8 tips for arranging a summer shower in the country with your own hands

Preparations for the summer season are already in full swing. Someone uses summer cottages for growing crops, someone prefers to sow them with lawn grass, plant ornamental plants and just spend time outdoors. Be that as it may, on hot summer days refresh yourself and take a cool shower everyone wants to. It is not always possible to hire a construction team to erect a shower on the site, and not always such costs will be justified. So that you can competently and easily cope with the construction process, in this article we will consider 8 tips for arrangement of a summer shower in the country with your own hands.

1. Where to start?

If you were thinking about erecting a summer shower in your country house, then you already have an idea of ​​how it will look and what you need to purchase. Besides the design itself, it’s very important parameters are:

• The choice of location;
• Shower size;
• Volume of water tank;
• The nature of the building is temporary or capital.

Many people try to choose the most secluded corner behind the house or in the shade of trees in order to hide such an intimate structure from prying eyes. This is what is the main a mistake! Having built a shower among trees, you will be constantly attacked by insects that love moisture and cool so much, and deprive yourself of the possibility of naturally heating water in the tank. thereforea place for the future building, it should be in an open, well-lit area and in no case should it be in a pit or in a lowland. Even if you plan to use a heated tank, it is more rational to refuse use of electricity in order to save on hot days. The building itself should not be located at a small distance from at home. Taking a shower in the late evening you need to get home as soon as possible so as not to get sick.

Concerning the size future the buildings and the volume of the water tank. The recommended height of future walls is 200-300 cm. It is necessary to build on the growth of the highest member of the family, who should not rest his head on a shower head. Width and length shower space is calculated depending on whether the building will have a dry locker room or limited only to a wet area. The locker room option is certainly more convenient, the clothes will be protected from getting wet, and you will have the opportunity to change clothes with comfort. Thus, your shower will consist of two sections separated by a partition. An area of ​​220 × 120 cm is quite enough for these two zones, even taking into account the skin.

Choosing a tank for water, it is necessary to consider the number of people who will use the shower, and the intensity of its use. If you come to the cottage only on weekends and use the shower after a hard working day, then a tank that will contain the amount of water at the rate of 40 liters per person is enough. This will allow each user to continuously pour water for about 10 minutes. If in a row they will take water procedures, a much larger number of people should think about a larger tank.But keep in mind that temporary buildings will not withstand a capacity of more than 200 liters. As the tank itself, you can use iron or plastic barrels, or purchase ready-made summer models with a built-in watering can. Little tip - if you paint the surface of the tank with black paint, the water in it will heat up much faster due to the ability of black color to attract heat.

So, select highlights:

• Location - in an open, elevated, bright area, at a maximum distance of 2-4 meters from the main building;
• Room size - the height is selected taking into account the growth of the highest member of the family, the minimum comfortable perimeter is 100 × 100 cm;
• The size of the capacity of the water tank is 40 liters per user, multiplied by the number of people who will consistently take water procedures.

Character future the buildings - temporary or capital, it is necessary to choose based on the following parameters:

• Intensity of soul use. If during the planting season you move to the cottage, using it as a full-fledged housing, then you should think about a capital building made of brick or at least wooden elements. Walls should be well protected from the wind.
• The budget that you plan to allocate for the construction.
• The materials and tools you have. For example, in your country house bricks from disassembly old outbuildings. In this case, it will be much more economical to use them than to purchase new materials for the frame. Or you have a lot of wooden blocks or old corrugated boardtin sheet or wooden lining. Use existing resources. Regarding tools - if you have old iron pipes that you would like to use as a frame, but there is no welding machine and tools for cutting them, then the acquisition of these tools will result in a round sum. Even if you borrow them from acquaintances for the time of construction, without having experience of use, you can waste time. Therefore, it is worthwhile to evaluate your skills, tools that you have in mind, and, in order to save money, use available materials. Under such conditions, construction will not take much effort and money.

