Outdoor Fountains Bring the River to You
Chill out with a custom or kit water feature for your patio or yard — there's even one for a furry friend
It's summer. It's hot. You wish you were floating down a river in an inner tube, but you aren't. Even if the season's got you stuck working your normal city routine, you can still come home to a little riverfront R & R with the help of a water feature. Imagine enjoying all the cooling and relaxing properties you love about a river, without those pesky mosquitoes.
Japanese Style
The landscape design-build team of Statile & Todd gave this courtyard a tranquil feel by way of a kit fountain from Stone Forest.
How it works: Much like a custom fountain, a kit fountain has its accompanying water basin reserve hidden under the rocks.
Cost: A fountain of this size can run about $400 to $500.
The landscape design-build team of Statile & Todd gave this courtyard a tranquil feel by way of a kit fountain from Stone Forest.
How it works: Much like a custom fountain, a kit fountain has its accompanying water basin reserve hidden under the rocks.
Cost: A fountain of this size can run about $400 to $500.
Dogs Love Water, Too
No dog can resist a day at the river. This feature from California Waterscapes comes as a kit that includes a choice of rocks.
Cost: The entire package costs about $650.
No dog can resist a day at the river. This feature from California Waterscapes comes as a kit that includes a choice of rocks.
Cost: The entire package costs about $650.
Looking for more river-like water features to inspire you?
Water falleth from it. The backyard water experience doesn't have to stop with a single water feature. Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture married a waterfall with a hot tub. Water generously flows into a thick pile of pebbles to delight the eyes and ears, even when the hot tub isn't in use.
Water falleth from it. The backyard water experience doesn't have to stop with a single water feature. Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture married a waterfall with a hot tub. Water generously flows into a thick pile of pebbles to delight the eyes and ears, even when the hot tub isn't in use.
A water feature runs through it. Water runs over the Cor-Ten-steel-edged, rock-filled pool custom created by Bianchi Design. The water flows down into a small channel filled with pebbles for a wonderfully cooling effect in the desert setting.
A meditative stone. This natural-stone fountain, installed by Alderwood Landscaping, provides a quiet spot in the backyard for thinking or zoning out.
Next: Browse thousands of outdoor water feature designs
Next: Browse thousands of outdoor water feature designs
Architect Chris Parlette of WA Design brought that vacation feeling home with this custom three-tower structure.
How it works: It's made of concrete that was poured onsite. Pipes are embedded within each of the three towers and connect to their respective copper spouts. Water drains into a 1½-inch pile of river rocks, creating a gentle splash. A copper pan underneath collects the water for recirculation by way of the feature's single pump, located in the Cor-Ten steel box at the base. An indoor wall switch controls the fountain.
Cost: Though it's difficult to put an exact price tag on this project because it was part of a larger backyard remodel, Parlette estimates a replica could be made for about $1,000 to $2,000.