A Patio Fountain

On hand to help with the project is landscape architect David Yakish, who explains that adding a fountain will make the garden feel cooler with the movement of water. The fountain will also help drown out neighborhood sounds--dogs barking, planes overhead, etc.--so that Hall will have a more pleasing backyard environment.

When considering a fountain design, Yakish says, there are a couple of principals to keep in mind: 1) make sure the fountain is attractive when viewed from inside the home, and 2) make sure the fountain complements its surroundings.

About this project:

• Will cost about $2,300 vs. $5,000 to $6,000 for a professional to do it for you.
• Can be accomplished in a few weekends.
• Has a difficulty rating of 3 out of 5 (with 5 being most difficult).

Step One: Cobbling the Fountain
 
Before you begin, make sure your cobblestones are clean. This will help ensure that they stick firmly and neatly into the mortar. Choose the best and most attractive stones for the corners and borders of the fountain and then just fill in with other stones.

Use a mortar mix and add water, keeping it on the dry side so the cobbles won't slide around on the slope of the fountain dish.

Now lay down a three-inch deep bed of mortar in a space about one foot square (figure A), and embed the stones (figure B). Complete the cobbling in sections, starting from the center and moving up, until the entire dish is covered with stone.

Once the mortar has set for about two hours, rake between the stones with a stick to smooth and even out the mortar (figure C). Finish by brushing the cobbles with an old soft paintbrush or broom to remove excess mortar and neaten things up (figure D).

Step Two: Staining and Plumbing the Fountain
 
To make the stones stand out, or "pop," against the mortar, we now apply a chemical stain around the cobbles. Purchase the stain at any home supply center and brush it on the mortar (figure E). Over the course of several hours, the concrete will begin to darken, providing a nice contrast between the concrete and the light-colored cobbles. Seal the stained mortar with concrete sealer (figure F) and let dry.
 

Lower the submersible pump into the fountain dish and set it in place (figure G). Run the wire for the plug through a line that is buried under the concrete. Use a fish tape to fish for the wiring, attach the wires to the tapes (figure H) and pull them back through.
 

Add a plastic grate on top to hide the pump, and position a low-voltage underwater light nearby to illuminate the fountain (figure I). Place rocks on the grate to camouflage (figure J).

Plantings
 
A portion of the back garden is already established, but an adjacent area is almost bare. Landscape designer David Yakish plans to fill in all the beds with a variety of plants to create a mass of color.
 
A crape myrtle and a lemon tree will remain, because they already have size and look good where they are. To block the view of the neighbor's yard, Yakish will add two trees, and evergreen shrubs will be planted to soften the fence.

Step Three: Laying the Sod
 
Laying your own lawn really isn't that difficult to do, and you can save a lot of money doing the job yourself. To prepare the ground, you'll have to use a rototiller (if you don't own one, rototillers can be rented for about $80 a day). Add a layer of compost to your soil and till to a depth of about six inches. Once the soil is tilled, sprinkle on a time-release fertilizer.

Now it's time to roll out the sod. The grass you choose will be dependent on how you use your lawn. Thin-bladed grasses, for instance, look nice but are fragile. The grass that Hall chose for his back yard is a mix of a delicate bluegrass and a stronger fescue. Stagger the seams so the lawn doesn't look too lined at first. Water for 15 minutes a couple of times per day for a couple of weeks, until the sod has taken root. That's it!

Dave Hall's yard has been transformed from a bare, uninteresting area to an inviting haven complete with cobblestone bird sculptures done by a local artist.