They dreamed of swimming in clean water, without chlorine, on their own land. The professional quotes came back as high as $200,000. So two women decided to build it themselves, with a designer’s plans, 100,000 lbs of rock and eight water trucks.
In short
- Crystal Drinkwalter and Jazmyn Canning were quoted up to $200,000 for a natural swimming pond.
- They built it themselves on their 65-acre property in Canada for $52,000.
- The project took over two months in the summer of 2026.
- The water is cleaned by filters, plants and UV, with no harsh chemical treatment.
A $200,000 quote
The couple, known online as @vanwives, told People in an exclusive interview that professional quotes reached up to $200,000, depending on the design and site. Their idea: a pond you can actually swim in, on their 65-acre property. They wanted to swim “in fresh, clean water without the harsh chemical treatments.”
The plans from a pro, the work by hand
They didn’t start from scratch, and they didn’t improvise either. The plans were drawn by Derek, of Quiet Nature, a designer with 25 years of experience. Then the couple did the work themselves, over more than two months.
The figures are impressive:
- About 100,000 lbs of boulders, the heaviest weighing roughly 7,500 lbs.
- An avocado-shaped pond of about 50 by 35 feet.
- Eight water-truck deliveries, about 120,000 liters, for around $2,000.
- Hours spent washing rocks and removing mud and clay after heavy rain, before filling.
They first swam in it in August 2026. Before that, they still had to fill it: for a pond this size, the water had to come by truck.
How the water stays clean
No chlorine, but a lot of equipment: two pool-style pumps, a large media filter, aerators, skimmers, a UV filter and a planted wetland “regeneration zone” where plants help clean the water. Filtration was a “major expense,” the couple said, without giving a figure. Upkeep means backwashing the filters when needed and running a robotic pond vacuum most days.
Frogs, birds and a skating rink
The pond quickly attracted wildlife: frogs, which the couple named Sara, Sally and Sandra, and birds. It doesn’t need to be drained in winter and may freeze for skating. Like many old garden tricks, it’s a project that works with nature, a bit like the bottles people used to bury along garden paths. The couple say the pond has brought them “so much joy, relaxation and fun,” and they’re already thinking about building bigger and adding a walk-in beach area. Would they do it again? “100%,” they told People.
The limit
$52,000 is far from cheap, and the couple say themselves that a natural pond “certainly isn’t necessarily the cheaper option.” Their savings come from a large property, months of free labor, professional plans and a lot of physical work. Not every backyard can host a 50-foot pond. If you just want to help wildlife this winter, start smaller: one simple gesture keeps backyard birds alive.
That’s the story.