2. We equip the foundation and provide outflow of water

The foundation of any structure, of course, is reliable foundation. In the case of a summer shower, the foundation should not only protect the structure from being washed away by groundwater and subsequent subsidence, but also be able to quickly divert used water in large quantities. The construction of any foundation begins with markup. In the selected place, you need to draw a contour. For example, the size of the shower will be 120 × 120 cm - in such a space it will be comfortable for a person with any complexion. At the corners of the rectangle it is necessary to drive in pegs, pull the cord around the perimeter and check the dimensions using a tape measure. Such markup is universal and is carried out before the construction of any kind of shower. Now consider types of foundations for various buildings.

Foundation for a simple temporary shower

For temporary construction, it is enough to remove the top soil layer with a depth of 15-20 cm within the outlined rectangle and level the area. Now you need to make a pillow that will facilitate the drainage of water. To do this, prepare a mixture of crushed stone and sand. You can simply fill the hole half with sand, and pour a layer of rubble on top. Small stones will contribute to the subsidence of soap deposits on their surface. Additional filtration a sandy layer will avoid fast soaking. This design can also be located near the garden without harm to plants. On top of such a base are usually laid wooden palletsthat serve as the floor in the summer shower.To prevent the rapid decay of wooden materials, which will often come into contact with water, it is recommended to place pallets or boards brought down together at a height of 15-20 cm above ground level. For formwork can you use old bricks or paving slabs. They are laid out around the perimeter of the base, set on the level and rammed with a mallet. Use wood for walls or floors only after appropriate processingwhich will make it moisture resistant. The most effective way is to impregnate with hot oil and then open it with linseed oil or varnish. The arrangement of such a foundation will allow the use of an outdoor shower for more than one season.

Foundation for capital construction

If a shower will be used often and not one or two people need to think about the construction of a capital building. The most expensive way will be a brick structure. But it is easiest to heat it in the cool season. To do this, it is enough to insulate the walls polystyrene foam. The best option would be a frame construction of metal or wooden beams. Particular attention should be paid to arranging a reliable foundation. In this case, it is necessary to fill foundation of concrete.

According to the marking, you need to dig a hole about 30-35 cm deep. You need to make mortgages around the perimeter of the rectangle. For these purposes, you can use old iron pipes. The larger their diameter, the stronger the structure will be. At the locations of the pipes with the help of a drill, a hole is made up to a depth of 30 cm, into which pipes or wooden beams are clogged. If you use a tree, you need to protect its surface by wrapping with roofing material or treating it with hot bitumen. After this, the cement-sand mixture is poured. Wooden mortgages can be made not only in the corners, but also along the entire perimeter of the base. For this, a sufficient log width is used, which can provide further installation of the floor. The base must be flat. This will help prevent accumulation of water in places with slopes. The filling is carried out according to the arrangement technology floor screed. Use special building beacons and rule. Disadvantage the foundation, which is filled, is that you can start arranging the internal space only after it has completely dried. For brick buildings, you can use solid cast reinforced concrete slab with a thickness of 170-300 mm as a base. This will significantly reduce construction time.

Arrangement of water discharge

Any major construction needs a quality outflow of water.

