Hiring a professional landscaper to install a water feature can run you several thousand dollars. You can do one yourself for a fraction of the cost. If you plan to sell your home in the near future, installing a water feature may not be a good investment. Water features are a safety risk for children. Chances are that you will not recoup your investment in property value. It may even decrease your property value. Do your homework before embarking upon a large project. Check with officials for pemits that may be required. Always check with Dig Safe.

Water features can be elaborate incorporating several waterfalls, a stream, and a pond. These are great if you have lots of land and a natural slope. For this article the focus will be on inexpensive designs you can do yourself in small gardens, a garden room, or on a deck or patio area.

A very simple feature is to use a round heavy plastic container like the ones that are sold for beverages or a half whiskey barrel outfitted with a tub enclosure. This container can be placed on a deck or in the garden. Add a few small goldfish and an assortment of pond plants and it's all set. Place some potted plants around it to dress up the area. A bubbler can be added for sound if you prefer. The container can be mounted on a wheeled plant stand for easy relocating if necessary.

A plastic container or rigid pond liner can be sunk into the ground thus providing a watering hole for birds and mammals that visit your yard. Adding a few goldfish will keep the water free of mosquito larvae. Choose some pond plants that will keep down algae growth. A pile of flat stones in the water allow birds to drink and bathe. You can also do an inground pond using a flexible liner. This allows for flexibility in shape. Judith Barton has details how to do this in her article Build a Garden Pond Using a Flexible Liner.

Before water features became a fad, Dave and I decided we wanted a small pond. It couldn't be too deep as the bedrock is only 1-2 feet below the soil. It had to be self-contained so there was no chance of salt water contamination from the ocean storm surges. We also didn't have much of a budget. We decided that a discarded cast iron bathtub would work just fine. The drainage hole in the bottom was sealed with silicon. The hole for the drain stopper was perfect to thread the pump hose out the back of the tub to create a cascade water fall over a piled assortment of strategically placed rocks over the top of the tub. The edges of the tub are camoflaged with slightly overhanging flat rocks from the beach locked in with sand. Moss and spreading phlox grow between these rocks. There are two steps up from the garden path to the tub as it couldn't be sunk deep enough. The sides gently slope away. The pond has been in place for over 10 years. We've replaced the pump twice. The only cost was the pump and silicon sealer. Goldfish live here along with native plants from a large area pond. Reuse and recycle are definately a large part of decorating the yard and do-it-yourself garden projects.