While an outdoor shower with a French drain was not part of the original plans for my garden , it quickly became a secret plan changer and one of my favourite parts of my outside space . If you ’re expect for a means to elevate your backyard ( which I extremely recommend ) , this is my experience install and using my French drainage and outside exhibitor .

If you ’ve been following along with my garden , you ’ll probably recall that one of the projects I completed wasa watering place area with a hot tub . While I initially had some concerns about the amount of energy , water , and chemicals that hot tubs use , I knew that it could help alot with my chronic pain .

And I was right ! Soaking at least once a 24-hour interval has made a populace of a difference , and I ’ve managed to regain ways tokeep my frame-up eco - friendly and natural .

outdoor shower turned on and secured to cedar privacy wall

My outdoor shower is right next to my hot tub and patio.

When I set out to instal the hot bathtub in my garden , my original plans did not let in an outside shower . However , the 2d - hand raging tubful that I ended up purchase from Facebook marketplace included one , and adding it to my short out-of-door oasis has been one of the undecomposed ( inadvertent ) decisions I ’ve made .

Here ’s what you need to know …

What is a French Drain?

If you ’re not conversant with the Gallic drain , it ’s essentiallya trench or golf hole make full with rocks that let water to seep through and redirect it . Some drains designed to treat more water system also admit a perforated pipe or weeping tile .

While similar subsurface drain system have been used for centuries , Henry Flagg French popularize the French drain in 1859 when he wrote about them in his bookFarm Drainage . This early iteration described by the French used roofing tile , but particular drain tiles with perforation were design after .

today , Gallic drain are typically used to prevent primer and aerofoil water from damaging buildingsand instal along streets and main road as an option to open ditches and storm sewer .

Outdoor shower and hot tub

My French Drain Design

When I begin researching drainage options for the alkali of the shower , the Gallic drain immediately stand out to me . It was a simple resolution that did n’t require any synthetic material .

Because I only needed to forestall piss from pool at the bottom of the shower , not to conduct the urine to a different area of my property , I go with a basic aim . Rather than using a pipework , I was able-bodied to just create a 3 human foot deep hole the size of the shower stand .

My soil was so compacted and impregnate from the gamy water table , that it came out like a thoroughgoing square block with true side !

outdoor shower bamboo base surrounded by crush gravel

A mail shared by Stephanie Rose ( @garden_therapy )

Since the shower is next to my live tub where there are no plant , I did n’t postulate to delineate the pickle with landscape fabric . Once I had my drainage hollow , I just fill it with¾ inch puppy love gravelfrom my local landscape store . I also placed a woodwind instrument and bamboo base on top of the rock to make the shower more well-fixed on my foot .

Now when I turn the exhibitioner on , the pee feed into the gravel and chop-chop filters down instead of pooling !

outdoor shower with French drain

The Shower Design

An out-of-door shower was n’t in my original plan for this area . But sinceone came with my 2d - script hot tub , I decided to make utilization of it .

Like my hot tubful , the shower needed a bit of work , but I was capable to scavenge most of the parts . The main matter I had to do was replace the pipe , as the original one had burst .

The rain shower is apropane - fueled camping shower bath , which heats up the piss quickly and works so well for the space I have .

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I generally have a inhuman shower after spending clock time in the live tub . I do circuits in the red-hot tub , soaking for fifteen minutes in the heat energy , pursue by an frosting - cold shower . Especially during the summertime , I see that I have n’t had a cascade indoors in weeks .

Now that it ’s fix cold-blooded , I can also have warm showers outside . It also makes showering before I get in the red-hot tub so convenient , which helps keep the urine cleanwithout having to use chemical . lavish before enrol is one of the main path that I keep my hot bath clean .

Decorating My Outdoor Shower

My raging tub and outside shower area are seriously one of my favourite section of my menage . My secondhand raging tub also came with a privacy gazebo made of cedar . The wood has been plow withShou Sugi Ban , which is a Japanese technique for burn Grant Wood to preserve and stain it .

I added some shelves to the walls to adorn , meet it withhouseplants , candles , and a knickknacks or two . These houseplants are respectable to pay heed out outside for the tender month , and I ’ll convey them in for the dusty months .

Around the root word , I lend some potted shade plants likehostasand ferns to really make it sense like you ’re shower in the forest . I habituate the shower water to keep them hydrated so it ’s a expectant spot for plants that like the wet .

hot tub plant and shelf

Keeping Your Outdoor Shower Eco-Friendly

Like most things I do , I endeavor to keep my outdoor shower as eco - favorable as potential . Because I opted for a Gallic drain , it ’s significant for me to keep in mind thatall the products I apply will drain into the earth .

For me , this means using my own homemade scoop and biodegradable shampoo . Right now , I ’ve been love mysunflower and turmeric soap , but if you ’re concerned in get your own born soap , I have tons ofrecipes and crest .

FAQs About My Outdoor Shower

Gallic drain should not be installed less than 3 foot off from any walls , trees , and fences . broken spots in your curtilage are also not the property for a French drain as born pooling can induce the drain to keep back too much water .

This character of drain needs to be at least a foot and a half deep for do its task . I choose to make mine 3 foundation to lodge my exhibitor .

The base I chose for my own outdoor shower is made of wood and bamboo . It earmark the water to drain into the gravel , but it ’s still comfortable to tolerate on . I also liked the natural smell of this option , but Harlan F. Stone tiles are another popular option .

pothos on shelf outdoors next to shower

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soap and loofah on dish next to houseplant

outdoor shower head turned on

Pin image for how to build a French Drain for a luxurious backyard shower experience.