DIY Grindstone Water Wheel Fountain: Add a Unique Water Feature to Your Garden

Add a charming recirculating fountain using two grindstones (~16 and 23 in. diameter, from salvage yards or landscaping companies), a small pump, and a shallow whiskey-barrel liner. You'll need electricity nearby.

What You Need

• Small recirculating pump
• 2 grindstones
• Shallow whiskey-barrel liner
• Soil
• River rock or chipped brick
• Board
• Water
• Mulch, rock, or spreading plants

Instructions

1. Prepare the liner. Buy a liner slightly larger than the big grindstone. Dig a hole to sink it flush with ground. Level it, backfill with soil, clean any spilled soil.

2. Add the pump. Center pump in liner. Use river rock/chipped brick to raise it level with liner top. Lay a board across liner, mark and cut hole for pump, notch board ends to sit on liner. Board guides grindstone placement and distributes weight.

3. Position grindstones over board, aligning holes with pump. Fill liner with water.

4. Plug in. Connect pump, adjust flow with restrictor if needed. Conceal board ends with mulch/rock/plants—keep soil out of liner.

5. Care. Top off water as needed; pump can burn out if dry. Remove pump before first freeze, reinstall each spring.

See more water garden projects you can make!