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17 Outdoor Fountain Ideas - How To Make a Garden Fountain for Your Backyard

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Add a soothing water structure to your backyard without breaking the bank.

By Madison Alcedo and Jenae Sitzes

At Charlotte's House/A Piece of Rainbow

Want to add a unique element to your backyard? Try a one-of-a-kind DIY water fountain! Water fountains have been a common feature in gardens of varying sizes since ancient times. The earliest account on record was a carved stone basin that dates back to around 2000 B.C. Most of the early versions of fountains were gravity based and relied on the natural flow of water from sources like rivers, lakes, and sometimes manmade aqueducts with basins to collect the water. At the time, modern plumbing and running water from faucets were not in existence.

Water was simply collected with buckets for a variety of essential purposes. People used these vessels out of necessity for drinking water, bathing, washing garments, and even faith-based ceremonies. However, ancients Romans started the trend of using fountains for decorative purposes in well-known places like Rome—the city of fountains. These days ornamental water fountains are commonly found in many locations like small home gardens and large public spaces.

You probably won't have room in your budget or backyard for fountain like the famous Italian Fontana di Trevi Fountain but we have plenty of pretty and budget-friendly DIY options for you to explore! From a charming fountain made from flower pots to a water wall that rivals store-bought renditions, these easy and unique projects will reinvigorate your garden like nothing else. Plus, check out more of our best backyard decorating ideas that will be sure to wow your guests during summer soirées.

Rustic and Refined

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Mixed Metal Water Fountain

Turn your fountain into a major outdoor focal point with the help of a few galvanized materials and greenery. Don't forget the matching watering can for the finishing touch.

Get the tutorial at Rustic and Refined.

The Interior Frugalista

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Plant Pot Water Fountain

Clocking in only 15 minutes of prep time, this DIY flower pot fountain project is too good to pass up for your own backyard.

Get the tutorial at The Interior Frugalista.

A Piece of Rainbow

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Galvanized Bucket Solar Fountain

This DIY is one of our favorite uses for a leftover galvanized tub, especially given its easy transportation factor.

Get the tutorial at A Piece of Rainbow.

At Charlotte's House

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Bubbling Water Fountain

Have an old globe lying around? You're all set with the perfect base for this tasteful round water feature that incorporates a solar water pump kit and concrete/mortar Quikrete mix.

Get the tutorial at At Charlotte's House.

Courtesy of Addicted 2 DIY

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Tiered Flower Pot Fountain

Using some pots from Lowe's, a budget water pump, and some rocks from around her yard, blogger Katie created this simple, relaxing water fountain for her garden that birds can't get enough of.

Get the tutorial at Addicted 2 DIY.

Courtesy of Today's Creative Life

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Tiny Egg Fountain

This miniature fountain makes a perfect addition to a small deck and takes just 15 minutes to make with a small water pump.

Get the tutorial at Today's Creative Life.

RELATED: The Best Outdoor Fire Pits for Your Backyard

Courtesy of Interior Frugalista

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Patio Water Wall

This massive fountain won't come together quickly, but it's well worth the time and effort. Blogger Marie moved her water wall onto her deck so company could enjoy the relaxing sound of water while they chatted.

Get the tutorial at Interior Frugalista.

Courtesy of J. Paris Designs

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Blue Planters Waterfall

Let your fountain add a pop of color to your garden! This royal blue waterfall was crafted with three giant planter pots and a mini pond pump.

Get the tutorial at J. Paris Designs.

RELATED: Dreamy Ways to Use Outdoor String Lights in Your Backyard

Courtesy of Instructables

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Disappearing Water Fountain

If you love the gushing sound of a fountain but are less crazy about having an open pool of water in your yard (especially if you have children), this decorative rock fountain may be for you. Requiring easy-to-find materials, this fountain will cost you less than $200.

Get the tutorial at Instructables.

