Summer shower- one of the significant buildings on the suburban site. How to equip a shower in your country house with your own hands, building a reliable and durable structure with a minimum of financial investments? Guided by the advice of the master, you can easily cope with the task.
Summer shower with a simple layout summer cottage
There is nothing difficult about building a shower in the country with your own hands. You just need to sketch out a drawing and decide on the dimensions of the future structure, prepare necessary materials and set aside some free time.
There are many options for arranging a summer shower. It might work out simple design made of a wooden frame with a small tank on the roof and a curtain to protect from the wind and prying eyes. Or a full-fledged cabin with strong walls and a roof that can withstand a heavy barrel filled with water.
Summer shower design options
But in any case, the summer shower should be comfortable and spacious. When thinking over the dimensions of the future shower stall, keep in mind that it is necessary to provide a place protected from splashes of water for storing bath accessories and hanging clothes. This will require from 40 to 60 cm of room area.
According to the experience of craftsmen who have already built a shower at the dacha with their own hands, for comfortable water procedures a sufficient room measuring 160x100 cm or 190x140 cm and a height of 2.5-5 meters is sufficient.
Advice: Small drawing or a simple drawing will help you correctly calculate the required volume building materials, preventing unnecessary expenses.
The design of a summer shower assumes that the water will be heated from solar heat. Therefore, it is better to select a well-lit area for installing a shower stall, where Sun rays will actively warm up the water tank throughout the daylight hours.
The best place to build a shower would be a sunny place.
When choosing a location, it is worth considering the convenience of water supply, ensuring, if possible, automatic filling of the tank.
It would also be reasonable to worry about water drainage in advance by placing the structure on a natural elevation, or making a small embankment so that after washing it flows into a septic tank or sump.
When constructing a lightweight frame structure It is not at all necessary to lay the foundation, but when building a stationary summer shower, this stage of work cannot be skipped.
To carry out the work you will need:
Preparing the base for a summer shower
The dimensions of the foundation depend on the building materials from which the building will be constructed. For the construction of a shower from cinder block or brick for installation slab foundation You will need to dig a pit about 15 cm deep.
The work is carried out in several stages. Having decided on the location of the summer shower, prepare the site:
Tip: If you plan to use a wooden or metal frame as the shower floor, before pouring the base you need to prepare a place for the racks by installing sticks of the required diameter vertically wrapped with roofing felt.
When screeding a floor, it is better to use a level and guides, because only a horizontal surface can become a reliable basis for the entire structure. At this stage of construction, it is also worth taking care of arranging a drain, making a gutter reinforced with a metal mesh in parallel with the concrete screed.
Foundation for the construction of a major summer shower
Using columnar or pile foundation under a frame summer shower, there is no need to dig a pit. It is enough just to make holes about 1 meter deep at the place where the support pillars are installed using a garden drill.
It is necessary to insert metal posts into them, the height of which is 1.2 m and D = 90 mm, so that the posts rise 20 cm above the ground surface. Columns made of hollow pipes are filled cement mortar, diluted with crushed stone and sand in a ratio of 1: 5: 3 and wait until it acquires the necessary strength.
Important: To extend the service life of metal poles, the ends buried in the ground must be pre-treated with used machine oil.
It is better to place a septic tank for a summer shower not under the shower stall, but at a short distance from it. This will prevent it from being flooded with large volumes of water, thereby preventing the destruction of the foundation and soil.
To equip it, dig a hole about 2 meters deep, decorating the walls with brick or cinder block masonry. Some craftsmen use for this purpose car tires, laying them on top of each other in the form of a well. TO ready septic tank a gutter is placed to drain the water and covered with a shield made of wooden boards.
Option for arranging a drain for a summer shower
It is better to decorate the walls of the gutter for water drainage with waterproof material: roofing felt, hydroglass insulation or ordinary PVC film. It is placed on a slope so that the flow is directed towards the drainage tank.
A metal or enamel tray is installed in the shower stall itself, which can be purchased at any specialized store without much hassle. Water will flow from it directly into the gutter.
Advice: You can partially solve the issue of soil drainage by planting moisture-loving perennials near the shower stall, such as bathwort, buzulnik, hazel grouse, iris, and loosestrife.
