How To Build A Backyard Water Feature

Prep Work:

Flip your sump over to use as a guide of how wide to dig your hole. Use some sand and to put around the edges of your sump as a guide. Now you’re ready to dig your hole. Dig it a little deeper than the depth of your sump, as you will be putting some river sand in the bottom to level your sump. When your hole is dug, check the depth and you are ready to begin your DIY project.

Now For the Hard Labor:

1. Put some river sand in the bottom of your hole. Make sure the sand is as level as can be. Place your sump down into the hole and now you are ready to level it. Grab your level to check for precision. You won’t have a chance to go back later to re-level your sump, so make sure you can live with it.
2. Place some water in your sump to hold it in place while you backfill the sides. Now is also a good time to make sure your sump is tamped down tight before the next step of backfilling.
3. You’re ready to backfill. When you backfill, you will want your cement mixture to fill clear up to the rim and have an edge to place some pebbles in. Your cement mix should be 4 parts sand to 1 part cement mix. Make sure it is mixed up well before you backfill.  * Handy Tip – Wet the soil around the area slightly before backfilling to help the cement bond to the surface well for best results.
4. When your mortar/cement mix is in place, you are ready to place the pebbles. When placing them, tamp them into the mortar slightly with a rubber mallet. *you can remove the water from the sump now as well.
5. Place some bricks down in the sump so you can place the platform across the top of your water feature. Your platform will need to have some holes drilled in it with your hole saw to allow the water to pass through. Drill a hole in the middle of your platform that is wide enough to have a hose pass through. Your platform also needs to have an access panel in it to you can place the pump down inside.
6. Now you are ready to attach your pump to a hose. The pump is just a standard under water pump. (The pump in the video only allows the water to flow. You can also buy a larger pump with some more horse power if you want your water to shoot up higher in your water feature) Place the pump in your sump down through the access panel and pull the hose through the middle hole. *Handy Tip – Route the electrical cable to the nearest plug in by means of a buried conduit. 
7. You are now ready to place your pot. Make sure there is a hole in the bottom of your pot large enough for the hose to go through. Pots generally come with many holes in the bottom, so make sure you seal the other holes up with some silicone. The only hole that should remain in your pot is the one for the hose to access. Place your pot on the platform and pull the hose through.
8. Once your pot is placed, use your PVC to cover up the hose. This will protect the hose from moving out of place when you place your rocks in the pot and will provide it some stability. Grab that silicone once again and make sure no water can get back down the opening where the hose is coming through. In other words, waterproof the opening once your hose and PVC are place.
9. Once the silicone is dry, place a brick over your PVC to provide some more added stability. You don’t want the rocks to break the seal around your PVC and hose whatsoever.
10. Now for the finishing touches. Fill your pot with stones right up to the top, and even spread around the outside some. Fill up all the remaining spaces with rock in other words.

There you have it. Add some water and turn your pump on. You are ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Feel free to watch the short video below to follow along step-by-step if you are more of a visual learner.

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