I wish every contractor would learn to evaluate a job, and to say "no" when it is impossible or impractical, and explain why to the customer. I know it's even harder when the customer is someone you know pretty well, because you hate to see them disappointed, but you made the right call. Thanks for sharing.
Equally in importance is to find a qualified contractor to start with and trust the advice that they give you. I'm pretty sure that you could shop around and find somebody that will say "yes" because they want the money. The RUclips videos are nice because a person can watch a number of videos and get a pretty good feel for how that contractor operates. DP putting these videos out it's probably the best advertising that he could do.
Man, my heart goes out to Matt. I can only imagine how much of an emotional blow that has to be to him and his family. Not to even mention the financial hurt I'm sure it was. It's good to have friends that can help out to soften the blow as much as can be.
It's a shame Matt is loosing his pond, but is lucky to have friends who can and will help him out. A job well undone. Safety always the number one concern.
That was a good judgement call Mike. Although it was a heart breaker for Mr. & Mrs. Millennial, their decision to create a level area will increase the property value. Awesome video Mike. You came up with a plan and never just walked away leaving them devastated.
One thing DP has shown us clearly this year is that ponds on steep sloping ground can be a very tricky proposition. At least Matt and family now will have a great area to develop even it is not quite what they planned 🙂
This was a joy to watch as friends and co-workers help each other in not just doing a job but doing a job right! Sometimes the hopeful wish of one is shown to be a future nightmare. When you see the house at the bottom of the dame and you now know the poor condition of the dame, you are happy the pond was never able to hold water. Sorry Matt for the hardship this caused you and the family, but thanks be to God, you have the right friends and council that saved you from an even worse loss.
Matt has dreams of making a good home environment to chill out with his family, thats clear to see. Its a kick in the nuts the pond did not work out. Wishing you better luck for any future plans.
The family in that white house below the dam should be pretty happy that the project was abandoned. There was a dam failure in southern BC that took out several houses. I've seen an above ground pool fail and take out a foundation of a house which was downhill from the pool. Water is incredibly powerful.
I was thinking the opposite. The water in the pond bottom was probably draining in to the aquifer. It looks to me now that the water "run off" is going to be a problem for them now. Hopefully not!
@@danielr1615 I think DP said the stream ran to the right of the white house in that treed area. Maybe if it is going to be a stream again, they'll aim it in that direction. I guess we'll find out in an upcoming video.
That sucks for Matt, hate seeing his dream and all that money going down the hole☹️ But you got the right team there now to work on plan “B” and make this a wonderful area for his family🤗 Hammer down 👍🇺🇸
Well that sucks for Matt, sorry for the loss of the pond and the resources spent. Sounds like the other contractor didn't know what he was doing, which those type of people should loose their license, nothing but con men. I respect DP's responsibility to his trade and Matt's acceptance of the situation. God Bless all of you and a Very Merry Christmas.
This shows the incredible strength and dignity of Mr N.Y.M and his lovely wife… even with the great disappointment that they must be feeling, the shotgun stayed locked away in the strong box… I salute you both.
That is going to be a beautiful spot when you guys get it repaired . Thankfully for that house at the base of the dam it never did hold water , that could have led to a catastrophic event . Mister Millennial is lucky to have Dirt Perfect on the job .
Mission impossible - bummer! Tough day for Mr & Mrs Millennial. A lot could be said but best left unsaid. New plans and dreams will be made. Managed honestly and well Dirt Perfect.
Wow, Matt had to be so bummed! He took it well on camera but like he said, it’s going to take more Bourbon to help lessen the blow. I look forward to seeing what he and his wife use the area for in the future. Nice to have friends that help out when needed.
It's just one of those life's little speed bumps where we spend top dollar and it doesn't work for one reason or another, I think most of us have been there done that. The good news is that Matt's gonna have a nice piece of property that he can develop however he wants. A big pond that is a constant problem can make life miserable. Kudos on you DP for exploring and giving good advice.
I feel bad for Matt. It seems like the other contractor took advantage of him, knowing that he wanted a pond so badly and give him a dam that would never hold. (possible) It is great that you looked at it and just but a band-aid on it and let him suffer the contingencies later. That shows integrity and responsibility. That is one reason I enjoy watching your videos. You have pride in what you do
feel so sorry for Matt but happy that you have come in .. dug down.. examined the dirt and shown us/him and explained what has happened and what could.. It's saved what could have been something disastrous had it gone forward
Would have been a nice spring fed pond. Waiting to see if the spring at the back of the ditch can be saved. It is a nice feature and possibly made into a water feature at least. Looking forward to part 3.
Wow... When you just have to swallow your pride. That sucks. Not what I was expecting. But in the end it makes sense. Will end up being a pretty little corner of the world. Beautiful rocky backdrop.
Here in the UK residential building is not allowed in the lee of earth dams and I'm sure one would not be allowed to build a dam here if existing properties were in place. However, at a big local reservoir there is a large area in front of the dam where various small buisinesses operate entirely legally but several unofficial mobile home type structures have also appeared that one suspects the local authorities can do nothing about! Locals refer to this area as 'The land that time forgot!' - the title of an old monster movie.