An outdoor shower made of beams or boards is one of the most popular options for a structure needed in the household. For the construction of the structure, it is better to use coniferous species, the main advantage of which is:
Shower frame made of beams
To construct the frame, 100x100 mm beams are used. First, assemble the lower frame, fixing it with a bolt connection to support pillars or screw piles. When installing, it is better to use long bolts with complete alignment of the axes.
Installed vertically wooden supports, perform top harness. To give the structure additional stability, the side frames are secured with spacers.
Planed wood is ideal for cladding coniferous species. She has a presentable appearance and fits harmoniously into the surrounding landscape.
Important: To extend the life of wood, it is advisable to treat it with an antiseptic and moisture-repellent composition, or simply coat it with 1-2 layers of varnish for exterior use.
Construction of the walls of a wooden summer shower
Special seals will help ensure a tight fit of the door. The door to the booth also needs to be painted or sealed.
For interior decoration cabins can be used plastic panels, oilcloth or linoleum. Photos from interesting options You can view the design on the Internet.
When choosing a barrel of the required volume, they are usually guided by the formula that up to 40 liters of water is enough for one person. To set up a summer shower for a family of three or four people, it is enough to install a barrel with a volume of 200 liters. If you choose between a plastic and metal container, it is worth noting that plastic is lighter in weight, but metal (painted dark) heats up faster.
Various water supply schemes with natural heating
Little trick: To ensure faster water heating, outer surface the roofs under the barrel can be lined with reflective material such as galvanizing or foil.
The container is placed on the roof and secured with straps. All that remains is to choose the required diagram water supply to the cabin:
The second option is more complex, but at the same time very economical because water enters the shower in doses and at the right time, which is very convenient. Both options with natural water heating. It is also possible to connect electric water heating. The presence of an electric heating element in a barrel entails the abandonment of a barrel made of simple plastic (it is better to use metal) and the inclusion of another container in the circuit for supplying cold water.
Scheme of arrangement of a tank for a summer shower
Cold water will save a lot of energy because washing only with heated water is not very practical and convenient, because there is no way to adjust the water supply temperature. You will also need a mixer or some kind of circuit with two taps and the need for an electricity supply. Although electricity is desirable anyway, it is necessary to illuminate the shower.
In the summer, even when relaxing and not working, at the dacha you need the opportunity to wash yourself. The easiest way to organize this is on the street, not in the house. You can make it portable - a mobile shower. This great option for the first time. But I want something more thorough. For this purpose, they build a summer shower in the country. Although it is stationary, it is lightweight.
Let's start with the most simple models, which do not even require booth devices or large capacity. There are mobile showers that work on the principle of a foot pump. The source of water is any container that you place next to you - a bucket, basin, tank - whatever you have. You lower the end of the hose into it, connected to a foot pump, which most often looks like a mat.
Summer foot shower - stomp
A hose with a watering can is connected to the output of this “pump”. To get a flow of water, tread on the mat, alternately pressing the pump pads. We trampled and the water began to flow.
What's great about this option is that you can carry it with you. It’s warm outside—you wash on the lawn. It got colder - we went into the house, put a trough, and washed ourselves there. This shower can also be taken on a hike - it fits in a standard package. Another plus is that you regulate the water temperature yourself: if you pour it warmer, you wash in it warm. If you want to freshen up, grab a bucket of cooler water. A good shower option for summer use.
When installing a stationary shower, the first question that arises is: where to drain the water. If you already have drain hole for, you can lay a pipeline there. But this solution is not the best if you use bacteria or drugs to process waste in the pit. In this case, a certain humidity is required, and with a shower it will be clearly higher than normal.
It is better to make a separate drainage hole for the shower. If the soil has normal drainage ability, it is enough to dig a hole nearby about 60*60*60 cm, fill it with expanded clay, you can - broken brick. This should be enough for average consumption water. If your family belongs to the category of “waterfowl” or the water drains poorly, make the hole larger.
On sandy soils You may encounter another problem: the sand may crumble. Then the walls can be strengthened with a net by driving pegs into the sides. Another option is to cover the walls with boards (as in the photo). But this is if the board is leftover.
