Well in the country: how to make a well house with your own hands

Recommendation points

• Types of well houses
• Design and finishing
• Main material – stone
• Wooden houses
• Metal well houses
• Polycarbonate for well houses
• Original well houses
• Specific style
• Gate design
• Making a well house with your own hands
• Open house
• Closed house

The well house above the water source performs protective and decorative functions. Let’s talk about what constructions are, how to make wood with your own hands and beautifully arrange a well house in the country. We have accompanied the article with drawings, photo and video materials.

Wells are fresh, cool water, as well as decorating the site, especially if the headband is decorated with a beautiful house or canopy. When choosing a design, you should build on other structures: houses, fences, paths, gazebos, etc..

Types of well houses

The house above the well can be open or closed..

Closed – all sides are protected by walls and ceilings, preventing accidental rainfall, leaves or other foreign objects from entering the water. Access to the gate and water is closed by a door that can be locked if desired. Such structures are sometimes insulated from the inside, especially if the winters are harsh and the water level in the well is high..

The open structure is a canopy with open or partially open sides. For safety and protection of water from debris, it is advisable to close the well mouth with a removable cover.

Design and finishing

Various materials are used to make well houses:

• wood, straw, bamboo;
• metal;
• stones;
• decorative tiles;
• polycarbonate.

Often several materials are combined in one structure. If after the main construction there are facing, building or roofing materials, then their use will not only make it possible to save money, but also unite the buildings on the site into one ensemble.

See the photo for some compatible songs:

The roof of the house and the shed are made of the same material

Holistic composition with a paved platform

Rustic version, unpainted wood in all buildings

Imitation of a log house

Tikhvin Assumption Monastery of the Theotokos

This well needs a castle in the background.

Consistent colors and style

Main material – stone

Most often, the headband is trimmed with a stone, and the canopy is made of wood and metal. At the same time, the stone can be natural and artificial, as well as an imitation of a stone made of concrete. Sometimes the well tower is entirely made of natural stone, such as sandstone.

Wooden houses

Wooden well houses are the most common and fit into most home gardens. For their construction, lumber, logs, driftwood and branches without bark can be used as decoration. Wood is hygroscopic, so it will be correct to treat such materials with some hydrophobic agent and anti-decay agent.

Metal well houses

To decorate the well, you can use forged, openwork structures or sheet metal – galvanized, stainless or varnished. Not every owner of a country house will get forged products, but it’s quite easy to make a closed house from sheet steel yourself.

Polycarbonate for well houses

It is appropriate to use polycarbonate when the garden gazebo, veranda or awning over the car is made using this material. It blends well with a metal frame, and can create a certain mood due to its color and relative transparency..

Original well houses

The fantasy of designers and folk craftsmen is sometimes simply amazing. We have prepared for you a selection of the most unusual well houses.

Specific style

If the entire site is designed in a certain, rare style, it can be difficult to find a well house to match it, because most often you can find ideas for a Russian or a common European style. We will provide some design options that would be appropriate for such specific styles..

“Provence”

“Japan”

“Middle Ages”

“Africa”

“Greece”

“Fairy Tale” (concrete, Anapa)

Gate design

Russian shaft wells are equipped with a gate with a bucket attached to a chain or rope with a shifted center of gravity (for easy scooping). The movement of the gate is transmitted by a rotating handle or a wheel. Also, the log can be supplemented with “fingers” – protrusions on its surface that serve as levers for turning. The larger the leverage, the less effort will have to be spent to pull out a full bucket.

For deep wells, it is advisable to equip the gate with a band brake that controls the speed of lowering the bucket.

Gate with a handle (a) and “fingers” (b)

A collar with a handle is made of a thick log, at least 20 cm in diameter. On the one hand, a hole is drilled in it exactly in the center along the axis for a blind rod fixed to the support, and on the other, a deeper hole for a metal pin connected to a wheel or with a curved handle. The ends of the log can be reinforced with metal straps that are attached to opposite rods. The log must be firmly planted on the axis.

Metal parts of the gate with a handle

Metal parts of a gate with a wheel

Making a well house with your own hands

You can make both an open and a closed well house with your own hands. Consider some easy-to-manufacture designs.

Open house

When building an open house, it is important to remember that the canopy should be wider than the hole in the well and protect it from atmospheric precipitation, which may not be as clean as in the old days..

Asymmetrical tent over the well

Symmetrical tent over the well

Consider the device of a canopy over a stone well, representing the supports laid during the construction of the head, and the rafter structure, reinforced on the bases with spacers. The larger the canopy area, the larger the cross-section of the lumber you need to choose when manufacturing. The structure is covered with a layer of waterproofing in the form of roofing material and finishing or roofing material to taste.

Dimensional drawing – tent over the well: 1 – foundation laying; 2 – rafters; 3 – rafter strapping; 4 – clamp for roofing material; 5 – struts; 6 – sheathing of rafters; 7 – roofing material; 8 – tiles; 9 – skate; 10 – end post; 11 – end coupler of rafters; 12 – double rafters under the brace; 13 – columnar support

Closed house

We will make a closed house with a simple gable construction, with minimal finishing. To do this, consider the drawing.

Wireframe drawing with detail

First you need to prepare all the details, then we proceed to assembling the frame according to the attached diagram.

Assembled frame: 1 – supports made symmetrically (see previous drawing); 2 – jumpers (2 pcs.); 3 – strips forming a square platform (8 pcs.); 4 – skate (pay attention to the cuts)

From the ridge to the corners of the site, we mount the edges of the future gable roof. Having assembled the frame, we install it on the head.

We sew up the central part, leaving a hatch for access to water. We mount the assembled gate on the supports.

We sew up the end walls with a board first, and then the roof slopes, in one of which we mount a rectangular door with a handle on hinges. We protect the edges of the roof with waterproofing material.

We decorate the house with carved overlays. You can cover it with shingles or other suitable material.

Ready house

A slightly more complex design and decor during the construction of a fabulous well house in the video below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3