Feeling hot and grimy after spending the day in the garden? You can save yourself a trip inside by opting for garden showers and installing your very own outdoor shower system.
A garden shower provides a convenient way to quickly rinse off – whether you need a complete wash, a simple scrub down before diving into the pool, or a refreshing cool down on a hot day. These outdoor showers are also efficient for cleaning dirty boots or tools. They are particularly useful for washing off mud or unpleasant odours from your dogs, keeping the mess and smell outside of your home. Furthermore, garden showers are always popular with children, especially during the summer months.
5 Outdoor Shower Ideas
Garden shower ideas cater to various budgets. Incorporate nature into your garden shower by adorning it with plants or setting up a living plant wall. Enhance privacy with wooden fencing or a stone barrier. Contemplate adding spa-like elements, such as a rainfall showerhead for a relaxing experience, or practical features like a handheld showerhead, making it convenient to clean pets and kids.
These 5 suggestions will inspire you to create the perfect outdoor shower, regardless of your lawn size.
Rustic Outdoor Shower
A rustic outdoor shower is a simple and charming bathing setup, surrounded by fresh air and nature, for everyday use. It often incorporates natural materials like wood, stone, and plants to create an idyllic and inviting environment. The design typically features clean lines and simple aesthetics to blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.
Minimalist Outdoor Shower
A minimalist outdoor shower is a simplified, stripped-down garden shower set up in the backyard, focusing solely on functionality and aesthetic appeal. The design often includes a high-quality showerhead to ensure an optimal showering experience. It effectively blends simplicity with natural elements to provide a unique and cooling washing experience outdoors.
Courtyard Outdoor Shower
A courtyard outdoor shower is a stylish and functional design feature typically located outside a house, in a private courtyard setting. It can serve as a freshening spot to rinse off after a swim or after working in the garden during a hot day. Often installed in verdant courtyards, they provide a unique and enjoyable showering experience, yet ensuring privacy.
Tiled Shower
A tiled shower is a common type of bathroom installation in many houses that uses tiles as the main material for the shower walls and sometimes the floor. Tiles are a popular choice due to their durability, ease of cleaning, and the opportunity they offer for a stylish array of colours and patterns, enhancing the overall interior decoration.
Double Outdoor Shower
A double outdoor shower is a feature often found in resort-style homes, providing two separate shower heads within one structure on the lawn or garden. This type of outdoor shower setup offers a practical solution for couples to cool off or rinse together, yet comfortably, after activities such as swimming or gardening.
3 Best Outdoor Showers For Your Garden
ROVOGO Shower Panel Tower System with LED Lights
This luxury garden shower panel offers an array of features including a built-in LED temperature display, LED-lit rainfall waterfall shower, adjustable body jets, tub spout, and a 3-setting handheld shower wand – forming a comprehensive shower column.
The shower panel is equipped with water-powered blue LED lights (no battery required) that illuminate the rainfall and waterfall outlets with a soft blue glow, setting a romantic and calming ambiance for your bathing experience. Constructed from durable stainless steel, this outdoor shower is an excellent choice for individuals seeking a year-round garden shower solution.
MOSSON Outdoor Shower Faucet
The Mosson Outdoor Shower Fixtures Oil Rubber Bronze 2 Knobs 8 Inch Shower Head with Handheld Spray Wall Mounted Shower System Solid Brass is an excellent choice for individuals searching for a dependable and long-lasting garden shower. Constructed from solid brass and featuring a matte black finish, this product is resistant to tarnish and corrosion.
The 8-inch rainfall showerhead, handheld shower sprayer, and 1.5m shower hose enable you to personalize your shower experience. The shower height can be adjusted between 31.49-59.44 inches, and the adjustable adapter accommodates installation hole distances of 5.3-6.7 inches.
Moreover, the product is backed by a 30-day return policy and a 10-year warranty, giving you peace of mind with your purchase. In summary, the Mosson Outdoor Shower Fixtures is a top choice for those looking to install a reliable and durable outdoor shower system.
Blue Wave Poolside Solar Shower With Base
Enhance your backyard oasis and enjoy the convenience of the Poolside Solar Shower. This solar shower offers an effortless way for swimmers to wash off pool chemicals after a dip, while also providing a refreshing, solar-heated warm water rinse at any time of the day. It boasts an almost-tall internal reservoir tower that collects and harnesses the sun’s energy to warm the water inside. With just a twist of the stainless steel handle, the large 6″ diameter shower head releases a soothing flow of warm water for bathers.
The solar shower also includes an optional scalloped resin base to ensure stability and a stylish appearance. Simply add a garden hose water supply to complete your luxurious backyard retreat with the Poolside Solar Shower.
What To Consider When Choosing An Outdoor Shower
The variety of outdoor showers is sweeping, with numerous options for portable models. When it comes to permanent fixtures, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Below, we will examine the essential features of outdoor showers to help you identify the factors that matter most to you, ensuring that you find the ideal outdoor shower for your specific requirements.
Types Of Outdoor Showers
Wall-Mounted
A garden shower, typically wall-mounted, is often designed to connect to plumbing that runs through the supporting wall, similar to indoor showers. These outdoor showers usually include hot and cold valves and sometimes a central mixer lever, which secures the shower to the wall. An extra wall bracket is often used to support the pipe leading to the showerhead.