Being able to walk away from a job with your head up high knowing you're integrity and character are still intact is Paramount and it appears that each of you have that good quality character trait. Hat tips to all of you! And please do have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Such beautiful site for a pond. I couldn’t imagine what Matt and family were going through and thinking with this. What a shame and heartbreak for him. I’ve watched this series of videos multiple times and gotta be one of my favorites series.
I was doing building construction with a man who also did dirt work. Even though he taught me a lot about dirt,grading and how drainage worked. He had so much more knowledge that was difficult for a regular person to understand. Unless you actually was doing the work to understand. He always said “ you don’t have to be a genius but you can’t be a dummy either “. lol
Matt I hate it for the homestead, that would have been a gorgeous pond. Thanks for being so open and honest about how Mother Nature never really lets us own our dirt.
Your the man for pond building materials, knowing what works, and what doesn't, like you said,that pond dam shouldn't even have been considered,let alone constructed, terrible dirt for a pond!!
Thanks for that invaluable education in dirt and clay. One of the better videos form an education standpoint. A shame for Matt, but had you not been suspicious and tested the dam material, this could have had a far worse ending.
Really heart sorry for Matt. Just a pity the original contractor hadn't been a bit more honest with him. But a most valuable lesson for all of us. Thank's to DP and Matt for taking us through it with you. Keep up the good work.
15yrs ago, we had the same...contractor put a pond in sand and sand stone..N. Tex...1/2ac...We ended up using bentonite, the a 50yr warranty liner...(used in oil fields)...It worked...Bentonite was used, as insurance incase of a rock pushing thru liner...Its still holding...
Good call on the dam. Gotta look out for our neighbors and friends and make the right decisions. We've been watching on the chromecast for some months now, and I wanted to thank you (and I better go thank Chris, too) for helping to keep my spirits up while I got through the stupid covid. I almost lost, but keeping my mind focused I think really helped. Figured I better sub to you since I'm on the laptop (oh, I better go sub on Chris's too, huh?) hehe. Thanks again. Steve
I haven't watched the video yet, but when I watched Part 1 yesterday, I couldn't help but think about an episode of Gold Rush I watched a while back. They had to create a quick holding pond for water that had been through the sluice, so they took a fairly natural depression and lined it with a waterproof geo-material. They had to make sure it wouldn't leach into the stream that the pond was next to. Looked pretty heavy duty. I'm just thinking a layer of clay over the original bottom, the fabric, then more clay. I know nothing about earth construction and less about pond building, but like I said....it was the first thing I thought of
Plan B is a far better use of land than a hillside pond. Having a site for a barn and recreational buildings, and a place to install a proper swimming pool, is a huge win to me.. Grading out the remainder to a slope that can be mowed will give a nice yard. Its a big win to me.
That's too bad for Matt, spent money to build a pond and spent money to unbuild a pond. Interesting video though. I need a pond repaired, however I struggle finding someone that think could do the kind of work you do Mike. Have a good week and a Merry Christmas.
It was the right call. What worried me the most was if the pond miraculously held water enough to fill up then the dam were to slide away! There's a house in the valley below! Somehow I don't think they'd appreciate being wiped out. Not to worry Mr Millennial, you'll have something pretty and safe when it's finished. Heart breaking tho all the same. 💔
Haha the “oh boy” reminds me of all my sticky situations lol. Great video on explaining everything. Some people think all ya gotta do is dig a hole to make a pond. Glad I found your channel.
That neighbor in the white house below the dam will be immensely thankful, along with Matt’s pockets and heaven forbid if the ultimate worse case scenario happened with a casualty, his conscience are saved. That material just won’t hold enough friction between the dirt particles to withhold much pressure from the weight of the water after it became saturated. That kind of material is not really a “if” but rather “when” will failure occur type of deal. Can see the hillside already having mudslides without holding anything but it’s own weight, can’t imagine putting a big puddle of water behind it.
Its a shame would have made a great pond with a wonderful back drop with the rocks in the foreground. I bet the house below is happy now knowing his house is safe he may have had tons of mud hit his house in a land slide great work so far gentle men maybe one day he could have a smaller liner pond put in on the right side
So Mike came on the job and in a few hours found large fissures that would cancel any ideas of making a pond there in the first place. Contractors with integrity really are important! I do feel sorry for Mr. Millennial and his family and happy for the people living below the dam.
The painful part is that the first contractor should have known that sandstone will never hold water, crack or not, and the whole bottom of that pond would have needed capping. Then putting a thin skim on an unsafe structure uphill of residential structures is downright negligence
Aww I really feel for Matt. At least he's got an opinion from someone who's dealt with this before and wants to do the most reasonable thing. The other contractor didn't have that experience or just had dollar signs in his eyes. Let's just say they might've not given a dam about it.
