DIY Outdoor Fountain

I love the soothing sound of water.  I have wanted a fountain for a few years but they are just so expensive… that is unless you make your own.  

I also love Craigslist! You can find so many great things on there. I was looking around on there last weekend and decided to look up large pottery.  To my surprise I found a listing for a new and very nice piece for only $5.  Here it is.

I couldn’t pass it up so I went and picked it up.  When I got home I looked up a few DIY fountains.  I took a little from one design and a little from another and came up with this fountain.

The whole project only cost $40 and took around two hours.  Here are the supplies:

1 – Large pot -$5 if lucky like me

1 – container fountain kit (this comes with the pump, extender pipe, fountain nozzle, Epoxy, and pump filter) $19 at Lowes

1 – Bag of river rocks (I probably would have gone for the nicer looking rocks if so keep that in mind) $4

1 – Plastic Plant container/bowl (the size will be determined by the mouth width of your planter, mine was 18” wide) $9

1 – Spray can of clear acrylic sealer - $3

Plus bowls or additional planter to hold up the fountain pump so that it reaches 2” above the rocks – I had these in my garage

Drill with a large drill bit

I should have taken a picture of all the supplies together but I didn't...

First seal holes (if any) in your planter.  I used the Epoxy that came in the fountain kit and so far it is working great. 

After the sealer dries, spray a couple coats of acrylic sealer (according to package directions) in the planter to protect it from any water damage.  I did this the day before I built the fountain so that it had at least 12 hours to dry.

Drill multiple holes in the bottom of your plastic plant container.  This allows water to fall down and get re-pumped.   Drill a hole large enough for the pump extender pipe to fit through. Also drill a hole in the side of this container to hold the power cord.  I also made a slit with scissors.

I drilled a few more in the outer edge before I assembled the fountain

Play around with the height of your pump and make sure it works before you go any further.  Just make sure the extender pipe reaches ~2” above the rim of the pot.

Wash your river rocks… they are usually pretty sandy and gritty out of the bag

Once you have your pump where you want it.  Place the plastic planter to fit over the pump and sit on the rim of the pot.  Situate the cord in the hole you drilled in the side of the plastic planter.

Fill the plastic container with your river rocks.  I will probably add more rocks just to make it look prettier.  Fill the fountain with water to about 2" below the rim of the pot. Place a nozzle of your choosing over the extender pipe and plug your pump in. 

TA-DAH you have a fountain that sounds and looks awesome!

I spent a few hours on my patio yesterday just enjoying the sounds and reading a book.