An outdoor shower sounds like a luxury, but the actual build is surprisingly accessible. The plumbing is simpler than a bathroom remodel. The carpentry is less demanding than a deck. And the result — rinsing off under open sky after a day in the garden, or hosing sand off the kids before they track the beach indoors — transforms how you use your outdoor space.
I have built three outdoor showers over the past decade, from a bare-bones rinse station attached to a garden hose to a full cedar enclosure with hot and cold water. The difference in difficulty between those projects is real, but even the permanent version took a single weekend. Our outdoor living guides cover everything from deck planters to storage solutions, and this shower build fits squarely into that practical, do-it-yourself approach.
Post Shower vs Wall-Mount vs Full Enclosure
Before you buy a single board, decide which type of shower matches your situation. This decision drives every other choice — plumbing, foundation, materials, and budget.
Freestanding Post Shower
A single post anchored in the ground with a showerhead mounted at the top. This is the simplest outdoor shower possible. The post is typically a 4x4 or 6x6 cedar timber sunk 24 inches into the ground with concrete at the base, or bolted to a surface-mounted post anchor on an existing pad. A garden hose connects at the bottom, runs up the back of the post inside a groove or behind a trim board, and feeds the showerhead at roughly 7 feet.
Advantages: fast to build (2-3 hours), inexpensive ($150-300 in materials), minimal footprint, relocatable if you use a surface mount. Disadvantages: cold water only (unless you run a hot supply line), zero privacy, limited storage for soap or towels.
This design works brilliantly beside a pool, at a lake house, or anywhere the goal is simply rinsing off rather than a full bathing experience. It is also the right choice when you are renting and cannot make permanent plumbing changes.
Wall-Mounted Shower
Mounted to an exterior wall of your house, garage, or outbuilding. The showerhead attaches to a mounting plate on the wall, and plumbing runs through the wall from an interior connection. This is the easiest way to get both hot and cold water because you are tapping into existing supply lines just on the other side of the wall.
A plumber can typically add an outdoor shower connection in half a day if the interior bathroom or laundry is on the same wall. The rough-in involves drilling through the exterior sheathing, running short stub-outs with shut-off valves, and connecting a mixing valve on the outside. Total plumbing cost usually runs $400-800 depending on your area and how accessible the interior pipes are.
The wall-mount design naturally pairs with a privacy screen on one or two sides. You already have the wall as a backdrop — adding a wing wall of cedar slats on each side creates a semi-enclosed shower alcove with minimal additional framing.
Full Enclosure
A standalone structure with walls on three or four sides, a proper door or curtain, and often a bench, shelf, and hooks inside. This is the option that feels like an actual room — private enough for a full shower, sheltered enough to keep soap and shampoo handy, and substantial enough to add real value to your property.
Full enclosures require more planning: a proper foundation, structural framing, and either a permanent plumbing connection or a high-quality hose-fed system. Budget $800-2,500 for materials depending on size and finish. The footprint is typically 3x3 feet minimum (tight but functional) up to 4x6 feet (generous, with room for a changing area).
Why Cedar Is the Ideal Shower Material
You can build an outdoor shower from pressure-treated lumber, composite decking, or even stone — but western red cedar is the material I recommend and the one I have used on every shower I have built. The reasons are practical, not just aesthetic.
Cedar contains natural oils (thujaplicins) that resist decay, fungal growth, and insect damage without any chemical treatment. In a shower environment where the wood is constantly wet and drying, this rot resistance is critical. Pressure-treated pine will eventually check, split, and develop surface mildew in a high-moisture application. Cedar handles the wet-dry cycle gracefully for 15-20 years with minimal maintenance.
Cedar is also warm to the touch — literally. Wood has low thermal conductivity compared to stone or metal, so a cedar shower floor does not shock bare feet on a cool morning. The grain stays smooth underfoot rather than splintering, and the natural scent when wet is genuinely pleasant. It smells like a spa, not a chemical plant. Our guide on the best wood for outdoor projects goes deeper into species comparisons, and cedar consistently ranks at the top for any application involving direct water exposure.
For shower construction, use 5/4x6 cedar decking boards for the walls (the 5/4 thickness provides rigidity and visual weight) and 2x4 cedar for the structural frame. Clear or #2 grade cedar is fine — a few tight knots add character without compromising durability. Avoid finger-jointed cedar for shower walls, as the adhesive joints can fail in sustained wet conditions.
Plumbing: Garden Hose vs Permanent Supply
This is the fork in the road that separates a weekend project from a multi-day build, and both paths are completely valid depending on your goals.
