Water features like an outdoor wooden fountain can transform your yard into a calming oasis. Fountains also increase the attractiveness of the outdoor area, and these bubbling installations are also ideal for blocking out ambient noise. This is ideal for city dwellers who want to make their property as peaceful as possible. With a bubbling outdoor fountain, you'll never suspect you're in the middle of a busy city when you're lounging outside. Here are some inspiring examples for your next garden DIY project.
Find inspiration and make your own fountain out of wood or stone
Fountains are one of the best ways to add a calming effect to your favorite backyard lounge area. Unfortunately, commercial or store-bought water fountains can be costly and difficult to install. A practical and inexpensive solution are do-it-yourself garden fountains. Popular on social media and online design boards, there are dozens of unique and creative water features.
To narrow down the list, you can focus on specific materials that would work in your outdoor space. So put your DIY skills to use and build your own water fountain to add character, charm and serenity to your garden area. Here are some beautiful ideas and designs to inspire you and through onesuch DIY projectcould lead.
Build your own bamboo fountain
The technical and original name of this fountain style is sōzu. Sōzu is a type of shishi-odoshi (a term translated as "deer scarer"), a device designed to scare away wild animals. These fountains work by filling a bamboo tube with water, and as it does so, it tilts on its central axis and pours out the water once it is full. It swings back down as the tube empties, hitting the stone base and making a satisfying “crack.” These bamboo water features are quick, easy and enjoyable to make.
DIY water feature with stacked rocks
This DIY water fountain uses a waterproof pan, copper pipes, and a few stacking stones to create a trickling tower of stones. There are two ways to make this fountain. For both you will need the same materials: small flat stones, pebbles, a pump, copper pipes, a composite ceiling, a basin and gravel. One of the more complex fountains, this one requires some know-how and setup, but the results are worth the effort. The general design looks like this:
- Gdig the basin into the ground.
- Insert the pump into the basin and attach the pipe to the pump so that it points straight up.
- Bury the pump with gravel.
- Place the covering on the basin and run the pipe through it.
- Stack rocks around the pipe.
- You can also drill holes in the center of the rocks to fit over the pipe.
- Cover gaps in the terraced water feature with wide stones and cover exposed plumbing with small pebbles.
Build your own wooden well with barrels
With this funny oneVersion of an old wine barrelyou can create a miniature bubbling pond. You can create a wonderful little fountain by cutting a barrel neatly in half and positioning a tiny pump and sprayer inside. If you have a decorative or properly sanitized barrel, you can also add some small aquatic plants to create an elegant touch of foliage.
Some DIY projects recommend fish, but wine barrels are treated with cleaners, sealants, and other chemicals. Even if a wine barrel is cleaned, these chemicals from the wood can leach into the water and even kill the animals. In some DIY projects, the other half of the barrel is cut off from the front portion and placed on the base of the fountain. This placement creates an attractive two-tiered fountain, with water flowing from the top tier into the pool below.
Create a water fountain from a tree trunk
When an old tree falls or you cut it down, the trunk and other wood are often shredded into mulch or burned for fuel. However, an inspiring and creative idea would be to use the tree trunk as part of a garden accent such as a fountain. But before you build such a well out of wood, you need to seal the trunk to make it waterproof and prevent it from rotting. Once you have finished building the log fountain, it will require relatively little maintenance and will be eye-catching.
Exemplary instructions for building wells made of wood
- First, cut the tree trunk to the height you want your fountain to be. Sand the wood at each end to create a flat surface.
- Then drill a hole in the center of the trunk that is slightly larger than the diameter of the pipes.
- First, treat the cut ends of the log with a brush-on or spray-on wood preservative. Here's how to prevent fungal infections over time.
- Apply weatherproof log sealant to both ends of the trunk section. Use multiple layers if necessary to ensure adequate coverage and water protection.
- Dig a hole where the well will be. Make the hole 5 cm deeper than the height of the container. Then add 2 inches of gravel to the bottom to allow for drainage.
- Place the container in the hole and a fountain pump in the center, making sure the top of the container is level with the surrounding soil.
- Dig a trench for your pump's power cord and run the cord through PVC conduit before filling the trench
- Connect a ball valve to the water outlet of your pump using a threaded pipe adapter. With the valve you have control over the amount of water flowing through the fountain at all times.
- Cover the pump and basin with a metal mesh and cut holes in the center of the mesh and where the pump's power cord exits the basin. Also cut off a rectangular portion of the screen, but do not remove it completely so that you can access the pump and valve assembly if necessary.
- Insert the well pipe through the hole in the strainer and connect it to the ball valve attached to your pump.
- Treat and waterproof two to four boards and place them on either side of the pipe. Slide the cut log section over the pipe so that part of the pipe sticks out the top and the log rests on the boards.
- Apply a silicone sealant around the pipe to prevent water from entering.
