Wishing Well May Help Yard Dreams Come True Wooden ‘Bricks’ Avoid Need To Deal With Mortar In Building Enclosure

Even though this do-it-yourself wishing well doesn’t hold water, it does hold plenty of plants and flowers and brightens any outdoor setting.

Set it up near a shade tree, add a couple of benches, and you’ve made a big improvement to the yard without spending big money.

Several work-saving steps make the well easy to build, even for amateur do-it-yourselfers.

The “bricks” that form the walls of the well, for instance, are 9-inch-long sections cut from standard 2-by-4 lumber. They are laid on a template, then nailed and glued.

There’s no brick-laying or mortaring.

The rest of the well uses standard lumber, too: 4-by-6s for the posts, 2-by-6s for the eaves, and a single 4-by-8 sheet of plywood for the roof.

Both redwood and red cedar lumber work well, because both withstand the elements and require little maintenance. Fir or a similar plywood is used for the roof.

The completed well is 4 feet in diameter and almost 7 feet tall and includes finishing touches such as an authentic bucket and an operating windlass and crank handle.

The Wishing Well plan, No. 371, is $6.50 and includes detailed step-bystep instructions with 13 photos, fullsize patterns for all curved cuts, and a shopping list and cutting schedule.

Also available is the Lawn Packet, No. C23, which is $12.50 and comes with plans for eight outdoor projects, including this wishing well, a chaise lounge, bird shelters and more.

In addition, a catalog picturing hundreds of other do-it-yourself projects, many for the yard, lawn or garden, is $3.95. Prices include sales tax, postage and handling.

MEMO: To order, clip this article and send it with a check or money order to U-Bild Features, c/o The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2383, Van Nuys, CA 91409-2383. Specify plan number and allow three to four weeks for delivery. For first-class mail, add $1 per item.