Very good call though and put the dirt in a better spot so they can put it to use and have a spot for a new project hopefully they both will enjoy together for years to come 👍😎🇺🇸 3:28pm NY
Yepper !! Better SAFE than SORRY when it comes to Dams !! Feel better about the house down under the dam site as NO flood water now !! Sorry for Matt's loss ,he will be better off with the level ground now !! Have great holidays & Thanks for the videos !!
Had a similar situation at my employees property where another contractor before he started working for me built his house and graded the property wrong after a year working with me he tould me what was going on. We evaluated it and I hooked him up with a emploeee deal where I helped him and he cover the fuel and lunch...moral of the story is sadly a lot of digger contractors think there the cats meow and sometimes you just gotta manage us to get what you want especially when tana critical thing such as a pond damn!!! Mike as always enjoyed the video you guys are a hoot to watch and I’m glad he at least got the job done right. Even though he lost his pond it looks amazing.... thanks for sharing
Here in Florida we build ponds in white sugar sand sometimes and just line them with a thick rubber liner to get them to hold water. There seems to be a ton of ponds in your area, we have a lot of lakes here so pond digging isn’t as big of a business.
I know Matt was not happy,with reason,…but,I’m glad you were not only able to show him why,but also help him! Friends and good employees are hard to keep,but worth the effort.
Wow what a huge punch in the gut! Boy Matt keep your head up and the finish product will not be a pond site but it will be something to work with and develope for a family site.
I kinda know how he feels. We had a nice pond dug around 8 years when my sister built her house across the road that doesn't hold much water. We had some really nice clay they lined the pond with. By the time they were done spreading the clay and packing it down with the big tractor they were pulling the box scrapper with i could drive my wheelchair anywhere except in the deep trench trench they dog the clay out of. The family has some big plans for the pond but they kinda went down with the water level. My oldest brother stocked it with fish & moved in an old school house from a few miles around the corner. He started remodeling the inside & put in a fireplace but it came to a grinding halt when the water level wouldn't stay up. It was one of the last remaining school houses in the area from back in the Day before they started bussing every one in town. There was one other at a amusement park that sold a few years back.
It is a shame about the pond but that level area will be lovely once it grows over and will probably add value and usability I would have thought? TBH, I know nothing about diggers (the closest I ever got was a forklift truck!) and not much more about America but I've really enjoyed watching through your videos over the last couple of weeks, especially the videos where you guys are all working together. I am not really sure what the draw is but I think it's watching a good job done and the light hearted banter as you all work - the interaction between you all is pretty entertaining and shows how comfortable you all are working with each other. And Jeez… you all have so much land?! - here in the UK we live on very expensive postage stamp sized plots that you struggle to fit a house on let alone a pond! 😉 Anyway, many thanks for all the videos - very addictive viewing!
thats just a cryin shame,would have been an awesome pond ,bet the guy under the hill there is glad ya made a good call, ,the liability would be extreme...hope matt can recover some of the initial costs,,be blessed and merry christmas from across the river
In Maryland, you need to do soil borings at the very start to verify soil materials, depth to bedrock and so forth. Typically a boring is taken in the ponding area, the embankment area and in the emergency spillway. And if your dealing with karst (limestone and sinkholes), about the only way that facility would have held a permanent water pool would have been to install a 45-mil liner (like a pool liner) with a foot or two of clay on top.
Well was impossible, missions change now new mission possible. 7 years ago bought current place I’m on. Advertised with pond but don’t hold water. In my book then it’s not a pond. Found out was previous owner built pond with a tractor and a pond scoop and used nothing but top soil for the dam. First year pushed the dam back in the hole. Lots washed from rains to who knows where and still have a small hole but the foot print is way smaller. Previous place I had also had a big pond. Only had a foot or so of water in it. Was built without a over flow and when full just ran over the dam. Over the years you know what happened with that. Yes, building ponds you need to known what your doing!
Poor Matt! He had such a great idea and a dream. Heartbreaking that someone can kill a dream all for the sake of a dollar. He still has a beautiful piece of land.
The upside ,,, the area that would made the nice looking backdrop around the pond ,, will also make a nice looking back drop for a pool and family area ,, all good ,,
This job had the right man/team to do this project! The site evaluation/cost were properly considered and the best decision, for this site, was made. Best wishes.
Another great video, and I am sorry Matt that it didn't work out to get the pond to hold water and that the pond wall dirt just wasn't good quality dirt to risk backing up a lot of water behind it . But the area will be pretty when you all get done contouring it . So keep on digging and pushing and packing the dirt . So you all be careful and stay safe and having fun while doing it .
Hearts out to Matt and Family! You can still make a nice purse out of that Sow's rear. Might not be the one you wanted at first.. yet a nice one all the same!
I think that area that is holding water before the crack could be developed into a small pooling(concrete pond) area then drop some of those big rocks in below the area for the water to drip down and escape into the crack area.