• It’s best for collecting wastewater septic tank which must be placed next to the shower, but in no case under it. If you decide to save space on your site and still arrange septic tank under the shower, after a short period of time, you will begin to feel a sharp, unpleasant smell inside the building. In addition, there is a risk of soil collapse around the septic tank and, as a consequence, the destruction of the foundation. The recommended distance from the shower cabin is 1-2 meters. A drain pipe is removed from the shower tray or a drain ditch is drawn into a septic tank, which must have a sump and a drainage tank. Digging a pit for a receiving chamber. It must be airtight. It can be a tin barrel or concrete rings. It is recommended to cover the container with a lid so that rain or groundwater does not fill it. An leaky drainage tank is located nearby. It should be installed on a pillow of sand and gravel. These two compartments are interconnected by pipes.
• Another option for collecting wastewater is cesspool. To equip it, you need to dig about 2m3 of land. This is the optimal amount that will ensure long-term use. At the bottom of the pit, a drainage cushion is made of sand and gravel, and the walls must be strengthened and made waterproof.You can overlay them with bricks, use ready-made concrete rings, or you can strengthen the pit with old rubber tires. When equipping a drain hole, do not forget that it needs to be pumped out. In this regard, it must be located in a place in which an unhindered access of special equipment will be provided. In addition, the pit should have a distance from the residential building of at least 3-4 meters, since the formation of characteristic odors is possible.
• For simpler types of souls that will not be used with great intensity, it’s enough to equip drainage well. It will be located directly under the shower. A pit is excavated, 2 meters deep, a layer of rubble is poured at the bottom, and then a plastic pipe with perforation is inserted. In such a well, material is poured that will act as a filter. It can be gravel, rubble, old broken bricks, slag. The well is filled to the very top, then covered with a layer geotextile and filled up with soil. A wooden pallet is already installed on top of the formwork, which has slots for seeping water. This is the most affordable, but no less effective way, which will provide the necessary outflow of water.

3. Tips for choosing a water tank

The simplest way to provide water supply is to install a plastic tank or an old iron barrel on the roof of the shower, paint it black to increase the rate of heating the water with sunlight, and bring a hose to it with which water will enter the tank. The presence of a hose for water supply is mandatory, especially if the tank volume is 100 or more liters. Disadvantage tanks with natural heating is that in the cool season their use is problematic. Therefore, many prefer tanks from heated. There are three types of such systems:

• A tank of metal, inside of which there is a heating heater. Advantage This design is the presence of a pump that provides a constant supply of water. TEN constantly maintains the set temperature and does not allow water to cool. Thus, at any time you will have access to hot water. Disadvantage obvious - in the absence of a water supply in the country, such a tank is useless.
• Galvanized steel tank designed for low showers. It has a flat shape and a short built-in shower head. Its volume is 100 and 200 liters. Such a tank works by type boiler and needs a constant water supply.
• A simpler version is a plastic heated tank. It has a compact form and low weight, which greatly facilitates its installation. The system does not need a constant supply of water, which is both a plus and a minus at the same time. Because it turns out that the heating element in this design should turn off after heating.

Installation selected tank can be done in two ways - placing the tank directly on the roof of the cabin or on a special frame. The second case is rational to use if the tank volume is impressive, and the building may not support its weight. It is enough to make a frame from old iron pipes above the roof of the shower or from wooden beams. This method of placement will help to avoid significant heat loss and accelerate the time of heating the water.

4. The simplest ways to organize a summer shower

It happens that a summer cottage is visited very rarely and that is not for work, but more for relaxation. In this case, the shower can be the simplest designs that you can even bring with you.

• Portable shower. This design looks like a large heating pad and is made of the same material. After filling the tank with water, it is twisted with a special nozzle, at the end of which there is mini watering can. At the opposite end there is a loop for which it is convenient to hang the container on a tree or hook. By placing the container in a well-lit place, the water heats up very quickly.The volume of such a "shower" is 10-15 liters. This entails restrictions on the duration of water procedures and the number of people who can use it. But this is a very convenient and inexpensive option for one person.
• Shower rack - It is an iron pipe on the legs, which is equipped with a shower head and a hole for attaching a hose. Such a rack is convenient in that it can be put in any convenient place and, if necessary, brought into the utility room for storage. Disadvantage its is the lack of a water tank. That is, if there is no warm water and normal pressure in the system, then you will have to take a cold shower.
• Using shower system. The shower column is a metal bar to which the overhead shower and faucet are attached. In order not to bother with arranging a special room for its placement, many attach the shower system directly to the wall of the house or commercial building. To do this, water is drawn from the wall. The wall of the building is protected from moisture. You can venerate her tile, siding or other materials that are available. For convenience, you can separate the space with a curtain, and place a wooden pallet or rubber mat on the floor.

