Asked on Jul 11, 2017

I have been looking for a creative way to hide my well pump

I have a well pump in my front yard that desperately needs to be covered/hidden. I live in the country so I'm looking for a country theme. I've thought about a wishing well over the blue tank but would still need to cover the pump as well. I've also thought of a water wheel. I'm sure there are many other great ideas and I would love to hear about them. I've seen some people make a faux outhouse to put over it and I'm not interested in that. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. Preferably DIY and not too difficult.
  25 answers
  • Mon7623602 Mon7623602 on Jul 11, 2017

    Have you tried just planting some hosta around it? They can get very big & they multiply plus up keep is minimal . If you have any on your property just seperate them and plant them around the pump. Or ask friends/family if you can have some.

  • Ellis Ellis on Jul 11, 2017

    I do like the wishing well idea. Also, I don't know if the dimensions of your well pump would fit, but there is actually a company that makes large fake boulders, that are really hollow resin, to place over objects like this. I have seen them for sale in various gardening magazines. Then you can plant around them, and they look pretty good.


    If you go the hosta route, there are some giant ones--Empress Wu and Sum & Substance come to mind.

  • Gurpreet ( GARRY) Gurpreet ( GARRY) on Jul 11, 2017

    Cap it with a bird bath or a feeder, put potted plants around it.

  • Blk24653643 Blk24653643 on Jul 11, 2017

    Have someone build you an old fashioned well covering like they had in the olden days - either a square box around it up so high, and then two post on it to support a little roof about head-high - and then have a well-bucket hanging from the roof - make it look like you could just go out and 'draw water from the well.' You could have vines growing up the support post. Just remember that this has to be something that can be removed if you ever have to have the well worked on.

  • Patricia De Franco Rini Patricia De Franco Rini on Jul 11, 2017

    Wishing well sound great...looks like you have a late blue barrel there so jus ketone big enough to slip over the well workings and stack the pavers around the barrel..The barrel will protect the well workings just incase the pavers get hit ( like by the lawn mower)...You could find a little insert for the top and plant annual flowers and maybe a little fake Xmas tree when that season comes along...or decorate the top for any holiday....


  • Gainorhillegass Gainorhillegass on Jul 11, 2017

    We had one in our backyard, so it wasn't an eyesore to the neighbors. The pump inside broke and we had to have it replaced, so I am glad we didn't build anything around it. The repairmen would have had to tear it out to get the cap off and pump out. So, my recommendation would be something portable that can be set aside if work needs to be done. Plants might get broken.

  • Chris Chris on Jul 11, 2017

    This is what we did to our well pump :)

  • Johanna labombard Johanna labombard on Jul 11, 2017

    Make a trellis but box it in,then put fake ivy on it so you don't have to worry if you have to move it.

  • Susan Beecher Susan Beecher on Jul 11, 2017

    Ours is in the middle of the turnabout in our driveway but next to the house. The former owners put big rocks (higher than the well thing) and then planted tall grasses. It looks quite nice.

  • Susan Caswell Susan Caswell on Jul 11, 2017

    Grasses,Hostas,anything that will come back if Well ever needs work. If you really want a structure how about something to the side of the Well to draw the eye away.

  • Susan Engelbrecht Susan Engelbrecht on Jul 11, 2017

    We built a pump house of landscape timber. A cheaper idea is to paint your tank an off white and put a picket fence around it. Then plant your favorite flowers or shrubs. It will look like a garden.

  • Susan Engelbrecht Susan Engelbrecht on Jul 11, 2017

    Picture of the pump house

  • Darla Burley Darla Burley on Jul 11, 2017

    My pump was always in the basement but I did have the top of the well casing in my yard. My husband built an enclosed stand with a flat top out of treated lumber. It fit down over the casing. I then put one of those old fashioned hand pumps on top of the stand and had plenty of room to put a bucket of flowers looking like there was flowers coming out of the old pump. The whole thing could easily be lifted up over the well casing if needed. I didn't have so much to cover as you do, though.

  • Danielle Danielle on Jul 11, 2017

    We have the same problem with ours. I would like to build a tardis garden shed to go around it (photo below) but so far that's been WAY out of our price range. I'm thinking I may bang together some portable fence posts (link: https://youtu.be/-ffRBGLPCVI ), attach some lattice panels to the posts with zip ties, spread some weed block fabric around the whole lot, pour on the rock and then take some planters I have laying around and make a small container garden around it. That way if we ever need work done on it I can move the containers, snip the zip ties, pull the posts and have the area totally clear without hassle.

  • Dmotan Dmotan on Jul 11, 2017

    I think all these ideas are wonderful but don't think small scale. Literally make the size of your beautiful front garden at least 15'wide x 10' deep. In order word, don't put a bandage on the pump, do a big garden. I use to have some of the resin boulders and they are great. You could create a gorgeous koi pond along with grasses, hostas, hydrangeas, catmint and a weeping fig. Wow, this could be great. Remember height, some tall, medium height and some short. Never plant in a row as it looks too contrived. I think this could become a beautiful place. Go further and put an arbor to sit under with a seat and you will win the prize of the country.

  • Shirley Heikkinen Shirley Heikkinen on Jul 11, 2017

    I would use an old door with a high window in it, put your house number in a very prominent spot, add some hanging plants, and grow some tall grasses and flowers around the base. Use the large fake rocks to hide the lower portion of your pump, along with more flowers. I would make sure it is still accessible from the side closest to the home. Hope you'll share what you finally choose to do with it!

  • Angela Doms McCabe Angela Doms McCabe on Jul 11, 2017

    Thank you everyone for the great ideas! I haven't completely decided what I will do but it will probably be a combination of painting it white, maybe a fence section in front to match our front white wooden fence and some portable gardening with barrel pots and maybe an old water pump to accent with. I'll post a photo once completed.


  • Pikka Pikka on Jul 11, 2017

    My husbands father had built a little house over his pump. Still looks good. He painted it and put a metal roof over the top as the pump was underground and encased in brick and it has been there over 80 yrs. All we do is the upkeep.

  • Homegirl Homegirl on Jul 12, 2017

    It begs to be covered with a minature red barn and the tank painted to look like a silo.

  • Lyo27658579 Lyo27658579 on Jul 13, 2017

    My daughter and son-in-law built a wishing well around the well pump on the side of the front yard of my cabin in NC. It looks not only charming, it protects the pump from the elements. It's a fun addition to our property. Good Luck

  • Ajohnsonfamily Ajohnsonfamily on Jul 13, 2017

    We built what look like a small dog house! One side of roof open up!


  • Andrew Weeks Andrew Weeks on Nov 07, 2020

    Couple of 4x4 in the ground the width of pump,boxed lower and the height of pump with 2x4 covered with plywood then added sideing to match the house