Because our lake house is on a private well and septic system, we have to be cautious about using too much water and over taxing the system. We decided to build an outdoor shower to relieve the septic system when we have lots of company. But besides that, how fun is showering outside?
Early on, we moved the original set of stairs and had new ones built. The new configuration made more sense. And underneath the landing was a perfect spot for an outdoor shower!
Unfortunately there was a huge stump right in the middle. My favorite (only) brother owns a tree service so he and my husband were able to get the stump out and grind it down. (I think I have a picture somewhere of my brother pretending to pull it out with his bare hands.)
My husband built the enclosure and the door out of wood panels. We made the floor of the shower using old bricks that were on the property. They must have been extras from the construction of the house. We had to find ones that didn’t have holes so we had to sort through a huge pile until we found enough. We cleaned them off and then laid them in a herringbone pattern. I was so happy we were able to use the original bricks!
The shower uses a regular hose that is on a converter. We had a plumber add hot and cold water. It’s a little tricky getting the temperature just right sometimes. I hung some eucalyptus to add some nice fragrance.
We hung some cleats from the original dock to hang towels and wet bathing suits. Eventually we want to finish the inside with some corrugated metal.
For the door handle we used a vintage paddle that I found antiquing. We painted it white. Nautical theme? Check. We used vintage hinges too. They were originally white and rusty. I sanded them and painted them black. It worked out perfectly that there were three and they were substantial enough to hold the weight of the door.
We love our cute little outdoor shower. Nothing says lake living like showering outdoors!
