A summer shower is a necessary construction at each cottage, especially if there is no reservoir or other places where you can rinse in the immediate vicinity. In the shower it is good to cool off after a hot day, or to wash off the dust and dirt after gardening works. You can try to build such a building with your own hands. Tips and instructions on how to do this with a minimum of money and effort are provided in this article.
Little about the benefits
The main advantages of the summer shower are:
- economy - to heat the bathing water in the simplest design, you only need the sun; you can wash without the costly and time-consuming communication;
- convenience;
- availability for the manufacture of their own hands from scrap materials;
- the possibility of receiving water procedures at any time of the year with good thermal insulation;
- some models allow you to take a shower anywhere;
- minimum maintenance costs.
Did you know? The prototype of modern showers is the primitive baths, which were built by the ancient Indians, Egyptians and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia. They were partitions, behind which people poured themselves with water, or ordered servants to do it. But the first showers, in which water flowed up, were invented by the ancient Greeks. Proof of this are the images found on Athenian vases dated IV. BC er
Possible options
There are many options for building a summer shower. There are very simple and light structures, the equipment of which takes several hours; there are capital, which will serve for many years. After reviewing the various options, you can use some ideas or take as a basis the finished instructions.
Simple ways to arrange a summer shower
Suspended capacity. The simplest option for bathing in the country is a portable shower, which is sold in stores. It is a 20 liter water tank with a hose. The tank is suspended on a tree or other vertical surface in a place that is well lit by the sun, and filled with water. After the water heats up, the overhead shower can be used. Water in it is enough to take water treatments for 10 minutes. 
It is also possible to use a tank equipped with a crane as a suspension tank. A hose is attached to it, ending in a shower head. The tank will need to be attached in a sunny place at a height slightly higher than a man's height (however, so that a person can reach the tap with his hand).
If you like to do everything yourself, learn how to install a shower cabin in the apartment, build and equip a bath and a pool.Shower panel Another simple way of arranging a bathing place is a lightweight shower structure that can be attached to the wall of any building. In this case, the wall will need to be covered with a special material that protects it from contact with water, for example, tile or film. Such a shower can be both open and closed with a screen.
Rack. The stand is convenient because it can be equipped in any place where it reaches the water supply.
Common disadvantages of the first three options are openness to prying eyes and winds. Usually under such a shower bathe only in a bathing suit and in very warm weather. 
Toptun. An option that is gaining more and more popularity because of its simplicity, compactness and availability. For its arrangement, you will need two corrugated hoses, two rubber pedals with valves (a rubber mat with a built-in pump), a container with water, a shower head. The principle is that a person stamps on the pedals or the rug with his feet, thereby pumping water from the tank that enters the hose.
Shower toptun can be purchased in the finished form in the store or make his own, using a car pump. 
Frame. This design involves driving four wooden pillars (or from another material) in the ground. They need to place a plastic tank into which water will be poured. He will also serve as the roof of the structure. A hose is attached to the tap in the tank, onto which a watering can is attached. Racks are covered with waterproof material. The floor is a rubber mat.
The frame shower can be made of various materials. The easiest option is built in a couple of hours. It can be made temporary, collapsible. That is, in winter, you can clean the room and get it at the beginning of the new summer season. 
Important! When building a summer shower, you should choose black water tanks. So the water will warm up faster, because this color best attracts the sun's rays. In addition, the water temperature will be much higher.
Stationary. The most difficult and serious version of the summer shower without a foundation. This is a ready-made stationary shower cubicle with a door, equipped with a water tank and a tray. It is made of wood, polycarbonate, professional sheet, plastic or tarpaulin. The water tank can be heated by both the sun and electricity. The cabin can be equipped with a dressing room-vestibule, in which things and shoes are left. It can also be made completely closed or half closed.
In addition to the above design options, there are many ideas for the design of a summer shower. Using them, you can create a corner for washing for every taste and wallet.
If you have a cottage and you like to create, learn how to make beautiful garden swings, a brazier of stone, build a pool, make sculptures, build and equip a bathhouse, a waterfall, a fountain, gabions, a gazebo and rock arias.
Capital buildings
In this subsection, we have selected an overview of the models that are made with the foundation casting. Their walls are made of different materials:
- wood,
- gland,
- slate
- plastic
- polycarbonate,
- plexiglass
- plywood,
- professional sheets
- brick.
Basic principles of the installation of the dacha shower
To build a quality durable shower, you must meet several conditions:
- pick a suitable place;
- determine the materials from which the tank, the base and the foundation will be made;
- think about how the drain will be arranged;
- to figure out whether the shower will consist of one room, or the installation of a vestibule, toilet, etc .;
- depending on how you plan to use the shower - during the whole year, or only during the summer period - provide for the possibility of water heating.
Choosing a place
The first thing that needs to be done is to choose a good place to build. The following factors influence its choice:
- water will be heated in a natural way, or automatic;
- it will be poured into the tank manually or automatically;
- what materials is planned to implement the foundation and walls;
- the size of the building.
To decorate your home, familiarize yourself with removing old paint from the walls, glueing different types of wallpaper, insulate window frames for the winter, install a light switch, a power outlet and install a flowing water heater.So, if you plan that the water in the tank will be heated by the sun, it means that the area under the shower room should be removed bright, which is located most of the time under the sun's rays. By the way, even if you install a heater, then, having equipped a shower in a sunny area, you can save - on hot days, do not use electricity.
