Last Updated on March 23, 2024
Rain barrel stands not only increase the efficiency and effectiveness of watering your garden, they can also add pizzazz. Today I’m sharing a variety of DIY rain barrel stand ideas created by fellow homeowners to help you get the most out of your rain barrel.
Backstory
A few years ago, we bought a rain barrel through The Great American Rain Barrel Company at a discounted rate through our town. It was a great way to save money and help save the environment. And we love it. It’s a beautiful terra cotta color that compliments our house colors.
We loved it so much that this year we decided to buy a second one.
It’s either going in our front or side garden, but either way we have one small problem. There is no high place to put the barrel. The garden is flat. And that means insufficient water pressure to move the water out of the rain barrel efficiently. (Our other barrel is naturally higher than the vegetable garden)
Our neighbor up the hill has multiple barrels stored on top of a wooden stand along the side of his house. It’s looks homemade. And it’s eye catching. Wish we knew him so that we could ask him how he did it!
So one night I sat did some research about DIY rain barrels and came across a ton of simple, easy, and inexpensive ways to build your own DIY rain barrel stands.
Why Elevate a Rain Barrel?
Elevating your rain barrel increases water pressure and provides water flow to your garden. What does that mean? Gravity makes water flow from your rain barrel, through a hose, and to your garden faster. The higher the rain barrel, the faster the flow. If your barrel is low (or lower than your garden) the water won’t know.
(Note that submersible, electric pumps also increase water pressure in rain barrels, but for this post, I’m sticking to increasing water pressure via gravity).
And an elevated rain barrel also makes it easier to fill a watering can. Perfect for the more, uh, lazy gardeners like myself ?
How High Do You Elevate a Rain Barrel?
According to The Rainbarrel Man, “the base of your barrel needs to be elevated at least two feet above the highest point in your garden, to maintain the pressure level when the barrel is less than full.”
There’s a lot more physics behind water pressure. If you want to dive deeper into the physics of elevating your rain barrel and pressure/ PSI, check out this article on Mother Earth News.
How to Elevate a Rain Barrel
There are two ways to elevate the bottom of the barrel:
- Set on cinder blocks
- Build (or buy) a wooden stand
DIY Rain Barrel Stand Tips
Before we dive into wood stands, here’s a few safety tips to keep in mind as you build your DIY rain barrel stand.
- Secure Empty Rain Barrels: Empty rain barrel weighs less than twenty pounds. Ensure that your rain barrel is situated against a side of the house or fence or in a protected area. Otherwise you might be chasing your rain barrel down the street after a gust of wind blows it over.
- Ensure Stand is Sturdy: While rain barrels are light as a feather when empty, they are extremely heavy when full. A full 55-gallon barrel can weigh about 450 pounds. Ensure your stand is a solid base.
- Level the Ground: To minimize the risk of a rain barrel tipping over, ensure the ground underneath the stand is level at all angles.
OK – Let’s dive in!
DIY Rain Barrel Stand Using Wood
1. Handyman’s Daughter
Vineta at The Handyman’s Daughter has a free woodworking plan and tutorial using two 4” by 4” cedar boards to create a rain barrel stand. The tutorial looks a bit challenges for the non-woodworker, but if we were willing to try it, it might be well worth our while. It’s absolutely beautiful with a classic look, and I like the idea of the raised legs to cradle the bottom of the barrel. It provides added security and lowers the risk of the rain barrel tipping over.
2. The Emerging Home
Jane and Josh at The Emerging Home also had a very-well detailed tutorial that’s a simple project for more inexperienced woodworkers. They use 4” by 4” treated wood to create standing legs, and cover with 2” by 4” slats to create a rain barrel platform that resembles more like a table.
3. Extra Security – Just Measuring Up
For more security, Ash and Eileen at Just Measuring Up built a rain barrel platform with added planks across the legs PLUS secured his DIY water barrel to the top of the barrel with bungie cords.