Courtesy of Instructables

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Three-Tier Fountain

This fountain looks fancy, but you can make it yourself using cheap items from a thrift shop. Depending on what found items you use, your fountain will have its own unique look.

Get the tutorial at Instructables.

BirdzOfAFeather

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Charming Water Feature

As seen on Hometalk, this spring-inspired water feature will add tons of curb appeal to your home.

Get the tutorial at Birdz of a Feather.

Hometalk

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Tea Pot Fountain

Add a piece of DIY decor to your garden or backyard with this fountain made from an iron tea pot and an old whiskey barrel.

Get the tutorial at Hometalk.

RELATED: New Ways to Landscape Your Yard

Tatertots & Jello

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Recirculating Ceramic Pot Fountain

The sound of babbling water from this recirculating fountain fashioned from a submersible pump will instantly create a more relaxing atmosphere in your outdoor space.

Get the tutorial at Tatertots & Jello.

Courtesy of Central Texas Gardener

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Circular Water Wall

Turn a recycled table top into a beautiful water wall for your garden.

Get the tutorial at Central Texas Gardener.

Courtesy of Instructables.com

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Rock Fountain

This DIY with a submersible pump might take you a couple of days to finish, but the finished product—look at those stacked stones!—will be worth the effort.

Get the tutorial at Instructables.

Sophisticated Junkie

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Watering Can Fountain

This cool-looking fountain made from recycled watering cans and a wash bin is the perfect addition to a country garden.

Get the tutorial at Sophisticated Junkie.

Courtesy of SAF Affect

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Bamboo Fountain

15 Best Pergola Ideas for the Backyard

Madison Alcedo Assistant Editor Madison Alcedo was the Assistant Editor at WomansDay. com and Redbookmag.com.

16 DIY Outdoor Fountain Ideas for Instant Peaceful Energy

By

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a DIY expert and writer with over five years of hands-on experience cooking, crafting, and making home decor projects.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 11/22/22

Jacky Parker Photography / Getty Images

Make your own outdoor water fountain to add character, charm, and serenity to your outdoor space. Outdoor fountains can transform your backyard into a soothing oasis, making it the perfect spot for your evening yoga practice. Fountains situated in front of your house easily boost its curb appeal. Bubbling outdoor fountains are also excellent at blocking out ambient noise, which is ideal for city dwellers who want to make their property as peaceful as possible. You can even make a tabletop version if you live high up in an apartment building to provide the same effect.  

Here are some beautiful outdoor fountain ideas to inspire you and guide you through the project.

Beautiful fountains on the terrace to the house - 135 best photos, terrace design in a private house and in the country

Curved Walkway

SD Independent Construction

Curved mangaris walkway with custom tapered planks; Photo-Margaret Lopatriello
Design ideas for a nautical terrace fountain

Berkeley Hills House

Parco Studio

Rain collected by the butterfly roof runs down a rain chain and into a board formed concrete basin. It then spills over a small waterfall and into a small stream leading to the "alpine pool." nine0007

Maine Cottage

Leslie Saul & Associates

Lake house Deck with Hot Tub. Trent Bell Photography, Richardson & Associates Landscape Architects
Design idea for a large fountain in a country backyard terrace without sun protection

The Pavilion Eco House, Blackheath

E2 Architecture + Interiors Ltd

View of Roof Terrace To Download the Brochure For E2 Architecture and Interiors’ Award Winning Project The Pavilion Eco House, Blackheath Please Paste the Link Below Into Your Browser http://www.e2architecture.com/downloads/ Winner of the Evening Standard's New Homes Eco + Living Award 2015 and Voted the UK's Top Eco Home in the Guardian online 2014.

Decks

The Reno King

Original Design Example: large fountain in rustic backyard terrace without sun protection

La Divina

Pedro Ojeda, Arquitecto
3 900 deck deck with swimming pool Garden
3 900 Fresh Design Idea: Medium-sized Marine-style Backyard Terrace - Great Interior Photo

Reversing the Flow

Chicago Specialty Gardens, Inc.

