Beautiful fountains look like they cost thousands. However, tt turns out that while some do, quite a few do not. You don't have to be a professional plumber to plumb a fountain yourself (although with certain designs, you will need advanced DIY skills). In fact, some fountains do not need to be hooked up to a water source; you simply fill them with water which they recycle. Using repurposed objects from old teapots to empty wine bottles, you can build a fountain yourself.

DIY bottle Tiki fountain: Hometalker Megan rang the changes on that DIY fave -- the wine bottle fountain. Since she describes herself as more a "tropical, frozen drink with an umbrella kind of a girl" than a wine lover, she lavished a store-bought bottle with colorful silk flowers galore to adorn a fabulous Tiki fountain. Mounted near her hot tub, it brings a feel of the tropics to her backyard.

Terracotta fountain: You can find step-by-step instructions for making a terracotta fountain on the blog Flying Kitten. You'll need several terracotta pots, waterproof tape, small rocks, a level and a fountain pump to make this project. It's worth the investment in materials (unless, of course, you have these things already in your garage). This fountain will give you that organic sound of water running that people crave to hear.

DIY tea pot fountain: Who doesn't have an old teapot in the basement that she's like to upcycle? A rusty old teapot can have a second chance at life as a fountain. Again, you'll need a fountain pump and a few supplies to make this happen, but once you do, you'll have a whimsical fountain that will make you smile.

DIY bubbling rock water feature: A bubbling rock water feature is perfect if you are worried about children getting into a fountain, since it has no standing bowl of water. Making your own DIY bubbling rock fountain involves some drilling, electrical wiring, and plumbing. It takes more technical skills than the other projects in this article. It is not clear if Theresa Hathaway, who posted the project on Hometalk.com, had the help of her local Chicago electrician when completing her bubbling rock water feature. In any case, judge for yourself whether or not you have the skills to do this. The results are stunning!

Chaya Kurtz writes for Networx.com.

Updated July 3, 2018.