Recall that this is an option for rare use. At a time when you will not be at the cottage, the system can be removed, and the output must be closed with a special plug.

All of the above types of souls are good in that they do not require an arrangement of the foundation and drain. But also the flaw is obvious - the possibility of their use depends entirely on weather conditions.

5. Do-it-yourself summer shower made of wood

For the construction of a wooden building you will be required:

• Relevant timber;
• Fasteners;
• Rubber hose;
• Shower head or shower set;
• Rubble.

Construction begins with the arrangement of a pit for water drainage. It is necessary to remove the top layer of soil with a depth of 30-40 cm and to fill in crushed stone. Thus, the soil under the shower will quickly absorb water, and the soap residue will remain on the rubble. Now you need to do formwork to protect wood from decay. At the corners of the pit in the level fit cinder blocks or bricks. Formwork height should be at least 15 cm.

Now go to the construction frame. Start from the bottom. He needs boards with a width of 15 cm and a thickness of at least 3 cm. The size of the base should correspond to the size of the pit. For fastening boards it is better to use threaded connections. Over time, the joints do not weaken even under significant weight, unlike usual nailsthat can “slip out” of the landing hole. 4 beams with a section of 7 × 10 cm are attached to the base.

Frame dressing performed using the side and two transverse jumpers, which are inserted into the grooves. The same jumpers will strengthen the frame from above, which will ensure stability after attaching a heavy water tank to the roof. At your discretion, you can add a few more jumpers, if you think that the design is unreliable. For wall cladding thinner wooden planks, lining, a false beam, a blockhouse and other timber can be used. The main thing is to leave small cracks between the parts, 3-4 mm thick. This is necessary so that the slats could expand freely when wet, without deforming each other, and just as freely shrink after drying. Remember that all wooden parts that will be subject to constant exposure to water must be carefully primed and varnished. You can soak them with linseed oil or hot oil. Especially important primer the surface before painting. There is a special antifungal antiseptic impregnation. You can start staining after the primer has completely dried.

When the shower is completely ready, you can hang the tank. You can simply put it on the cross beams and secure it with straps. If the tank is homemade, do not forget to cut a hole in the lower part under the watering can and a hose hole in the upper part. For convenience, several shelves for shampoos, soap, etc. can be provided inside the cabin. and a couple of hooks for towels and clothes. Such a shower can be built over the weekend, and if the necessary materials were already available on the site, then the costs will be minimal. Life time The wooden shower completely depends on how well you processed the wood and protected it from moisture before construction. Therefore, this point deserves special attention.

6. Polycarbonate shower

Polycarbonate is commonly used to create greenhouses. Therefore, for many, this material is associated with the greenhouse effect, and, therefore, with inconvenience. This opinion is erroneous. To create showers there is a special, opaque view of polycarbonate. The most durable will be the construction, which is made of metal profiles. Working with them is no more difficult than with wooden bars. A profile pipe with a cross section of 40 × 20 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm is suitable for the construction of a frame. Also to you required steel angle 50 × 50 mm. The number of profiles is determined depending on the area of ​​the future soul. The only thing to consider when cutting - racks should be 10-15 cm more than the estimated height of the shower. This is necessary so that you can concrete them and not lose in height. Work plan will look like this:

• The assembly of the frame must be performed on a flat surface. Two side drains and two lateral crossbars overlap on the ground. Level their straightness is checked. By welding, the parts are interconnected. The second wall is also going.
• After welding, finished structures must be installed vertically at the required distance from each other and connected between themselves by two transverse profiles. Observe a 90 degree angle between the walls. You need to fasten the transverse trims only on one side, the door will be welded on the other.
• After the frame is assembled, a pit of the required size is dug. The topsoil is taken out with a depth of 10-15 cm, the concrete screed is leveled and poured. As soon as the screed is flooded and leveled, it is necessary to install the assembled frame on top so that the racks, which were originally longer, are immersed in concrete. The level checks the verticality of the installed structure and adjusts if necessary. If the length of the legs exceeded the height of the concrete screed, they must be driven into the ground until completely submerged.
• To collect water, you can install a special steel pan or provide drainage ditches during concreting.
• For this design, it is better to use plastic flat water tanks. They are easy to install and, moreover, they will eliminate the need for a roof.
• Separately, you need to weld the door frame and weld the hinges to the frame. It is more convenient to immediately sheathe the door separately from the walls.
• Sheathing the walls, fasten the polycarbonate directly to the profiles using self-tapping screws.

