Do-it-yourself shower for the garden: You’re sure to feel refreshed!

There is an outdoor shower made of wood standing in a garden.
Ready for a little cool-down? An outdoor DIY shower will certainly help out here.

  • Difficulty
    medium
  • Cost
    85-130 £
  • Duration
    6-8 h

Summer is around the corner, and so is the heat wave. It means that you’ll likely be wishing for a chance to cool off now and again. You’ll find a quick fix to this problem if you have your own outdoor shower in your garden. Our step-by-step guide will show you how to build your very own outdoor shower.

Have you heard about our 18-volt system yet? It offers a very wide variety of devices for many uses. The special feature of the following project: You can use the same rechargeable battery for every part of this project. Simply swap out the battery pack, inserting it into a different device that is part of the 18-volt system, and continue to the next step.
 

It should go without saying that your safety is paramount throughout every step of the project, so make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You can find everything you need to know about the correct protective clothing you need when using each type of tool in our overview.

You need
  • pencil
  • g-clamps
  • Set square
  • spacers
  • wooden spatula
  • Two pieces of squared timber E: 90 x 45 x 1500 mm
  • Wooden boards made from Douglas fir:
  • Two wooden boards A: 100 x 18 x 800 mm
  • Two wooden boards B: 100 x 18 x 1000 mm
  • One wooden board C: 100 x 18 x 765 mm
  • Two wooden boards D: 100 x 18 x 1500 mm
  • 22 pieces of rhombus-shaped slats F: 68 x 21 x 800 mm
  • Wood screws (4 x 45 mm)
  • Wood screws (3 x 16 mm)
  • Six fixing angle brackets (metal): 80 x 80 x 60
  • Four tent stakes
  • Shower head
  • Copper piping (22 mm): 1500, 580, 320, 30 mm
  • Two elbow fittings (22 mm, 90-degree)
  • Three adapter pieces (½-inch, 22 mm)
  • Three adapter pieces (¾-inch, 22 mm, 90-degree) (hose connection)
  • Ball valve (½-inch)
  • Pebbles in different sizes
  • Two pipe clamps
  • Teflon tape
  • Metal adhesive
L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Let's go - step by step

Step 1 11

Construction diagram

A diagram shows all the components needed for an outdoor shower.
The list of materials will show you the measurements of the labelled components.

Before jumping into the deep end, it’s best to get an idea of the overall project. The exact positions of the different boards are shown in the diagram. You can use it as a guide as you work on the project.

Step 2 11

Preparing the base frame

A board is being screwed onto a piece of squared timber using a cordless drill.
Make sure that the board and squared timber are clamped securely before starting to drill.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Power bit, g-clamps, Two pieces of squared timber E: 90 x 45 x 1500 mm, Two wooden boards B: 100 x 18 x 1000 mm, Wood screws (4 x 45 mm)

Start by screwing a wooden board (B) to a piece of squared timber (E) at a right angle. You can use a larger board as a worktable. Firmly attach the boards using G-clamps. Use a 4-mm wood bit to drill your holes and then insert the screws in the predrilled holes and screw them in tightly. Repeat this step. But make sure you’re using the correct side. Once on the left/once on the right. You will now have two sets of boards that are connected in an L-shape. These will be the sides of the shower.

Set up both L-shaped boards and firmly clamp them to your worktable. It is important that the wooden boards (B) are positioned on the outside of the squared timbers (E) when both L-shapes are parallel to one another.

Step 3 11

Screwing the back and front edges to the base frame

The wooden boards and one piece of squared timber are being clamped to a worktable.
A wooden board is being screwed to a piece of squared timber.
A metal fixing angle bracket is being screwed to an inside corner formed by two boards.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Power bit, g-clamps, Two wooden boards A: 100 x 18 x 800 mm, Wood screws (4 x 45 mm), Wood screws (3 x 16 mm), Two fixing angle brackets (metal): 80 x 80 x 60 mm

Screw the wooden board (A) to both L-shapes. It will be used as the back wall for the base frame of your new outdoor shower. Screw the wooden board flush with the squared timbers from behind (image 1). Use the larger screws for this step.

Now you need to use the fixing angle brackets to screw the front wooden board (A) of the base frame to the L-shape (image 2). To do so, use the smaller screws. Remember to first firmly clamp all boards to one another before working.

Step 4 11

Attaching the side boards to the back wall

A board is being screwed onto a piece of squared timber using a cordless drill.
A board is being screwed onto a piece of squared timber using a cordless drill.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Power bit, g-clamps, Wood screws (4 x 45 mm), Two wooden boards D: 100 x 18 x 1500 mm

Now you just need to attach the two wooden boards (D) for both outer sides of the back wall. Clamp them to both pieces of squared timber (E) so that they lie flat on the lower frame and are flush with the squared timbers, leaving no open space (image 1).

Then firmly screw each board to the L-shapes using four screws and the appropriate bit set. G-clamps prevent the boards moving out of place, and they additionally protect you from injury.

Step 5 11

Finishing the back wall

A rhombus-shaped slat is being screwed to two wooden boards.
Rhombus-shaped slats are laid out on a wooden frame with spacers.
Rhombus-shaped slats are being screwed onto a piece of squared timber using a cordless drill.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Power bit, spacers, 22 pieces of rhombus-shaped slats F: 68 x 21 x 800 mm, Wood screws (4 x 45 mm)

Now you can screw the back wall to your structure. To do so, start at the top, making sure the boards are flush, and screw
the first rhombus-shaped slat (F) to the top of your structure (image 1).