1st place over winner - Rooftop Garden - Chicago's 2006 "Garden in a City" professional landscape awards
In the photo: fountain on the terrace in a modern style c

East Village Roof Garden

pulltab

Photo: Bilyana Dimitrova
Inspiration for home comfort: a large fountain on a roof terrace in a modern style

Battersea Square

Granit Architects + Interiors

This small but complex project saw the creation of a terrace above an existing flat roof of a property in Battersea Square. We were appointed to design and prepare a scheme to submit for planning permission. We were able to successfully achieve consent to extend the roof terrace and to create approximately 100 square meters of extra space. The process was protracted and required negotiation with the local authority to restrict any overlooking potential. The solution to this challenge was to create a design with two parts connected by a 1m wide walkway. We also introduced planting in front of the glazing that controls the overlooking without the need for sandblasted glass. This combination of glazing and planting has made a significant difference to the final feel of space on the terrace. Our design creates separate zones on the terrace, with sections for living, dining and cooking. We also changed the windows in the penthouse to sliding folding doors, which has created a much more functional and spacious feeling terrace. We had to work closely with the structural engineer to work out the best way to create a deck structure over the existing roof. Ultimately the design required large long-spanning steels supported by the load-bearing walls below. An infill deck structure supports the terrace too. There was significant technical coordination required with glass balustrade company to achieve the right finish. The terrace would not have been completed without a great garden. We worked in partnership with garden designer Richard Miers, who specified the planted beds, water features, planting, irrigation system and lighting. Overall we have created a beautiful terrace for our client with approximately 100 square meters of extra living space. nine0007

La terrasse en 6 tendances !

PUYAU PAYSAGES

100% Green ! Plus on est de plantes plus on rit! Nature luxuriante, végétation foisonnante et style tropical, la tendance mise sur un maximum de plantes. Faire courir des grimpantes, multiplier les pots et user des suspensions rendront la terrasse 100% green ! Chaleureux, le bois se marie bien avec ce retour au naturel et a de nombreux avantages. Il s'installe presque partout: balcon, jardin, véranda, au-dessus d'une pente, etc. Résineux, feuillus ou exotiques, les familles de bois offrent une large palette de couleurs (beige, rouge, marron, gris, etc.) et ne demandent que peu d'entretien. Contrairement à une idée répandue, ce matériau durable n'est pas glissant! PUYAU PAYSAGES nine0007

Spa Deck, Patio w/ Fire Pit, and Screen Porch in North Chicago Suburbs

Archadeck of Chicagoland

This stunning outdoor living space is a true backyard retreat. The custom screened porch, designed to look original to the home, exits to a deck and patio, creating a smooth transition from home to yard. The wood deck design incorporates an inset hot tub with additional built-in storage. The storage cabinet sits along one side of the hot tub, creating a place to rest food, drinks, or candles while enjoying the water. The outdoor lighting built into the stair risers create a soft, ambient glow while providing a safe environment for people to move about the deck after the sun goes down. The Unilock patio features Holland Stone pavers in Autumn Red and a built-in Brussel Dimensional Stone fire pit in Limestone color. The triangular shape provides a unique look for the wood burning fire pit., and the placement offers warmth and ambiance for anyone in the hot tub or gathered around fire. nine0007