No matter what kind of summer shower it is, it usually weighs a little. That’s why the basis for it is not too serious: there is no point in burying money. Small ones are most often used foundation blocks, which are set according to level. The shower in the country is raised above ground level by 20 cm or so. This is enough to prevent the treated wood (if it is used as a frame) from rotting.
If you are going to weld the frame from metal, you can generally place it on a level paving slabs or a stove. If desired, you can cast the columns yourself: install the formwork, lay the reinforcement and fill it with concrete.
The size of the shower is chosen arbitrarily: there are no standards here. In addition, the shower stall is often only one part. In another they set up, for example, a locker room or a room for a water heater (electric or wood - depending on the conditions). Some people plan to use the other half for storage or storage of equipment. So a country shower is not always just a cabin “for washing.”
If it is planned lightweight design, in which they will only wash themselves, and the simplest option is with a curtain instead of a door, you can take the minimum dimensions: a square with a side length of about 90 cm (drawing below), the height of the racks excluding the tank is 2.2 m or higher (if the family tall).
But this width is far from comfortable: it’s too cramped even for people of average build. It is more comfortable with a width of at least 100 cm, and better - 120 cm. This frame is assembled from metal or wooden blocks.
The metal frame for the shower is made from a corner with a thickness of at least 4-5 mm. The width of the shelf is selected depending on the planned load. The frame is usually loaded by water tanks and cladding. If you plan to put a plastic one on top square capacity liters per 100, and cover the walls with film, impregnated fabric or something equally lightweight, you can take the cross-section to a minimum. If you are planning, for example, two 200 liter barrels, and cover the shower stall at the dacha on both sides with clapboard, the load will be completely different. And here large sections are required.
Another metal frame for country shower can be made from profiled pipe. The wall thickness for the racks is 3 mm; 2 mm is also suitable for strapping. It has a rectangular or square section, which makes it much easier to attach the sheathing and sheathing. To attach something to a corner, you often have to first screw the bars to it, and attach the rest of the strapping to the beam. The harness can be attached directly to the profiled pipe using bolts or screws with pre-drilled holes.
It is best to weld the metal frame. If there is no device, you can make a collapsible frame on bolted connections. Craftsmen do it this way: they cut pipes to the required length, take thick mounting angles and assemble the frame with bolts.
In case you are planning to learn how to weld metal, the choice welding machine — .
The wooden frame for an outdoor shower is assembled from timber. For the bottom trim, as a rule, pine beams 100*100 mm or 150*100 mm are used. Racks can be installed with a smaller cross-section. Again it depends on the load. If there is a large tank on the roof, make racks from weave. If they only hold a roof (water is heated in titanium nearby) or a very small tank, then 50*50 is enough.
The bars can be attached in different ways. If correct, you need to cut out the tenon and groove. If it's quick, you can join directly, reinforcing the connections with corners.
Having placed the racks, they immediately make the top trim. It definitely fits 50*50 mm or 50*40 mm. They also make intermediate strapping. There may be one, two, or even three. If you are going to cover the shower with clapboard, imitation timber, it is better to fasten the crossbars more often: it will be possible to fit the not quite even lumber more tightly. The quality of wood materials sold on the market is, to put it mildly, low. We have to correct the jambs of geometry using force.
The construction of a timber frame is shown in the video
You can cover the frame with any material:
You can use any other fence that comes to your mind and will perform its functions. For example, at one summer cottage they wove the shower paneling. Type .
As a tank for a summer shower, use any suitable container that is on the farm. Most often it is a barrel - metal or plastic. If there is nothing suitable, you can buy a container. They are available in a wide range: plastic, metal - ferrous metal and stainless steel.
Not everyone likes plastic ones, as they heat up the water worse. For the southern regions this is not a big deal - there is already enough heat, but for Middle zone-may be critical. Although in this region, most of the summer, water even in black metal barrels requires heating. On the other side plastic containers inexpensive, lightweight, square flat shape, which means they fit well on the shower frame and there is no need to come up with a mounting method.
Water will heat up faster in a metal barrel, especially if it is painted black. But if it is made of ordinary metal, by the end of the season there will be a lot of rust. So much that it will be noticeable on the body. This is the main disadvantage of such tanks. Much better - stainless steel. If finances allow, allow yourself one.
