Pond Offers Retreat From Summer Heat

When it’s hot, the cool spray and soothing sounds of running water can provide a refreshing escape. With this waterfall-fountainfishpond project, do-it-yourselfers can create a private retreat and a focal point for landscaping in their own back yards.

Best of all, they can do it all without the help of expensive contractors. The pond pictured here measures approximately 4 feet wide by 16 feet long and holds 300 gallons of water.

The project follows several basic steps, from prepping a site and digging a hole to forming a wire framework, installing a pump and pouring and sealing concrete. It takes time and some heavy lifting, but if a few friends help, the work goes fast. Once the pond is done, finishing touches can include benches, stepping stones, trees, shrubbery, flowers, even goldfish.

Materials for this project, including concrete, plaster, sealant, decorative boulders, steel rods, chicken wire, PVC pipe and a pump, can be found in most home centers.

The Waterfall-FountainFishpond plan, No. 508, is $6.50 and includes thorough step-by-step directions with 20 photos and a complete list of materials.

A plan for another cool hotweather project, a water wheel, No. 664, is also available for $6.50. A catalog picturing hundreds of do-it-yourself projects is $3.95. Prices include sales tax, postage and handling (for first-class mail, add $1 per item).

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. Please specify plan numbers.