Hello All!
This is my first attempt at a post so please bear with me 🙂 I work at a wildlife hospital here in S. Florida and the volunteers have been requesting an outdoor shower. I have worked in the trades so plumbing, rough framing etc are no problem, BUT I can’t figure out the best way to create the shower itself. It is VERY flat here (we like to say “topographically challenged” instead 🙂 and I suppose I’ll need to create a drywell for drainage. I was thinking of scrounging some kind of shower base or prefab stall and framing a deck around it. Raising it up will give me the drainage I need to get the drywell out where I can use the backhoe to dig! What else do you suggest for a low or no cost but comfortable shower base? Thanks!
Tim
Replies
Your idea sounds good. Talk with soem of the contractor/plumbers/supply houses in your area, see if anyone has a damaged shower base they would be willing to donate.
Thanks ELCID72, That's what I thought might be the way to go. Those volunteers having been asking for this for ages and I want to be able to surprise them with it :-)
Tim
I've stayed a few beach houses with outdoor showers, most have a concrete slab as a floor and the water just runs off into the adjacent sand. The shower stalls are made of P.T. pine. There's typicaly a shower area and a changing area with a bench to sit on and hooks for clothes and towels. Most have had an open space of about 1-2' between the slab and the walls with a similar open area between the walls and roof if there was one for ventilation.
Mike
It's O.k. to think out of the box, Just don't walk off of the plank!
Timdrums--
Seems like the others already have you on the right path. If I could just add a bit to Mike S.'s description: saw a nice one with a U-shaped entry, yielding privacy without a door. Wall siding (about 6" off of floor) gave clear view of any occupants' feet, in case the water wasn't running. If memory serves, no roof and top of walls was just over five feet, enough to preserve the modesty of the fairer sex, and still yield the feeling of being outdoors; flooring was Trex. As it was attached to a slab on grade on Cape Cod; he just let it drain through the gaps onto the sand.
Regards,
Rework
one of my most inspired designs is our outdoor shower - Two black 55 gal drums plumbed together on a post/frame platform at 7' with a valve and large diameter rose (head) below - pt slatted deck resting (floating) on top of a load of limestone chips (I think something like this would be preferable to a drywell or other complicated drainage - raise/spread the soakaway area with porous material) - wooden privacy enclosure, the minimum necessary for modesty, I can survey the scenery as I shower - fill it with a hose, solar heated, - drawblack here is that the stratification of temps within the barrels means you're showering with the coolest water, might not be much of a factor in s florida, but limits spring and fall use in my temperate location -
Thanks Mike, Rework and David. The bench, hooks and privacy issues all seemed too obvious to raise in this forum and it was specifically shower construction/drainage questions that drove me to posting. Your ideas are all great and reminded me of the outdor shower on page 144 of my copy of Taunton's Building Baths and Kitchens.
I have a spot picked out that already has 3 walls and cold water right where I need it. A simple deck with some kind of shower base, a wing wall to deflect spray, a bench, shelf and curtain should all be straight forward, once I pin down a base.I also have hot water available only about 40 feet of PVC away. As for a gravel drainage area, I feel a need to move the drainage farther away from the building I am going to work off of.
Hey, thats another question, can I get away with running hot water 40 feet in pvc? Or will I need to use Cpvc or even copper? As for privacy, there will be a screech owl and a red shouldered hawk who will be able to see the bather :-) (The birds cages are the other 2 walls) Thanks again for your advice.
Tim Brown
The Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital
Hobe Sound Florida
PVC will deform and leak. Use CPVC or PEX. Copper will work too if your soil and water are not too aggressive.
Thanks Wet Head, I'm not familiar with PEX but CPVC is no problem. Is PEX flexible? I'd love to avoid all the couplings and elbows I'll need to run up a wall, across a barn's worth of trusses and then back down to the shower. If I use soft copper, I'd probably put on insulation, should I do that with any materiel? This shower will probably only be used a few times a week. . .
Tim
Timsdrums:
I just hope that the owl doesn't screech at the wrong moment, or he may indeed need the hospital's services....
Regards,
Rework
Tim -
What kinda of wildlife do you deal with there? Is this a privately owned hospital, or a non-profit thing? What do you do for them ?
DW and I have volunteered for about 17 years at a non-profit wildlife rehab center near here that deals with (most) native wildlife species. Interesting work sometimes, and always something new and different. Sometimes pretty gross.
I'm their official "Smokey the Bear" guy when they have open houses.
Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once.
Hi Boss Hog,
The Treasure Coast Wildlife Hospital is a private/not for profit (tax exempt) organization that has been caring for sick injured and orphaned critters for over 27 years. We work with ALL sorts of native wildlife and see quite a few exotic species as well (you never know what will go crawling/slithering/walking/running or flying by here in South Florida :-) Birds of prey are some of the sexiest critters we care for but we also see lots of other birds, reptiles and small mammals. . .
Where is this center you volunteer for? I am very impressed at your longevity and applaud your service. NO wildlife care center could function without volunteers. I and most of my coworkers started as volunteers then we were unlucky enough to do this professionally. I say UNluckily in reference to my pathetic salary :-) BUT I have such an amazing amount of job satisfaction that it is worth more than any amount of bucks. . . If I was suddenly made a gazilionare, I'd still do this!
As I mentioned before, I have put in a few years in the trades, as a carpenters helper/grunt and as a hotel maintenance worker. The maintenance work was great for exposing me to wide variety of jobs and skills. Now my title is Director of Education and my primary job is presentations to groups from nursery schools to nursing homes :-) BUT, when I am not running my mouth and playing with animals I might be building some sort of cage/enclosure or ,more likely, fixing something :-) I've been reading F. H. for over 12 years and I have lots of the Taunton books. . . I re-read them for relaxation and use lots of what I've learned. . .
Tim
http://TCWH.org
Yo Tim -
The wildlife center we work at is in central Illinois. It's called "Treehouse Wildlife Center". They have a website, but I don't know the address.
Our "longevity" might be a bit misleading. We started out when we lived a mile away from the place and had no kids. We probably worked about 20 hours a week each for a long time. We helped build and pay for several of the buildings and cages. A long cry from "fine Homebuilding", but worthwhile projects just the same.
We now live about 25 miles away, and only make it down for special events and projects. We're also on call to go get some injured/orphaned critters and take them down to the center - Typically about once a month.
We've also done presentations to schools and nursing homes. I kinda enjoy them - People are always fascinated with seeing the critters up close. We generally take owls, hawks, and a possum.
Have any favorite wild things? I'd have to say owls are my favorite - Particularly the Great Gray owl. They're both beautiful and amazing. After working at the center for a while, I've grown to dislike Bald Eagles and deer. The eagles are noisy, foul tempered, and crap all over everything in their cage. Deer are too much like sheep, and I never liked sheep.
Our center has no paid staff, unfortunately. They get by on about $30,000 a year in donations, and a couple grand from the government for caring for endangered species. Wish they had some paid staff.
Gotta get going................
Political speeches should be like pizza - Delivered in 30 minutes or less.