DIY Backyard Water Wall with PVC Pipes

Now that I own my own home, one of my favourite side projects has been setting up the backyard to be a pretty place for me and a fun place for the kids.
We’ve been slowly working on making a life-size fairy garden and building a treehouse fort that comes right off of the deck, but I also wanted a project that would be fun and interactive for the kids while keeping them cool — especially since we no longer have a splashpad within walking distance.

This easy and affordable water wall can be customized according to whichever materials you already have on hand, or what you’re easily able to source.
I had a very specific idea in mind and I allowed myself to be convinced by a hardware store employee to buy something else after I explained what I was looking for and why… and let’s just say, his ideas did not work for what I wanted so I ended up wasting a bunch of time trying to make the materials from him work before eventually having to go back for more materials. All that to say, be confident and buy materials that you can practically see working for your water wall, even if they are different than what I’m describing here. The important thing is that you can work with them and use them to enact your vision.

Also, another delay that occurred in making our water wall was the Plexiglas. You can skip this by finding some fleeting (sheet metal) and using that instead, but I had a vision…
Plexiglas can be pretty pricey so call around; our thick square was about $100 including delivery.

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You'll need:

• Large piece of Plexiglas or fleeting (if using a thin piece, you will need to secure it to the fence)
• Several PVC pipes, 1” diameter
• Several PVC connectors, 1” diameter
• Soft plastic piping, 1” diameter
• Drill
• Table saw
• U-clips
• Suction cups
• Small screws
• Funnels
• Cups (to transport water)
• Bucket (to hold all pipes in)
• Strong glue (E6000)

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How to:

1. Cut the soft and hard plastic piping into different sizes.

2. For the PVC piping, you will need to drill holes into one side of the pipes that are the same size as the suction cup ends — this is harder than normal drilling as the drill bit will want to go off the circular edge, so make sure you wear protective clothing and don’t have the kids help with this. It’s a difficult task, even for an adult.

3. Using a strong glue, fit the suction cups into the holes. Let dry.

4. For the soft piping, you’re going to use the U-clips to make a “suction cup bridge.” Screw the suction cups onto each end of the U-clip, ensuring that you use screws that are wide enough to not go all the way through the U-clip hole and short enough to not go past the suction cup end.

5. Check that your connectors and funnels all fit into the pipes and place your bucket of “building materials” and PVC in the yard in an area you don’t mind getting wet!

6. To play, soak down the PVC and give the kids a giant bucket of water. Show them how to use the suction cups to attach the pipes to the walls, and how they can create connections to “carry” the water from one place to another.

And let them have at it! This is a great way for kids to practice their creative problem solving and engineering skills throughout the day while staying cool and having fun in the sun.

When the Canadian winter inevitably rears its ugly head, you can bring these pipes indoors and use them for a bath tub water wall.