Chris and Caroline Graham, Bucks
Surgeon Chris Graham describes himself as a practical, outdoorsy Kiwi who came to Gartenart after ruling out the alternatives. “I looked at swimming pools but they are a bit of an eyesore, in winter especially..."
“I like swimming and I like the outdoors. I realise you can’t use the pond all year round, but then most people I know with swimming pools just cover them and sit there with this great big blue thing in their garden, smelling of chlorine, for six to eight months of the year.
"This, though, is really nice – and it’s still pretty in winter. Much easier to have in your back garden.
"I first discovered the swimming pond idea on an eco-website and browsed the web – and then I also saw Gartenart in an article in the paper."
Chris decided to go ahead with Gartenart having compared costs and specifications from other suppliers. He also followed up references to two other ponds Gartenart had built: “with theirs, the clarity was the real thing for me. When I went to see them, wow, you could see the bottom really well.”
When construction started, he was impressed with the Gartenart team. “They were super-efficient; they got it done on time and on budget, no problem. They were nice blokes as well.
"I’ve had a lot of stuff done on the house, and this has been the best client relationship I’ve had. They’ve stuck to the contract, no funny business: it’s good."
He is delighted with the result. “I think it’s great. I like cleaning it, pottering round, gardening it, because you’re in the water and it feels natural. I paddle around, picking out the odd leaf – though, frankly, it’s a joy just to put your feet in, especially if it’s hot.
"The clarity has got better and better over the time. It’s lovely, really crystal-clear water – and that’s nice. At the moment, you could read a book on the bottom if you chucked it down. It’s good that way – and I like the bugs, too."
"The water has a totally different feel to chlorinated water”. As a result, he says, he feels really clean after a swim, and is delighted his seven-year-old daughter shares his enthusiasm, "even when it's a bit cold."
He predicts that his friends will soon be following his lead. “I said to them ‘It’s like the iPhone. I got an iPhone quite early on and everyone said, oh yeah? And I said, in two years’ time you’ll all have one’. It’ll be like that with these ponds.”
