Add Privacy And Drown Out Noise With This Backyard Feature

When you think of adding privacy to your yard, what comes to mind? You might envision a trellis of flowers, shrubes, bushes, and hedges to create a living screen that keeps the stares of nosy neighbors away. Perhaps you think of a standard fence. But, what if there was another way to conceal your yard that is both aesthetically pleasing and buffers sounds as well? Fortunately, you can make this happen by adding a water feature to your yard. 

Water features come in all shapes and sizes, from a bubbling stream to a flourishing fountain. The aquatic attractions are where beautiful art intermingles with practical solitude. If your curiosity is piqued, a good place to start is by selecting the type of water feature you want. Some factors to consider are how much space you have, what your budget it, and what purpose you want this yard addition to serve. If you find that a store-bought water feature is not in your budget, the good news is you can always make one of your own.

The type of water feature you can realistically get will depend on the answers to more specific questions. The first is what purpose is your water feature serving? This will help narrow down your selection and understand why you should be adding an outdoor water feature to begin with. If drowning out noise is the priority, you'll likely want to choose an attraction with moving water, like a tiered fountain instead of a still pond. Meanwhile, if you also need visual privacy, a larger fountain may be more beneficial than a smaller one.

The next thing you should consider is how much space you have for this. You can get away with 16 by 16 inches of space for a vase fountain, while a majestic waterfall requires a much bigger area. Properly size up any potential locations with measuring tape and compare this to the dimensions of your water feature to ensure your yard has the capacity to fit your desired structure.

Lastly, you may want to think about what your budget is. Water features can range from affordable to wildly expensive. Not only does this depend on the size of what you're installing, but also the labor and material cost. The price for the fountain itself — without additional labor or materials — can vary from as low as $50 to over $6,000. Set your budget by deciding on the size, materials, and complexity of the project.

If you're more of a DIY-er, you can make your own water feature using materials you might already have at home. You can reuse an old wheelbarrow or create your own water structure with two pots — a small one and a larger one. Terracotta pots work well, but you can also use resin containers, like DIY Stories did on YouTube. You'll also need a water pump, fountain tip, hose pipe, and large stones. Begin by taking your large pot and placing the water pump inside with the electric cord hanging outside. Attach the hose pipe to the nozzle of the water pump. Then, take the fountain tip and detach the pipette portion. Attach the pipette to the hose pipe. Next, take your smaller pot and run the hose pipe and pipette through the drainage hole of the pot. Now, the smaller pot should fit inside the larger pot and will cover the water pump. 

The hose pipe and pipette portion should stick out. Reattach the fountain tip to its pipette. Use your stones to fill the space within the larger pot. They will cover everything but the top of the fountain tip. Add water to your terracotta pot, being careful not to wet the electric cord. Finally, plug in the cord to a nearby outlet and your DIY fountain is ready to go! Alternatively, you can use a submersible water fountain that is solar powered to avoid needing an outlet near your fountain.