I Did It Myself: Backyard fountain

PROJECT: Backyard fountain TIME: About one weekend COST: $200 HOW THEY DID IT: John and Kristi Anzivino's project started as a way to recycle a valuable piece of family history -- an old water pump originally used on Kristi's grandparents' homestead in South Dakota.

The Anzivinos created a backyard water feature out of the pump, the only source of water for Kristi's father's family while they were growing up. "It served them well and was removed when public water and sewer were finally installed in the home in the late 1960s," Kristi wrote. "We hauled the pump home to Virginia after one of our family reunions, and it took up residence in various garages over the next 40 years."

In May 2006, the Anzivinos secured an old whiskey barrel and outfitted it with a liner. A line of black plastic tubing was snaked up the shaft of the pump so that water would flow out of the nozzle. They built a plywood platform to elevate the stream of water over the edge of the barrel. They bolted the iron base to secure the pump and stacked field stone around the plywood base to camouflage the construction.

They drilled a hole in the bottom of the barrel and purchased a gasket and fittings to attach the submersible pump to the plastic tubing. The water feature is low maintenance and kept clean during the summer through occasional scrubbings and fresh water. They dismantle the fountain for the winter.

The Anzivinos have enjoyed the sound of splashing water from the recycled pump as they sit on the nearby stone patio or screened porch of their Glen Allen home. -- Julie Young

TELL US HOW YOU DID IT: Share your home project in 250 words or fewer with Julie Young, Home & Garden, I Did It Myself, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293, or e-mail . Include your name, address, phone number and, if possible, high-resolution photos of yourself and your project. The project must be one you did yourself.