Then at a distance of 40 mm to the first slat, screw the second rhombus-shaped slat (F) to your structure. Lay out the remaining slats at a distance of 10 mm from one another on your structure (image 2). You can use spacers, but you can trust your instincts a little too.

When it’s all ready, you can start screwing the rhombus-shaped slats to your structure with one screw per side (image 3).

Tip
Tip:
It’s best to predrill the holes to prevent your slats splitting when you screw them to the structure. To do so, use a 4-mm Brad point drill bit.
Step 6 11

Preparing the brackets for the piping

A diagram shows exactly where to place the boards.
A mark is being drawn on a wooden board using a pencil and pocket rule.
A mark is being drawn on a wooden board using a pencil and pocket rule.
A Forstner drill is used to drill a hole in a wooden board.
A line is being drawn next to a predrilled hole using a square and a pencil.
A small notch is being made in a wooden board using a jigsaw.
A small notch is being sanded off using sanding paper.

You need: Jigsaws, Cordless drill/driver, Multi-sander, Sanding sheet, 25 mm Forstner drill bit, Jigsaw Blade, Power bit, pencil, Set square, g-clamps, Wooden board C: 100 x 18 x 765 mm, Wood screws (4 x 45 mm)

You need to prepare the remaining wooden board (C) for the pipe bracket. The diagram (image 1) shows you where it is positioned. 

Determine the centre (382.5 mm) on the wooden board (C) and mark it on the outer face of the board (C) (image 2). From this point on the board edge, measure a distance of 25 mm on the inside toward the centre of the board and mark it again (image 3).

Use a 25-mm Forstner drill bit to drill a hole through the board at this point (image 4). Using the hole, now draw two tangential lines to the edge of the wooden board (C) (image 5).

Carefully place the saw along the lines and cut your notch (image 6). To finish up, take the sanding paper from your multi-sander (or a piece of sanding paper and a sanding block) and neatly sand the notch you just made (image 7).

Step 7 11

Attaching the pipe clamp to the structure

A mark is being drawn on a wooden board using a pencil and pocket rule.
A pipe clamp is being screwed on to a slatted wall with a cordless drill.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Power bit, Wood screws (3 x 16 mm), Two pipe clamps

Place a mark in the centre on the back side of your back wall on the third slat from the top and from the bottom (image 1). Screw the two pipe clamps to these spots (image 2).

Step 8 11

Assembling copper water piping

A diagram shows how to connect the piping for an outdoor shower.
Three-component adhesive is applied to the end of a piece of copper pipe.
A ball valve is glued to a copper pipe.
A copper pipe is attached to a wooden slat wall using a pipe clamp.

You need: wooden spatula, Copper piping (22 mm): 1500, 580, 320, 30 mm, Two elbow fittings (22 mm, 90-degree), Three adapter pieces (½-inch, 22 mm), Three adapter pieces (¾-inch, 22 mm, 90-degree) (hose connection), Ball valve (½-inch), Shower head, Teflon tape, Three-component adhesive/metal adhesive

You will assemble all parts for the shower in this step. The diagram (image 1) shows you exactly where the pipes and connectors are positioned.

To begin, apply a small amount of metal adhesive to a piece of wood and evenly distribute it on one end of a long pipe (image 2) using a wooden spatula.

Carefully glue the ball valve on to the pipe (image 3). Then glue together the pipes, with the correct connectors, in the right order.

 When the pipe pieces have been connected together, you can secure them to the two pipe clamps from step 7 (image 4).

Step 9 11

Attaching the pipe to the wooden structure

A board is being screwed onto a piece of squared timber.
Firmly hold the board with your other hand so it does not move.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Power bit, Wood screws (4 x 45 mm), Prepared wooden board (C) from step 6

Take your board (C) with the notch from step 6 and insert it into the top of the frame (from the back) and screw it to the pieces of squared timber using one screw on each side.

Step 10 11

Attaching the fixing angle brackets

A metal fixing angle bracket is screwed to a board.
An anchor in the ground provides the stability necessary for the outdoor shower.

You need: Cordless drill/driver, Wood screws (3 x 16 mm), Fixing angle brackets (80 x 80 x 60 mm)

Screw the four corners of the fixing angle bracket to the base frame (from steps 1 and 2). One face of the fixing angle bracket should face the ground. If you want, you can attach your outdoor shower to the ground.

Step 11 11

Finishing step

Pebbles in different sizes can be seen in a wooden box with a slatted wall.
Pebbles give your shower a trendy outdoor flair.

You need: Pebbles

The frame is ready and the pipe has been attached. Now all you have to do is decide where to place the shower and fill up the base frame. We used pebbles in different sizes for our model shower. It might not be the most comfortable option if you plan on using it barefoot. But it does look really cool, warms up nicely in the summer and offers your feet a mini-massage when you walk on them. A rule of thumb: the bigger, the more comfortable. As an alternative you can use a concrete slab or even grass. Sand might not be a very practical option, though.

We hope you enjoy cooling off under the outdoor shower.