The color scheme of polycarbonate, which is used for cladding showers, is very diverse. Therefore, the design can be very attractive. Caring for this material is very simple, and in the evening it will protect you from the cool wind.

7. Country shower from corrugated board

Another successful material for covering the summer shower is corrugated board. This material is high durability and durability combined with lightness. It is windproof. And when its walls are heated throughout the day, it will be comfortable to take a shower in it. As a frame, both wooden beams and metal profiles can be used. Metal, of course, is more durable. Therefore, if you still need to purchase materials, give preference to him.

The manufacture of the frame is similar to the examples from paragraphs 5 and 6. The only the difference - more crossbars need to be added. This is necessary for reliable fixation of the sheets and giving the structure rigidity, since corrugated board itself is considered a soft material. Fasten sheets with screws. Be sure to use washers so as not to damage the sheet. You can cut corrugated board with scissors for metal or with the help of a grinder and a disk with teeth. Other circles are not recommended. During cutting, the polymer coating may burn out, which protects the coating from corrosion. The roof is also covered with corrugated board, and the tank is located under it. The gap between the walls and the tank will provide a natural ventilation in the cockpit and prevent education mold and bad smell. The tank without heating can be placed on top of the frame. Then there is no need to erect a roof.

8. Brick shower

This is the most labor-intensive design, which is found in summer cottages with year-round living. The benefits such a soul has a lot:

• With a proper approach to the construction process, such a shower will last for many years;
• If you use a heated tank, you can take water procedures at any time of the year. Windproof walls also contribute to this;
• It is very simple to insulate such a building by sheathing it with foam;
• Brick shower can consist of two zones - wet and dry, where it is much more convenient to change clothes;
• Brick shower can be combined with a toilet and use one drain pit;
• Strong walls and a concrete foundation will allow the use of very large water tanks without the risk of structural damage.

The disadvantages include the high costs associated with the procurement of materials and the duration of the work.

It is necessary to begin construction with the arrangement foundation. On the selected site, marking is carried out and a trench is excavated along the perimeter with a depth of 20 cm and a width of 40 cm. Now it is necessary to fill the trench with crushed stone or broken bricks and pour it with a liquid solution of concrete so that it seeps through the stones. After the mortar dries and settles, after about a week, you can start laying the first layer of bricks. When laying, be sure to control verticality after each new row. Remember to leave room for the door. Laying the last layer of bricks, make mortgages from thick wooden beams. A tank will be attached to them, and a roof will be laid. It is also necessary to strengthen the doorway with a metal corner or the same beam. The roof is covered slate or corrugated board. It is necessary to provide for a small window, which will provide lighting and ventilation.

Now you need to equip drain. It is best to equip a drainage well under the shower and lay a drain pipe from it into the sewer pit. Then a large number of people can freely use such a shower. The drainage well is filled up with earth and poured with concrete, the drain pipe is previously brought out. To facilitate flow, you can fill in a slight slope towards the middle. In this case, the upper edge of the pipe should be flush with the floor. A wooden pallet with holes is laid on the concrete floor.

Optimal tank size is at least 200 liters. With it on the roof, provide a hole for the inlet pipe on which the shower head will be wound. It can be either purchased or homemade. Using a heated tank, do not forget about the supply of electricity. If you are not strong in this matter, then for your own safety, seek the advice or help of specialists. Door leaf can be made of wood or OSB or particleboard, sheathed with galvanized sheet. Thus, you will provide yourself with comfortable conditions for the adoption of water procedures at any time of the year.