There are two options for installing a country shower: when the septic tank (drainage pit) is located directly under the shower stall. Then you can simply make a pouring floor: lay boards with a gap of 3-5 mm. A simple option that works great on sandy and sandy loam soils. In this case, the water leaves very quickly, without stagnating anywhere, so this device does not cause any inconvenience.
But this option is only suitable if you plan to use the shower exclusively for warm weather. But in spring and autumn it will be cold, as it will blow from below.
If normal drainage is required or the drains need to be diverted to the side (drain pit away from the building), you need to make a tray in the shower. The simplest case is to buy ready-made. Then, when constructing and choosing the size of the frame, you will have to focus on the size of the pallet: under it you need bars to which it is attached. They also connect it in a standard way: they install a siphon with a flexible hose, like in a bathroom.
If the pallet is plastic, just bars around the perimeter will not be enough: support is required under it, otherwise it “walks” too much. This base is usually made of bricks. You can bind them with a solution. Just be sure to leave room for the drain hose.
In some cases, they try to make a more solid drain: without using a ready-made pan. In this case it is poured concrete slab. To do this, dig a pit of the required size, about 30-40 cm deep. A layer of gravel 15-20 cm thick is laid on the bottom. Already at this stage, a foundation is installed - a drain pipe and a drain grate. They are putting up formwork. It can be permanent - made of brick. The crushed stone is compacted and everything is filled with concrete (). Wait a week (at a temperature of +17°C and above) until the base gains strength. Afterwards, you can continue work: install the frame and continue construction.
There are usually no problems filling the shower tank with water. Sometimes they carry water in buckets - if you want to wash, you will carry it. It’s not very convenient, of course, but it happens... If there is a water supply at the dacha, fill it with a hose and install a supply pipe with a valve. You need to add water - open the tap, the tank is filled - turn it off.
The most advanced ones do automatic filling. Then the water supply is opened/closed by a float system similar to the one in the tank. Only in case of breakdown should provision be made for draining excess water. And, preferably, when leaving the dacha, turn off the supply tap. Otherwise, you can turn your and your neighbor’s dacha into a swamp.
An approximate diagram of the implementation of auto-filling the tank is shown in the figure above. Please note: the water intake into the shower occurs close to the surface: this is where the most warm water. Only this pipe is placed at the opposite end from the cold water inlet, otherwise the water will still be cold.
There are two pipes going into the sewer system: one is an overflow pipe (mustard colored). With its help, the tank will not overfill if the float mechanism breaks down. Second drain into the sewer for complete drainage ( Brown). It is useful when preserving the system - draining it for the winter, which is why a tap is installed on it.
The simplest option is to use solar energy. Yes, it heats water through the walls of the tank. But the water thickness is too large for it to warm up quickly. That's why people invent various settings for solar water heating.
As mentioned above, the warmest water in the tank is at the top. And the traditional feed comes from below. That is, we take the most cold water. To ensure that the warmest water flows into the watering can, a hose is attached to it, and it is attached to a piece of foam plastic, which I let float. So water is taken from above.
To speed up the heating of the water, they make a “coil” (in the photo above it is the right picture). At the bottom of the water tank and above, two pipes are welded into one of its walls. They are connected to a black rubber hose, which is folded into rings in the sun. If there is no air in the hose, the water movement will be quite active.
If the sun is not enough for you, but you can supply electricity to the shower, you can use heating elements (wet). They need to have a thermostat so you can set the required temperature. Usually used in storage water heaters, so you can find it.
When you pull the power line to the shower, do not forget to install a circuit breaker with an RCD. This is the minimum that will ensure your safety.
It was decided to use the fence at the far end of the site as one of the walls of the shower. It was decided to have a shower with a locker room - it’s much more convenient.
The soil is sandy, the water drains very quickly, so only one tire was buried for drainage. Rainfall tests have shown that no more is required. Much more water was poured than I had in the barrel, but there were no puddles.
Then we welded the frame. A rectangular pipe 60*30 mm was used. This is a bit much for this design, but we used what we had: the remains from the construction of the fence.
Having welded the floor frame and thereby marking its level, we formed a drain. They filled in the missing height with bricks (battle, remains). Everything was filled with concrete, forming a drain into the tire.
