Except my spouse. Rain chains get me in trouble with him.
I don’t know why. { insert ‘pretend’ innocent face }
TRUTH: Rain chains are sexy and they are cheap. I was going to say that about my spouse too. Dang. I think I just got myself into trouble.
Rain chains are an alternative way for the rain water to travel from your gutter to the ground. By replacing your standard downspout with a RAIN CHAIN, you can create an effective, beautiful ‘waterfall’ . The rain trickles down in such a pleasing manner with a zen-like sound. It is a truly a stunning alternative to a standard rain downspout.
Copper Rain Chain
Gorgeous.
Sexy.
A no fuss natural.
Eco loveliness.
A moving water sculpture.
Organically stunning.
In my humble, green opinion. Green with envy opinion.
I have been trying to rip our downspouts off our house for years now and install rain chain loveliness. Mostly when my husband wasn’t looking. Married men have some sort of husband sixth sense. They have eyes in the back of their heads. ’Wife spy’ eyes. They seem to know when our idea wheels are turning. It must be written all over our foreheads or something. Note: Wash forehead before speaking to husband. Obv.
Glass Rain Chain !
This is the biweekly, weekly, bimonthly, monthly YEARLY RAIN CHAIN CONVO that Michael and I have:
Me : Hey hun, what do you think about installing some rain chains this year?
Michael : You say that to me every single year.
Me : Yup.
Michael : They don’t work.
Me : They have been working in Japan since ..well…forever.
Michael : Ohhh really? Mmmmm. Well, maybe next year.
Me : (using my inside voice) Men suck.
CONCLUSION: I will need to live my rain chain dreams vicariously through you for one more year. Next year, the temper tantrums will continue begin.
We women suffer. We suffer because of Pinterest. And the Internet. And Google images. Punishment. Visual punishment.
Do you have any idea how many great rain chain images are out there?
Mind blowing ideas are freakin’ everywhere.
River Rock Rain Chain via Pinterest
Don’t worry. I summarized all the goodies here in this blog post. Saved you the leg work. Maybe it will work on your husband. Just remember to tell him that the rain chains are sexy and cheap.
Men like those words.
I will give you the ‘Rain Chain DIY know-how‘ and you can send me pictures. Deal?
You can send them to me via instagram. You can find me here.
An instagram friend, David @hurstexteriors sent me some rain chain pix. He did a paparazzi move and took photos out his car window with his iPhone.
Special delivery.
Instagram is funky. It takes any photo, and makes you look like you are a photograph superstar. I dare you to dabble in Instagram.
Good times.
Swear it.
Nice people.
Fab photography.
Double pinky swear it.
Courtesy of David from @hurstexteriors
SEND ME YOUR PHOTOS.
I can then glue them all over the side of my house. That will show Michael how good the rain chains COULD look, if they were ACTUALLY hanging on our house.
I can paint a sentence on the side of the house :
Dear Rain, You Suck.
But rain chains make you SUCK less.
Until the day comes, I can DREAM of RAIN CHAINS.
Dream with me.
How do you spell G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S ?
You spell it with copper.
Photo via THE UGLY BARN blog
Where did the original rain chain idea come from ? I think JAPAN, but don’t quote me on that one.
{ I had to quote someone else }
What originated in Japan hundreds of years ago, the kusari doi, or “chain gutter,” is a simple way to carry rain to the ground in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The Japanese have used these chains on temples and homes over the years with the sole purpose of embracing the beauty of a rain-filled day.
Big words. Not mine. Here comes the real truth. I researched that about 89 years ago on some stupid rainy day. Now I can’t even remember who wrote it. Some smart rain chain originator. Why didn’t I invent rain chains ? I could be a bazmillionaire by now…living on some far away island….
Boat hotel ~ Cocoa Island Maldives
….drinking from an umbrella drink, rolling around in the sand on my rain chain money. I could wear those $$ sign sunglasses, and float in a boat [AKA house].
Either way, I did the research for you. I didn’t want to just write…
” Look at these rain chains. Because they are gorgeous.” <— those are my words
{Just in case you were wondering}
Copper Rain Chain
Let’s face it, a downspout is not typically a thing of beauty. But it has beauty potential.
And BTW’s…if you want to get rid of some old gutters while you are roaming around on your rooftop removing your old downspouts; you can make use of the old gutters this way….
