How To Build a Stone Water Fountain | Ask This Old House

In this video, Ask This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada and mason Mark McCullough team up to build a simple stone water feature that makes a big impact.
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Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada and mason Mark McCullough team up to install a water feature for a bubbly new project. By tapping Mark’s secret stash of hand-selected boulders and Jenn’s knowledge of landscaping features, the two put together a stone water fountain made from basic materials that homeowners can find at most hardware supply stores.
Skill: 2/5
Cost: Around $150
Time: 4 hours
Materials:
Fountain basin with lid [amzn.to/3odTrvJ]
250 GPH fountain pump [amzn.to/3HwwVpi]
Large boulder [thd.co/3gaTTGu]
Accessory rocks [beachpebbles.com/]
Old nail or screw for scratching the stone
Tools:
Safety glasses [amzn.to/3KUkshD]
Dust mask [amzn.to/3IRF487]
Straight edge [amzn.to/3KXFw6C]
Rotary hammer drill [amzn.to/3rifxPx] (rentable)
Stone drill bits [amzn.to/3IQ37UV]
Stone splitting feathers [amzn.to/343Kgal]
Small sledgehammer [amzn.to/3sc8MhI]
Bucket [amzn.to/3o9H6IU]
Where to find it?
Jenn and Mark team up to design and create a water feature out of a boulder. Jenn and Mark work together to split the boulder, sourced from Mark’s personal collection, in half using the feather and wedge technique. With a Bosch [bit.ly/3scrrKh] masonry drill [amzn.to/3rifxPx], they drill a series of holes across the center of the boulder. By placing feathers opposing one another in each hole and wedges in between each of the feathers, Mark is able to split the stone in half using a hammer. To finish they drill a hole through the center of the boulder that’s slightly larger than the width of the tubing, the tubing and water pump was assembled together in the fountain basin.
The fountain is powered by an MD Tidalwave MD-Series Pump [amzn.to/3HwwVpi] manufactured by Atlantic Water Gardens [www.atlanticwatergardens.com].
Pondmaster Adjustable Bell Fountain Kit [amzn.to/3AXvE8A] was provided by Pondmaster Store [www.pondmasterstore.com/].
The accessory rocks were supplied by Miami Beach Pebbles, Inc Decorative Stones [beachpebbles.com/].
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From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. Ask This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment-your home.
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How To Build a Stone Water Fountain | Ask This Old House
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[@paulnguzman]

7:34 While you're both doing this, Richard is wondering where his buckets are lol. Looks great though and would be a fun project this summer!

[@ronevans852]

Wow , that’s unbelievable how they split that rock. Very nice.

[@tommartinez62]

This has been done for years, the fancy basin and lid are new. I used a very small kiddie pool, river rock is cheap so I filled that with rock. It keeps the water clean enough to keep the pump from plugging up as well.

[@DouglasBlake]

It seems like some of the center hole drilling process was edited out. It didn't look like that drill could plunge deep enough to go all the way through, plus the rock was sitting on the ground, making me think the bit would hit the floor.

[@smoke.007]

Agree. I was pretty interested to see what trick or tool they used to drill all the way through that big rock, but it was skipped. Bummer. I'm guessing they just swapped out to a longer drill bit to finish the job..?

[@spaceavenger54]

@@smoke.007 saw another video and they used a hammer drill.

[@BirdBath1]

Look at bird bath 🍇😎

[@todd2456]

Thanks again for the help, Kevin.

[@louisel.sinniger2057]

Wow, love this. That wasn’t so hard to do. As a nurse soon to retire that also at one time worked in the trades people just ignore their body mechanics! Unfortunately, that in itself is like another field of study… how to properly take care of self. I still LOVE doing my own property care. Keeps me fit! That’s for this great project.

[@steve0852]

I have been considering putting in a easy to assemble water feature in my garden and this certainly fits the bill. I followed the link for the fountain basin with lid and what was presented was not what was used in the demonstration. The other thing is $150 seems a bit low on the estimated cost. Not complaining because the video does point me in the direction I need to go. To the Ask This Old House crew, I appreciate the tips and techniques you present. Thanks.

