Evaluating a liner by its "price per year" is a much more strategic way to protect your budget than simply looking at the sticker price. While inexpensive retail liners often have a lifespan of only 5 to 10 years, professional-grade composite membranes like RPE are engineered to perform for 20 years or more.
To find your true cost, add your material price to the costs of shipping and installation labor, then divide that total by the material's expected lifetime. Because the labor and landscaping costs are the same regardless of which material you choose, a liner that fails in five years effectively triples your long-term expenses. Investing in a long-lasting material ensures you aren't paying for the same installation labor twice, making the higher-quality choice significantly less expensive over the life of your pond.