"Know when, to say when!" A educated evaluation and definitely the wisest decision! Love your videos! Merry Christmas to all! Also to M.B.T.S. if you see him!🎅🎄🎁👍
So, on to plan C. Matt, it sucks that your dream turned into a money pit. But, perhaps there is a glimmer of hope left. Mrs Millennial can now pursue her dream of having a pool overlooking a gorgeous wetland. And, the aquifer will be continue to be replenished… so your well doesn’t run dry! DP, I’m gonna steal your word! There must be a hundred situations where I could ‘potentiably’ use it. Thanks for the vocabulary enrichment. I am always looking for big word I can use to murder the English language!!! This one could ‘potentiably’ be a game changer!! I hope you have a Merry Christmas!!
I've used sodium Bentonite before the damn looked be pretty solid and well oversized to hold back the amount of water that would be in there clean it up loosen up for in over the whole bottom and side spread the Bentonite mix it in real good and then compact guarantee it will hold water
In a word that really sucks for Matt & his family. Great plans for the place just ripped up and thrown away. Take care and be safe, it was the right thing to do to tear down that dam before it got wet and went off down the hillside and causing a lot of damage. At least you found out now and not when it was full of water! Take care and be safe. Graham🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍
Hey..at the end of the video, moral of the story time..you got me thinking, the name of this channel is " dirt perfect" that dam was a dirt disaster..im glad you turned disaster into perfect again. Keep it perfect, its good for business
Mike nice call to dig down in dam to see quality of soil could of been real bad if it turned to liquid and had a large landslide keep up the good work👍
Best decision! I would hate to see the dam fail and flood out all the homes below. What a lawsuit that would be. The cracks in the sandstone are awesome. I don't know if I'd cover them up or and do something with that area. Thanks for sharing.
you could truck in 200 loads of brick quality red clay and line the entire thing if Mr YoungBoomer decides to make a new pond, i have also seen a pond made that was a entire shale valley stripped to baserock and then had a channel ditch witch milled into the baserock , then filled that and a coretrench all the way through the dam with whaterinpermiable concrete - like the high grade impregnated concrete used for underwhater bridge pilars - then it can be made of anything you can stack high enough for a dam that just needs to hold the pressure that pushes against the concrete wall
Every time you walked that dam I kept looking at that house in the low spot. I think if I owned that place I would have had been scared to be washed away. I think we would have had ourselves a good neighborly standoff. 🤣🤣 Having worked in civil engineering and drawn a lot of retention ponds and done a lot of grading that just looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Good call DP on taking the dam out.
That’s a shame. If it ain’t there it ain’t there. Maybe a nice pool with a gazebo, bar, dance floor, dj, 5000 watt sound system, mood lighting? 🧐 humm. With her approval of course. Thanks for helping them. Time to make lemonade from a lemon. If I don’t get the chance. My wife and I wish the dirt perfect family and crew a perfect Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I wish every contractor would learn to evaluate a job, and to say "no" when it is impossible or impractical, and explain why to the customer. I know it's even harder when the customer is someone you know pretty well, because you hate to see them disappointed, but you made the right call. Thanks for sharing.
Equally in importance is to find a qualified contractor to start with and trust the advice that they give you. I'm pretty sure that you could shop around and find somebody that will say "yes" because they want the money. The RUclips videos are nice because a person can watch a number of videos and get a pretty good feel for how that contractor operates. DP putting these videos out it's probably the best advertising that he could do.
Sadly a lot of contractors just see dollar signs. And will take their customer for a ride.
Man, my heart goes out to Matt. I can only imagine how much of an emotional blow that has to be to him and his family. Not to even mention the financial hurt I'm sure it was. It's good to have friends that can help out to soften the blow as much as can be.
he could have a lawsuit he can file, he should at least contact a lawyer about it.
@@GLUFSAREN It's 15k from 3-4 years ago , attorney fees will cost him half of that .
@@GLUFSAREN Sometimes it's better to just learn the lesson and move on!
Hauling in good clay to rebuild everything would be prohibitedly expensive.
At least the property owners at the bottom side of the dam can be relieved that they won't be in danger of a dam failure due to improper material.
It's a shame Matt is loosing his pond, but is lucky to have friends who can and will help him out. A job well undone. Safety always the number one concern.
That was a good judgement call Mike. Although it was a heart breaker for Mr. & Mrs. Millennial, their decision to create a level area will increase the property value. Awesome video Mike. You came up with a plan and never just walked away leaving them devastated.
One thing DP has shown us clearly this year is that ponds on steep sloping ground can be a very tricky proposition. At least Matt and family now will have a great area to develop even it is not quite what they planned 🙂
This was a joy to watch as friends and co-workers help each other in not just doing a job but doing a job right! Sometimes the hopeful wish of one is shown to be a future nightmare. When you see the house at the bottom of the dame and you now know the poor condition of the dame, you are happy the pond was never able to hold water. Sorry Matt for the hardship this caused you and the family, but thanks be to God, you have the right friends and council that saved you from an even worse loss.
Matt has dreams of making a good home environment to chill out with his family, thats clear to see. Its a kick in the nuts the pond did not work out. Wishing you better luck for any future plans.
