Outdoor Showers

Here in Charlotte, NC things have been warming up, while many places are getting snowed on, we have already had several days in the 70’s.  So naturally I start to begin thinking about my garden and we have been looking for some chickens to add to our urban flock.  Along with all these spring activities I began to think about some projects that I’d like to do once my house is all finished.

One of the ones I’d like to do is an outdoor shower!  I should note that there are very few things that I like better than a shower, I do my best thinking in the shower.  A while back I got turned onto these when I was working in a remote location and after a long day of work, I had no shower, so I had to build one.  I cobbled together a makeshift shower out of some hose and a garden watering wand and it was magical!

The other really awesome thing about outdoor showers is that you it is warm enough that you can tap into solar water heating using only a black hose.  These can be as simple as post connected to a garden hose or very elaborate.

Don’t forget to consider how and where you water will drain and the soaps/shampoos you use (biodegradable).

Here is a PDF for an Outdoor-Shower-Plan

here are some design ideas, I’ll post mine when I build it.

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Outdoor Shower Made from a Viaduct

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6 Comments
  1. Fantastic! One of the first things we ever built (literally) was an outdoor shower. It was before we started building our tiny house and we wanted to be able to camp while built.

    I found this perfectly little flatish spot nestled in the trees so it was 100% shaded by nature. We built a tiny 6×6 deck without an enclosure. At first we used a propane pump.

    Then came the Snowmageddon in 2010 and many of the trees surrounding the platform came down. So, we built walls. We lined them with canvas and put a cross beam and hook in the shower so we could use a gravity fed shower bag.

    We learned a lot about building from this tiny structure that was pretty important for building our house. And even though we have a shower inside the house now our friends still use the outdoor shower when they visit and camp on our land.

  2. Thanks for the plans! I want an outdoor shower so bad I can hardly stand it. I’ve used several that were just amazing, and I intend to build one on the farm as soon as it’s feasible.

  3. there’s nothing i love more than an outdoor shower. these are great examples. if/when i build my tiny house i hope to include an outdoor shower on one of the exterior walls.

  4. Fantastic idea! We had an outdoor shower we made with reclaimed corrugated tin and teak. Best thing we ever did especially for those hot southern summers! Going to try and build one in Vermont but it just doesn’t seem as necessary…perhaps a wood fired hot tub would be more logical in our current situation!

  5. What fun! I love all these neat ideas …

  6. I liked my outdoor shower much better once the open parts were screened in. Bugs are definitely a water saving aid but cutting short your shower because the skeeters are eating you is no fun. Also good to check for wasp nests before undressing if you haven’t been in the outdoor shower for a while.

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