Water fountains ideas
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 focusing on 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.
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Use Solar Energy
Interior Frugalista
Powering a water feature all day may cause your electricity bill to skyrocket. That’s not the case with this DIY solar water fountain, which utilizes a solar pump to let the sun do the work for you. You’ll need two flower pots—one bigger than the other—as well as some river rocks. For the pump, you can use a solar power bird bath fountain pump.
Easy Solar Water Fountain from Interior Frugalista
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Make It Simple
At Charlotte's House
This bubbling garden fountain looks straight out of a landscaping magazine.
It’s stylish, modern, and completely functional. The best part is that it won’t break the bank—you can make it yourself in a weekend. DIY Bubbling Garden Fountain from At Charlotte's House
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Decorate With Garden Florals
Our House Now a Home
Whether you don’t have time to build an outdoor fountain from scratch or you’re not confident in your DIY skills to do it, there’s a solution. Follow this tutorial to upgrade and improve a store-bought fountain with a few additions, like your favorite flowers or greenery.
Upgraded Store-Bought Fountain from Our House Now a Home
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Bring in Solar Energy
Hearth and Vine
Arguably the worst part of having an outdoor fountain is dealing with annoying power cords and finding an outdoor outlet to plug them into. Unless you have an array of extension cords at the ready, you’re limited to where you can put your fountain.
That’s one big reason to switch to a solar fountain, like this one. DIY Solar Water Fountain from Hearth & Vine
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Build With Flower Pots
Southern Chick Journal
Making your own solar water fountain doesn’t have to break the bank. This DIY project costs less than $50—less if you already have flower pots.
Budget-Friendly Solar Water Fountain from Southern Chick Journal
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Downsize to Fit Your Space
@mrsmack89 / Instagram
Small yard? Don’t worry! You can still have a cute water fountain to drown out noises from the outside world and improve the ambiance in your outdoor space. You can make a water fountain as small as you need to. Place it out on your patio to make your hangout spot more serene.
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Construct Using a Crockpot
Chatfield Court
Water features can be costly and complicated to put together, but this guide from Chatfield Court will show you how to make your very own water feature with a large pot or crock.
This is a disappearing water fountain, which means that the water that spills out of the fountain looks like it’s disappearing into the ground, rather than pooling in some receptacle. Crock Water Feature DIY from Chatfield Court
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Simplify the Design
A Piece of Rainbow
As long as your yard gets a good amount of sunlight throughout the day, a solar water fountain is a great choice. Not only do solar water fountains save energy, but they also look stunning. This DIY solar fountain is quick and easy, taking one hour or less to make.
Quick and Simple Solar Fountain from A Piece of Rainbow
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Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Bubble fountains are stunning. They range in size and emit the most soothing flowing water sounds. Unfortunately, pre-made bubblers aren’t cheap. Here’s how to make your own for a fraction of the cost.
DIY Bubble Fountain from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
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Fill It With Greenery
Alison Giese Interiors
If you’re looking for a unique and ultra-relaxing fountain for your outdoor oasis, Alison Giese Interiors has a DIY for you.
This DIY garden trough water fountain is the perfect way to spruce up your backyard. The sound of the gently gurgling water will make dining al fresco or unwinding with a nightcap under the stars even more relaxing. Garden Trough Fountain DIY from Alison Giese Interiors
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Collect Rocks
Joyful Derivatives
This DIY rock water fountain is simple and affordable—two of our favorite words. Follow this tutorial to create this beautiful disappearing fountain with large fountain rocks. A rock fountain will most certainly add interest to your yard and impress all of your guests.
DIY Rock Water Fountain from Joyful Derivatives
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Create a Sprinkler
Pretty Purple Door
Instead of installing a pre-made water fountain in your backyard, make this DIY pondless water feature. It looks realistic and makes the most calming, bubbling white noise. This detailed tutorial will show you how to make your own pondless water feature.
All skill levels welcome! Easy DIY Water Feature from Pretty Purple Door
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Customize Ceramics
An Extraordinary Day
Sometimes using a DIY fountain kit is the best route to take. That’s especially true if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands to figure out how to put together your own fountain. While kits have everything you need to make your own fountain, you can still customize it. This blogger used a cute ceramic fish to make her fountain more unique and whimsical.
Simple Container Fountain from An Extraordinary Day
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Thrift Materials
Confessions of a Serial DIYer
Do you love hosting tea parties with your besties? Are you a massive Alice in Wonderland fan? If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, you definitely need to make this DIY teapot fountain. It may look complicated, but you only need a handful of supplies. You can buy almost all of them at your local hardware store.
Browse your favorite thrift store for a vintage teacup and teapot to include. DIY Teapot Fountain from Confessions of a Serial DIYer
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Streamline Steps
Four Generations One Roof
Follow the steps in this guide to install your own simple disappearing water fountain. A simple outdoor fountain like this one adds so much character to your yard or garden, and this step-by-step guide makes installing one a breeze.
Simple Disappearing Fountain from Four Generations One Roof
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Consider Your Home's Space
Today's Creative Life
No matter how much outdoor space you have to work with, you can make a DIY fountain. Those with smaller spaces (or those who just want a small fountain) should make this cute DIY bubbler. It's small enough to fit on a patio table or in the corner of your balcony.