4. Other Single Barrel Stands
Reep Green Solutions, an environmental charity that has been helping people live sustainably for 20 years us in Canada has a another tabletop DIY rain barrel stand tutorial here. I especially like these free woodworking plans since the step-by-step instructions are a 2-page printable pdf AND he gives a cost estimate for the project.
If you prefer a YouTube video as a step-by-step guide to make a DIY rain barrel, I like this one from Getting it Done North of 7.
5. Additional Support
Rain barrel stands need to be sturdy considering the heavy weight of 55-gallons of water. For stand ideas with added sturdiness to ensure a solid base, check out this tutorial that gets into the nitty gritty of supports, stretchers and pilot holes to build a solid stand.
I like the diagonal supports on this stand pictured below from Anna and her husband from The House and Homestead.
6. Multiple Barrels – Practically Functional
Jessi at Practically Functional appears to be a pro at rain barrel systems. She collects rainwater in not 1, but 3 rain barrels (and she’s planning on buying a 4th)! And since she uses these barrels to water a raised garden bed, she needed a stand high enough (5 feet!) to create enough water pressure.
With this many rain barrels, her water bill must be low…I’m incredibly envious…
Not wanting the platform to go so high? Check out these HGTV instructions for a lower platform for multiple rain barrels.
7. Stacking Barrels – Instructables
If you don’t mind height, you might want to consider a stacked rain barrel system. Stacking your barrels vertically to create even more water pressure (and save ground space), such as this rain barrel collection system with a vertical platform on Instructables.
8. Garden Bed Stand – Prepper Days
I have to admit one of my favorite approaches to a rain barrel stand was from Prepper Days. It wasn’t exactly the stands, but where they placed these stands – right near the raised garden beds! No fighting long hoses to water your garden.
(Note that Prepper Days still had the challenge of not having his rain barrels near a home’s gutter system. Instead he needed to build an awning above the barrels to collect rain, and I couldn’t find out if it worked or not…)
9. Double Duty Stand – The Rainbarrel Man
John over at The Rainbarrel Man uses one of his stands as double-duty with easy access to planters underneath the rain barrel stand. (FYI – if you live in the Portland, OR area, he sells a variety of handmade stands – they look gorgeous).
10. Decorative Cover – HGTV
And if you make a few cosmetic mistakes with your rain barrel platform or hide basic concrete blocks, you can always wrap a decorative lattice around it like this one on HGTV.
DIY Rain Barrel Stand Using Pavers
1. Red Pavers – Gardening Channel
The Gardening Channel’s roundup of 10 ways to build a rain barrel shows this repurposed wine barrel sitting on top of beautiful curved red pavers. I think these pavers create a classy, seamless look against the brick house. (I also love the rain chain).
What’s beautiful about pavers is the huge range of different colors and styles.
2. Matching Pavers – Dreaming Gardens
Dreaming Gardens also used matching pavers to blend in with their neutral-colored rain barrel and surrounding landscape. But then they added a touch of color and life planters around and next to it.
3. Cinder Blocks & Pavers – The Southern Gardener
April at The Southern Gardener originally tried a wooden rain barrel stand, but found it frustrating. Instead, she used a combination of cinder blocks topper with concrete pavers. Simple and quick to install, yet still has a polished look.
4. Multiple Barrels – Concrete Blocks
Dave over at The Gastronic Gardener used a straight-forward, practical approach using plain concrete blocks to raise his elevated multiple plastic barrel system.
This DIYer used gravity to their advantage by using stacked concrete deck blocks are different heights.
BONUS!
Some stands aren’t made from wood or pavers. Sometimes you just hit gold can find another option for a rain barrel stand. This DIYer on Instructables was looking for a large planter on which to place his wine casket rail barrel for a rustic look. Arguably this isn’t a true DIY project, but I loved this idea too much not to include.
Instead he found this iron pedestal that holds a fireplace/ fire pit. I absolutely love it.
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