We leveled the floor in the second half and left it to set. We started processing wood. Purchased aspen board. It was first treated with sandpaper attached to a grinder. Afterwards it was impregnated with a protective composition.
While the impregnation dries, we continue to weld the metal frame for the shower. The middle trim was welded from the same profile pipes. Then it was used as a scaffold for working at heights. Already dried boards were placed on the piping pipes. The top trim was welded from this pedestal.
The frame is almost ready. All that remains is to weld the frame for the barrel at the top.
The metal used is old, so it is covered in rust. It was cleaned with a grinder. Then the shower frame was painted three times with anti-rust paint. She is chosen of blue color, since it was planned to cover the shower with blue polycarbonate.
The polycarbonate was mounted with self-tapping screws. No special or regular washers were used during installation. This is a violation of technology that can lead to sunny weather it will crack. This material has a large thermal expansion, which intensifies, since in in this case it is fixed on metal frame.
The barrel in the barn has been washed. The pipes are welded to it. One is for filling water, the second is for connecting a watering can. After this, the barrel is painted black.
If warm time If you spend the year at the dacha or on a country plot, then before the start of the season it is worth spending some time and building a wooden summer shower with your own hands. Even if you have a shower in your house, such a structure will definitely not be superfluous: in the summer heat, dousing yourself with cool water, slightly heated under the sun, is really very pleasant.
Moreover, such a structure is quite simple to install, so even not the most experienced craftsman can cope with the task.
Before we start work, we need to stock up on everything we need.
Advice!
The best option would be to purchase larch blanks.
Maple, pine and ash also tolerate loads well, but cope less well with moisture.
In principle, oak can also be used, but for this purpose it is too expensive.
In addition, we will need consumables:
As for the tools, here you can get by with a standard set:
When everything is ready, you can start working.
Before you start building a shower, you need to understand where all the waste water will go. The easiest way is to drain it onto the ground, but this is only possible if the shower is located at a distance from the site, and even on well-drained soil. Otherwise, we cannot avoid contaminated water getting into the beds or water intake sources.
Most often, a separate drainage well is installed for the shower:
Advice!
Price quality bricks is very high, therefore, for the construction of drainage pits, they most often use broken stones, or they take stones that have been used, but still retain their shape.
If there is a cesspool or septic tank on the site, and we plan to install a shower no further than 10 meters from these structures, you can simply arrange a drainage ditch:
At the same time, everything wastewater, formed under the shower, will be transported as quickly as possible to the septic tank, where they will be included in the process of waste decomposition and infiltration of purified liquid into the ground.
Important! If the design of your septic tank provides for regular pumping, then with the addition of a shower, the amount of drainage will approximately double. This fact should be taken into account when planning preventive measures.
If we take the drawings of a wooden summer shower given in the article as a basis, anyone can build such a structure with their own hands.
However, beginners should carefully study the algorithm of work in order to avoid annoying mistakes.
Note!
This does not apply to lightweight portable showers with slatted frames - they are usually simply tied with wire to reinforcing bars driven into the ground.
Advice!
The grate must be thoroughly sanded, otherwise the risk of getting a splinter in your bare foot will become very noticeable.
Advice!
It is worth attaching several hooks to the outer wall next to the door.
We will hang clothes and towels on them: this way they will not get wet during water procedures.
All we have to do is equip the water supply system.
And here it is best to implement classic solutions:
Note!
Instead of a factory container, it is quite possible to use metal barrels, and polymer containers.
The main thing is that the structure is sealed and does not release toxic substances upon contact with water.
After this you can use the shower. And in order for it to last as long as possible, before the start of each summer season the cabin should be sanded and treated with an antiseptic, and then either varnished for external use or applied wood paint.
A summer shower made of wood, made according to the above algorithm, is quite simple, reliable and convenient. However, you can always make adjustments to the design, introducing either your own ideas or technical solutions, gleaned from the educational video in this article.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of water in human life. Especially during the heat of the sun. A summer shower is exactly what allows you to cheer up and refresh yourself after gardening exploits.
By the way, not every summer resident has a summer shower on his property. But in vain! After all, it can be arranged simply - in the form of a temporary structure (collapsible) or thoroughly, for annual use.
