Introduction

Enjoy the splash and sparkle of water indoors or out—with minimal maintenance and expense. We'll show you how to build this fountain out of concrete. You'll save several hundred dollars building this fountain yourself instead of buying it. So make a trip to your local home center to pick up the supplies, then follow these how-to steps to cast the fountain.

Tools Required

Materials Required

• 1/2-in. galvanized hardware cloth
• 12-in. flowerpot
• 2 ft. of 1/2-in. PVC pipe
• 2 ft. of 10-gauge insulated copper wire
• 2 ft. of pump tubing
• 20-minute setting-type joint compound (1 bag)
• 3-in. ABS toilet flange
• 3-in. screws
• 9- or 10-in.-diameter ball
• Duct tape
• Four 10-oz. bottles of Quikrete Cement Color or equivalent
• Four 80-lb. bags of concrete mix (or five 60-lb. bags)
• hot glue
• One 4 x 8-ft. sheet of 2-in. extruded polystyrene foam insulation
• river pebbles

Everything You Need to Get Started

If you want to add the sight and sound of moving water to your yard without the heavy work and frequent maintenance of a pond or waterfall, consider a fountain. Unlike a pond or waterfall, a freestanding fountain doesn’t require hard labor and there’s very little maintenance to do later. Best of all, you can place a fountain just about anywhere: among plants, inside a sun porch, or on a deck or patio. You could even build a pair to flank a gateway or path.