A young couple in Cape Cod have decided to add a quintessential New England feature to their home: an outdoor shower. While common, it’s not a small project and it takes the majority of the team at Ask This Old House to make it happen.
First, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada works with the couple to find the perfect spot and start the prep work, including removing some plants for transplanting.
Next, mason Mark McCullough digs a long trench and fills it with drainage stone and pipe for drainage.
Carpenter Nathan Gilbert shows up next, helping the couple install a white cedar outdoor shower surround.
Finally, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey takes care of the plumbing, allowing the homeowners to take comfortable showers in the backyard.
On the final day, the team wraps things up by installing bluestone pavers with built-in drainage, landscaping, and other finishing touches to take this Cape Cod shower from idea to ideal.
How to Install Drainage for an Outdoor Shower
Outdoor showers are great after a day at the beach or even rinsing off around the pool. But, since they’re typically close to the house, it’s important that they drain well to prevent pudding and foundation damage. When a young couple decided to install an outdoor shower in their backyard, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada and mason Mark McCullough pitched in with a drainage solution.
Where to find it?
When installing an outdoor shower, it’s important to have proper drainage, especially when it is close to a house. Mark chose not to install a dry well tank because the homeowners had so much land to distribute the water into. He chose to run a pipe at a slanted pitch away from the house and straight into the yard with some crushed stone at the end.
Use spray paint for the outline of where the shower enclosure and drain pipe will go. The end of this drain pipe was placed about 30 feet away from the house. Call 811 before you start digging. Use shovels to start digging the areas. Carefully cutting out grass if you would like to replant it later. For faster results, rent an excavator but switch to shovels when digging next to the house. Dig to about 18 inches all around. This trench was about 30 inches wide. This trench was being dug on land that naturally sloped down, so Mark was able to taper up towards the bottom without losing a downward pitch. Otherwise, the pitch can be made with the gravel. Ice & water shield was added to the exposed foundation for a little extra water protection. It was having trouble sticking in the cold weather, so flashing tape was added.
Add gravel to the trench. Use wheelbarrows and shovels to spread out the crushed stone. 3 tons of gravel was used for this project. The shower enclosure was filled with about 10 inches of gravel. The trench with the gravel should maintain a downward slope for gravity to bring the water to the outlet. Adjust the level of the pipe so that the bubble reads about ¼ high. Add more gravel where necessary. The end of the pipe can come out to a patch of gravel like this project, or a dry well can be installed.
Cut and wrap drainage trench wrap non-woven geotextile fabric around a 4 in. perforated pipe using large zip ties to secure fabric in place. Rake over gravel with a shovel to create a dented path for the pipe. Place the pipe in the trench. Cover with a thin layer of gravel–leaving the two ends uncovered. Take landscape fabric and cover the length of the pipe. Cover with the old soil. Cover with grass seeds, the old grass, or sod.
How to Install an Outdoor Shower Enclosure
Outdoor showers are great, but it’s hard to feel comfortable without at least some degree of privacy. When a couple decided to install an outdoor shower in their yard, the team at Ask This Old House wanted to give them a classy enclosure that fit the neighborhood and provided that privacy. To help, carpenter Nathan Gilbert picked up a rustic white cedar enclosure that will fit perfectly.
Where to find it?
Nathan installed a white cedar outdoor shower kit from Walpole Outdoors. This shower kit came with all the accessories including post caps, hinges, bolts, and pre-built doors and panels.
To mount the cleats on the side of the house, find the desired height and make marks on the high points of the shingles with a pencil. Wear safety glasses and drill three holes at the top, middle, and bottom of each cleat by using a drill and 4 inch structural wood screws. Use a level to make sure the cleats are plumb as you secure the screws in. Add the side panels into the pre-mortised holes on the cleats. A circular saw can be used to cut down rails of the panels if they need to be. Use a level to check the position of the panels and add shims to prop up the side that isn’t attached to the house. Secure with the wood screws.
