Finally, we have the backyard water feature we’ve been dreaming about for years! This post is about the journey of how we built a DIY Outdoor Water Wall Privacy Screen ourselves and how we did it for around $300.

Because we are not professional builders, sharing our outdoor waterfall build is intended to inspire you not to give up on a dream for your outdoor living space. Also, hopefully, it will encourage you to think outside the readymade box to get the outdoor water feature of your dreams with the satisfaction of building it yourself.

DIY Outdoor Water Wall Privacy Screen

Without any experience in this area of construction, we are proud of how we two amateurs created this wonderful trickling water fountain wall for our backyard. After a lot of searching, we figured if we were ever going to have a relaxing outdoor water feature that met our small budget, we would have to build it ourselves.

After a lot of deliberation, Mr. Frugalista and I came up with an idea we were both happy with. For one, it realized our dream for a large water feature in our yard, and two, it serves as a deck privacy screen.

Sourcing Water Wall Building Materials

Pen and paper in hand, we drew out the plans for our backyard water fountain and went on a mission to source building materials. What lumber to use was easy but what material we used for the water to trickle down was another thing.

The process of finding reclaimed tempered glass started with Mr. Frugalista searching for a sheet of copper. By happenstance, he came across two sheets of reed tempered glass at a local salvage yard for only $15 each. The direction for our water wall build suddenly took a new direction.

Suggestions For Water Wall Placement

Some ideas for where to place an outdoor water wall feature would be on a stone patio (like ours in the photo below), on a backyard deck as a privacy screen (like in the photo above), on a porch, or even an apartment balcony. For the latter, of course, you'd have to check with your condo board and make sure your balcony is rated for the weight.

Our patio water wall used to be situated on a stone patio adjacent to our gazebo. While it looked lovely flanked by matching cedar planters, the soft trickle of the water could only be faintly heard from the deck.

How To Build An Outdoor Water Wall

Here is the process of how to build a DIY water wall from conception to completion. The satisfaction that comes with a do-it-yourself project, especially with reclaimed materials, that can be made without breaking the bank is the motivation for most projects you'll find here on the blog.

"Our home has been renovated with sweat equity and like pages in a book, every room (indoors and out) has a story." ~Marie

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommended for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Pictured below are most of the supplies we used to build our water wall, minus the two plastic flower planters on the right. I've included a materials and tool list further down in the post.

Instructions For Building A DIY Water Wall

We built this water wall feature for our own personal use and as I pointed out earlier, we are not professional builders. This step-by-step tutorial is based on our building knowledge only. However, if you are a do-it-yourselfer like us, you'll find these steps helpful if you plan on making a version of our budget-friendly DIY Water Wall.

We need to talk about safety...

Water Wall Dimensions

The size of the water wall is determined by the size of the tempered glass panels you use. We purposely did not include the dimensions of our tempered glass for this reason. Tempered glass is expensive and if you plan on building this in a budget-friendly fashion like we did, you will need to search local salvaged yards or places like Habitat ReStore for salvaged tempered glass. DO NOT use regular glass.

Water Wall: 60" high x 52" wide
Base Only: 12" deep x 18" wide x 52" long (outside measurement)

Step 1 - Base Construction

Build the frame for the base with 2" x 2" lumber as pictured below.

Step 2 - Water Trough Construction

Build a plywood box to fit inside the frame. This will house the pond pump, secure the glass to the base, and hold the water.

What We Would Do Differently

Had we to do it again, instead of building a separate water trough box we would simply line the inside of the base (pictured above) with plywood.

Step 3 - Base Assembly

You can skip this step if you incorporate our suggestion in the previous step.

Insert the box into the frame of the base. You can see it is raised from the bottom and supported by 2" x 2" lumber. Why? So the trough is shallower than the base to hold less water.

Step 4 - Glass Support Installation

Attach wood slats to the bottom of the trough to secure the tempered glass panels to the base.

You can see in the photo below that the pond pump fits nicely between the glass and the sidewall. Please note, this is NOT the step where you install the water pump, at this phase, we are just providing a visual of where the pump will sit in Step 11.

Step 5 - Water Trough Liner

Line the water trough with a pond liner and attach it to the top ONLY with staples. At this point add some water and test to ensure there are no leaks.

Step 6 - Water Wall Uprights

Attach 1" x 6" x 60" pressure-treated deck boards on the outer center of each side of the base which becomes the uprights of the water wall.

Strap each side of the upright on the base with two pieces of a scrap deck board to make the sides flush for wrapping the tongue & groove around the base in the next step.

Step 7 - Finish Base Exterior

With a pneumatic nail gun, install the cedar tongue & groove closet liner around the exterior of the base.

Step 8 - Base Trim

Trim the base with ripped cedar fence boards and 1" x 1" wood slats.

Step 9 - Conceal Pump

On the back of the base, on the side where the pump will be installed, cut a short piece of trim that will be screwed from the top. This will allow for the cord to be concealed underneath. Put it aside for now until Step 12.