[@1982pantro]

She went with the exploding handshake at the end.............smooth😎

[@JoseHernandez-tc1kl]

Wow that’s is beautiful 🤩

[@Rush23]

She definitely has the equipment oh my

[@peterpowers4851]

I have never seen anyone that excited about a stone. I love it!

[@DctorSkillz1]

This segment rocks. 👌

[@mpmarvin999]

🌽 knee

[@angiereyna3738]

I miss your program every Saturday morning PBS channel 28, 50 n 58 from LA CA

[@SlackerU]

I was thinking of using an air-lift pump b/c it won't clog as easily or burn up if forgotten. Though my sump would probably need to be deeper to air-lift.

[@TheRealCannonCooper]

Would have been nice to see then put some bricks in the basin to support the lid and drill the stone when it was larger.

[@MeLlamoDJ]

Agreed. The tall stone would have looked much more impressive.

[@paulfafard918]

Shame they did not show the hole being drilled through the stone, I wonder what kind of bit and drill is used.

[@cup_and_cone]

Hammer drill and carbide masonry bit.

[@MeLlamoDJ]

They did. 6:30

[@mpmarvin999]

@@MeLlamoDJ there’s no way the drill bit went all the way through.

[@MrDflores1]

@@mpmarvin999 They just used a longer version of the same bit. Looks like they started with 6” long bit then likely switched to a 12” or 18”.

[@rupe53]

for those who don't have fancy power tools you could just do a stack of rocks around the pipe and call it quits. If you must have a rock, there are fake rocks sold to cover well heads that look decent from a distance. I have seen them 1, 2, and 3 ft tall, made from fiberglass.

[@PiranhaJaw22]

Richard wants his buckets back

[@jrkawasakiz149]

Great job to everyone I've always like to show ever since I was a kid very educational thank you all so much 👍 ☺️

[@Magesandrogue]

very cool. some of the pumps you can adjust the water flow, so that if. you like sometimes a little more subtle, you can dial it down more.

[@SleepyKittens]

You can buy a adjustment valve accessory to tweak the flow

[@peterhanson3962]

Is it just me or was that drill bit too short to go all the way through that stone/rock?

[@karlhungusjr1]

"the magic of television"

[@cup_and_cone]

And no bottom stop, either...like they were going to drill into the floor after punching through.

[@gmi109]

Too short and way too small of diameter given the hole size they ended up with!

[@leoharskamp5930]

not only the depth of the drill for the hole where the waterpipe went through, have a close look at the diameter, that is substantially larger as well. they must have used an expensive drillbit which they didn't dell us about

[@mpmarvin999]

The rock is free but the drill bit is going to cost you big time

[@rerolley]

We put a water feature out back and it attracted a lot of birds.

[@franksmith7247]

🐦🦜🦆🦉

[@andyneipert2527]

I like that lot

[@Guardducks]

Thanks guys, now i have to ho to the restroom. Lol

[@richardkenworthy9312]

Would you have to clean that out ones and awhile?

[@mellissabrighton4879]

Hi I'm from Australia🇦🇺 I am going to try and make a fountain like that one day I have made a fountain at home in the future I will be making all types of fountains and Aquariums too soon

[@Zethanie]

What is the name of the larger apparatus to which the rotary hammer drill is attached?

[@bartgoins1782]

Very nice. A shame they split a perfectly natural rock, when they could have just used a smaller rock to start with.

[@johnvoorhees2331]

can u get a solar powered pump and are they adjustable on flow..i would have turnd this down

[@nastyhvacr]

Somewhere Richard is looking for his orange bucket.

[@miltonrivera2666]

What happened to “This Ol House”? We don’t see it anymore on PBS in the Chicagoland area.

[@Yessssz]

Is there a way to routinely clean or disinfect these for the birds?

[@ChakatNightspark]

I would have also thrown in a few quartz rocks around it. Just to break up the black color a little bit. Instead of it being solid blackish wet color.

[@toneystevens5023]

Racist.

[@rupe53]

you can also add fish tank gravel (comes in colors) or a bag of glass marbles.

[@hannahlostsheep]

Always purchase a pump that you can adjust the water flow or attach a valve to hose to adjust water flow. The water was pumping to high, causing extreme splash out. The water flow should only rise about 1 inch out of the top of the rock. This feature they built will have to constantly be refilled due to splash out. If not monitored the pump could burn out from lack of water in basin.

