Sunday, May 9, 2010

DIY Fountain

This project was awarded "Jen's Pick" in the CSI Hardware Store Challenge.  Thanks Jen!


I have always loved fountains and the sound of water... so relaxing. However, to purchase a premade water fountain can be a bit pricey. What is a DIY girl to do? I had to try it for my self. I love how it turned out... What do you think?




I made a video so you can see the water flowing. :-)




I will show you what I did, but keep in mind I am not a professional by any stretch of the imagination. I completely made this up as I went along, so I am sure there is a "right" or "better" way.

Here is what I used:

1 large flower pot (approximately 18" in diameter)
1 small flower pot (approximately 8" in diameter)
1 fountain pump (70 gph)
1 nozzel kit (to make the water come out pretty)
2 bags of marble rocks
1 pkg of tubing
1 pkg of wood ball knobs
Elmers craft bond cement



I spray painted both the flower pots brown so they would match. The large flower pot had a drain hole in the bottom, however it was not large enough for the plug end of the pump to fit through so I used hubby's drill to make it larger. Then filled the hole (all around the cord with silicone) so it wouldn't leak. I also spray painted the wood ball knobs brown and glued them to the bottom of the large pot (this is so the cord would be able to come out the bottom without tilting the pot).



The first time I used white caulk to fill the hole... this was wrong... it will leak. I removed the caulk and used Silicone... perfect!




After the silicone dried, I added a little water to make sure the seal was water tight. It was... Woo! Hoo! Then I attached the tubing to the pump and started adding the rocks. (If you are using the marble rocks, be sure to rinse them first because they have a lot of dust).






Next I centered the small pot into the large one, ran the tube up through it and added the nozzle kit. Then filled the small pot with the marble rocks, added water to the whole thing and plugged it in.


Thanks for stopping by!

Lisa



Linking up to the following:
Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap up party!The DIY Show Off








DIY Day @ ASPTL 

 




Visit thecsiproject.com

47 comments:

Carole said...

Excellent my friend - you did a great job!

Heathahlee said...

How pretty! I may have to go that route with my front fountain...the pretty plates we drilled for the nozzle to go through didn't last too long, and now it just sits in my front flower bed neglected and sad! : (

Unknown said...

Awesome! That would be so soothing to have on my patio, thanks for the great idea!!

Debbiedoos said...

Now that is a great idea! I could do that (I think) it looks great!

Unknown said...

My husband is wanting to build a water fountain as well. Yours turned out very lovely and I will be showing him how you did yours. :) Thanks for stopping by Not Just Paper and Glue. I hope you decide to join in the fun challenge because you never know if you might win some of that glitter :)

Tara@JustDevineStyle said...

This is lovely. I love fountains but they are too pricey and not exactly what I want. I really love this!

Anonymous said...

Great post. I love all the how to details. This is something I would like to try too and yours looks fab. Thanks for stopping by Becolorful and leaving a comment.
Pamela

Anonymous said...

Looks and "sounds" beautiful. Something sweet about hearing water gently flowing.. may bring more birds to your yard too. Enjoy! xoxo Susie~

Meredith said...

Awesome job! I love how this project turned out :)

Thanks for stopping by this morning.
Meredith @ Welcome to Heardmont

Sarah @HarriganHowdy said...

Oooh! That's fun! I would love to do this project sometime. Great inspiration.

Blessings!
-Sarah

Embellished Bayou said...

Great job, it's lovely! I've been wanting to try this myself. Where did you get your supplies?

BLJ Graves Studio said...

Thank you! I purchased my supplies at Lowes and Home Depot. I am sure you can get what you need anywhere that sells garden supplies. The planters came from Big Lots and Tuesday Morning.

Sharon@Keen Inspirations said...

This is something I've wanted to do! You've inspired me to give it a try! Great job! I found you at DIY.
Sharon
http://keeninspirations.blogspot.com

Connie said...

What a wonderful idea, I love it. I have the perfect spot on my front porch for something like this. You did an awesome job with the instructions. Thanks for the tip about using silicone too.

I bookmarked this idea for my own diy project very soon.

Unknown said...

Fabulous instructions. Thanks so much. I love fountains but would like to have an updated one - like yours. Great tutorial!

Denise Marzec said...

You and I are a lot alike then because I also love the sound of water....so relaxing! Your fountain is beautiful. Enjoy it!

Susan @ Oh My! Creative said...

This doesn't look too hard - I might have to give it a try. Nice job!

The House Creative said...

I love that you made this. I wonder how much it will cost you to ship it to my house now? (kidding) I might have to try this, I would love a fountain for my back deck.

Tonya said...

WOW!! You did a great job! I am needing one of these. Thanks for the great list of supplies and the very helpful directions. It is very pretty.

