I'm looking for some guidance on building a storage solution for a 55-gallon water barrel. I'm new to woodworking, but I have a good assortment of tools. The barrel will be kept outside, and I understand it needs to be elevated for gardening purposes. That's about all I know, so I'd appreciate any help you can offer. I currently have one barrel and might add a second one later.
3 Answers
Just a heads up, check with your local health department before you dive in. Some places have regulations about rain barrels, and you don’t want to run into any issues! If it’s a concern, just plan to hide them out of sight, but I've seen a lot of people with barrels in Central Texas, and they look good, too!
You need to calculate how high to elevate your barrel for gardening. Also, check if your soil is soft or rocky. If it’s soft, spread the weight over a larger area, maybe using stone or pavers for the footings. I went for a drip irrigation setup, which is a bit easier – just elevated it using an overturned flower pot.
When you set up your barrel stand, make sure to pour concrete footings for the posts – water is super heavy! You’re basically making a sturdy table using 4x4 or 6x4 posts, topped with 2x6 boards. Just keep the weight distribution in mind and make it solid to avoid any mishaps.
I learned the hard way that not pouring a slab first leads to problems. My dad had to rebuild the stand because the ground got too soft after it rained.
Exactly! It’s about 450 lbs of water, so be careful about how you build it.
Yeah, it’s generally okay around here, especially if there’s no HOA. I'm just hoping to make them look a bit more appealing since they’ll be visible.