Since the wet wipes method of body hygiene really wasn't cutting it, I detoured Farmer Rick off of coop building this week to construct an outdoor shower. I've seen them in magazines like House Beautiful set in lush gardens and thought it would be nice to have one. But then, that's different than actually
needing one!
You can see the dirt where our lawn has bit the dust. The view to the fence is the same from the open side of the shower. Fortunately it's wooded, and we also own the land on the other side of the fence. The shower base is made from a wooden pallet set into a gravel box. A foundation block was placed in each corner to hold the structure.
Except for the plumbing hardware, the shower was almost entirely built with recycled materials. It's enclosed on three sides by heavy canvas curtains that came with the house. They were so heavy they were pulling the circular shower rod down that I replaced them with lighter ones and stored them for 9 years. See...I just
knew they'd come in handy someday! (In the background, that's the gazebo that came with the house that we turned into a greenhouse last year).
Here's a curtain rod detail...
a corner detail...
and the plumbing hardware detail.
Here's what it looks like on the inside. I see some dirt has already been tracked inside, but guess what?
I don't care, ha ha!
And finally, the neighbor's garden hose that's keeping us watered. I'd like to get a little shelf inside for the shampoo and soap, and will look for some neat driftwood down in the creek for towel hooks. Maybe we can talk landscaping--after a rainy year or a new well, whichever comes first.
Since the wet wipes method of body hygiene really wasn't cutting it, I detoured Farmer Rick off of coop building this week to construct an outdoor shower. I've seen them in magazines like House Beautiful set in lush gardens and thought it would be nice to have one. But then, that's different than actually needing one!
You can see the dirt where our lawn has bit the dust. The view to the fence is the same from the open side of the shower. Fortunately it's wooded, and we also own the land on the other side of the fence. The shower base is made from a wooden pallet set into a gravel box. A foundation block was placed in each corner to hold the structure.
Except for the plumbing hardware, the shower was almost entirely built with recycled materials. It's enclosed on three sides by heavy canvas curtains that came with the house. They were so heavy they were pulling the circular shower rod down that I replaced them with lighter ones and stored them for 9 years. See...I just knew they'd come in handy someday! (In the background, that's the gazebo that came with the house that we turned into a greenhouse last year).
Here's a curtain rod detail...
a corner detail...
and the plumbing hardware detail.
Here's what it looks like on the inside. I see some dirt has already been tracked inside, but guess what? I don't care, ha ha!
And finally, the neighbor's garden hose that's keeping us watered. I'd like to get a little shelf inside for the shampoo and soap, and will look for some neat driftwood down in the creek for towel hooks. Maybe we can talk landscaping--after a rainy year or a new well, whichever comes first.
4 comments:
This is awesome!!! I love it. Great job farmer Rick :-). I wonder if you could figure a way to collect the shower water and recycle it on the garden.
Good idea CSL!
I remember when I was little and we had water rationing. My mom would scoop our dirty bathwater out of the tub and water her flowers with it.
are splinters a likley problem on that wooden pallette? or do you wear flip flops or something?
I LOVE THIS!!!!! Can Farmer Rick come build an oudoor shower for me, too?
I mean it!
Ever since I planned a vacation to Hawaii with John just before we got pregnant with our twins...and then weren't permitted to travel due to the high risk, I had found a little bed and breakfast that had an outdoor shower in a little garden with flowers and views of the mountains and ocean in the distance. I dreamt of that outdoor shower for the longest time...and still haven't forgotten about it.
There is something so natural and freeing about bathing outside among nature.
This outdoor shower of yours is such a wonderful idea and I hope you get much use out of it, especially once your well is full once again :)
Lisa
I LOVE your shower! Now I'm going to have to find a way to fit one into my list of things to do next summer. Thanks for sharing :)
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