Need Help/adivce For My Outdoor Shower
I live in a Cape Cod style home and installed an outdoor shower on an exterior wall. Next to the shower are my basement bilco doors. My question is what should I do to drain the water from my shower? I’m concerned the run off could buld up and invade my 60 year old foundation.. Some advice has been to 1) dig down and drill through the basement block foundation and connect a drainage system to the sewer pipe , 2) dig a graded trench away from the house and connect pvc drain pipe to catch basin, or 3) grade the ground away from the house and use layers of process to pea rock as a natural drainage base, then lay large stepping stones to stand on. This last suggestion is my favorite as it will be less costly and something I can do myself, but will it do the job? Thank you Houzz community for any and all advice!
Carpinteria Beach House
This is not my shower but this is the base I was thinking of..
Three Things To Keep In Mind When Designing An Outdoor Shower
Adding an outdoor shower into your new construction or custom built home plans is an ideal way to help elevate both the style and functionality of your property. Whether youre washing off after a dip in the pool, rinsing off sand from a beach visit, cleaning off after a few hours in a muddy garden or cleaning up your kids and pets, an outdoor shower system is quickly becoming a popular addition with new home owners. With outdoor shower systems ranging from a simple garden hose attached to an elevated support stand to fully functional, self-contained showers that can rival their indoor counter-parts, current shower options and features have never been greater or more affordable. The following guide is designed to help home owners better understand the key factors to consider when planning a permanent outdoor shower system.
Outdoor Shower Pan Drain
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How Do I Make An Outdoor Shower Base
Dig a 12 deep hole with a post hole digger, and insert the 8 4 × 4. You can use concrete to secure it, or just fill the hole with dirt. Place the shower base next to the upright 4× 4, mark its location, then remove the base and cover the ground with pea gravel or small stones to help with drainage.Jun 18, 2012
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Outdoor Shower Cost And Installation

The cost of purchasing and installing an outdoor shower can range from about $250 to several thousand dollars. Expect to pay between $100 and $500 for a wall-mounted outdoor shower, between $500 and $2,000 for a standalone and $50 to $300 for portable showers.
Installation cost also differs considerably and can range from $500 and $8,000. Naturally, outdoor showers that require more complicated plumbing and incorporate added features will be more expensive to install. Fortunately, experienced DIYers can do most, if not all of the installation.
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Shower Pan Maintenance And Cleaning
Luckily, cleaning your shower pan is not that difficult. If you buy a waterproof shower floor, or one that is scratch or stain resistant, you will not have to struggle too much with the maintenance. However, no matter the case, you should clean it regularly.
Usually, its better to clean the shower after each use, so that its always clean and bacteria-free. To do this, you simply rinse the surface, after which it will go back to looking nice and shiny.
Removing soap scums is also essential, like from every other surface of the bathroom.
If you want to perform a deeper cleaning, youll need some special items to help you do this. That being said, buying a handheld scrub brush is a must, and you will also need a pump bottle of washing soap. From here, everything is simple you use the washing soap on the surface of the shower pan, after which you start scrubbing with the brush.
However, make sure the brush is not made from any material that can easily scratch your shower base. Find something safe to use on most surfaces.
Once youre done scrubbing the area, use water from the shower to rinse it, and the pan will be clean. Do this as many times as needed to remove all of the annoying dirt.
Do I Need A Drainage System For An Outdoor Showerdo I Need A Drainage System For An Outdoor Shower
Although piping water to the outdoor shower may be given top priority, figuring out where the wastewater will go and how it will be directed can be equally important. There are multiple ways to install drainage for an outdoor shower, but a handful of factors or limitations must be accounted for.
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Set The Posts For The Privacy Wall
To create a privacy area that is 4 feet by 4 feet, dig post holes at four points. Each point should be 4 feet from the adjacent point, forming a square. Dig 3 feet down with the post hole digger. Add 6 inches of base landscape gravel to the bottom of each post hole. Set the four-by-fours into place in each hole, checking for plumb with the bubble level. Fill each hole with two bags of quick-set concrete and fill each hole with water.
Outdoor Shower Floor Ideas
Heres our outdoor shower floor ideas including pebble, concrete, tile, wood and DIY outdoor shower designs.Theres a certain luxury and beauty just thinking about that perfect outdoor shower. Is it those perfectly cobbled paths that led you to a lush forest-like shower?
