We all heard about a folktale or two about wishing wells having the power to grant wishes, right? We won’t be dragged into the never-ending debate about its effectiveness. Instead, we’ll stick to the generally accepted description of an aesthetically pleasing addition to your garden.
Sometimes, more than landscaping is needed for your garden to pop; all it needs is the addition of a wishing well to showcase its beauty. Wishing wells come in different shapes, from circular to hexagonal elevations, and are built using varying materials, giving rise to the host of available designs. As a DIYer, the possibility of countless combinations when building a wishing well will lead to a more custom design.
If you want to add a wishing well to your space but need help with the details, this article includes varying wishing well designs and their plans. All you need to do is choose the most suitable and then follow the detailed plan to build.
DIY Wishing Well Plans
The good thing about wishing wells is that they are mostly easy to build and should not take much time to complete. It means you can complete most of the projects without an extra helping hand, although extra help makes it even faster. Here are wishing plan designs and their plans to check out:
1. Wishing Well With Brick Base
The brick base of this wishing well provides a stable and natural-looking structure, especially when you use bricks of different sizes. You should choose a suitable location for the wishing well, ideally around vegetation, so it doesn’t look out of place.
The well uses bricks for the base and wood to make the extended palings and roof frame covered with quality roofing sheets. The roofing material’s dark color and wooden palings perfectly blend with the surrounding.
You’ll need to create a mortar base before using mortar to join the bricks to ensure durability so it can carry to the roof and withstand harsh winds. The area around the well is paved to provide a clear platform leading to the well.
2. Wishing Well Planter
Wishing wells only sometimes carry water, with some serving as planters for your favorite flowers. The well features a small structure made entirely of wood. It sits right in the middle of the garden with no special provision around it, which makes it look more natural.
It starts by making the base frame after measuring the size of the wishing well you want to build. 1×4 slats make the frame, while ¾” plywood screwed from underneath the frame provides the flooring. Complete the base and add stakes on either side of the box while ensuring they are erect with the help of spirit level.
You’ll get a detailed plan to help add the rafters, panel roof, and all the support beams inside this guide. Galvanized screws are more suited to the roof and stake areas as they offer better durability. The teak stain used to cover the well matches the look of the other projects in the garden, so you want to use a stain hue that’ll fit into your garden.
3. Simple DIY Wishing Well
Here is a simple wishing well for your small garden built using scrap wood, including pallets, to save costs. Its size and design make building easy in two days. The box and bucking overhanging the roof housing creeping flowers beautifying the wishing well.
Get pieces of scrap wood, 2×4 lumber, pallets, roofing sheets, nails and screws, planet, drill, nail gun, and saws, among other tools, to complete this wishing well project. Strictly following the cut list will make it easy to assemble the pieces using the screws and nails.
First, cover the roof frame with plywood before layering it with roofing sheets to provide a solid structure. Make the base frame using the 2x4s before covering it with plywood. Make the box include an inner chamber where you can attach the stake to avoid contact with soil in the box.
4. Rustic Wishing Well Design
The rustic wishing well looks splendid in paved surrounding as the well’s stone base and rustic roofing sheet blend perfectly. Its conventional design of two stakes holding the A-roof makes building the well straightforward.
A placard hangs from a bar between the two stakes instead of the typical bucket in most wishing wells. The cracks between the stones that make up the base have grasses growing from there, increasing the natural look. The plan brushed PVA and chamomile tea onto the base cracks and the roof before brushing it off to create a moss effect for its rustic look.
Oak stains cover the struts, while the wood is slightly burnt to give it an aged look. You’ll need epoxy, waterproof glue, rough rope, bark sheets for shingles, pallet wood, dowel, screws with eyes, chamomile tea, and outdoor paint.
5. Burn Barrel Wishing Well
Suppose you want a wishing well with unique usage. In that case, this burn barrel idea will surely tickle your fancy as it provides a safe and convenient fire for evening hangouts with friends. It utilizes a washing machine drum to create the perfect lighting and roasting space for your outdoors.
The metal bucket above the fire typically contains foil-wrapped food that cooks while you enjoy time out in the open. Its simple design and minimal additions make it easy to complete in two days. A perforated metal roof is the preferred roofing sheet for this project as it won’t get burnt from the fire, nor would it trap heat.
You’ll need metal working tools like a vise while bolts and nuts hold the parts together. An attached handle makes it possible to lift the roof out of the way and gives clear access to the fire, so it is easy to add wood, poke the fire or reach the bucket without stress.
6. Large Stone Wishing Well
This idea builds the wishing well over an existing old well about three meters deep. The top of the well is lined with natural stones stacked on each other without mortar. A huge stone platform is built around the well with a cylindrical frame, keeping the form. While building, use buckets to create holes at the edges to make room for plants.
Loosely set stones of different shapes and sizes in mortar as you raise the platform. You also want to leave space through the stone platform to add the two stakes holding the wishing well’s roof. The sheer size of the project and the materials required means you need extra hands to make it easier to complete.
After adding the two stakes and the post over them, you can add the roof frame and the roof. No painting is required because the natural stone look and mortar are ideal for the project. The plan contains a video plan of the construction process.
7. Wishing Well With Cover
Having a wishing well that you can cover when not in use will keep the water clean and the environment safe, especially when you have kids or pets running around is vital. This idea adds lids to the box for better control.
It is best to use quality wood for this project, like cedar and pine, for longevity while following the cut list to ensure exact measurements and cuts. Drilling pilot holes before an attachment will stop the wood from splitting and increase the project’s overall cost.
You’ll need ten pieces of 34⅙” long 1×6 lumber for the base, four pieces of 16″ long 1×2 lumber for the lid, four pieces of 2×3 lumber for the rafters, four pieces of 2×2 for the corner posts, two pieces of 2×4 for the palings, 1½” round lumber for the spindle, two pieces of 1×4 lumber for the trims, twelve pieces of 1×6 lumber for the slats, and two pieces of 1×4 lumber for the braces.
8. Recycled Tires Wishing Well
Besides conventional wishing well materials like wood and stones, you can use recycled tires to make an interesting wishing well that will surely capture your visitors’ attention. The base and roof were made with tires and painted in attractive colors.
The recycled tires wishing well can be completed in under two hours with old tires and would cost next to nothing if you also have scrap wood. Tires are made of durable materials, and the project can last several years with proper maintenance. Painting the wishing well in bright and attractive color will make it pop and turn heads.
You’ll need about four to five tires for the base and roof, paint, lumber for the railings and roof frame, adhesives, wood screws, and mortar. Start by stacking three tires on each other and using mortar to hold the tire firmly to the ground before adding the stakes and roof.
9. Classy Wishing Well Planter
Here’s a classy wishing well design for your garden which will serve as a planter for your favorite flowers. Its intricate base design with interlocking lumbers creates attractive edges for this well. The overall style of this well is a classic setup for a modern garden.
This design’s hexagonal base and large shingle roof are additional unique features that draw attention to your space. Start by making all the cuts on the lumber by following the video plan before joining several hexagonal pieces. Use long screws to join each hexagonal piece while stacking the frames.
The top of the box features a nice covering with a small door to gain access to the box. Complete the project with the common A-roof frame and shingle roofing before staining the wood with light brown color to fit into your background.
Summary
Wishing wells do more than make your wishes come true, as their exquisite designs can serve as a planter, cover for water wells, and even a fireplace. You can select from a host of wishing-well designs that suit your need and resources; luckily, most are easy to build and affordable.
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