Garden Hose Connection (Simple)
The simplest outdoor shower plumbing is a garden hose screwed onto a brass hose-to-shower adapter. You can buy purpose-built outdoor shower fixtures that accept a standard 3/4-inch garden hose connection on the inlet side and provide a proper showerhead on the outlet. The water pressure from a typical municipal supply (40-60 PSI) is more than adequate for a satisfying shower.
The limitation is temperature. A garden hose delivers whatever temperature the cold supply line provides — around 50-60°F in summer in most regions, colder in spring and fall. On a hot day after gardening, that cold blast is refreshing. On a September evening, it is bracing. Some people solve this with a solar shower bag or an inline tankless water heater designed for outdoor use, but these add complexity and cost that may approach the price of a proper plumbing connection.
For a hose-fed shower, use a high-quality brass quick-connect fitting at the hose junction so you can disconnect for winter without tools. Run the hose up the back of the post or enclosure wall and secure it with stainless steel pipe clamps every 18 inches so it does not sag or kink.
Hot and Cold Mixer (Permanent)
A permanent plumbing connection gives you temperature-controlled water — the real outdoor shower experience. The installation involves running hot and cold supply lines from inside the house to the shower location, installing a mixing valve, and connecting the showerhead.
If your shower is within 15 feet of an exterior wall that has accessible hot and cold supply lines on the other side, this is a manageable DIY project for someone comfortable with basic plumbing. You will need:
- Supply lines: 1/2-inch PEX tubing is the easiest to work with. It is flexible, freeze-tolerant (it can expand without bursting, though you should still drain it for winter), and connects with push-fit or crimp fittings that do not require soldering.
- Shut-off valves: Install ball valves on both hot and cold lines inside the house, accessible for winter drainage. Quarter-turn ball valves are far more reliable than gate valves for seasonal on/off use.
- Mixing valve: A standard shower mixing valve rated for outdoor use. Pressure-balancing valves are worth the extra cost — they prevent scalding if someone flushes a toilet inside while you are showering outside.
- Drain-down capability: The entire outdoor supply line must slope slightly away from the house so it drains by gravity when you close the interior shut-offs and open the outdoor valve. Any trapped water will freeze and crack fittings in winter. Slope the lines at minimum 1/4 inch per foot toward the outdoor end.
If you are not comfortable with plumbing, a licensed plumber can rough in the supply lines in 3-4 hours. This is one area where getting it right matters — a leaking supply line inside a wall causes far more damage than the cost of professional installation.
Foundation Options
Every outdoor shower needs something under your feet, and that something needs to handle constant water flow without becoming a mud pit or a mosquito breeding ground.
Gravel Pad
The simplest and most forgiving foundation. Excavate 4-6 inches of soil in a 4x4-foot area, line the bottom with landscape fabric, and fill with 3/4-inch washed gravel or river rock. Water drains straight through and disperses into the soil below. Cost: $30-60 in materials. This works well in sandy or loamy soils. In heavy clay, you may need to extend the gravel bed or add a drain line to prevent pooling. For a post shower or simple rinse station, a gravel pad is all you need.
Concrete Pad
A 4-inch concrete slab poured with a slight slope (1/4 inch per foot) toward a floor drain or one edge. This gives a solid, clean surface that is easy to keep sanitary. The drain connects to a dry well, French drain, or existing landscape drainage. A concrete pad is the most durable option for a full enclosure, especially if you want to mount the enclosure framing directly to the slab with post brackets. Cost: $200-400 for a 4x4 pad if you pour it yourself, $500-800 if you hire it out.
Deck-Mount
If you are building the shower on or adjacent to an existing deck, you can use the deck surface as your floor — but you need drainage below. Standard deck boards with 1/8-inch gaps between them allow water to pass through. Build the shower section over open ground (not over an enclosed deck cavity) so water drains freely underneath. If the deck is close to the house, verify that the drainage path moves water away from the foundation, not toward it. Our guide on weatherproofing outdoor structures covers moisture management principles that apply equally to shower installations.
Drainage Solutions
Where does the water go after it hits the ground? A typical outdoor shower uses 15-25 gallons per use. That water needs to disperse without creating standing puddles, erosion, or runoff onto neighboring properties.
French Drain
A perforated pipe buried in a gravel-filled trench that carries water away from the shower area and distributes it underground over a 10-20 foot length. Dig a trench 12 inches deep and 6 inches wide, sloping away from the shower at 1 inch per 8 feet. Line with landscape fabric, add 2 inches of gravel, lay 4-inch perforated pipe (holes facing down), fill with gravel to the top, and fold the fabric over. Water enters the pipe from the shower end and seeps out along the entire length. This is the best solution for clay soils or shower locations near a patio where you do not want surface runoff.