Well that's not so good but I think that feller living at the bottom of the dam just breathed a big sigh of relief.
The family in that white house below the dam should be pretty happy that the project was abandoned. There was a dam failure in southern BC that took out several houses. I've seen an above ground pool fail and take out a foundation of a house which was downhill from the pool. Water is incredibly powerful.
I was thinking the opposite. The water in the pond bottom was probably draining in to the aquifer. It looks to me now that the water "run off" is going to be a problem for them now. Hopefully not!
@@danielr1615 I think DP said the stream ran to the right of the white house in that treed area. Maybe if it is going to be a stream again, they'll aim it in that direction. I guess we'll find out in an upcoming video.
@@royordway9157 👍
That sucks for Matt, hate seeing his dream and all that money going down the hole☹️ But you got the right team there now to work on plan “B” and make this a wonderful area for his family🤗 Hammer down 👍🇺🇸
It's a shame Matt is loosing his pond, but is lucky to have friends who can and will help him out. A job well undone. Safety, the number one concern.
Well that sucks for Matt, sorry for the loss of the pond and the resources spent. Sounds like the other contractor didn't know what he was doing, which those type of people should loose their license, nothing but con men. I respect DP's responsibility to his trade and Matt's acceptance of the situation. God Bless all of you and a Very Merry Christmas.
This shows the incredible strength and dignity of Mr N.Y.M and his lovely wife… even with the great disappointment that they must be feeling, the shotgun stayed locked away in the strong box… I salute you both.
That is going to be a beautiful spot when you guys get it repaired . Thankfully for that house at the base of the dam it never did hold water , that could have led to a catastrophic event . Mister Millennial is lucky to have Dirt Perfect on the job .
Mission impossible - bummer! Tough day for Mr & Mrs Millennial. A lot could be said but best left unsaid. New plans and dreams will be made. Managed honestly and well Dirt Perfect.
Wow, Matt had to be so bummed! He took it well on camera but like he said, it’s going to take more Bourbon to help lessen the blow. I look forward to seeing what he and his wife use the area for in the future. Nice to have friends that help out when needed.
It would cost a fortune to haul in the needed amount of clay to rebuild a functional pond out of this conundrum
It's just one of those life's little speed bumps where we spend top dollar and it doesn't work for one reason or another, I think most of us have been there done that. The good news is that Matt's gonna have a nice piece of property that he can develop however he wants. A big pond that is a constant problem can make life miserable. Kudos on you DP for exploring and giving good advice.
I feel bad for Matt. It seems like the other contractor took advantage of him, knowing that he wanted a pond so badly and give him a dam that would never hold. (possible) It is great that you looked at it and just but a band-aid on it and let him suffer the contingencies later. That shows integrity and responsibility. That is one reason I enjoy watching your videos. You have pride in what you do
feel so sorry for Matt but happy that you have come in .. dug down.. examined the dirt and shown us/him and explained what has happened and what could.. It's saved what could have been something disastrous had it gone forward
You know its hard to understand what the different types of dirt are good for until you see the wrong dirt, then you know for sure. Enjoyed the video.
Would have been a nice spring fed pond. Waiting to see if the spring at the back of the ditch can be saved. It is a nice feature and possibly made into a water feature at least. Looking forward to part 3.
Always enjoy waking up and watching Jason Hollis. Gets me motivated to do what I need to do at hunting camp. Sure has been hot in southeast Alabama.
Wow... When you just have to swallow your pride. That sucks. Not what I was expecting. But in the end it makes sense. Will end up being a pretty little corner of the world. Beautiful rocky backdrop.
Bad luck for the Family Millenial but probably for the best. I'd have been worried if I llived in that house below the dam!
Here in the UK residential building is not allowed in the lee of earth dams and I'm sure one would not be allowed to build a dam here if existing properties were in place. However, at a big local reservoir there is a large area in front of the dam where various small buisinesses operate entirely legally but several unofficial mobile home type structures have also appeared that one suspects the local authorities can do nothing about! Locals refer to this area as 'The land that time forgot!' - the title of an old monster movie.
That really sucks, yall will get it looking pretty and Mats wife will have plenty ideas for the new ground,lol. Thanks for bringing us along
Glad to see Mike is all in to complete the fix for NYA Millennial , true professional and friend
Being able to walk away from a job with your head up high knowing you're integrity and character are still intact is Paramount and it appears that each of you have that good quality character trait. Hat tips to all of you! And please do have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Such beautiful site for a pond. I couldn’t imagine what Matt and family were going through and thinking with this. What a shame and heartbreak for him. I’ve watched this series of videos multiple times and gotta be one of my favorites series.
I was doing building construction with a man who also did dirt work. Even though he taught me a lot about dirt,grading and how drainage worked. He had so much more knowledge that was difficult for a regular person to understand. Unless you actually was doing the work to understand. He always said “ you don’t have to be a genius but you can’t be a dummy either “. lol
Matt I hate it for the homestead, that would have been a gorgeous pond. Thanks for being so open and honest about how Mother Nature never really lets us own our dirt.
