How To Build an Outdoor Shower in Your Garden
An outdoor shower is the perfect way to refresh and cool down in summertime. Nothing can compare to the invigorating feeling of clean water accompanied by birds singing and the flutter of butterflies.
There are multiple ways to construct an outdoor shower, as well as various materials that you can use: wood, concrete, pebbles or plastic.
In today’s post, I want to share these simple steps on how you can build an outdoor shower in your garden or patio using these very basic tools and materials that you will find in your garage.
Step 1
Choose a location for your outdoor shower. This should be a flat area with good drainage. An elevated platform will help the water to run freely and be easily absorbed by the soil. Good drainage is one of the primary considerations for building an outdoor shower and if it is not the case you will eventually be plagued by mold and mustiness. To stave off mold and mustiness, it is also worth positioning the shower in a sunny area so that any moisture that does appear will dry out quicker.
Step 2
Start assembling a square platform for you to stand in your outdoor shower. First of all, decide exactly what size you want it to be – typically an area of 1m² should suffice. You can use simple wooden planks or even a pallet. Make sure the wood is thoroughly polished and treated to be resistant to moisture and rotting (you can even use a yacht varnish for that purpose). If you are building your platform with planks, leave small gaps (approximately 1 cm) for water to drain smoothly in between them.
Alternatively, you can make your platform with concrete. To do that, excavate an area of the desired size to a depth of 20 cm and surround the perimeter with boards to hold the wet concrete. Pour the concrete into the prepared form and work with a trowel in order to achieve a smooth surface. Let it dry. Another great alternative to simple wooden boards is to use pebbles instead.
Step 3
The next step will be to assemble plumbing. You can use a ready shower set that you can buy at any major home store or buy pipes, ball valve, pipe adapter and shower head separately and assemble them together. You might consider hiring a local plumber to complete this part of the project to ensure that everything is installed properly.
For the best experience, your shower needs to have sufficient water pressure. This could be easily achievable by installing a shower pump; compare shower pumps at Pump Sales Direct before making your purchase. Attach the hose to the pipe.
Step 4
The next step is to attach your shower head and plumbing to a wall. The pipes could be exposed to achieve a rustic or industrial feel. Alternatively, you can continue with the wooden planks that you used for flooring up to the wall to camouflage all the pipework.
Step 5
Add some finishing touches. For extra privacy you can add a fence, a rollout bamboo screen, a shower curtain or plants in pots with dense foliage. Also think about hooks for towels, shelves for shampoo and soap, a bench, as well as an outdoor music station as an added luxury.
