I do love this but unless you seal it, it wouldn’t last a summer outside in the weatherThis is a real nice fountain. Except for the pump, water bucket liner and the catch pan, it is all wood. It most likely will require wood treatment after a years use: i.e.: like deck treatment, varnish or shelak. After reading previous reviews I was skeptical concerning purchising this fountain. I purchased used and it was obvious it had been opened, but never put together--I can only suppose someone may have disliked the coloration of the base or the size. But any discoloration, bumps or nicks only seemed to add to the rustic motif of the "old" water well. Previous reviews commented on the difficulty of assembly so I decided to do the "male" thing and try to assemble it WITHOUT use of the instructions. Just using the picture, it layed out in an orderly fashion--very obvious where each piece shoud go. I must confess that I did "cheat" a little by using the instructions to confirm which length of screw to use to attach the pieces together. For the engineer that had trouble with the assembly: go back to talking on your cell phone while you drive your train and let the wife and girls put it together.I bought this for my mother-in-law for her birthday. It really is nice sitting on her patio. The only complaint was that it was a little tricky putting it together. The diagrams weren't exactly clear. It took a day, but once we were done it was lovely. There was one piece leftover, but apparently it wasn't important. Very nice fountain, good size for the price! Now I want one!Enjoying the fountain very much. Pretty easy to assemble. Only concern is that some of the screws were just barely long enough to connect the pieces and I was afraid they would not hold well so used some longer ones so it was a little more secure.I saw a lot of poor reviews from 2003, so I was ready to do a lot of adjustments, but I was pleasantly surprised and was able to assemble easily in less than 20 minutes with a screw driver and a pliers. They lost a star because they shorted me a screw.I have encountered many different merchants on-line, but these folks really made me feel like my opinion mattered greatly. They more than satisfied me. I give them an excellent review on their attitude and their products. Only hope that other merchants are as fantastic to deal with as these folks have been to me. I will keep purchasing from them, and highly recommend that any of my friends and family do so as well. Again Kudos to Pier Surplus Warehouse!!Sincerely, Toni WoltersDisappointed with the fountain portion of this piece. It is beautiful and very sturdy but the fountain is useless as it splashes the water from the bucket outside of the tub below onto the concrete, completely missing the tub. I've shifted it, filled less water, filled more water, but nothing has worked. I bought it to use as a fountain and I can't! I would return it but it took forever to put together and I guess I can turn it into a couple flower pots. Very disappointed.Great features for the price. Tall enough to stand out in outdoor garden for a water feature.