Although a garden shower is usually installed on the exterior wall of a building, it can also be fixed to purpose-built walls elsewhere. In such cases, the plumbing generally prefers to run underground to minimize the risk of accidental damage and freezing.
Freestanding
Garden shower units that are portable and ideal for outdoor use are often freestanding, meaning they do not require a wall for support and are more versatile compared to permanent fixtures. These freestanding showers come in various styles, with some featuring tall structures, integrated controls, and a fitted base while others require bolting to a hard surface or concrete.
Though the process of building and setting up these showers might require additional work and expenses, they offer great flexibility in terms of design and placement. While providing hot water can be challenging, solar-powered garden shower models might be a worthy solution to consider.
Portable
A garden shower can be as simple as a shower head attached to a hose, providing an affordable and versatile option for outdoor use. However, there is a wide variety of portable outdoor showers available. Some are equipped with a pole and base or tripod legs, allowing them to be placed anywhere in the yard or beside a pool for a quick wash. Battery-powered models can function using a bucket of water, while gravity-fed ones can be attached to the roofs of RVs or trailers.
Other options include showers that can be pressurized with a foot pump and those that feature small gas-fired units to provide hot water. As a result, the best camping shower can exceed the basic cold water experience that is often anticipated.
Material
Choosing materials for a garden shower requires careful consideration. Stainless steel is a popular choice for the shower unit itself, as it is highly resistant to rust, looks great, and is relatively easy to clean. Alternatively, brass and copper can be used as they develop an attractive natural patina, although they are sometimes finished with nickel plating or other colours. Steel, typically chrome- or nickel-plated, is more affordable, but the finish can wear away over time. PVC is the least expensive choice, but it must contain UV inhibitors to prevent deterioration from sunlight.
Pressure-treated lumber or durable wood like cedar are often used for support structures and flooring, as they provide more comfort than stone. However, stone is a more durable option. Other choices include tile and concrete for a garden shower.
Design
Shower fixtures for outdoor use can vary from a simple showerhead connected to a garden hose to models that include all the features of high-quality indoor showers. Additionally, there is a wide variety of outdoor shower enclosure kits available for DIY assembly.
For those with a creative touch, you can incorporate existing yard styles, be it traditional or contemporary, into your outdoor shower design. Privacy screens can be half- or full-height, or even nonexistent if space allows. However, when planning your outdoor shower, it is essential to consider any local restrictions and building codes.
Water Pressure & Flow Rate
Canadian Home Inspection Services states that water typically enters homes through a service line at a pressure of 20 to 80 psi, with the usual psi being between 25 and 50. And with the flow rate in GPM being a crucial factor for showers. A typical 2.5 GPM shower head utilizes 2.5 gallons of water per minute, amounting to 25 gallons during a 10-minute outdoor shower.
If you are experiencing pressure issues, you may want to consider choosing a rain outdoor shower head that offers sufficient water flow to rejuvenate your skin after a vigorous exercise session.
Temperature Control
Outdoor showers can be operated with cold or hot water supplies, with temperature control possible through separate taps or a centralized mixer. Similar to indoor bathroom showers, the main consideration for these outdoor showers is ensuring a proper supply without significant temperature loss. Planning for this aspect is crucial, especially for distant water connections.
Even for camping showers, it is not necessary to forgo hot water, as some models can be connected to standard 20 or 1-pound propane gas tanks, offering hot water in almost any location.
Shower Head
Many individuals have a preferred outdoor shower head type, which can usually be catered to, but portable showers tend to be quite simplistic. They may offer rotary adjustment for spray patterns but not much beyond that. The shower head’s height or the supplied hose’s length might be a concern, especially for taller people.
For instance, the hose on our best battery-powered model is less than 6 feet. Wall-mounted models should not cause any issues; however, it is advisable to check the specifications on portable and freestanding models.
Wrap Up
In conclusion, an outdoor shower is an excellent addition to gardens, delivering both luxury and practicality. They present a wide variety of applications, such as providing a cool escape from the heat, rinsing off before and after a pool or hot tub use, and removing sand or mud after outdoor adventures, ensuring that your home remains clean.
With endless outdoor shower ideas at your disposal, it’s crucial to select the appropriate design, installation process, and plumbing to suit your space and requirements.
Colin Macmillan is a seasoned entrepreneur and the CEO of Riverwood Landscape, a leading landscaping company based in Canada. He has been at the helm of the company since leaving high school, demonstrating his strong leadership skills and business acumen.
Colin’s expertise lies in various aspects of landscaping, including lawn care, interlocking, sod installation, and commercial maintenance. His hands-on approach and dedication to the craft have been instrumental in building Riverwood Landscape into a reputable brand.
One of his most notable achievements is the creation of a successful landscape franchise that services multiple locations. This accomplishment underscores his strategic thinking and ability to scale operations effectively.
Colin has also had the privilege of working with Guelph Hospital for landscaping and maintenance, a testament to the trust and reliability that his company has earned over the years.
His professional mission is to offer the best services and experiences for customers, a goal that he tirelessly pursues. Colin’s commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction continues to drive the growth and success of Riverwood Landscape.