[@peehandshihtzu]

Rock Lobsta!

[@bobbysweeney5377]

Aaaand make sure you can adjust your pump flow or you'll be put if water and burn your pump up by tomorrow or the next day, or if Murphys Law applies to your house too, the first time you leave it running alone. 😉

[@tylermpyle001]

Where can I find the basin????

[@IcyS7uff828]

Can’t wait to do nothing with this informational video. Just here to have a good watch

[@LarryDickman1]

Nice job. However, your links do not match the items in the video.

[@brianvernaglia9449]

I assume you have to disassemble this entire thing and get the pump out in winter time. Not so convenient. But still really pretty!

[@mpmarvin999]

I don’t think so. I’m guessing all you’d have to do is have the pump take all the water out until it’s spitting air and then you’re good

[@benbuckley2738]

Do you leave this running 24/7? Or is it better to only have it run while you are outside enjoying it?

[@suzanneott5371]

I would suggest letting it run 24/7 because standing water is great for mosquitoes to breed.

[@johnadair6108]

Yeah...not the same hole...would have been nice to see the entire process

[@superspecialty5169]

Why not use a smaller rock? I enjoy all the tips, though.

[@dennismeyers2008]

Kevin always touching stuff.

[@sarafox4375]

Wow i think I can do this one. Just would find a rock that didn't need splitting first.

[@johnnysins4158]

Jenn could get it.

[@jonplatz2929]

Cool. My experience with such is maintenance issues. It's really just making another biosphere in your landscape so any tips on the planning front to help with the sludge and algae? Maybe the lid kind of "solves" that by eliminating sunlight?

[@TechMan1900]

The lid will help, and so would chlorine tablets, but you’ll still have to go in there to clean debris every once and a while.

[@emmanuelgutierrez8616]

Adding a large sponge like pad around the intake on the pump to add 4 months till your next service. you can add some pond snails after a month to help last even more, IF you want to try without chlorine, which is dumb to use and can hurt the wildlife that comes to drink.

[@TechMan1900]

@@emmanuelgutierrez8616 the chlorine won’t hurt wildlife at all if dosed correctly

[@emagee7864]

Biosphere maintenance albatross. Bugs and debris will enter the holes. Without regular maintenance, it will be another rock in the garden. Even the pump will go bad one day.

[@emmanuelgutierrez8616]

@@TechMan1900 your talking about dogs, I'm talking about bees down to beneficial bacteria and light algae. I'd add moss around to steal energy away from potential algae

[@agomodern]

The first rock they showed is a totally different one than the one they split, or am I just imagining things?

[@rupe53]

the rolled the rock on it's side.

[@degenwow]

How do we prevent water loss due to evaporation on rocks, and little side-spray loss of water ? do we refill the basin once in a month?

[@tmurphy0919]

There are float valves for that purpose, assuming you can run a water line to the feature. They're similar to the float valve in your toilet tank. Otherwise, yeah, it's up to you. At the rate their example is splashing, at least once or twice a week for a manual refill would be my guess but then I did the math. Estimating 1 tablespoon per minute, which seems low, that basin will lose 5 1/2 gallons out of 8 in 24 hours. It would probably stop pumping at around a gallon or so left in the basin, potentially killing the pump. Either the flow on the ToH model should be adjusted lower, use a smaller pump, or use a wider basin.

[@tomhoyt5970]

How about just finding a smaller rock ?

[@dogsoupblues]

For those asking about the drill depth, the holes don't go all the way through. They're only maybe 3" deep or so, enough for the wedges to not bottom out when completely in the hole.

[@Revlemmon]

They are talking about the hole used for the pipe from the pump not the holes used for the wedges.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

It's beautiful.....now I just need to find a pretty rock and get someone to drill it for me 😄

[@miltonrivera2666]

Typo …This Old House.

[@2loco]

I'm watching this while stoned.

[@LuisGomez-pg2qk]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@toneystevens5023]

Mark my words: The first time the Grand-kids come over, you'll need a new lid.

