Rustic Rain Barrel

After I finished my picnic table, I felt like there was just something missing. After some casual conversation with the family, my dad thought it'd be nice to have some kind of rain barrel to collect all the rain water from our new back patio. So I took to my favorite online DIY instruction manual and saw some good ideas that would make a good starting point. I decided to go with a 59 gallon wine cask from a local winery here in Dallas. There are other barrels at the stores, but they all run about the same price, if not higher than this project. You can also use the blue or white chemical drums, but I didn't want that kind of eyesore in my backyard. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, and I think I achieved that. I didn't want to have to cut the lid off completely to access inside the barrel, and this design allows just that. The gutter system you put this under will go right into the barrel from the top.

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Step 1: Gather Materials and Tools

Materials:
- 59 gallon wine cask $150
- patio screen material $7
- metal grate, like on a grill, or 8 small 9" rods (optional)
- 3ft. 1x1 oak (shortest I could find was 6ft.) $5
- 8 panel nails $1
- 3/4 brass spigot $8
- 8ft. 2x6 cedar $10
- 8 tan deck screws $4
- rocks of your choosing $10

Tools:
- circular saw
- belt sander (optional)
- hammer
- drill
-1" drill bit
- square
- pencil
- tape measure
- small level
- jigsaw, hand saw, or jamb saw
- pipe wrench