Why use GRP?

Almost all of our new enquirers say they have only read excellent reviews about our service online on one forum or another or have been recommended by a fellow pond owner.  My jovial response is they were all bribed to be complimentary towards us.

Truth is this. 

I have been doing this job for a very long time and no matter how big or small the pond I work on ,  I have to get it right every time.  The goal I set to myself is not only to make the pond waterproof but also to make sure the work we produce is to the standard befitting to the project knowing the amount of work already gone into getting us in to do our bit.  If we leave a pond that leaks (we don't by the way) then we'll not only have let the customer down but also the other people that recommended us in the first place.  For me this is all about my reputation of being someone who can be trusted and it's a reputation I have built over many years that I protect at all costs by delivering what I promise, that being a waterproof pond and an unrivalled level of assistance from the moment you contact me.  It's actually a very simple concept.

You might be thinking this is all blurb, spin and it all sounds good but.......  Here's some feedback via text and email from some of our great customers this year so far.  If you want any more fedback take a look at the koi forums in the UK, you'll find more glowing references.

Facebook.

Facebook page.

I have reactivated our facebook page more so as another vehicle to showcase our work rather than it be a social thing. 

Large marine aquarium.

Huge aquarium.

I've fibreglassed ponds intended for koi smaller than this aquarium!  A few years ago I glassed an aquarium for stingrays and that was sunk into a floor, this build is absolutely fascinating to read at nearly 100 pages long.

The customer created the 3D graphics you see on the homepage of the website.

Water!

You've chosen fibreglass to line your pool or water feature with.

You've chosen GRP to do the work, thanks.

Let's talk about water.  Great for koi, not good for fibreglass.  You may be thinking what am I talking about, fibreglass is the best way to waterproof something?????

Yes, it certainly is BUT, and this is a big BUT..... the materials in their raw and uncured state cannot tolerate water either ingressing through your pond walls as we are working or from above (hence us needing a weatherproof cover to work under and to keep things dry for a few days afterwards whilst the grp is curing.

Once cured the fibreglass has all the properties you want.  It's 100% waterproof, 100% safe and 100% reliable (old logo from our old website, you'll see it elsewhere but we used that one first :)

Questions.

Water is ingressing through the walls, what can I do?

Call us and we'll guide you through the process.

Can you fibreglass my pond/water feature if there is water ingressing from above or below.

No.  This is emphatic.  We will not entrtain the risks involved with water coming into contact with the raw materials.

This is a pond we worked on recently during heavy downpours of rain.  Without the cover the job is impossible.  This is the stage we like to get you to, a big step forward for your project. You must allow the cover to be tested against bad weather, wind and rain.  If it fails, fix it and test it again.

With the price of fuel these days we simply can't go back to jobs where the cover is erected on the basis of 'it looks ok' or 'it should be water proof'.  It must be tested.  Only once you confirm it is 100% reliable (like us) will we attend.

I have other questions, can you help?

Of course, just call us and we'll gladly help you.

Quick update.

Update April 2012.

Here is a koi pond built to an exceptional standard in Essex. PU foam lined and fibreglassed by GRP in April 12.

But it isn't just koi ponds we are asked to work on all over the UK.  This is an indoor water feature in central London.  Again, completed in April 12.

And a rather smart looking pond that spans the entire frontage of the clients house, what a great view to come home to every evening, a pool of this stature.

Finally for this update a project we are scheduled to work on next week.  A most interesting pool which used to be a well.  A paint/render option was used just a couple of years ago and has predictably failed leaving the pond leaking.  It's 7 feet deep with steps going down to the floor.  There is a very particular technique to fibreglassing a pool of this depth and if we get time on site I may do a video of the process to add to this blog.

The above was finished 4/5/12 after water ingress issues on the proposed day of our attendance. No risks.

Japan trip winner update.

Japan update

We sent Jim to Japan after he won our fabulous competition.

He has updated his blog to show the koi off.  Take a look, they're beauties!

Nice one Jim.

Answers to the basic questions.

Koi pond settings.

The above link shows how to set your skimmer, bottom drain and flanged pond returns when using our foam lining system.

The bottom drain should be set flush within the concrete, everything else 12mm proud into the pond.  Leave the rest to us and we'll seal everything flush with nothing for the fish to snag themselves on.

We seal down into the bottom drain by 2" and apply an belt and braces seal of silicone at the meeting point of our grp and the ABS plastic drain.  The same applies to the skimmer.

These are the basics we get asked a lot but if you have any specific enquiries simply let us know and we'll answer promptly.

14,000+ views to GRP Koivista.

GRP Koi vista gallery 2005 +

Our gallery of some of the koi ponds we have worked on over the years has been viewed more than 14 thousand times making it one of the most popular on Koivista.com

The gallery is by no means an exhaustive list of ALL of the ponds but it showcases some of the very best ponds built in the UK and of course GRP fibreglassed them.

It gives me the owner of GRP great satisfaction that after all the hard work tht goes into the construction of a koi pond that GRP is chosen to install one of the most critical aspects of the build, the waterproofing.

Now that the daytime temperatures are favourable for outside grp installations we'll be looking forward to updating Koivista and this blog throught 2012 starting this week with a trip down to Surrey.

Best wishes to all future customers and those since 1994.

Matt Williams