Great idea from www.hiphostess.blogspot.com
That ‘wine cooler’ idea just made me smile.
My picnic table is going to suddenly be missing a board this summer. When Michael wonders where the gutter in the picnic table came from I will say :
“Don’t look up. Don’t look at our eavestrough. What you don’t see, won’t hurt you.
Here hun, have a sip of wine”
Or How about this :
Recycled Plastic bottles !
Wouldn’t those recycled plastic bottles make a great RAIN CHAIN ?! Wait. Maybe not. They would flap in the wind.
Darn-it-all-again.
My rain chain inventor dreams were just shattered.
I love how the chains can quite simply break the fall of the water and can even acquire a natural patina over time. They age beautifully. Like nice wine. Like aged cheese. Like …George Clooney.
RAIN CHAIN WATER CAN FLOW :
- into the ground
- or into a gravel/pebble/river rock bed
- or into some sort of catchment (rain barrel, small lily pond )
The rain barrel/pond can also be used for catching frogs. Or for water fights. Or having an afternoon dip. With George Clooney.
If you feel ambitious you can even make these bad-boy chains yourself. You can do that. I will watch. I am not allowed to start this DIY. Ask my husband. Pffft.
First, you will need to purchase a rain installation kit that looks like this….
Connection piece available from www.rainchains.com
The rain chain attaches to the bolt at the bottom . This way, you may attach the chain to your existing gutter. Easy, huh?
You have three ways for a rain chain to happen in your life :
1. Purchase a ready-made rain chain. Here is a link to rainchains.com. That seem’s easy to me. I like that option. I am not allowed. You will have to do it for me. Order 6 for me. Shhhh.
Cup style of rain chain
2 DIY COPPER RAIN CHAIN : You could give this idea a whirl : How to Make Copper Rain Chains
3. DIY CHAIN :
You could also use a standard aluminum chain.
Aluminum Chain
I first saw this idea created by a contractor friend in British Columbia. He just bought standard aluminum chain from the hardware store. His idea was the d’bomb.com. I LOVED IT !!
Helloooo British Columbia = R.A.I.N
Rain, rain all the time-rain-rain-everywhere, kind of rain. Rain rain everywhere ??!! The more it rains, the more you swear.
I am a poet, and I didn’t know it.
DIY RAIN CHAIN VIDEO :
Want to know how to make one? Want to know how to install the rain chains? But you want to be lazy like me and you don’t want to read about it? You want to watch it. Well Michelle Kauffmann covers it all. So watch the video {you lazy sod}. You and I would make great friends.
Do I get a present for the RAIN CHAIN brilliant idea ? Even though it wasn’t technically my idea.
Here are some present ideas that you can give me :
Cupcakes.
Or George Clooney.
Pronto.
I am waiting.
Still waiting.
I just love your blog. You are so witty and a diy genius! I love rain chains. Haven’t made one yet, but it is on the list for next summer. Thanks for the giggles and inspiration.
I think I need a day off when hubby has to be at work -not saying what will happen- just sayin’
haha Dominique !
I would never do such a thing. What are you thinkin’?! LOL !
I feel your pain (re the rain)….I’ve wanted to put a rain chain on my front porch but my hubby says “no” not this year….. I might make one now that I’ve been so inspired and hey, once it’s made he just might put it up… Linda
As soon as I get this soul sucking internment camp of a condo sold (prospective buyers & realtors…look away) I look forward to being back in a house where I’ll do what I want when I want…..a rain chain will be included.
Hilare Ciely !
‘prospective buyers and realtors look away’ haha!
Having a home to do YOUR THAAAANG, is awesome! Sending you great positive fibes, so it happens for you!!
Lynne xx
They are beautiful; I’ll give you that. I think you must live in Oregon, though, where rain is really just terminal mist, and not the incredible downpours we experience in Florida. Rain that you can’t see through or drive in. Rain that fills ponds in 2 minutes flat. Only because of our sand-bar soil can we handle it without flooding, but we get an Oregon month’s worth of rain in 5 minutes. Then there are hurricanes……..wouldn’t a rain chain flog our poor house? It would go horizontal in a 120 mph category 3 ‘cane. It would break our windows. Or do you live in California where it only rains – what – once every 5 years? I love the idea, truly, but I don’t think it will work for everyone.
