Even
if you have never built any outdoor water fountains, if you follow
some of these tips and pieces of advice, you should be able to make
your first foray into building one successful.
First of all, you must pick the right location. Before excavating
for a pond or similar water feature, check the location of utility
lines. You should avoid placing any kind of a pond beneath trees that
will fill it with things like leaves or debris.
Secondly, you should take into consideration scale, proportion, and
style. Specifically, the style should keep with the house and grounds.
In most cases, even though it is beautiful, a fountain should function
more as an accent to the total picture -- not the focal point itself.
Get a building permit if one is required. This may seem odd, but
in some regions a water feature that is deeper than a foot-and-a-half
or that calls for electrical wiring or connection to home plumbing
may demand a permit from your local building department. Depending
on where you live, you may also want to check with your neighborhood’s
homeowners association to see if there are any specific rules against
doing what you plan to do.
Next, stick to your budget. Try to plan out the whole process before
you start. Doing so will help you stay on task and will allow you
to not have to worry about additional costs that pop up unexpectedly.
Then, determine if your fountain will contain fish or plants. Fish
will help keep the mosquito population down. This is definitely an
advantage for quite a few reasons. Having said this, still water is
generally the most favorable for plants and moving water is best for
fish.
Lastly, be safe. Young children can drown in only a few inches of
water. Be sure your water feature doesn't pose a risk to children--or
adults. A particularly safe water feature doesn't contain more than
a few inches of water and is located where it cannot be approached
by small children. You may even want to build a wall or something
of the like to ensure that kids cannot get to it.
Follow these guidelines and your exploration into building outdoor
water fountains will most likely end up fruitful and fun.