Step 10 - Tempered Glass Installation

Installing the tempered glass is a two-person job.

• Mark the center of the uprights at the top.
• Secure one 2" x 2" on the backside of your mark.
• Place the glass between the grooves in the base and rest the top of the glass on the 2" x 2" you just installed.
• Secure the front 2" x 2" to hold the glass in place.

Step 11 - Water Tube Installation

• Place the pond pump on the bottom of the water trough as per the example in Step 4.
• Attach the flexible plastic tubing with couplings and clamps inside the center of the upright.
• Attach an elbow at the top.
• Using a 3/16" drill bit make holes in the top piece spaced about 1-inch apart. The size of the holes determines the strength of the water flow.
• Important: Drill the holes on the side of the tubing that rests taut against the glass to ensure the water trickles down the glass.
• Start with small holes and submerge the pump in a pail of water to test the flow. Increase the size of the holes in increments until you have the flow you desire. Take your time with this step to get the flow just right.
• Fill the end of the tube with silicone to seal it off.
• Use screws and large washers to hold the tubing in place into the top 2" x 2".

Step 12 - Conceal Water Tubes

Once satisfied with the water flow, conceal the tubing by boxing in around the uprights with cedar fence boards (pictured below). This is where you install the small piece of trim on the back from Step 9 to conceal the electrical cord from the pump.

Step 13 - Finishing Touches

• Last but not least apply two coats of stain. We used Behr semi-transparent in Sagebrush Green to match our cedar flower planters.
• Add paving stones to the bottom of the trough, being careful not to rip the pond liner. Or you could use lightweight pool noodles.
• Fill the rest of the cavity with river rock. The previous step simply helps decrease the amount of river rock you'll need.
• Note: If you prefer a louder-sounding water wall, skip the previous two points and let the trickling water hit directly onto the water in the trough.
• Fill the trough with water.
• Plugin the water wall and the pump will prime for a few seconds before the water starts trickling down the glass. Don't be alarmed by the sound.

How Often Do You Have To Replenish The Water?

It's important that you check the water level on a regular basis for water evaporation. Depending on how often you use it and the weather conditions, it may need to be filled more often.

We use ours only when we are outside and fill it with water about once a week. If you live in a hot climate and use your water wall every day, you most likely will have to top it off daily.

We choose a very soft trickle with smaller holes for a relaxing sound as the water hits the rocks below (pictured below).

How To Illuminate The Water Wall With Solar Lights

At night the water wall is backlit with a trio of spotlights (pictured below). Holes were drilled into the trim to hold the base of each light and the wires are concealed underneath. The solar panel is situated in our flower garden where it gets lots of sunshine throughout the day.

The spotlights are pointing upwards towards the glass. It's hard to see in the photo below, taken at dusk, but the entire glass is illuminated on the water wall.

As promised, I've included both a tool and materials list below.

Water Wall Tool List

• Table saw
• Compound Mitre Saw
• Power Drill
• Pneumatic Nail Gun
• Small Compressor
• Staple Gun
• Tape Measure
• Level

Water Wall Materials List

Pond Pump

• Check the rating on the Pond Pump to ensure that it will carry the water to the desired height. For example; if your wall is 5 feet high, the pump needs to be rated for a minimum 60-inch water lift.
• The pump needs to fit between the wall of the water trough and the glass.
• It is ideal to purchase a pump where the motor and value portion come apart. This will make it easier to remove the motor to store it indoors during the winter in colder freezing climates.
• Ours was purchased at Home Depot and is made by Angelo Decor, Model No. TPD-300H.

Pond Liner

Pond Liner - small sheet approximately 5' x 5'

Tempered Glass

As mentioned at the top of this post, the size of the water wall is determined by the size of the glass. For safety reasons, YOU MUST USE TEMPERED GLASS.

Water Tubing

• Flexible Plastic Tubing or Copper Tubing
• Approximately 10 feet (could use copper tubing if you're handy with soldering)
• Related connectors: 4 elbows and approximately 12 clamps

Lumber

• 2" x 2" x 8' (approximately 12 pieces)
• 1/4" or 3/8" plywood to build a water trough (approximately 4' x 4' sheet)
• 1" x 6" x 8' pressure treated lumber (2 pieces)
• 1" x 6" x 8' cedar fence boards (approximately 14 pieces)
• 1 pkg tongue and groove cedar closet liner
• 2 pieces of scrap lumber (to hold the glass inside the water trough)

Other Materials

• 3-4 bags of river rock
• wood screws (3-inch for base frame, 1 1/2-inch for all else)
• construction glue
• staples
• Solar Spotlights

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by the DIY outdoor wall wall privacy screen. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this DIY water feature, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your favorite board on Pinterest.

If building a large water feature is not an option, we also turned a trio of plant pots into a Plant Pot Water Fountain. We also made a Solar Powered Plant Pot Fountain option that can be made in less than 15 minutes.

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Published in:

Country Sampler Gardens 2019 Magazine

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