Simple Fountains for Indoors & Outdoors: 20 Step-By-Step Projects [Hardcover]

Dorcas Adkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Everything readers need to know to create elegant, soothing water fountains. Easy-to-follow instructions explain choosing and installing pumps and constructing fountains.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Few elements are as ubiquitous or as essential as water, or as appealing for the soothing sights and sounds with which it enhances our environment. Fountains are the ideal way to incorporate water's magic into our homes and gardens, and the fountain maker becomes something of an illusionist, striving emulate nature and to conceal the mechanics that make the perpetual flow of water possible.

Dorcas Adkins is certainly a magician when it comes to fountain design. Her wizardry encompasses bamboo, wood, ceramic, concrete, stone, and metal creations, from small tabletop delights to full-sized garden waterfalls. Her extremely thorough and well-diagrammed instructions make even the most complex projects approachable--and some of them are indeed fairly complex, involving woodworking skills, plaster and concrete casting, ceramic modeling, soldering, or rigging an existing sculpture. But the results are well worth the effort, yielding Zen-like arrangements in which water trickles over a miniature bonsai garden, through bamboo piping, or into a rustic stone trough filled with water lilies; or more traditional Western constructions such as a ewer-toting cherub, a shell-and-stone-and-tile mosaic, or various spouting faces.

Beginners or those seeking smaller-scale productions are best off starting with a more basic approach, like Dawn Cusick's Tabletop Fountains. But for the more adventurous fountaineers, it's hard to beat Adkins's presentation, which also helpfully includes a list of mail-order suppliers and a useful at-a-glance guide to finding general materials, from antique tubs to pond liners to wooden barrels. --Amy Handy

Review

“A wonderful reference book on fountains…includes 20 projects ranging from simple dish fountains to large landscape fountains and goes into great detail about pumps, filters, and designs.  The photographs alone will inspire you to get building.” – Sacramento Bee

 

“…full of ideas on what to use and how to do it, provides directions for a full range of fountains from simple to complex.” – Elizabeth McDonald in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; First Edition edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580171907
• ISBN-13: 978-1580171908
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In the years since writing Simple Fountains in 1999, I have explored many of my other interests along with that of moving water. I maintain a well-equipped shop for furniture-making and antique-repairing projects. Travel in Latin America is my favorite (I am making good progress with Spanish) and is often planned to maximize opportunities to kayak and bike. Environmental education and conservation, especially of waterways, is a central theme in my life. My current position of Education Program Manager for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association gives me lots of chances to work toward a major goal: more choice in the ways Washingtonians get to their destinations, with improved air quality, health, and well-being.

I continue to live in Washington, DC. and to experiment with moving water at every opportunity. Emails to [e-mail] are most welcome and will be promptly answered.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fountain magic, May 18, 2000

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simple Fountains for Indoors & Outdoors: 20 Step-By-Step Projects (Hardcover)

A truely awesome book. I came upon it when I looked through Angel Lee's review list and ordered it. I am indebted to her! I have been making my own fountains since I bought my 1st home 6 years ago, and wanted new ideas. These are wonderful. Some of the simpler dish-type gardens will make lovely Christmas gifts, and I look forward to starting them. For the more adventurous, there are more complex and larger fountains/ponds, all truely picturesque, which would be great fun for anyone with a reasonable sized yard. A friend has created one on his terraced front lawn, and it captures the attention of by passers, making his neighborhood The Place to visit of late. For the truely enthused, there are directions for casting subjects in ceramics, for designing cement fountains or basins, and even for making masks of living persons. Although many items can be collected from the "saved" materials everyone seems to store away in garages or from yard and garage sales, those like pumps, tubing, and other hardware items can be found at nurseries and hardward stores. There is also a very useful list of addresses where other types of supplies may be found. I can hardly wait to get started! Thanks again Angel.

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Build a wide variety of impressive fountains with ease, April 2, 2000

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Simple Fountains for Indoors & Outdoors: 20 Step-By-Step Projects (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book for constructing beautiful & impressive looking fountains. The fountains here are unexpectedly easy to construct & cost far less than commercial ones. It is filled with ideas that allow the maker to add his own unique touch.

The materials selection is varied. Almost any watertight vessel can be the basis of a small fountain. Other materials include bamboo, wood, ceramic, concrete, stone & metal. Pump selection & mechanical requirements are also covered.

Projects range from small table-top fountains to elaborate outdoor units. There are even instructions for a 3' high tiered waterfall. All have clear construction diagrams & color photos of the finished work.

Helpful extras include lists of suitable plants to use with the fountains, suggestions for finding materials, & a list of mail order suppliers. This is the book to get if you want to know the joy of building a fountain of your own creation.

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Useful Combined!, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Simple Fountains for Indoors & Outdoors: 20 Step-By-Step Projects (Hardcover)

Adkins' treatment of these beautiful fountains and how to create them is just what is needed by those of us who want to listen to their soothing sound and see their sparkling light at home. What is best, is the steps are so easy to follow!