These are the rain barrels that graced the front of our old house. We really enjoyed have them. Our roof is shingled so the water was not suitable for watering our vegetable garden, but we were able to use it to water our flower beds. We really only needed one barrel, but I wanted two for symmetry. We got lots of compliments from our neighbors. I thought Bryan did a really nice job building the pedestals for the barrels and developing a way to drain off the excess water so that they would not overflow.
Working where I work, I have wonderful access to used oak barrels. They are beautiful and fairly functional but they are made out of wood, which means that they warp and rot over time. And locating used barrels can be really difficult.
You can buy rain barrels online. They can be really expensive though. My suggestion is go purchase a cheap 55 gallon plastic barrel from a co-op or a farm store like Rural King (here in Indiana) and make a barrel yourself.
My dad made one for himself this summer and has been very pleased with it. You can do it too!