I had been wanting a fountain near my patio for a long time, so after shopping around and reading about several others who DIY'd, I decided I could do it myself too.
Here's the finished product:
The whole project cost $60. Here's what I used:
Big base planter from wal-mart $25.
Three topper planters from Gordmans $22.
Water pump $7
2' vinyl hose $1
Plumber's putty $5
I also used but already had a cinder block and drill.
I drilled a hole in the bottom of the base planter to run the water pump power cord out. Otherwise, you have to run it up and over the top. I sealed the hole around the cord with plumber's putty.
The cinder block is up on it's end and the pump sits in the first "shelf" of the block. The pump was small enough, that if it sat on the very bottom, as pictured, it couldn't pump the water to the top. When shopping for a pump, check out the "lift", that's how much distance it can push the water up. Up off the bottom, it's also less likely to get clogged up with leaves or dirt.
I drilled through the top of the cinder block and ran the vinyl hose from the pump, through the block, through all three top planters. I used the plumber's putty again in each of these planters to force the water over the edge of each one and keep it from going back down the center.
I'm going to add aquarium/river rocks to the very top planter 1. to hide the hose end and 2. to make it gurgle over more evenly. I think I will also put aquatic plants to the base planter. It makes a nice splish-splashy noise. Thanks for checking it out