Are you imagining some opulent shower over those polished wood decking? We are fairly certain you have an idea in mind. If youre struggling to get the idea together, dont worry.
Plan seamlessly that soaking place with an outdoor ensuite. Heres how to hook up and blueprint one of your own.
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Expose The Water Lines
Locate the studs with a stud finder and mark them off. Using a manual jab saw, carefully cut out a section of drywall large enough to expose the pipes and to run additional pipes up to the showerhead location, usually about 80 inches high. For example, in the case of horizontal water supply pipes that are 30 inches high, you would cut out a section of drywall that is about 90 inches high by 14 1/4 inches wide .
How Large Should An Outdoor Shower Be
The minimum space required for an outdoor shower is 3 feet square, but go larger if you can. A shower enclosure measuring 4 feet square offers a generous amount of elbow room. If an attached dressing area is in your plans, you’ll need a 7-foot-long and 4-foot-wide area for the entire enclosure.
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What Is A Shower Drain Pan
- A shower pan consists of the pan itself, as well as the drain assembly. The main part of the drain is usually a heavy, chrome-plated ring that is threaded on the outside. This is to allow a nut to be screwed onto it from the underside, tightening the ring to two gaskets, a waterproof one on top and a metal one underneath.
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Build The Shower Floor

Cut two lengths of 44 1/2-inch boards out of one of the pressure-treated two-by-fours. Cut five of the pressure-treated two-by-fours in half, resulting in ten deck boards each 4 feet long.
Set those ten boards perpendicular across the top of the two 44 1/2 inch boards, spacing the latter boards 40 inches parallel from each other. Make sure that the deck boards are spaced about 1/8 inch from each other, then screw them down with the 2-inch construction screws. Place the floor over the gravel drainage area.
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What Are Tile Ready Shower Pans Made Of
Pre-formed shower pans like these are made of polyurethane, making them durable and lightweight. Using polyurethane, they are able to be molded in one piece, with no seams, so they can be guaranteed to be waterproof.
Below, you can see what the polyurethane shower pans look likea dense and strong plastic, while still being lightweight.
And here you can see what the underside of the shower pan looks like, with all of its support ribs and the drain body housing, of this Tile Redi rectangular model.
What Is The Best Way To Take An Outdoor Shower
- A direct hook-up to your home water lines might appear to be the best solution. If you would like to go farther afield, a water heater can work very well. If you want to take the easiest, greenest method and you have plenty of sun, a solar-powered solution could work wonders. Outdoor shower enclosures come in an assorted array of materials.
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Why Do You Need An Outdoor Shower Panwhy Do You Need An Outdoor Shower Pan
Shower pans are also great drainage options because they catch and direct the waste water to either the household drainage system or to selected food crops. In case of areas that are close to water bodies like streams, rivers or lakes, the outdoor shower drainage system has to direct the water to a septic or sewer line instead of flowing freely.
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What You Should Know Before Installing An Outdoor Shower
Whether the goal is to wash off the day or to commune with nature, there is an outdoor shower for you. The simplest is a foot sprayer hooked to an existing cold-water spigot. The most complicated and expensive is an outdoor shower with cold and hot water, a custom enclosure for privacy, and a built-in changing room for convenience.
What’s universal about any alfresco shower is that it beckons you outside. And yes, for some, it’s also about the exhilaration of being in the backyard in the buff. Here’s what you need to know to create the outdoor shower that best suits your nakedor not-so-nakedambition.
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Do I Have To Take Precautions Before Installing The Shower Base
Yes, you do. Basically, you have to make sure that the joints between the wall tiles and the base wont allow water to penetrate them. Moreover, you need to properly level the unit to prevent any damage to it, such as cracks.
If you dont do any of these, you risk damaging a part of your bathroom, and youll have to use more cash to repair that area and spend more time to refit the unit.
Bestbath 3030 Shower Base 3030 Shower Pan
With this product, youd get yourself a shower base that is unlikely to let any drop of water go out of the shower enclosing. Its quite tall, meaning that it will effectively collect your water and lead it towards the drain, without allowing too much of it to gather.
One of its top features is that its easy to install. Because lets be honest, theres nothing more frustrating than buying a unit that takes longer to set up than the amount of time youre going to use it for. More than that, you want to make sure you get to use it as soon as possible. The installation can be done in a day for this product, as it also comes with a drain.
