DIY: Ladder Water Fountain

A highlight for the terrace, the garden or the house! With this great DIY water feature you don't only create a relaxing water lapping idyll, but in conjunction with the ladder you create a fresh and trendy ambience.

In this article you can find out how to rebuild this small well in a very simple way, with very little material.

Material Tools
Wooden slats (Spruce) 58mm x 38mm (wxh) Mitre Saw/Handsaw
Wooden slats (Spruce) 48mm x 22mm (wxh) Cordless Screwdriver
Bucket/Barrel Cloth
Wooden Screws 6x25mm Brush
Wood Stain Abrasive paper
Watering Can Rotating Sander
Water Pump and hose  
Cable Clamps  
Working with wood
working with wood

First you take the wooden slats 58mm x 38mm, these are for the frame. You cut 4 pieces to a length of 120 cm, by using the mitre saw. In order for the ladder to have a secure stand, you cut the pieces at an angle of 15 degrees.

working with wood

Now you cut the spruce wood slats with the dimensions 48mm x 22mm each to a length of 40 cm. Here we need 6 pieces, so each ladder has 3 steps.

Working with wood

If you have untreated spruce wood slats, you need to sand them. You can do that with a Rotating Sander, Belt Sander or even by hand. For that I used sandpaper with 120 grit

Working on the water fountain

If all pieces are cut and sanded, you take the thicker wooden slats which represent the frame of the ladder. You place the 4 slats with the flat side down and make a mark at 30 cm, 60cm and 90 cm.

Drill a hole with the cordless screwdriver

There you then drill the wooden slats with a 4-bit drill. You can now align and screw the steps between the two predrilled points.

Screwing together a wooden container
A cordless screwdriver with screws

When screwing, I make sure that the steps also have an angle of about 15 degrees, to make sure, that the ladder stands even on the ground. Now you screw everything together, so you have in the end the two sides of the ladder. 

Two wodden ladder

For connecting the two sides of the ladder, you take the thicker wooden slat with dimensions of 58mm x 38mm and cut it to a length of 40cm. 

 The finished ladder
 The finished ladder

This two sanded pieces are then bolted together tightly. Please also pre-drill the holes with a 4mm drill so that the wood doesn't break. Once done, you can oil or varnish the ladder as you want. I used a waterproof dark varnish because I wanted to leave the ladder outside.

 The finished watering can with work tools
Watering can with pre-drilled holes

Now you align the barrel under the ladder. Because the barrel isn't waterproof, I put a plastic bucket in it. 

Next you take the watering can and drill two holes into the handle with a 5mm iron drill. Here the holes are used for attaching it to the ladder. Therefore I used 5x30mm screws.

Watering can with predrilled hole

Now you drill a hole on the bottom of the barrel, right where the hose is later pushed through, the size aligns with the thickness of the hose. 

Now you can screw the watering can to the upper beam of the ladder. After the watering can is screwed on, you can lay the hose from the barrel to the watering can at the back of the ladder. For this I use cable clamps, these are fastened with a screw and the hose is clamped there.

 transport from the water to the desired location

Put the pump in the bucket and connect the hose according to the manufacturer's instructions. Now you fill the bucket with water and start the pump. You can adjust the amount of water later if necessary.

The finished decoration
The finished decoration

Now your water play is finished and hopefully will bring much joy.

Kind regards
Tobias Peters

 

blog author tobias peters
AuthorTobias Peters
Reading time10 minutes

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