Bummer for Matt and his wife. That rock ledge is really beautiful. Smooth and seed and it will be nice for next projects and maintenance
Enjoyed
Time lapse was a classic! You & NYA choreographed in the foreground with Jerry working his magic in the background. Thanks for posting. 🇬🇧👍
Your the man for pond building materials, knowing what works, and what doesn't, like you said,that pond dam shouldn't even have been considered,let alone constructed, terrible dirt for a pond!!
What a sad video, the last thing a homeowner wants to hear. Great video, but sad. Love watching.
Thanks for that invaluable education in dirt and clay. One of the better videos form an education standpoint. A shame for Matt, but had you not been suspicious and tested the dam material, this could have had a far worse ending.
Really heart sorry for Matt. Just a pity the original contractor hadn't been a bit more honest with him.
But a most valuable lesson for all of us. Thank's to DP and Matt for taking us through it with you.
Keep up the good work.
15yrs ago, we had the same...contractor put a pond in sand and sand stone..N. Tex...1/2ac...We ended up using bentonite, the a 50yr warranty liner...(used in oil fields)...It worked...Bentonite was used, as insurance incase of a rock pushing thru liner...Its still holding...
Good call on the dam. Gotta look out for our neighbors and friends and make the right decisions. We've been watching on the chromecast for some months now, and I wanted to thank you (and I better go thank Chris, too) for helping to keep my spirits up while I got through the stupid covid. I almost lost, but keeping my mind focused I think really helped. Figured I better sub to you since I'm on the laptop (oh, I better go sub on Chris's too, huh?) hehe. Thanks again. Steve
very sorry to hear for matt, loss for words. wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas.
I haven't watched the video yet, but when I watched Part 1 yesterday, I couldn't help but think about an episode of Gold Rush I watched a while back. They had to create a quick holding pond for water that had been through the sluice, so they took a fairly natural depression and lined it with a waterproof geo-material. They had to make sure it wouldn't leach into the stream that the pond was next to. Looked pretty heavy duty. I'm just thinking a layer of clay over the original bottom, the fabric, then more clay.
I know nothing about earth construction and less about pond building, but like I said....it was the first thing I thought of
For a lot of money it can be done.
Plan B is a far better use of land than a hillside pond. Having a site for a barn and recreational buildings, and a place to install a proper swimming pool, is a huge win to me.. Grading out the remainder to a slope that can be mowed will give a nice yard. Its a big win to me.
A heart felt sorry for Matt and I admire you for being honest and the knowledge you have ❤️❤️
That's too bad for Matt, spent money to build a pond and spent money to unbuild a pond. Interesting video though. I need a pond repaired, however I struggle finding someone that think could do the kind of work you do Mike. Have a good week and a Merry Christmas.
I like the guitar licks that you play over the video when you speed up the camera work it makes the project get a rocking vibe to it!
I feel so sad for Mr and Mrs NYA Millennial. I hope you guys can chalk this one up to experience. Enjoy the festive season anyway.
It was the right call. What worried me the most was if the pond miraculously held water enough to fill up then the dam were to slide away! There's a house in the valley below! Somehow I don't think they'd appreciate being wiped out. Not to worry Mr Millennial, you'll have something pretty and safe when it's finished. Heart breaking tho all the same. 💔
Thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to repair the damages and restore the beauty for Matt's family.
Haha the “oh boy” reminds me of all my sticky situations lol. Great video on explaining everything. Some people think all ya gotta do is dig a hole to make a pond. Glad I found your channel.
Mr and Mrs Dirt Perfect and family Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
That neighbor in the white house below the dam will be immensely thankful, along with Matt’s pockets and heaven forbid if the ultimate worse case scenario happened with a casualty, his conscience are saved. That material just won’t hold enough friction between the dirt particles to withhold much pressure from the weight of the water after it became saturated. That kind of material is not really a “if” but rather “when” will failure occur type of deal. Can see the hillside already having mudslides without holding anything but it’s own weight, can’t imagine putting a big puddle of water behind it.
Its a shame would have made a great pond with a wonderful back drop with the rocks in the foreground. I bet the house below is happy now knowing his house is safe he may have had tons of mud hit his house in a land slide great work so far gentle men maybe one day he could have a smaller liner pond put in on the right side
Yeah buddy felt bad for old Matt with his bad clay in all, But you fella's will make it right. Thank you for the video.
So Mike came on the job and in a few hours found large fissures that would cancel any ideas of making a pond there in the first place. Contractors with integrity really are important! I do feel sorry for Mr. Millennial and his family and happy for the people living below the dam.
The painful part is that the first contractor should have known that sandstone will never hold water, crack or not, and the whole bottom of that pond would have needed capping. Then putting a thin skim on an unsafe structure uphill of residential structures is downright negligence
Aww I really feel for Matt. At least he's got an opinion from someone who's dealt with this before and wants to do the most reasonable thing.