Sonia said...

wow. YOu are so clever! i've been wanting a fountain forever in our front yard, but couldn't afford it!! I'm going to show this to hubby. Maybe he'll help me make this.

michelle kynaston said...

wow i love it, how much did it cost to build? i'd love to know before i build it!

BLJ Graves Studio said...

Thanks, Michelle. :-) I think my total cost was around $30 or $35. The most expensive item is the pump at around $20, so watch for sales or use a coupon. Let me know if you make one, I would love to see it. :-)

Sixty-Fifth Avenue said...

Fantastic!! This is really pretty and love that you put it all together.

cajunsis said...

Great job! If I ever get a house again, I will call for you to come help me make one. I love your fountain! We are retiring August 1, 2011 if they do not bring us back to the states by then. Great job - and I am super proud of ya! heehee.

Frugal Home Designs said...

That is great! Very creative.

The homebodies said...

Wow that is such a cool project! You make it look so easy! Thanks for your nice comment on our blog the other day! I love yours! :)

-Marissa @ homesweethomebodies.blogspot.com

Lyn S said...

How clever of you, what a great DIY project! It turned out fantastic!

Unknown said...

I love your blog, so much so that I gave you a blog award here http://westbrookedrive.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-first-blog-award.html.

Have a great day!

Veronica said...

Your project has been featured at Veronica’s Korner. Please come by and pick up your Featured Button.
http://veronicas-korner.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-top-picks-531.html

Life in Rehab said...

NICE! I just did a fountain project back in March. Nothing like a great accent for the house on the cheap, huh?

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

Your fountain looks awesome! I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a great planter to do this with. The ones I like cost a fortune at Home Depot. I'll just keep looking...never give up...never give up.

Amanda @ Healthy House on the Block said...

This is wonderful! We too are in love with fountains -- thanks for the tutorial!!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

I so adore this project!


I would love it if you would link it up to the CSI Project's "Hardware store" challenge. I would love the people over there to see it!

www.thecsiproject.com

XOXO
Jen

Tru said...

Very nice!

Lauren -HCP said...

This is so awesome, and you can't beat the cost, I've also bookmarked it for future reference, maybe after I get my patio planters planted.

Barb said...

Great project.

Inez & Mishelle said...

Hi there!! Love it!! And I have been trying to make my own...but it keeps leaking...what kind of silicone did you use?? How long did you let it dry??

BLJ Graves Studio said...

I used GE Silicone II Premium Waterproof Cauld (100% Silicone) flexible. You want the flexible stuff because of the cord. Here is a link to it on the Home Depot site
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xje/R-100118015/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I let it cure for 24 hours, then I added water and let it set for a few hours to see if it had any leaks. It there are leaks, add more silicone, let it cure for 24 hours and test again. I hope that helps. Best of luck with your fountain. :-)
Lisa

Unknown said...

This is great! I've always wanted a fountain in our yard, but we sure can't afford one... I might just have to try it out! Thanks!!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

This is one of my favorite projects of yours! I am so doing it if I can just carve out a little slice of time this summer! Love it!

Thanks so much for linking up to The CSI Project's hardware Store Challenge! We hope you will come back next week for the Martha Stewart-inspired challenge -- The MS Craft Department are our guest judges!!!

XOXO
Jen

Anonymous said...

I love it so much, I'm going to follow you. I invite you to visit my blog and if anything should inspire you, please do likewise!

Kimba said...

What a fantastic project! I love it! I have some pots in the garage that would be perfect for this. Hmmmmm...

Sharon@Keen Inspirations said...

Hi again! I just "refound" you on Veronica's Kroner and the fountain caught my eye again!!
I'd like to invite you to bring your awesome fountain to share at my Garden Linky Party June 23-25 at Keen Inspirations. There will be lots of great summer/outdoor and garden projects as well as some great giveways! I'd love to have you join us! Mark your calendar
Hope to see you there!
Sharon
http://keeninspirations.blogspot.com/

Sharon@Keen Inspirations said...

I also wanted to say Congrats on that award too!
:-) Sharon

Sharon@Keen Inspirations said...

I also wanted to say Congrats on that award too!
:-) Sharon

Desiree said...

Thank you for posting the instructions and pics for this! I have been looking for a fountain project that will work for the hummingbirds that come in the summer. I kind of had an idea of what might work but seeing your video helped me know for sure.

Agapiya Olga said...

"When I was applying for a loan to purchase my building as a small business owner in a tough situation, conventional banks said they could not help me. Mr Benjamin, a loan officer sat down with me, heard my situation and decided that I was worth taking a chance on. Here we are 5 years later and I have just renewed my loan for another 7 years. I couldn’t have purchased my building without the help of Mr Benjamin and will be forever indebted to them for giving me a chance when no one else would." 
I will recommend you to contact a loan officer Mr Ben on the information below if you need any financial assistance.Mr Ben Whats-App Contact: + 1-989-394-3740As well as Email:  247officedept@gmail.com