The shower pan is a great opportunity for small homes or RVs, thanks to its small size. After all, you dont want something that cant fit your floor. In addition, the product was made of stain-resistant gelcoat, and the shower pan is of very high quality. You can rest assured that youll have it for quite a while.
Pros
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How Do I Drain My Outdoor Shower For Winter
Turn on all valves and accessories to the shower letting them drain completely. Use compressed air to blow excess moisture out of the pipes and valves. If an air compressor is not available remove the shower heads, valves and cartridges, hand sprays, foot showers, and hose bibbs and store them indoors for the winter.
When To Build Your Outdoor Shower

As might be expected, building an outdoor shower involves an extensive amount of outdoor time. So, in the interest of comfort, you may want to wait until warmer months before building. But plumbing an outdoor shower does involve some indoor work, too, and this can be done at any time of the year. Working on the indoor part during cold months is a good way to get a head start on the project for spring.
- Cordless drill, drill bits, and driver bits
- 6-foot step ladder
- Electric miter saw or circular saw
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Know The Types Of Outdoor Shower Drainage
Outdoor showers are practical, enjoyable, and attractive additions to a home. However, there are two issues concerning water that you had better facepiping water to the outdoor shower, and the wastewater. Outdoor showers do not generally need complex drainage systems, especially if you locate it at a distance from the house, or if the natural inclination of the terrain directs water away from the houses structure.
However, there are important considerations that will determine the type of drainage that you are going to install in your outdoor shower. Depending on the location, type of soil, and local regulations, there are several drainage possibilities. However, each of them has benefits and limitations that you should take into consideration. The matters that we cover in this post are, where the water should go, and how it will get there.
Connect The Shower Faucet And Handle
Install the shower handle assembly into the side of the house per manufacturer’s instructions. Cut the two PEX pipes to size and attach them to the shower handle assembly. With the remaining PEX pipe, continue one length up to the showerhead rough-in point. Install the shower faucet and head, then attach the PEX pipe to it. Caulk around the shower faucet from the outside of the house.
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Hook It To The Drainage System
In areas near lakes, streams, or other bodies of water, local authorities require or recommend that wastewater enters directly into septic or municipal sewer lines rather than to drain freely.
The process of installing the pipes simplifies if an outlet for drainage is easily accessible from the showers location. Nevertheless, you will need to know your citys regulations regarding wastewater. If you can not access your houses drainage system for cost or legal reasons, you have other options.
Whats Your Favorite Outdoor Shower Floor Idea
So, whats the best option for your outdoor shower floor? It will all depend on your budget, the amount of available space, and your aesthetic and style. There are benefits to each kind, so hopefully, the ideas here inspired you to get started on your next outdoor project. Happy building!
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Is It Expensive To Build An Outdoor Shower
Lucky for you, outdoor showers are an accessible feature for just about anyone. It all depends on how simple or complex you want your shower to be. A simple outdoor shower with cold water costs approximately $1,000 or less. An outdoor shower with an enclosure and hot and cold water will run about $4,000-$8,000.Apr 10, 2019
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Hardscaping : Outdoor Showers
Outdoor showers are what I look forward to most during our annual summer excursion to the North Carolina shore. More than swimming in the warm ocean, curling up with a book under the umbrella with my toes in the sand, or attacking a pile of peel-and-eat shrimp, its the ritual of showering in the open air that I love. You are showering again, Mom? is a familiar refrain.
Every year I ask the same question: Why dont I have an outdoor shower at home? And, every year I return determined to figure that out. But then I dont know where to start. Well, enough. This year I embarked on a mission to find out everything there is to know about installation. Heres what I learned.
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Top Choice For Tile Ready Shower Pans
When it comes to pre-made shower pans for tile shower floors, Tile Redi is really the brand that stands out above the competition.
If you want a shower base that doesnt need tile at all, something like a Swanstone composite shower base would be the route youll want to take.
But, if youre going to tile over whatever the shower base is, and you want a pre-made, rigid, shower pan, Tile Redi shower pans are the best ones.
You can see all of the various options to choose from here on this Amazon product page. As I mentioned above, youll be able to narrow down your choices with shower pan shape, size, number of curbs, drain type, etc.
This shower was made with the Tile Redi Wonder Drain square triple curb shower pan, which has a drain that your shower floor tile is adhered to the top of, so it blends with the shower floor tile.