The other contractor didn't have that experience or just had dollar signs in his eyes.
Let's just say they might've not given a dam about it.
Very good call though and put the dirt in a better spot so they can put it to use and have a spot for a new project hopefully they both will enjoy together for years to come 👍😎🇺🇸 3:28pm NY
Yepper !! Better SAFE than SORRY when it comes to Dams !! Feel better about the house down under the dam site as NO flood water now !! Sorry for Matt's loss ,he will be better off with the level ground now !! Have great holidays & Thanks for the videos !!
Had a similar situation at my employees property where another contractor before he started working for me built his house and graded the property wrong after a year working with me he tould me what was going on. We evaluated it and I hooked him up with a emploeee deal where I helped him and he cover the fuel and lunch...moral of the story is sadly a lot of digger contractors think there the cats meow and sometimes you just gotta manage us to get what you want especially when tana critical thing such as a pond damn!!! Mike as always enjoyed the video you guys are a hoot to watch and I’m glad he at least got the job done right. Even though he lost his pond it looks amazing.... thanks for sharing
I'm glad the pond didn't work. It's so beautiful without it. Look at what God Blessed ya with. Beautiful Property.
Here in Florida we build ponds in white sugar sand sometimes and just line them with a thick rubber liner to get them to hold water. There seems to be a ton of ponds in your area, we have a lot of lakes here so pond digging isn’t as big of a business.
love watching the show reminds me of working with my friends and family brings back some good memories
I know Matt was not happy,with reason,…but,I’m glad you were not only able to show him why,but also help him!
Friends and good employees are hard to keep,but worth the effort.
Wow what a huge punch in the gut! Boy Matt keep your head up and the finish product will not be a pond site but it will be something to work with and develope for a family site.
I kinda know how he feels. We had a nice pond dug around 8 years when my sister built her house across the road that doesn't hold much water.
We had some really nice clay they lined the pond with. By the time they were done spreading the clay and packing it down with the big tractor they were pulling the box scrapper with i could drive my wheelchair anywhere except in the deep trench trench they dog the clay out of.
The family has some big plans for the pond but they kinda went down with the water level. My oldest brother stocked it with fish & moved in an old school house from a few miles around the corner. He started remodeling the inside & put in a fireplace but it came to a grinding halt when the water level wouldn't stay up.
It was one of the last remaining school houses in the area from back in the Day before they started bussing every one in town. There was one other at a amusement park that sold a few years back.
It is a shame about the pond but that level area will be lovely once it grows over and will probably add value and usability I would have thought?
TBH, I know nothing about diggers (the closest I ever got was a forklift truck!) and not much more about America but I've really enjoyed watching through your videos over the last couple of weeks, especially the videos where you guys are all working together. I am not really sure what the draw is but I think it's watching a good job done and the light hearted banter as you all work - the interaction between you all is pretty entertaining and shows how comfortable you all are working with each other.
And Jeez… you all have so much land?! - here in the UK we live on very expensive postage stamp sized plots that you struggle to fit a house on let alone a pond! 😉
Anyway, many thanks for all the videos - very addictive viewing!
thats just a cryin shame,would have been an awesome pond ,bet the guy under the hill there is glad ya made a good call, ,the liability would be extreme...hope matt can recover some of the initial costs,,be blessed and merry christmas from across the river
This guy reminds me of Hickok45 talking to the JD120 and the dirt. I can watch this all day long
In Maryland, you need to do soil borings at the very start to verify soil materials, depth to bedrock and so forth. Typically a boring is taken in the ponding area, the embankment area and in the emergency spillway. And if your dealing with karst (limestone and sinkholes), about the only way that facility would have held a permanent water pool would have been to install a 45-mil liner (like a pool liner) with a foot or two of clay on top.
Well was impossible, missions change now new mission possible. 7 years ago bought current place I’m on. Advertised with pond but don’t hold water. In my book then it’s not a pond. Found out was previous owner built pond with a tractor and a pond scoop and used nothing but top soil for the dam. First year pushed the dam back in the hole. Lots washed from rains to who knows where and still have a small hole but the foot print is way smaller. Previous place I had also had a big pond. Only had a foot or so of water in it. Was built without a over flow and when full just ran over the dam. Over the years you know what happened with that. Yes, building ponds you need to known what your doing!
Making the best out of a bad situation. I am glad you tested the dam.
See ya tomorrow or when ever I get the next video. You are so true full to Matt and family. A sad day.
Poor Matt! He had such a great idea and a dream. Heartbreaking that someone can kill a dream all for the sake of a dollar. He still has a beautiful piece of land.
The upside ,,, the area that would made the nice looking backdrop around the pond ,, will also make a nice looking back drop for a pool and family area ,, all good ,,
This job had the right man/team to do this project! The site evaluation/cost were properly considered and the best decision, for this site, was made. Best wishes.
