When customers have an inclination for al fresco bathing, the uncommon request can challenge a remodeler or designer's creativity. Many homeowners view an outdoor shower as a natural extension of their house. Remodeler Kacey Fitzpatrick says that the clients for her first outdoor shower design wanted to expand their interior living space into the outdoors and create a retreat off the master bedroom.
The area serves a practical purpose, too. The couple wanted a shower to clean up after gardening and to rinse off chlorine after using the hot tub. Fitzpatrick, president of Avalon Enterprises in Mountain View, Calif., says the most striking part of the shower is a steel and glass canopy that is cantilevered from the roof. She worked with a welding company and a custom skylight company to craft the structure.
Mark Dixon, vice president of operations for Legacy Custom Builders, Scottsdale, Ariz., worked on a curved shower made of glass block. He says the clients wanted it near their pool, and the architect found a way to incorporate it into a nook on the lower level. "It provided a way to get light into the adjacent bedroom," he says.
Because the walls are made of glass, Dixon had to find a place for the showerhead. His solution was to attach the fixture to an 8-inch strip of flagstone fitted between two curved panels.
Depending on the location of the outdoor shower, privacy can be an issue. Patrick Carley of Patrick Carley's Outdoor Woodcrafting in Sanford, Fla., measures his clients in the planning stage to make sure they will be "covered" by the shower doors. For one project, he designed one wall higher than the others to prevent the neighbors from peeping into the enclosure.
Another important consideration is drainage. For one project, Carley dug a trench 2 feet into the ground under the deck shower, angling it away from the house and lining it with river rock. If remodelers are concerned about seepage into the foundation, he advises using a waterproof liner under the rock. Dixon installed flagstone flooring in the shower that slopes toward the shower drain and down to the house waste line. Fitzpatrick had to retrofit a pan under the deck for her shower design because it wasn't draining properly.