19 DIY Water Fountain Ideas for Your Garden

Country Living editors select each product featured. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Why Trust Us?

Why buy an expensive, generic water feature when you can make one for much less?

There's really nothing more relaxing than sitting outside on a breezy day, enjoying the beauty of a summer garden and hearing the sweet, tinkling chimes of running water. It's one of the reasons that so many people love to install a fountain or backyard water feature in or near their garden area.

But those store-bought water fountains can quickly get expensive, especially if they're of any size. And they tend to look a little generic—not what you want if you've just spent all that time designing and building your ideal garden.

So why not build your own water fountain, too? It can be easier than you might expect. Water pumps are generally not too expensive—and the rest of fountain can often be made from things you might already have on hand, including galvanized tubs, unwanted watering cans, planters, buckets, or even teapots!

Below find both inspiration and guides on upwards of 20 different outdoor DIY fountain ideas. You can build one that you see, riff on an idea to make your own thing, or just use this list to get excited about making up your own idea from scratch! Think how nice it'll be to have the gentle sounds of water as you relax in your back garden.

Get more gardening ideas from Country Living:

Try this fun water fountain idea! Building a small brick well around your water source, then erect a weathered wood frame around it.

Hang an old-fashioned bucket from a rope down until it just grazes the top of the water. Feed the fountain hose up through a hole in the bottom of the bucket and voila: a wishing well fountain!

A simple and beautiful way to build a water fountain is with stacked rocks! You can place the fountain hose in among the rocks, or use a drill to put holes in rocks—or paver stones—then feed the hose up through them.

Get a tutorial on this one from Joyful Derivatives.

Take an old-fashioned campfire cookpot tripod (you know, that you'd hang a Dutch oven from), and place it over a pond or water reservoir.

Hang a galvanized water dispenser from it, and voila! You've got a water feature. You can run a hose from the reservoir up alongside one of the tripod legs and down into the dispenser to keep the water circulating.

This cool-looking fountain made from a galvanized wash bin and upcycled watering cans is the perfect addition to a country garden. DIY your way through the tutorial with Sophisticated Junkie.

A vintage water pump and an old whiskey barrel look amazing together in a plant-filled water feature! This setup is so striking you'll have people asking where you bought it!

Get the tutorial on building one from Empress of Dirt.

Browse regional antique malls and architectural salvage shops to find garden fountain to give your yard some character and a spot for a refreshing drink on hot days in the garden. RELATED: 17 Best Cottage Garden Ideas for a Picture-Perfect Space

Donna Jenkins, stylist and owner of The Tinkerhouse Trading Company, repurposed a fluted urn planter into a pretty fountain in front of her garden house. RELATED: Tour More of Donna’s Garden, Plus Two More Dreamy Backyard Garden Retreats

Upgrade a basic birdbath with the addition of a budget-friendly solar fountain water pump kit.

RELATED: A Beginner’s Guide to Birding

This DIY is one of our favorite uses for a leftover galvanized tub, especially given its easy transportation factor. Take a look at an easy tutorial at A Piece of Rainbow.

Do you love unique garden features? Set up a lightweight resin fountain that's easy to move around. Make one from scratch with a DIY tutorial from At Charlotte's House.RELATED: 20 Best Garden Edging Ideas for Beautiful Landscaping

Similar fountains can be assembled quickly. Whether you opt to build a whiskey barrel water fountain from scratch or pick up a kit from Walmart, this sturdy piece will make an impression.

RELATED: A DIY Whiskey-Barrel Water Garden Plan

This type of rock water fountain can be made with a submersible pump. It 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 step-by-step instructions at Instructables.

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. Re-create the water feature with instructions from Hometalk.

RELATED: 55 Favorite Container Plants and Ideas for Your Potted Garden Oasis

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. Browse a fun tutorial at Rustic and Refined.RELATED: This DIY Waterfall Fountain Is Made of Troughs and Old Wood

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.

A bamboo fountain can add a little bit of zen to your backyard or porch.

Install a pretty feature yourself with an easy-to-assemble kit.

This miniature fountain makes a perfect addition to a small deck and takes just 15 minutes to make with a small water pump. Learn how to make a similar water fountain at Today's Creative Life.

Turn a recycled table top into a beautiful water wall centerpiece for your backyard retreat. Browse the tutorial at Central Texas Gardener.

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

5 Easy Ways to Instantly Upgrade Your Backyard

Fire Pit Ideas to Cozy Up Your Backyard

59 Backyard Ideas for Outdoor Spaces Big or Small

Porch Step Ideas to Beautify Your Home’s Exterior

Here's How to Keep a Boston Fern Looking Beautiful

The #1 Thing Ruining Your Curb Appeal

The Secret to a Cozy Patio? Backyard String Lights

78 Ways to Pretty Up Your Porch This Weekend

23 Dreamy Screened-In Porch Ideas

These Backyard Pergola Ideas Are So Dreamy

This Fairy-Tale Garden House Is a Dream

30 Garden Edging Ideas from Inexpensive to Fancy