Tabletop DIY Fountain from Today's Creative Life
Ideas for decorating and designing garden fountains
The design of the garden fountain can be anything.
Sometimes it seems that it is unrealistic to place even a tiny fountain on the site, but specialists almost always have a solution. And not one!
The spectacular and functional design of the fountain is as much an art as its design and construction. Therefore, experts are involved in the development of the project, who will certainly be able to offer several options for hydraulic structures. For example:
- Large circulation fountain in the lake (pond) with jets of different shapes and sizes. Refreshes the garden, decorates the site, delights the eye. Expensive, but incredibly attractive.
- Drinking water fountain. This type of fountains is distinguished by the variability of the structure. Flowing fountains for home and garden can be incredibly sophisticated forms.
Of course, you can build a garden fountain or a miniature home fountain yourself. Moreover, the construction does not require expensive equipment and special equipment.
On the contrary, craftsmen manage literally with improvised materials. The main thing in this matter is to choose the right pump (the performance of the structure depends on it) and decorate the fountain beautifully.
Garden fountains are decorated in a variety of styles, implementing hundreds of projects. These are modest-sized country-style structures made of stones or ceramic jugs, and vertically arranged fountains with sculptures, and exotic structures in which the main role is given to water jets and light.
Here are some possible projects for the garden and cottages.
Inkjet
A variety of static garden fountains with vertical powerful water supply, forming a whole dome of spray and thin streams. To achieve the effect, cone-shaped mono-jet nozzles are used.
Vanguard
A fountain of amazing beauty, in which water flows in a thin stream over a glass surface. It creates the illusion that water arises directly from the air.
Swiss
The design of fountains of this type is simple and similar to a static jet. The jet appears from under the water in the pond and hits a height of up to several tens of meters.
Cracker
Fountain for entertainment. Water jets change direction and force of pressure, the pattern is constantly changing, depending on the angle and speed of rotation of the nozzles.
Sculpture
Classical fountain, the main role in the composition of which belongs to sculpture.
Bell
Streams pour from above, forming a dome.
Champagne splash
The special design of the nozzles contributes to the saturation of water with air. Pouring out, such a fountain creates amazing water pictures. Looks impressive, especially in the backlit alliance.
Mist Fountain
The ultrasonic mist generator turns water into fine mist.
Interactive, multimedia, color music fountains
Lighting and musical equipment, electronic control and properly selected music - that's what you need for fountains that create an incredible impression.
You can complement the garden with a building of a completely different style, shape, size. AQUAMASTER Ing will be happy to develop and implement a project that fits perfectly into the landscape. In addition, here you can get advice on how to arrange a fountain, as well as purchase the necessary equipment and accessories.
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Garden fountains in the landscape - 50 photos, design ideas - articles catalog on the site
Modern fountains are so diverse in the visual sense that such a design can literally fit into any landscape. Different sizes, shapes, from different materials, having different functional features, decor - it is difficult not to choose something for a particular occasion.
Fountain and garden - unity of style
Your garden can have a classic fountain with sculptures and relief decor, or an avant-garde fountain, which will use metal and glass, an impressive Swiss fountain, the jets of which will rise to great heights or a fountain a tornado in which water falls from above, a fountain with fog, a spring fountain, a fountain whose water flows over glass threads or a glass panel, etc.
Ideas for the garden in terms of arranging these wonderful water structures are inexhaustible.
The fountain can be installed in an existing reservoir or a specially constructed bowl. On sale there are ready-made designs with small tanks that are simply installed on the surface. They are good because they can be installed on hard-surfaced sites, terraces, patios, and winter gardens.
Fountain equipment
Fountain equipment is not complicated. For a small fountain, a set of a small power pump and hoses with nozzles is enough. If you are thinking about a more complicated design, you should purchase an extended kit, thanks to which you can get both automatic regulation of water flows (their speed and direction) and dynamic lighting (including color). As well as such useful features as water purification with special filters, remote control and much more.
Garden Fountains - Water song
Thinking on the structure of such a structure as a fountain, it is important to take into account the natural “sound accompaniment”. The sounds of water can be very different: cheerful, bright, soft, quiet, loud, seething, etc. The nature of the sounds is influenced by the height and shape of the jets: high-rising, thin, ringing sounds will be born, wide, voluminous streams - deep ones.
Usually there are 2-3 of them in a fountain set, which allows you to expand not only the visual, but also the sound range of the design, and include a certain “water song” at will.
The speed of water also affects the sound effect, and almost all modern fountain equipment makes it possible to regulate it.
Moreover, when the jets rise, fall and break, the structure of water molecules changes, and negatively charged ions rush into the air, which scientists have given the name "health vitamins".
They are the antipodes of the positive ions that negatively affect the health and well-being of the usual air for us, filled with dust and densely permeated with the radiation of modern technology. For your information: negative ions predominate in the air on the seashore and in the mountains. When a person inhales them, they penetrate the bloodstream and stimulate biochemical processes that lead to the restoration of many body structures. It would be unwise to refuse the fountain - your own small source of living water.
Fountain Color Therapy
The light accompaniment of the movement of water jets not only dispels the darkness, but also has an emotional impact.