Hi Mo
I live in Canada, where it can pour like the dickens. Like cats and dogs. *_*. And big time snow too. The rain chains work for year round weather here. We also lived in Florida for 3 years, so I totally get what you mean. Yes, you would need to chose one that is fitting to the environment. In Florida, I would use a heavy duty chain, and have it well supported at the top and bottom, so that it didn’t move anywhere. Rock solid, no sway. The rain chains have been proven to work more effectively than a downspout, & without clogging. Every area has code restrictions, and of course, you would need to meet those restrictions. We had strict codes for hurricane standards for windows etc. when I did a custom design of a house in Florida. You can see that here….http://www.lynneknowlton.com/2011/07/01/florida-ocean-life-goes-balinese/
You are right though, not everything works for everyone in every area. We can only dream *_* it would be that easy.
Thanks for stopping by just to check them out. Cheers !!
P.s. So jealouzzz you live in Florida. I loved it there.
Lynne
I can see fastening one to something very heavy and burying that deeply underground, but what about the runoff when the water hits the ground? Perhaps making those concrete rain catchers (senior moment – what are they called?) that are placed under the downspouts, then burying the end of the chain in the concrete while it is still wet would suffice. I rather enjoy working with cement and hypertufa. I don’t know, but I can tell you this idea is going to percolate in my head for some time to come, and I am coming back to your blog to look at those lovelies. At my age, and my hubs, the time for cleaning our own gutters and downspouts is over and I can’t find anyone else to do it. There’s a reason I’ve been trying to talk my youngest son into mounting gutters on the wall of the new baby’s room to hold books……:-) We do love living here, though. For me, it was coming home to a place near where I lived as a young girl. We have lots of Canadians here in the winter (our snow geese), and we always welcome more! Ya’ll come on down and visit!
I thoroughly enjoyed your blog as a first-time visitor yesterday, and I’ll be back often. I wish you and your husband a long and happy future! Cancer sux is right.
Hi Mo
Great idea with the concrete to really make it a solid deal. I like your thinking. You could do it so the rain would run off and away from the house(above ground or below) or even a rain barrel.
There is a lot of great info at the rainchains.com site. If you click on one of the rainchains.com photos in my blog post, it should take you directly to their site.
Thanks for the awesome comments and feedback ! I hope to see you again soon. Subscribe and you will get my updates sent directly to you.
Big hugs!
Lynne xx
We have open spouts that pour directly off the roof in a stream into a water catchment that empties into a cistern. When the wind blows it misses the catchment area and makes a lot of noise. When I looked into chains to “guide” the water I saw plenty of video that shows the wind blowing off the chains. So my solution was to get a few large bamboo plants in pots that I’ve placed below the entire area so that when the wind blows the fall of the water is gently broken up by the leaves. Just saying.
I had no idea these things even existed. And perfect timing too cuz hubs just got a new job 2 hours away so he’ll have his back turned a lot. Should I just send you the bill for the divorce now or wait to see if he even notices. I love using my inside voice during convos with hubs too. Mine usually end with “bite me”.
You are hilarious Kim !!! LOL !! I wish I lived nearby- I could sneak over and help you with the covert operation.
Lynne xx
LOVE this post! I saw a post on HOUZZ about a year ago about rain chains and have been obsessed with the idea ever since. They’re so pretty! And downspouts are so NOT.
Hi Miss world traveler Janet
)))
So happy to see you back on this side of the pond. xx You are right. Downspouts can be soooo UGLY. I have been playing in the Houzz.com site lately too, and it is super cool. I missed the rain chain post. Wish I saw that !
Lynne xx
I just found your blog via CraftGawker, and you’re hilarious! Plus you have mad DIY skillz. I think I’m pretty crafty, but then I see this stuff and I might as well go home. Sheesh.
ANYways, great blog!
Hi Natalie !
. They would be equally entertaining. I excel at making mistakes.
I think I should do a few posts on my DIY disasters
Lynne xx
Love your blog – great artistry, fun, enjoyable read – thanx! ps// especially loved the moss graffiti*
I am keeping a close eye on my picnic table from now on. I smell a conspiracy to drink cold white wine. xo
Hi Hun
I think you better keep a close eye on more than our picnic table. Look up. Look way up.
Love you
Your doll. xx