Thank you again!!

I felt you probably paid around $12,000 to $14,000. Don't tear it out : )

"we are adding a Roman paver patio abutting the pond... so if I add a large garden bed beside the patio on the large rock side, will it look okay sloped in to the patio? " I think that'd be lovely (see pic below as to why I would think so, lol). Yes, and do make sure the slope is away from the pond, going downhill to avoid drain-off into your pond - and I know you're thinking 'but those rocks are so tall...' it's not the rocks, and there's always the possibility of flooding, which we experienced this winter, and thankfully our pond was higher than it was meant to be, although with the slope of the dirt we added, you cannot tell. I'd add stepping stones leading to the rocks, and steps up to them if needed. Make it into your own sanctuary.

Our pond was to be smaller than it came out (currently it's 9 ft Wide x 7 ft Wide water edge to water edge, the rocks around the pond make it around 12 x 8+). Though small, it suits our smaller back yard well. The paver patio curves, and the pond is a nice fit, but again, you can't see the fish from the patio... we have no larger rocks like you, but I spend more time on the seating wall watching the fish/pond, than I do on the lounge chairs.

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See all that bare ground? Every baby plant was started by seed this winter/spring. In the years to come, it will change, fill out, and be the garden pond I wanted... just different. But better I think. Don't give up. Your pond has tons of potential! By the way, do leave un-planted areas to walk around in your garden so your family and visitors can view from various angles.

ETA: our back yard was a barren wasteland 11 months ago. You have time. It'll get there. And if you hire a landscaper, again... google pond photos, save them to show the landscaper the feeling you want.

The only thing better drawings might have helped here is reaching an agreement re: how high the bottom pond sits. We do every design in AutoCAD, precise to the nearest 1/8", and I tell my clients that with a natural water feature we can never say exactly what it'll look like, because the boulders coming off the truck tell us that.

Every water feature is ugly until it's planted. That's going to make a huge difference. If they left you planting pockets among the waterfalls, or if they can squish some in, that's going to look amazing.

The bigger issue is the disconnect between your vision - sitting next to/above the pond - and what you have. It may be worth redesigning the rest of landscape a little. I would do a planting bed around the pond, but have a couple of stone steps up to a small (think 2 chairs + bistro table) patio coping height, or just a little (6" +/-) below. Then your main patio is a little farther from the pond, but it's all part of an integrated whole. Does that make sense?

There's also nothing wrong with a seating area a little below the pond. With this one, the grade dictated that that's what we'd have. Just had pro photos taken but my crappy cell pic will have to do:

Oh, and that stone is super cool. Are you in one of the Plains states? That's where I tend to see that sort of stone in water features. Here in VA that would be a $25-30k water feature all day long.

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Wonderful Garden Pond Ideas with Koi Fish - Amaza Design · More Info

It needs landscaping - plants. It's going to be fabulous.

with all that space you don't need a puddle pond , you can have a natural pool https://www.houzz.com/magazine/natural-swimming-pools-more-beauty-no-chemicals-stsetivw-vs~25802335

@revolutionarygardens--- Thank you for the comment and ideas. We keep flip flopping between a raised patio portion that follows the lines of the large rock and sit 6" below it, vs a deck to feel more natural vs a raised/sloped garden bed with stepping stones in the bed and shrubs..... I am a visual person and need to see it, so a design in Autocad would have been absolutely perfect for me. Live and learn for sure. I am hoping to find a landscaper who will have vision to see what will make this look natural.... I am from AB, Canada, so landscaping for this climate is also tricky. I have googled, pinterested and houzzed for hours and have yet to find any pond that is raised like mine, so it makes things tricky.

@dyliane--if I had the cash flow, that would be in my yard right now!!

you don't need a lot of money , use the material you have and dig a bigger hole https://www.elitereaders.com/diy-natural-pool/

No one’s mentioned this, and for any ponder, it’s the most important aspect no matter the size of the pond – more so than aesthetics: Functionality for a healthy pond. You don’t say the size of your pond or depth, or if you intend to have water plants and/or fish. I’m going to assume that’s your eventual intent though – at least pond plants. Are you filtering it naturally? Are they installing an adequate sized pump? Looks like it from the working falls, and I do see a the faux rock – is it hiding the pump/skimmer or one or the other? Also it appears you have enough aeration for fish and plants so I’ll guess the pump is powerful enough. What about a skimmer or two? A bottom drain? I ask because I see no trees, and in the warmer months in Alberta (such as now) you’ll see algae forming after introducing plants, which you want for a balanced pond, but you’ll need to clean it regularly, and be able to maintain your pump. I also see rocks in the bottom – they will get covered with algae as well. I did not want rock on our pond bottom, but the installer had other ideas. I spent 2 days digging out mucky pea gravel to keep our pump and water lines from clogging (larger river rock won’t be problematic). Excuse the questions, but you don’t mention if you’ve had a pond before. We have, and still our installer made numerous mistakes we had to correct. Better now when it’s empty of water, plants, and fish : )

After looking at the photos again, it appears your yard is sloped, with the falls at the top (well, that only makes sense!), but do be mindful of bringing in fill dirt (if not already there, hard to tell from photos) to slope away from the pond, preventing run-off drainage going into your pond.

Ignore the comments/questions if this isn't your first go-round with ponds.

@T-Alpacas it's nothing a good landscape designer couldn't figure out. I'd look for a designer skilled in plantings, hardscapes, and ponds, as they'll know what will work. I know I came across a pond builder in the Plains who does amazing ponds with those big squared off stones, I just need to try and remember who.

@2 Many - I feel like rock on the bottom/no rock on the bottom is the tastes great/less filling of the pond community!

Well someone certainly has done their homework! Good on you! You've got the depth with a heater and some aeration stones for your Alberta winters to keep koi. I don't know if all your leaks are liner related or some from the falls, but after the pond is finished and the liner leaks are taken care of, just make a note where the accurate water level is for your skimmers, buy a hose gauge, and if you have to fill the pond frequently, call the pond people back (sometimes falls can be boogers for leaking, but can be fixed). Natural evaporation is to be expected, so the hose gauge will help you determine if it's a leak or natural since your pond is larger. I'd want koi along with water plants, and you've the perfect place for them (we built in caves as well, but our fish prefer living dangerously out in the open!). They (koi) poo a lot (which is why I went for shubunkins and sarasas this time around), but are worth it just for sheer enjoyment. You'll want to introduce plants and let the water sit a couple months before getting fish, so you have time to decide.

As you have trees (now), buy a long handled pool net to fish out the leaves when they fall.

I'm not sure what the pond is up against...house? but is it possible to build up soil around many of the rocks so that they appear to be sunken? Did you check out their work before hiring?

I would love to see their initial drawing and how the rocks appeared. Have you complained about the rock placement, aesthetics or have the conversations been strictly about the leaks?