Installing an outdoor shower

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havasu

havasu

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Mama wants me to install an outdoor shower, utilizing the water heater 15' away for my water source. I'd tee the hot and cold water lines, obviously add shut of valves at the connections, then run copper lines along the exterior stucco and tying in a shower valve. I'm considering doing some concrete cutting to allow water to go into my flower beds, and making a box (probably using tropical materials, such as bamboo) for privacy. The exterior of my house is stucco, so it is already waterproof, but should I tile around the shower valve? Anyone have experience with installing an outside shower? Best choice of valve? Cutting in a stainless steel french drain for water collection? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
havasu said:
Mama wants me to install an outdoor shower, utilizing the water heater 15' away for my water source. I'd tee the hot and cold water lines, obviously add shut of valves at the connections, then run copper lines along the exterior stucco and tying in a shower valve. I'm considering doing some concrete cutting to allow water to go into my flower beds, and making a box (probably using tropical materials, such as bamboo) for privacy. The exterior of my house is stucco, so it is already waterproof, but should I tile around the shower valve? Anyone have experience with installing an outside shower? Best choice of valve? Cutting in a stainless steel french drain for water collection? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Do you have a concrete foundation rather tha running it on your stucco, are you using concrete just to stabilize the valve????? If so use that plastic wood to secure the valve, don't secure the copper directly to by concrete you, could make your shower walls out of trex
 
I’ve done hundreds at the beach.

I use a regular delta 1400 series shower valve just like for a house.

It’s needs a 3.5” space to mount into.


Build the enclosure anyway you want with that 3.5” space for the shower valve in mind. We usually use pressure treated or cedar privacy fence.
 
The 3 ½" space is very helpful. I'm thinking frame the wall with Trex or pressure treated lumber, a few sheets of concrete backer board, topped with some crazy tropical tile would stop the water on the stucco. I'm loving this idea even more. I'm also thinking I'll use this shower on a daily basis. No more wiping down that dadburn shower glass everyday!
 
Frame the plumbing wall (faucet wall) just like an interior house wall but with waterproof outdoor materials of your choice.

Here’s one I built. The guy covered it with pressure treated fence boards after I mounted it to the wall. He hung a hoop above it made out of copper tube and used a couple shower curtains for privacy. 79DB081C-5FF7-46DD-877D-D685BCA22CF2.jpeg
You can see 6 metal angle brackets I used to mount it to a brick wall.
 
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Had some workers here all week. Part of their job was to build the drain for my upcoming shower. He cut the concrete and dug down 2' until he found my exterior drain, and tied it in with a tee. The shower will be against the wall near the patio heater, and the water heater is in the galvanized box behind the ladders in the pic.

20240108_171249.jpg Now, I just need to box in the walls, add come concrete backer board, tile, and valve.
 
1705252170756.jpeg
Do you have a side angle for this frame? I want mine to be 4' wide (for ease of design]. Is that 1x rabbited into the 2x4's or is it flat screwed into the back?

I just don't want the valve to protrude out too far into the tile work.
 
It’s a 2x4 pressure treated pine frame and everything is just face screwed with 3” coated construction screws.

A Delta shower valve roughs-in the perfect depth with a horizontal 2x4 flush with the back of the vertical studs. This allows for 1/2” concrete board and 1/2” tile/thinset thickness added to the studs.

I secured the one in the pic by the steel angle brackets to a brick wall.
 
But it looks like you used a 1x6 for the horizontal valve supports. Is this because you weren't adding the concrete board or tile?
 
The shower head blocking is positioned about an inch from the front. Maybe that’s throwing your eyes off. The valve blocking is 2x4 and it’s flush with the back of the frame, this recesses the valve 2” in a 2x4 wall because 2x4’s are actually 1.5 x 3.5.

It also allows for a 1” thick finished wall. +/- 1/4”. There’s a range, I hit the middle unless I’m told otherwise.
 
So, if I use 12" on center, allowing 4 lateral 2x4's, would that be enough room to accommodate the valve to be soldered on in the center with no interference? By the way, I understand this will be heavy, I just don't want to use my stucco exterior as the backdrop to the shower.
 
12” would be enough horizontal support to mount the valve, yes.
 
Thank you. So now that I have it all planned, when are you going to Disneyland so you can help me finish this build? :dancing chicken:
 
I decided to make the shower wall 5', and once I install the concrete backer board and tile, I will finish the box, so it will be 3' x 5'. I've offset the shower head so I have more room to hang towels. I purchased the Delta shower valve, and this morning I will be tying to the hot and cold water lines to the water heater. More to follow...20240418_182950.jpg20240419_141627.jpg20240419_153108.jpg
 
havasu said:
Thank you. So now that I have it all planned, when are you going to Disneyland so you can help me finish this build? :dancing chicken:
Click to expand...
I figured up what it would cost to bring my family of 4 out to Cali and stay in LA. I came up with about 10-12k for the week.
 
So far I have spent $400. The most costly think will be the "Trex" type of 1"x 6" boards I will use as my privacy boards. They are $17 a piece and I need 22 of them. Maybe I will ship you a Disneyland coffee mug just for considering coming out to California to help me.
 
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