If you are interested in how to make a summer shower with your own hands, then this article will be a good guide, since it contains the subtleties of choosing building materials for the shower and frame, a water tank, a drainage device, as well as drawings and diagrams for quick and inexpensive construction.
But, about everything step by step and in detail.
When planning the construction of a summer shower in the country, you need to pay attention to the choice of materials that will be used in the construction process. Summer shower is not only hygienic procedures, it is also decorative element in landscape design of the site. Not every dacha has a minimalist style, so let’s first consider what types of showers there are.
Structurally simple shower consists of a tank with a tap, which is installed at human height.
You can install the shower tank on a tree or lay a watering hose, securing it to a special stand, and throw a rubber mat on the ground. As a one-time measure, such a shower, of course, will do.
But, if you use it often, the bathing place will turn into a mud bath, which will make suburban area looking like a swamp, which is certainly not part of our plans.
Outdoor summer shower with remote tank
The photo shows an outdoor shower with the tank installed away from the bathing area. This is due to the fact that the shower frame cannot support the weight of the container filled with water.
Closed frame summer shower with tank
This design can already be called a shower house (or country shower cabin). It is this type that has become most widespread among owners of private houses, despite the great complexity and cost of production. Therefore, we will dwell on their device in more detail.
Types of frame showers differ from each other mainly in material exterior finishing. As evidenced by reviews on the forums, the most popular are:
Its peculiarity is absolute mobility and low cost. To make such a shower, it is enough to make a collapsible (or solid) frame and a screen from thick PVC film (or tarpaulin). A portable shower can be easily moved from one place to another.
However, it cannot be seriously considered as a long-term construction, because... service life is limited by the quality of the film (polymer roll). Usually it is changed every season, or even several times per season.
Such a construction, as well as all subsequent ones, can already be considered capital (stationary). The best option use of lumber - cladding with planed boards or frame cladding wooden clapboard. Can be used with moisture resistant OSB boards(OSB) or plywood, but not advisable due to hygroscopicity.
The tree is good because it is natural material. But its use requires proper processing and constant care. A wooden shower will last from 5 to 15 years. Using wood as a finishing material does not exclude the possibility of creating a unique project.
Finished garden showers are shown in the photo. Corrugated sheeting is a profiled sheet of thin metal. For a shower, a painted sheet with a metal thickness of at least 0.45 is suitable. This type of shower is resistant to moisture, but is more expensive and deforms due to mechanical damage.
Please note that in summer steel structure gets very hot (one might even say, it gets hot) and, as a result, it’s hot and stuffy inside, therefore, you need to provide good ventilation. The service life is determined by the warranty period of the sheet and ranges from 10 to 25 years.
Advice: If you decide to use corrugated sheets, give preference matte finish. Its service life will be up to 25 years.
Thanks to the ability to use the “greenhouse effect”, polycarbonate is becoming one of the most popular and available materials for the construction of a shower.
To install a summer shower, it is better to use opaque cellular polycarbonate, 8-16 mm thick, special profile and washers for fastening. A polycarbonate shower will last you from 3 to 10 years (depending on the quality of the sheet).
An outdoor shower made of stone or brick can no longer be called a temporary summer shower, since usually they try to install water supply and electricity to it. Brick shower house, if properly organized drain has been in use for quite a long time.
To use the shower for a long time and without problems, you need to place it correctly on the site, for this you need to consider:
Advice: do not place the shower next to a well, this will have a bad effect on the quality of drinking water.
Shower frame material
You can also use a corner measuring 40x60 with a metal thickness of over 2 mm.
Please note that the metal must also be treated with solutions that protect against corrosion.
Advice: despite the assurances of manufacturers, it is better not to use plastic pipes to make the frame of a summer shower. Along with high windage facing material(for example, polycarbonate), such a design will not be sufficiently stable.
Finishing material
It has already been mentioned above. It is important that the material is prepared for use in the conditions high humidity and the influence of atmospheric factors. For example, buy greenhouse film; it lasts for at least two years. The tree must be treated with an antiseptic, primer, or solution that prevents damage to the wood by bark beetles. Polycarbonate must have a protective layer that can withstand exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Corrugated sheeting is a high-quality polymer coating, otherwise rust will appear after the first season.