[@stinger3699]

They needed a slightly smaller pump for that. Too much water is splashing off the rock.

[@davidwitte8469]

I’m mad they cut that stone. Reinforce the basin or buy/make one more sturdy. A keg would hold a rock double that size.

[@Sup90210]

Agreed. There’s a serious shortage of stones and rocks in the world. We should be preserving as many as possible.

[@danbev8542]

Actually, I think the rock looked much more interesting before they cut it.

[@dkhnova]

Could have supported the stone with a cinder block or two in the basin.

[@jimbo5446]

@@Sup90210facetious?

[@malikdigger4544]

Wouldn't have been just use brick pieces instead of stones & could use a strong aluminum or copper barrel better than little black pan.

[@Bremend]

Can the next video be how to get this ready for winter?

[@StoneE4]

Sure... A one second video that simply says, "Drain it."

[@donc-m4900]

but no drain. now only if there was a pump... lol

[@Zincink]

Don't laugh at my solar fountain cause it works just as nice..it just doesn't have a fancy rock although I could add one...

[@ericc3359]

This 10 min video can really be shortened to 2 min and you won’t miss anything important …

[@MeLlamoDJ]

Looks like someone had the close-up camera set to 60fps and forgot to set it to 2x speed in post to get it back to regular speed. So much slow mo.

[@johnbuck5181]

It’s to get younger viewers. Not joking

[@tunnelwind1]

this has nothing to do with this video. to keep your pipes from freezing you turn on the water very slow to keep the water moving so it will not freeze. but then you waste water. what if you install a circulating pump in the line to trun on when its really cold to keep from freezing. would that work.

[@anton1949]

Everybody must get...

[@ccoit]

I think these two need to get a room after this.

[@richardjoseph8683]

Nothing new been done forever. Who's the new guy Jim?

[@williamdooley4801]

Bullshit they totally glossed over the drilling. That’s a much larger process with a core drill and the pump pushed water way past the lid, which means it would run out of water right away and they didn’t talk about how you have to refill that they they made it look so much easier than the reality of what it would be.

[@danielmaldonado9781]

I love it when women get their hands working like this shows how women can do what men can do

[@a-g3003]

I will actually give some stone away. Here take a rock.

[@ALAPINO]

If one were take this banter out of context. HA!

[@donc-m4900]

I had the movie 'Ghost' in my head. not clay but stones.

[@ALAPINO]

@@donc-m4900 That's a good one too!

[@mattypants]

For one, that pump is WAY over rated for what they are doing. With that mich over splash youll be filling that basin up daily

[@gregcollins3404]

I see enough water splashing beyond the basin that this thing is going to quit fountaining after about a day...

[@tmurphy0919]

Yep. At the low estimate of one tbsp/min lost, about 30 hours.

[@rupe53]

most people won't run this 24 hours a day but you will still need to top it up a few times a week.

[@scottbiltz5480]

The most important part for someone doing this is how to drill the hole. The video showed a 2 inch long bit. The stone was a foot thick. So the most critic as l part was skipped. Wasted 10 minutes.

[@MrBillwynn]

Basin is way too small.

[@curiosity2314]

Bummer a Bosch commercial. 😡

[@tomreyes4908]

Gloves? Safety First!

[@chrisingle5839]

Perfect way to waste electricity!

[@VeretenoVids]

Yes, they should have discussed the solar pumps available.

[@crazymuthaphukr]

I have a large hard rock I'd like Jenn to help me out with as well.

[@Zincink]

Is that your brain? lol

[@johnlebzelter4208]

I consider myself a gentleman, but does anyone know Jen’s Body measurements?

[@davidgarfinkel7033]

You don’t sound like a gentleman

[@michaele1201]

she is Married. leave it alone

[@toneystevens5023]

I measured my screen and she's about 12 inches however your screen may be a different size so that may not help.

[@donc-m4900]

How many stone is she???

[@SerielThriller]

That barrel wont hold 250 gallons of water.

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

It's not supposed to hold that much water.....The pump just circulates that much water in an hour.

[@StoneE4]

🤣🤣🤣

[@alexqq3117]

LOL... not practical

[@DctorSkillz1]

What an unnecessary amount of slow motion. 👎

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