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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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).

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.