How to Build an Outdoor Shower

Whether spending a day at the beach, exploring the forest or working in the garden, outdoor living gets dirty pretty fast. Instead of tracking the outdoors into the house at the end of the day, this outdoor shower is a luxury that is surprisingly affordable. Offering enough privacy to shower or change and convenient enough to be used to hose off feet, kids or pets, this weekend project can be built anywhere a garden hose will reach using basic lumber, corrugated tin and a simple plumbing assembly.

six panels 25-1/2-inch x 72-inch corrugated tin / four 4-inch x 4-inch x 9-foot posts / six 2-inch x 4-inch x 46-1/2-inch planks / six 2-inch x 2-inch x 65-inch planks / two 5/4-inch x 6-inch x 57-inch planks / one 5/4-inch x 6-inch x 46-1/2-inch planks / one 3/4-inch x 46-inch galvanized pipe / two 3/4-inch galvanized pipe flanges / one box 3-inch deck screws / one box #12 x 1-inch roofing screws / 1 quart wood stain or paint / shower plumbing assembly / 72-inch shower curtain / 1 square yard #57 gravel (optional) / posthole digger / drill with Phillips head screwdriver tip / measuring tape / level / paintbrush

Find a flat site with good drainage on which to build your outdoor shower. Choose a spot to establish the rear right corner of the enclosure and dig a hole 24 inches deep and 6 inches in diameter using a post-hole digger.

Dig three more 24-inch-deep post holes spaced at 46-1/2 inches to create a square. The 2-inch x 4-inch x 46-1/2-inch lumber to be used in later steps may be placed on the ground as spacers in lieu of measuring tape. Place the 4-inch x 4-inch x 9-foot posts in the holes.