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Discussion Forum

outdoor shower materials

bri | Posted in General Discussion on September 24, 2006 11:17am

I have been asked to rebuild an outside shower down in Falmouth,MA. It looks more like a small shed than a shower. It has a corrugated roof for venting and walls on all sides. The wall material is rotted and needs to be replaced. I need some advice on what waterproof sheet type material to use on the walls. I would like to incorporate some corner shelving for soap and what not. The floor I was going to use cedar spaced out to allow for drainage or maybe even composite decking, not quite sure. The shower is the main shower for a guest house. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Have a good one.

Thanks Brian

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  1. Notchman | Sep 24, 2006 11:36pm | #1

    I'm going to be building one next Spring and, due to my recent excellent experiences with the Schluter Kerdi membrane system, it is a no-brainer for me to employ that material.

    Be sure to use a frost proof hot/cold water valve system....they're a bit spendy, but necessary for outdoors; especially in a cold winter climate (best environment to shower outdoors in, BTW!).

  2. DanH | Sep 24, 2006 11:44pm | #2

    There was a thread on outdoor showers 12-18 months ago. Several good ideas, IIRC.

    If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
  3. renosteinke | Sep 24, 2006 11:54pm | #3

    What you have is more of a challenge than it first appears.

    Let's take it, literally, from the ground up.

    The ground ought to be excavated a good 6-10 inches, lined with garden cloth, and then filled with gravel. Your main support posts will pass through this area, so you might consider making those out of the plastic 5" square stuff used for fences. The gravel "pan" ought to extend well beyond the actual area of the shower.
    I am stressing this, as otherwise this area is likely to be weed heaven, and stink to high heaven as well!

    A composite material, such as Trex, would be excellent for the floor. Indeed, I am no fan of Trex, but this is one use I consider appropriate. Their ought to be a small gap between the framing and the gravel. You might consider also building a single step to get into the enclosure. Fasteners ought to be brass, or stainless, and be countersunk somewhat below the surface.

    Actual layout ought to be such that you can enter without having to operate any door. Perhaps, an "S" shaped layout, with one end the changing area, and the other the shower itself?

    For the walls, there are many, many choices available to you. Perhaps the easiest is to use PVC corrugated roofing material for the walls. With a little planning, and perhaps some heat, you can get that stuff to wrap around a corner- making for a neat appearance.

    Probably the easiest way to make shelves is to simply line the sides, about 5 ft. off the floor, with rain gutter material. A shelf can also be set higher up (about 6 ft) using the plastic-coated wire shelf material.

    For the roof, I suggest the fiberglass corrugated roofing material. Unlike the PVC or metal types, the fiberglass stuff lets some light through (especially the white stuff).

    1. Frankie | Sep 25, 2006 01:27am | #8

      FYI - Trex had a Class Action suit filed against it for mold growing underneath. Don't know the result but recall it did not look good. I also don't know what their remedy was for future generations of Trex.I like the idea of redwood or cedar for the shower floor. It can be designed/ built it so that it can be replaced as required.Frankie

      Experiment with the placing of the ingredients on the plate. Try the mozzarella on the left, the tomato in the middle, the avocado on the right. Have fun. Then decide it goes tomato, mozzarella, avocado. Anything else looks stupid.

      Richard E. Grant as Simon Marchmont - Posh Nosh

  4. Danusan11 | Sep 25, 2006 12:01am | #4

    If you go wood on the walls treat the finish just like a boat (west system epoxy) and top off with a good spar varnish.

  5. VAVince | Sep 25, 2006 12:11am | #5

    I am building a similar project as we speak so I read with great interest.

    I am using tongue and groove cedar for the walls hung vertical. I had a copper pan made from 24 guage copper placed on top of a deck and I will place a cedar grid over top.

    The water pipes come from the house from frost free bibs and then to pex to run the length under the deck. I have a short washer style hose to disconnect for the cold months.

    I am having so much fun with this project that now I am adding a home made solar heater. Stopped by building supply that I deal with a lot and found two large velux sky lights that were miss ordered(been setting there 2 years odd ball size). Picked them up for a song $75 with flashing kits. I am attempting to make solar collectors from the 2 lights. I also have two large plastic drums (50 gal I think) under the deck that collect grey water to use on the lawn and garden.

    I had not thought about putting on a roof? Not a bad idea. Good place to put the solar collectors!

     

     

     

  6. Piffin | Sep 25, 2006 12:15am | #6

    I built one from PVC fence material that was the pride and joy of the owners. Used trex for the floor

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
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    1. VAVince | Sep 25, 2006 12:29am | #7

      That sounds great! I would love to use that but would not blend with the exsiting deck very well. 

      Then again what colors can you get PVC 

      Kinda to late now any way

  7. oldbeachbum | Sep 25, 2006 01:45am | #9

    Cypress?

    ...a bad day at the beach is better than a good day anywhere else... :)

    1. iluvgear | Sep 25, 2006 03:45am | #10

      If you put "outdoor shower" into Google images you will get some ideas.  You will need to glean details from the pictures, but it could be helpful.

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