Dry Well
A pit filled with large gravel or a prefabricated dry well chamber buried 3-5 feet from the shower. Shower water flows into the dry well via a short drain pipe and slowly percolates into the surrounding soil. A standard dry well for an outdoor shower is 2-3 feet in diameter and 3 feet deep, filled with 4-6 inch clean stone. This handles the intermittent flow of a shower easily. Not ideal if your water table is high or soil is heavy clay — the well fills faster than it drains and becomes ineffective.
Gravel Soak Pit
The simplest drainage approach and the one I use most often. Excavate a shallow basin (18 inches deep, 3-4 feet across) directly below the shower pad, fill with gravel, and let the gravel pad serve double duty as both the shower floor and the drainage field. This works in well-draining sandy or loamy soils where water percolates quickly. It does not work in clay or in areas with a high water table. Check your soil drainage by digging a test hole, filling it with water, and timing how long it takes to drain. If 6 inches of water drains in under an hour, a soak pit will handle shower flow without any issues.
Privacy Considerations
An outdoor shower with no privacy works fine for rinsing muddy boots and sandy kids. For actual bathing, you need walls — and the design of those walls matters for both function and aesthetics.
Horizontal cedar slats with 1/2-inch gaps between them provide airflow and light while blocking direct line-of-sight from typical viewing angles. The gaps mean someone pressing their face to the wall could technically see through, but from any normal distance the interior is private. For complete privacy, use tongue-and-groove boards or overlap the slats so each board covers the gap below it — the shiplap principle.
Wall height matters more than you might think. A 6-foot wall provides standing privacy but exposes your head and shoulders. A 7-foot wall hides everything for most people. Going to 8 feet makes the enclosure feel more like a room — private and sheltered, but slightly less of the open-air experience that makes outdoor showers appealing. I prefer 7 feet: private enough for comfort, open enough to see the sky.
Placement relative to your house and neighbors determines how much wall you actually need. A shower tucked into an L-shaped corner where two walls of your house meet may only need one or two additional screen walls. A freestanding shower in the middle of the yard needs enclosure on three or four sides. Walk the site at different times of day and check sightlines from every direction before committing to a design.
Ready to build? Browse our outdoor shower kits and cedar components — pre-cut posts, wall panels, and hardware designed to make your build faster and your shower last decades.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a building permit for an outdoor shower?
Requirements vary by municipality. In most areas, a simple hose-fed rinse station requires no permit. A permanent plumbing connection — especially one tied into your home's hot water system — may require a plumbing permit and inspection. A full enclosure over a certain height or square footage may trigger a building permit. Call your local building department before starting; a five-minute phone call can save you from fines or forced removal later.
How do I winterize an outdoor shower?
For a hose-fed shower, simply disconnect the hose and bring it inside. For a permanent plumbing connection, close the interior shut-off valves, open the outdoor mixing valve to drain residual water, and blow out the lines with compressed air if you live in a hard-freeze climate. PEX tubing tolerates some expansion, but repeated freeze-thaw cycles will eventually compromise fittings. Proper drainage and an annual winterization routine protect your investment for decades.
Can I use greywater from an outdoor shower on my garden?
Shower greywater — water containing only biodegradable soap — is safe for landscape irrigation in most jurisdictions. Use plant-based, phosphate-free soap and route the drainage to landscaping beds or fruit trees. Avoid directing greywater to vegetable gardens where it contacts edible parts of plants. Check your local greywater regulations, as some areas require a simple permit while others restrict any greywater reuse.
What showerhead works best for outdoor use?
Look for a showerhead rated for outdoor use with brass or stainless steel internals — chrome-plated plastic fixtures deteriorate quickly in direct sun and weather. A rain-style head (8-10 inch diameter) gives the most satisfying outdoor shower experience because the gentle, wide spray feels natural under open sky. For hose-fed showers, a handheld wand on a slide bar is more practical because you can direct the spray exactly where you need it and the lower mounting height compensates for reduced water pressure.
How much does a complete outdoor shower cost?
A basic post shower with hose connection runs $150-300. A wall-mounted shower with permanent plumbing costs $600-1,200 including the plumber. A full cedar enclosure with hot and cold water, proper drainage, and a concrete pad ranges from $1,500-3,000 in materials plus $500-1,000 in professional plumbing if you do not handle that yourself. The cedar enclosure is where most of the material cost sits — quality western red cedar is not cheap, but it outlasts every alternative in a wet application.
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