Shower tank (container)
The choice of tank is influenced by:
Tip: you can make a water tank yourself. Any clean container with a filler neck with a screw cap will do for this. Most often, summer residents use a barrel.
It should be remembered that the water in the summer shower flows by gravity, so expect some pressure. But summer residents usually do not worry about this.
It is quite possible to make a drawing of a summer shower on your own, but to have something to build on, we will give several options as an example.
When developing a shower design, decide in advance on the finishing material. Some types, for example, corrugated sheets or polycarbonate, are characterized by significant windage, and, therefore, it is necessary to provide for the installation of additional jumpers for structural rigidity.
Also consider the volume of the tank; the frame must be able to support the weight of the container filled with water.
Consider the size and installation location of the door that should open outward.
Of course, an outdoor shower is not a capital building, but, nevertheless, it is worth taking a responsible approach to its design.
The dimensions of the shower depend on the preferences of the users, but are usually:
Tip: when designing the width of the shower, take into account the width of the door and the gap of 70-100 mm. for installing a door frame.
If the shower also serves as a locker room, then it is better that its dimensions be at least 1000 by 1200. If a locker room is provided, then the shower itself can be reduced to 800x800, and the locker room can be arranged in accordance with its owner’s vision. If a toilet is intended, then the width is added accordingly and the device is taken into account cesspool or sewer line.
- height of the tallest user with arms extended upward;
- location for installing the water tank. It is often installed directly below the shower ceiling;
- presence/absence of a shower tray.
- configuration. The summer shower has a predominantly square shape. However, polycarbonate allows you to make a shower round shape. And the developer’s imagination can generally go beyond the standards and build an unusual and beautiful summer shower from familiar (available) materials.
Advice: when creating a summer shower project, select its dimensions taking into account the consumption of material, especially those with standard sizes. For example, corrugated sheets or polycarbonate. It will be a shame if 100 mm is not enough or if half remains unused, but they saved on the dimensions of the shower room.
The drawings above show that the shower frame is a simple structure.
Regardless of the frame material, the manufacturing process will be approximately the same. But, nevertheless, there are several ways to make and install a frame.
Tip: a shower with a changing room (or with a toilet) requires the installation of additional vertical posts due to the fact that it has large dimensions compared to a shower without a changing room.
Option 1. Primitive shower frame
Weld the structure and secure it in the ground using metal rods. Rods more than a meter long, bent in half, are driven through the lower edge of the frame into the ground. This option is not widespread among users due to the fact that it does not provide the opportunity to organize drainage. The water used in the shower will wash away the rods and soon the frame can be overthrown even by a slight wind.
Option 2. Shower frame on a columnar foundation
First you need to install the vertical posts. To do this, using a drill, a layer of soil 500-800 mm deep is removed. Place a sand-crushed stone cushion at the bottom of the holes, install mortar-treated posts and fill them with concrete. In this case, the racks are set strictly according to the level.
Advice: it is better to tar the wooden posts or wrap them in a layer of roofing material. This way the tree will be less susceptible to rotting.
After the concrete has hardened, horizontal jumpers that will hold the tank, as well as lower jumpers, are attached to the vertical posts (by welding or hardware for a metal frame, nails or special staples for a wooden one). Their purpose is to hold the bottom edge of polycarbonate sheets or sheet metal and take on part of the weight of the entire frame.
Tip: when making the frame, you need to provide additional horizontal posts to install the door.
Additional oblique jumpers will add rigidity to the structure.
To ensure the drainage of used water, it is necessary to install a tray for a summer shower. To do this, you need to remove the soil from the surface area equal area soul plus 100 mm. The depth of the excavation will be 300-350 mm. Place a layer of crushed stone and sand at the bottom. Optimal height layer 150-200 mm. Inside the frame we make a bandage that serves as the base for the floor. Next, you can install a pallet or make a slatted floor.
To make a lattice floor, you need to lay logs on the horizontal lintels, and on them - boards 50-100 mm wide. The size of the gap depends on the width of the board and usually ranges from 5 mm (for 30x30 mm timber) to 20 mm (for boards 10 mm wide or more).