Chelsea Creek Penthouse Roof Terrace

Aralia: Innovation in Landscape Design

Chelsea Creek is the pinnacle of sophisticated living, these penthouse collection gardens, featuring stunning contemporary exteriors are London's most elegant new dockside development, by St George Central London, they are due to be built in Autumn 2014 Following on from the success of her stunning contemporary Rooftop Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012, Patricia Fox was commissioned by St George to design a series of rooftop gardens for their Penthouse Collection in London. Working alongside Tara Bernerd who has designed the interiors, and Broadway Malyon Architects, Patricia and her team have designed a series of London rooftop gardens, which although individually unique, have an underlying design thread, which runs throughout the whole series, providing a unified scheme across the development. Inspiration was taken from both the architecture of the building, and from the interiors, and Aralia working as Landscape Architects developed a series of Mood Boards depicting materials, features, art and planting. This groundbreaking series of London rooftop gardens embraces the very latest in garden design, encompassing quality natural materials such as corten steel, granite and shot blasted glass, whilst introducing contemporary state of the art outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, water features and green walls. Garden Art also has a key focus within these London gardens, with the introduction of specially commissioned pieces for stone sculptures and unique glass art. The linear hard landscape design, with fluid rivers of under lit glass, relate beautifully to the linearity of the canals below. The design for the soft landscaping schemes were challenging – the gardens needed to be relatively low maintenance, they needed to stand up to the harsh environment of a London rooftop location, whilst also still providing seasonality and all year interest. The planting scheme is linear, and highly contemporary in nature, evergreen planting provides all year structure and form, with warm rusts and burnt orange flower head’s providing a splash of seasonal colour, complementary to the features throughout. Finally, an exquisite lighting scheme has been designed by Lighting IQ to define and enhance the rooftop spaces, and to provide beautiful night time lighting which provides the perfect ambiance for entertaining and relaxing in. Aralia worked as Landscape Architects working within a multi-disciplinary consultant team which included Architects, Structural Engineers, Cost Consultants and a range of sub-contractors. nine0007

Do-it-yourself fountain on the terrace (photo + drawing) | DIY

Contents ✓

You can decorate the site and make it cozy not only by buying expensive garden items. A little imagination, patience, a minimum of tools - and you will have an originally designed corner for relaxation. nine0003

Reference by topic: Do-it-yourself small decorative fountain in the wall - drawing

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When you need rest


How pleasant, while relaxing, to listen and watch how the water murmurs in the stream, the burning firewood crackles in the namin, or the light breeze shakes the leaves of the trees! And even in a small area, you can always build an object that allows you to conduct something like relaxation sessions. It can be an aquarium with fish or a small potbelly stove with a glass door installed in the country, and someone will arrange a mini-fountain on the balcony of a city apartment or on the terrace of a country house. nine0003

Make your own mini fountain


It is not possible to equip an artificial pond with a fountain in every area. But such a fountain, like this one, will fit right on the terrace. And you don't need to dig a pit. baths. located at different heights, built of beams. For tightness, mini-reservoirs are lined with a pond film from the inside. The most attractive element of this reservoir is a stone-fountain. to which the pump delivers water. Water from the upper bath to the lower groans along a metal chute. nine0003

Take care of the fountain


Such a structure needs maintenance, and regular. It is necessary not only to add water, but also to monitor its quality. Use water well purified from impurities.

When the volume of circulating water is small, a complete replacement of the liquid is necessary. The appearance of an unpleasant odor, microscopic algae or foam can serve as a signal for this.

In such structures, as a rule, it is not possible to completely get rid of limescale. It not only spoils the decorative appeal of the mini-fountain, but, as it accumulates, prevents the internal parts of the pump from working properly. nine0003

Clean right!
Plaque can be removed with citric acid or white vinegar. It is strongly not recommended to use chemical detergents!

Reference by topic: Do-it-yourself fountain in the country - from film and slats (photo)

Do-it-yourself fountain in the garden - photo and manufacturing process


The easiest way to buy a finished stone with a hole for a fountain in the middle is on the construction market: it is very difficult to drill granite at home. And pebbles and cobblestones ranging in size from 10 to 150 mm for filling reservoirs can be found in nature, although they are also on sale. nine0003

1. At an angle of 45 degrees, the timber is cut with a hacksaw using an attached miter box. Even more convenient and faster, this can be done using a pendulum circular saw.

2. The benches where you can sit by the "pond" are made of pine bars with a section of 40 x 20 mm.

3. Groove for a gutter in one of the upper bars. First, two parallel cuts are made with a saw, and then the material between them is selected with a chisel.

Learn more