People either get it or they don’t. They either dream of showering outdoors or they think people who want to stand buck nekkid under the water in the great outdoors are nuts. For the record, I belong in the first category.
I am not at my most fragrant and lovely best at the end of a gardening day. In fact, most Saturdays and Sundays—when I do most of my intensive outdoor work—I have to end the day by vacuuming up the dirt, leaves and mulch I inevitably track or sprinkle in the house. And I stink. I definitely channel my peasant roots on weekends.
So an outdoor shower isn’t just a hedonistic luxury. It serves a practical purpose to de-stinkify the head gardener at our house.
Finally, I bit the bullet and installed the outdoor garden shower this year. I say bit the bullet because I had to hire two men to work for the better part of two days to install it. A licensed plumber ran the pipes through the basement to the great outdoors. A carpenter did most of the rest. If we had done it ourselves, the shower would consist of a cold water hose held up with a nail and a bungee cord. Two men/two days was a good investment.
The size is about 6′ x6′ with an 18″ bench along one side. What you don’t see here is what is underneath. Because the shower is against the house, they installed a French drain with a large tube that runs underground and into the woods. This keeps the moisture from gathering near the house and into the basement.
Tall walls surround the enclosure, but really, that’s a formality considering we live on 20+ acres down a long driveway. In fact, I actually liked showering there better before the guys put up the walls.
Although my husband was an early supporter of the idea, Ben didn’t get the allure of the outdoor shower. But now that it’s built, I notice that more often than not, he’s traipsing outside with a beach towel. Now he gets it.
So, the outdoor shower is open for business.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
That is so cool!
July 16th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Can’t wait.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Very nice! I love outdoor showers, too. Definitely on “the list” of projects.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Perfection!!!
July 16th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hey! The outdoor shower is much hotter than I expected. Very nice.
July 16th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
I took many showers outside while growing up in Colombia, it’s actually quite nice.
Do you use the run-off to water a garden?
July 16th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
I want…I want…I want…
It is beautiful. So happy for you (and a bit jealous)
:~)
July 16th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Nicely done!
July 17th, 2009 at 7:29 am
love it.
(additional sentence added to pass filter.)
July 17th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Lovely!!! My in-laws have an outdoor shower out at their cabin and I can certainly say how wonderful it is to have, especially when we just come up from swimming in the river. It’s ingenius, truly, and there’s just something about showering to the sounds of the birds and the breeze in the trees. I want one!!
July 18th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
That’s beautiful.
July 19th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Nice blog as I love outdoor showers. Enjoyed going through your blog. It is appreciated.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Robin: I have an outdoor shower which does consist of a hose with cold water and a discounted shower unit from Tarjay. Needless to say, it is not used too often but I do get it and wish I had hot, running water in it. Love to shower outdoors.
July 24th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
We always use the outdoor showers when we vacation in the OBX over the summer. Sometimes it gets a bit weird because the houses are so tall – you’re certain someone can see you! But oh well. It IS nice.
July 24th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Beautiful design and construction!
We hope to build one similar here in far north to use in conjunction with winter sauna. Have just found self-draining valves that should allow us to use in all weather.
Thanks for the inspiration!
July 31st, 2009 at 9:58 am
[...] 28th – The Outdoor Garden Shower: Now Open for Business – Wish I had a backyard that would accommodate one of [...]
August 1st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I have dreamt of an outdoor shower for years! Everyone thinks I am nuts. Yours is beautiful.
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 am
Neat idea. I would love something similar here for when I’m covered in grass clippings after mowing. Also for my husband when he’s covered in stone dust (if he ever gets back to doing stone
sculpture).
August 4th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I’ve always wanted an outdoor shower….I definitely fall into the first category! This is a beautiful one too.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I’ve been carping on my husband for years! It’s one of those marvelous summer memories from my childhood at my grandmother’s beach house.
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Another thing for my wish list. This is great!
September 15th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Fabulous idea! I have always wanted an outdoor shower, but you have now made it practical as well. I usually just strip down, inside the back door, but there is always dirty foot tracks to the bathroom. Now to just figure out a place to put it!