DIY Pool Waterfall
You can create a spa-like environment at home with water, plants and an assortment of rocks. Building a decorative waterfall and pool system outside the house can give you a relaxing view from your window and provide a new recreational area for your whole family. It doesn't take much work to install your own waterfall-pool system. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Spray paint
- Shovel
- Pump basin (a large garbage can would do)
- Drill with 3/8-inch, 1-inch and 2-inch bits
- Pool liner underlayment
- Pool liner
- Shears
- Waterfall pump
- Water line
- Small rocks and gravel (1/2 ton for every 10 feet the stream bed runs, plus 1 to 1 1/2 tons for both of the pools)
- Large decorative rocks (enough to outline the stream and both pools)
- Flat rocks (enough to completely cover the bottom of the stream and upper pool)
- Foam sealant
Instructions
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1
Mark the boundaries of your waterfall-pool system with the spray paint. Outline an upper pool and a lower pool, with the upper pool on higher ground. Paint the outline of the stream running from the upper to the lower pool, and mark where you want your waterfall to go. It should be where the steepest natural drop in the stream's course is.
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2
Dig out the upper pool to a depth of at more than half a foot. It should be dug to a deeper level than the stream will be.
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3
Dig out the stream bed, to a depth of approximately 6 inches. Make sure that the stream flows downhill from the upper pool to the lower pool. When digging the stream bed, include a sharp vertical drop, or step, for the waterfall.
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4
Dig out the lower pool. It should be dug about a half-foot deeper than your pump basin is tall, and 2 feet wider than your pump basin is wide.
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5
Drill 2-inch holes spaced 4 inches apart all over the lower third of the pump basin. Cover the middle third in 1-inch holes, also spaced 4 inches apart. Cover the top third in 3/8-inch holes, also spaced 4 inches apart. These holes will keep water flowing into the pump in the right way while keeping rocks and gravel out.
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6
Remove any sharp or pointy objects from the bottom of the pools and the stream bed. Line the pools and stream bed with a layer of fabric underlayment and then a layer of pool liner. Cut them to size using the shears. The liners should extend about 2 feet beyond the edges.
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7
Put the pump into the pump basin. Put the pump basin into the lower pool. Lay the water line from the pump out of one of the holes in the pump basin, up the side of the stream, and into the upper pool. Put the lid on the pump basin.
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8
Fill the spaces around the pump basin with small rocks and gravel. Cover the top of the pump basin with a few inches of gravel.
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9
Line the edges of the pools and stream with large decorative rocks, chosen for their beauty. Cover the liner along the banks with a mixture of gravel and dirt, and mound it around the bases of the decorative rocks.
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10
Glue the flat stones to the bottom of the stream and upper pool with the foam sealant. Glue small stones and gravel to the liner to fill in any gaps between the larger stones. Allow the foam sealant to dry.
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11
Run water through the stream with a garden hose. Watch for leaks. If you find any, fix them with the foam sealant.
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12
Place decorative plants around the pools and stream. Fill the lower pool with water and turn on the pump.
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