Another great video, and I am sorry Matt that it didn't work out to get the pond to hold water and that the pond wall dirt just wasn't good quality dirt to risk backing up a lot of water behind it . But the area will be pretty when you all get done contouring it . So keep on digging and pushing and packing the dirt . So you all be careful and stay safe and having fun while doing it .
Back where the water comes out of the woods form a small water fall and pond if it's possible. With some of the rocks and concrete.
Hearts out to Matt and Family!
You can still make a nice purse out of that Sow's rear. Might not be the one you wanted at first.. yet a nice one all the same!
That dirt reminds me of stuff we have below the top soil.
A blend of dirt, iron and aluminum.
Hard as low grade rock when dry, udder mush when wet.
I think that area that is holding water before the crack could be developed into a small pooling(concrete pond) area then drop some of those big rocks in below the area for the water to drip down and escape into the crack area.
"Know when, to say when!" A educated evaluation and definitely the wisest decision! Love your videos! Merry Christmas to all! Also to M.B.T.S. if you see him!🎅🎄🎁👍
So, on to plan C. Matt, it sucks that your dream turned into a money pit. But, perhaps there is a glimmer of hope left.
Mrs Millennial can now pursue her dream of having a pool overlooking a gorgeous wetland. And, the aquifer will be continue to be replenished… so your well doesn’t run dry!
DP, I’m gonna steal your word! There must be a hundred situations where I could ‘potentiably’ use it. Thanks for the vocabulary enrichment. I am always looking for big word I can use to murder the English language!!! This one could ‘potentiably’ be a game changer!!
I hope you have a Merry Christmas!!
That sucks for Matt and family!!! Thanks for the great video.
Total Bummer for Mr. Millennial. really enjoyed the content it's nice knowing that you just can't push up dirt and expect it to hold water.
Thanks
Good video-so sad about the pond for Matt and family. I can picture that pond full of water with the big rock cliffs overlooking the site.
I've used sodium Bentonite before the damn looked be pretty solid and well oversized to hold back the amount of water that would be in there clean it up loosen up for in over the whole bottom and side spread the Bentonite mix it in real good and then compact guarantee it will hold water
Sad news for NYA Matt. Sorry we get to learn from your terrible situation.
In a word that really sucks for Matt & his family. Great plans for the place just ripped up and thrown away. Take care and be safe, it was the right thing to do to tear down that dam before it got wet and went off down the hillside and causing a lot of damage. At least you found out now and not when it was full of water! Take care and be safe. Graham🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍
Hey..at the end of the video, moral of the story time..you got me thinking, the name of this channel is " dirt perfect" that dam was a dirt disaster..im glad you turned disaster into perfect again. Keep it perfect, its good for business
Sorry about the pond Matt. Awesome video guys.
Mike nice call to dig down in dam to see quality of soil could of been real bad if it turned to liquid and had a large landslide keep up the good work👍
Moving mountains and filling canyons. Well done gents.
Feel sorry for Matt them big liners for pond couldn't help out even for a smaller pond? Great video DP .👍👌😎✌️
Best decision! I would hate to see the dam fail and flood out all the homes below. What a lawsuit that would be. The cracks in the sandstone are awesome. I don't know if I'd cover them up or and do something with that area. Thanks for sharing.
you could truck in 200 loads of brick quality red clay and line the entire thing if Mr YoungBoomer decides to make a new pond, i have also seen a pond made that was a entire shale valley stripped to baserock and then had a channel ditch witch milled into the baserock , then filled that and a coretrench all the way through the dam with whaterinpermiable concrete - like the high grade impregnated concrete used for underwhater bridge pilars - then it can be made of anything you can stack high enough for a dam that just needs to hold the pressure that pushes against the concrete wall
Geez. Really? Was it Jeff Bezos?
Do you know what a truck load of clay costs? Here's a hint...a bunch. These people aren't wealthy.
@@breikowski it was a woman that owned a hair salon chain
@@prinzeugenvansovoyen732 she really wants a pond!
You got the money we will do just that
Would love to see an unedited version of what was really discussed during this project!
Every time you walked that dam I kept looking at that house in the low spot. I think if I owned that place I would have had been scared to be washed away. I think we would have had ourselves a good neighborly standoff. 🤣🤣 Having worked in civil engineering and drawn a lot of retention ponds and done a lot of grading that just looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Good call DP on taking the dam out.
Good morning DP and the crew on mission impossible. Hopefully things will work out. Compliment of the season from Jamaica 🇯🇲🇯🇲
Thanks buddy
That’s a shame. If it ain’t there it ain’t there. Maybe a nice pool with a gazebo, bar, dance floor, dj, 5000 watt sound system, mood lighting? 🧐 humm. With her approval of course. Thanks for helping them. Time to make lemonade from a lemon. If I don’t get the chance. My wife and I wish the dirt perfect family and crew a perfect Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Texas.
Never felt so gutted watching one of your video's. Really feel for you all. .
Marry Christmas to you and all of Your family from Jasper Alabama!
Thanks
Man that sucks for Mr & Mrs. On the bright side they will have a great spot or pole barn, pool and pool house.