Advice: the gap should ensure rapid drainage of water and eliminate the possibility of injury to the legs.
Attention: in cool weather, the air flow from below (from under the floor) will make taking a shower not very comfortable.
Option 3. Shower frame on a foundation
For these purposes, it is better and easier to pour a foundation in the form of a monolithic slab. To understand how to make a foundation for a shower, you need to decide where the used water will go. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the drainage pit.
Construction of a foundation for a summer shower
It is necessary to remove soil from a surface with an area equal to the shower area plus 100 mm. The excavation depth will be 300-350 mm. Fill the bottom of the hole with a layer of crushed stone and sand. The optimal height of the sand and gravel cushion is 150-200 mm. Tamp well and water with water. Then fill this cushion with concrete solution, taking care first to arrange the water drainage. To do this, you need to embed into a concrete slab polymer pipe, and pour the foundation itself at an angle. So that the water flows by gravity into the pipe. And then it went either into the ground (in case of low frequency of use of the shower by several users) or into a special hole (in the event that many people use the shower). The second option to ensure water drainage would be to pour the foundation at an angle to the surface and install drainage at the place where the water drains.
After all the work has been completed, all metal and wooden parts of the frame are once again treated with primer or paint.
Tip: the paint must be suitable for use in conditions of high humidity.
User opinions. As for pouring the foundation, user opinions vary. Some believe that a polycarbonate shower, as a lightweight structure, does not require a foundation; it is enough to simply deepen the vertical posts of the frame and make a backfill of gravel. And some are convinced that the foundation will make the shower more reliable. In any case, it won’t hurt, the only thing is that it will entail slightly higher construction costs.
The construction of the floor involves the construction of a wooden flooring or the installation of a pallet.
Tip: A car mat placed on a concrete floor is suitable as a one-time measure.
The tank is installed in a place previously prepared for it in the frame and attached to it.
Tip: You can speed up the heating of water in the tank by covering it with film or laying a polycarbonate sheet on top.
Stage 7 – electrical wiring
Supply of electricity and wiring, installation of heating elements (heated tank - heating element).
Finally, interior and exterior decoration is performed.
Conclusion
Thanks to this step by step instructions, now you know how to build a summer shower for your dacha with your own hands. Enjoy the coolness of the water in the midst of the hot summer.
Perhaps all summer residents know that it is simply impossible to live without a shower on the property. This is especially true in the summer, when after a whole day of working in the beds, it is necessary to take water procedures simply for reasons of hygiene.
Assembling a summer shower is easy, and there are a great many manufacturing options. Some aspects of the work will be discussed further.
As a temporary solution, you can make a simple shower: fix a metal or plastic tank, preferably dark color, with a tap and mixer, make a screen. Everything will take a minimum amount of materials, time and labor, so such a structure can be erected in a few minutes.
Stages of work:
As a floor, you can use a simple pallet, which is a lattice made of wooden beams.
To make a shower cabin, you can use a metal corner.
To shower one person, you will need at least 20 liters of water, which means that even the smallest water tank should have a capacity of about 50 liters. It follows that the installation site of this tank must be well reinforced.
Among the materials, we can mention the now familiar metal profile. As in the previous case, the frame of the building is assembled and then sheathed with this material. In principle, this option deserves attention, but practical side metal is not the best choice.
In the shower there will be constant contact with water, which means that it’s good profile sheet was not covered protective compounds, corrosion will begin fairly quickly.
Again as a temporary measure for a quick fix The issue can be resolved this way. If all the materials necessary for construction are available, such a structure can be assembled in just a few hours. But perhaps this is one of its few advantages.
This option is good in all respects, as it allows you to use the shower in any weather, however, its design is somewhat more complicated and requires greater knowledge and skills.
One might add that one of the the most important conditions The work of such a shower is to provide reliable thermal insulation. The most suitable material for this is polystyrene foam. It is resistant to moisture and easy to install. And if you also cover it with a thick film, you will get an almost sealed room that will be relatively warm in itself.
To speed up the heating of water in the tank, it can be painted black.
If a heated system is used, then it can be additionally equipped with an automatic water supply, which will make your life even easier, but all these technical devices will entail additional financial investments.
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