This morning is the perfect day to think of an outdoor shower. There is thunder in the distance, and a gentle steady rain coming down all morning. Birds are at the feeder like people would be at the store picking up last minute hurricane supplies before a tropical disturbance hits town. I see them waiting in line on the fence for room at the feeder ports. With our shower-to-be (replacing the one I concocted a few years ago), the privacy will come from a section of fixed louvers as wide as the deck, between 6 and 7 feet--and about 6 feet tall--with no roof on it of course. A second section of fixed louvers at right angles to that will provide the "enclosed" feeling required for private bathing. I'm thinking a teak bench that I have will be perfect to place within reach for the towels, but the soap and shampoo will be on a shelf or in a net bag. The outside door from the master to the deck is beside this space, and with the towel wrapped discreetly, one can tiptoe into the bedroom to dress.....and toss the dirty clothing into the basket as you enter. Yeah, I need a basket beside the back door for the grungy clothing that DH contributes to the laundry after he's been grubbing in the garden all day. He says that after years of just "making do" with his garden, since he is retired, he can do it like he wants.....his efforts are much appreciated too.

I grew up using a "solar" outdoor shower. It was a 55-gallon drum painted black with a shower head coming out of it overhead, and some way to turn the water on and off (I can't really remember how that worked anymore). My older brother filled the barrel each morning with the garden hose, added a tiny bit of bleach to keep algae at bay, and the sun warmed it nicely so that the six of us could take a nice shower in the late afternoon/evening. We also had a fitted screen over the top to keep "stuff" out. Occasionally the water had to be tempered with more cold because it got too hot in the Kansas sun. Nothing more complicated than that. No solar panels or anything... If I were to make one today, I'd make sure it was an enclosed unit, like all our rain barrels. You lose a lot of water to evaporation if you have a screened/open barrel. My older brother, now in his 60's, has a similar unit today, except I believe the 55-gallon container is plastic and he got it from the farm supply store. He fitted the bung hole with the shower head and spigot from the hardware store. You can also use portable 5-gallon camp showers. I sit a couple of them outside during the day and then we hang them in the INdoor shower to use (hubby built a special bar for this - 5-gallons of water weighs a little over 41 pounds so you want something that will hold that much weight). -Grainlady

I picked up one that I think was made by Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware for about $50 on Craigslist. It has a wood platform and frame and the faucet and shower head above. I connect it to a garden hose, because we use it in summer to cool off or rinse. It's concealed by a trellis of sweet autumn clematis. It looks rather classy IMHO and works just fine!

The entire project is permitted. So far anyway. If it is only possible to get the simple shower that I want without a permit, then that is the route we'll go....unless it results in some shadow cast upon the house itself. We have an irrigation water meter, which does NOT drain water to the sewer, so it could be hooked to that with a small electric water tank spliced into the line, and a switch to turn it on only when we wish to use the shower. Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but then I've never remodeled a house before. We are doing everything we can to bring the 1950s stick built house UP TO CURRENT CODE, which is fairly stringent since we are located south of I-10 in Alabama, which is hurricane code zone. Insurance is not cheap here. The plumbing work is not yet underway..and the permit yet to be pulled....however, I called the plumber a short while ago, and he is checking on two issues with the city inspector. First issue, there is a mixer valve required for regular showers by code. He is asking if this outdoor shower will be exempt from the mixer or not. Second issue is the drain and exposure to rainwater entering the sewer system. So that's where we stand now. Since the deck is lower than 32 inches above ground, a railing is not required.. To me the deck and back of the house looks like a river dock, so I wish to use the sailboat lifelines even though nothing is required. Each post will have a copper cap on it. But, that part of the work is not plumbing, so I did not mention it here. Both of us are gardeners, and our two dogs are digging dachshunds. And a large parrot loves his showers regularly. The old shower I had connected by splitters off the washing machine water supply spigots, was a godsend for us. If we have to do something complicated to meet code, and the result would cramp the open access to the deck, we might resort to another option....whatever that might be.