Dig holes for each post with a post hole digger. This kit had three posts, and the holes were dug to be about 30 inches deep. Add the outer posts. Add temporary braces with scrap 2×4’s. One that connects the top of the outer posts, diagonal, and near the bottom. This will provide extra stability and help install the middle post. The middle post and the outer post that will not have the hinges can be backfilled with blue stone dust. First, spray the hole with water then add a shovel full of stone dust. Spray water in between layers of stone dust. Tamp down the stone dust then spray lightly with water again. The other outer post on the hinge side will be bearing the weight of the door, so it can be filled in with concrete. Mix the concrete mix with water in a wheelbarrow.
Finish by adding the hinges, handles, trim, and end caps that came in the kit.
How to Hookup Water to an Outdoor Shower
An outdoor shower is great, but just because it’s outside doesn’t mean it has to be cold. When a young couple installed an outdoor shower at their Cape Cod home, they wanted high-end fixtures and the ability to use hot and cold water. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey showed them how by installing an outdoor showerhead and water that breaks down easily for the winter months.
Where to find it?
Richard installed a Prier P-118 TrueTemp hot/cold single control valve where the homeowners originally had their hose spigot. He also installed a Pulse 5-spray shower system that has a dual showerhead.
To do this he had to bring in a hot water connection. After Richard shut off the water, he removed a small portion of the hot water supply pipe using a pipe cutter and a bucket to catch any remaining water. A Copper and PEX compatible ½” push-to-connect tee fitting was added to the missing section of copper pipe.
He also mounted a service shutoff to the ceiling. To run the hot water to the outdoor shower valve, Richard used PEX-A ½” starting at the tee fitting. To connect the PEX, Richard added PEX-A expansion sleeves using a PEX-A expander. He used a PEX tube cutter to cut the PEX where necessary. To mount the PEX to the ceiling, Richard used ½” half pipe clamps.
Richard cut the existing copper pipe to the hose spigot so Nathan could remove the spigot from the outside. Nathan used a cedar block with a 2 inch hole to mount the valve to the house and to use as an outline to cut the shingles from the house. Wearing safety glasses and ear protection, he used an oscillating tool and a pry bar to remove the shingles and remaining wood and nails. Nathan added flashing tape to the cut-out area and a bead of exterior caulk sealant to the perimeter. He added a piece of cap flashing to the top and placed the cedar block in the square. He screwed the block in using stainless steel screws. Then, Nathan drilled a hole using a 2’ hole saw.
Richard installed the hot and cold valve according to the manufacturer’s directions. The shower system was attached to a custom wood surfboard-shaped mount. Nathan added French cleats to hang the mount so it could be easily taken down during winter. Nathan also added cedar boards to cover the foundation walls.
Landscaping
Jenn and Mark finished up the landscaping of the shower. They laid bluestone for the shower floor and steps. They cut drain slits into a slab of bluestone using a circular saw with a diamond blade. Stone dust mixed with water was put down before the slabs to act as glue. Mark spread and flattened the dust using a finishing trowel. Plastic 8” landscape anchoring stakes were used to find placement and to keep the slabs evenly spread out. The slabs were tapped into place with a rubber mallet.
For plants, Jenn added a lilac plant to the side of the shower. Before planting she added Coast of Maine organic compost blend and mixed it with the existing soil. To the side of the shower, Jenn used Pink Chintz thyme. And in between the bluestone steps, Irish moss was planted. Then, Coast of Maine dark bark mulch was spread over the rest of the area.
Original Air Date: Mar 27, 2025, Season 23; Ep. 17 23:42
Products and services from this episode
- Outdoor shower kit manufacturer: Walpole Outdoors
- Outdoor shower control valve: Prier P-118 TrueTemp hot/cold single control valve
- Outdoor shower system: Pulse 5-spray shower system
- Plants:
Lilac
Pink Chintz thyme
Irish moss - Organic compost blend: Coast of Maine
- Bark mulch: Coast of Maine