The shower room will need to be installed close to the water supply source so as not to carry water far away, or so that the hose can easily reach it.The choice of place will also be due to the materials from which the body is made, how much space it will occupy, whether it should be hidden from human eyes, or it can fit harmoniously and beautifully into the complex of the entire summer cottage. If you plan to install a tank with heating heater, then the shower will need to be located in close proximity to the mains.
Tank selection
The tank can be plastic, metal, polymeric. Such capacity can be purchased at a specialty store. You can also use any suitable thing - for example, an iron barrel, etc., which can be found in the household. Its volume should be calculated on the basis of the requirements of a minimum of 40 liters per person. The maximum capacity of the tank - 200-250 liters. Dimensions are selected according to the area of construction. 
As for the form, a flat tank is considered the most rational - it is easier to install it on any design, and the water is heated evenly. Also common today are round and square tanks.
If you prefer metal tanks, you should pay attention that they should be treated with anti-corrosion agents and paint (except stainless). The term of operation of metal tanks with the correct processing is about 10 years. The stores usually sell containers made of galvanized, stainless, carbon steel. The best and most expensive option is a stainless steel tank. Usually they are rectangular containers with a capacity from 40 to 200 liters.
Plastic containers can serve for 30-50 years. Their advantages are in ease, simplicity at installation, effective heating of water, undemanding to care and inexpensive cost. Without heating plastic containers hold 100-200 liters. They are equipped with covers at the top, in which water is poured. Tanks without heating can be round and square. 
A plastic or metal barrel can be fitted under the homemade tank by cutting a tap with thread in the lower part. In the future, you can insert a pipe or a pump.
Drain options
So, you have decided on the place of construction, the materials from which it will be executed, the type of tank. Now it's time to think about where the used water will go.
- Drainage. The simplest option is drainage. In the immediate vicinity of the shower stall, a hole should be dug that could hold several buckets of water. The pit with a shower will need to connect the sewer pipe. In the waste pit pour gravel. Thus, the used water will flow through the sewer pipe into a layer of rubble, and then be absorbed by the soil. With infrequent use of the shower, it is possible to organize drainage under the shower stall.
- Filtration field. Another simple drain option is the filter field. For its equipment, diversion grooves and channels are made in the direction of the vegetable garden or field. Used water will go to the ground, while also moistening it. Such drainage can be done underground.
- Septic. Drain in the form of a septic tank can be made in a simple or capital version. At the same time, it can simultaneously be designed for both showers and toilets. In more detail about how to make this design with your own hands, we describe below, in a separate subsection.
Important! If the challenge is not organized properly, or not organized at all, then some time after the operation, an unpleasant smell, rot, mold can appear in the shower stall.
Foundation and Foundation
The foundation for the construction may be of different types. The main ones are:
- Belt - one of the most time consuming and expensive basement options. Provides equipment classic ribbon base in the form of a monolith.
- Plate - suitable for not too large booths of any type of any material. Provides for the implementation of concrete pouring a previously cleared plot of land, which is further covered with wooden bars or tiles.
- Pile - the most optimal and common option. The piles are made of metal or asbestos-cement pipes, which are buried or concreted into the ground for 1.5 m. On their upper part, which is located above the ground, they make and fix the strapping of wooden bars or rolled metal, on which the frame of the shower cabin is subsequently built.
- Pillar - provides for the manufacture of concrete pillars, recessed into the ground, on which further binding is done.
Presence of toilet
Country shower can be combined under the same roof with a toilet. This will save space and materials. You will need to fill only one strip foundation, as well as the equipment of only one drain. In addition, it will not clog the site with small buildings, because most of the cottages can not boast of vast territories. And this is a significant time saving - building one compact structure will be much faster than two.
Agree that without some amenities not to do in the countryside. Read about how and where to build a toilet in the country.
The possibility of heating water
If you plan to use the shower not only on warm sunny days, you need to consider the possibility of automatic heating of the water.
In the heated tank, you can insert a heating element with a capacity of 1.25-2 kW. In this design, the water will heat up for about three hours. 
Heating element for water heating
Important! If you plan to install such a tank, then you should know that you will need to constantly monitor the presence of water in it - the bare heating element will burn down when turned on. Therefore, a constant water supply by pump or plumbing should be adjusted to such a tank.
It is also desirable to equip it with a sensor that will show the water level. 
Sensor
How to build a budget summer shower
The budget shower can be built from metal pipes and wooden boards. You will need the following materials:
- metal pipes (40 x 40 x 3000 mm) - six pieces;
- pine boards (20 x 95 x 3000 mm) - 21 pieces;
- 250 l plastic tank;
- screws;
- sand;
- rubble;
- oil for wood;
- enamel for metal pipes;
- geotextiles.
From the tools you will need:
- Circular Saw;
- magnetic corner for welding;
- Miter saw;
- shuropovert.
- Sand is poured onto the building plot and compacted. Then moistened with a hose.
On the plot under construction pour sand - Geotextiles are laid, four stones that will hold the structure, then a layer of rubble is filled up.
Fall asleep layer of rubble - The design of the shower stall is made of a metal profile, on which wooden boards are screwed with a gap. Consists of three walls, floor and door.
We fasten wooden boards - A water tank is used as the roof. It can be either heated or without it.
Water tank
On the plot under construction pour sand
Fall asleep layer of rubble
We fasten wooden boards
Water tankCapital construction
If you are planning a long-term high-quality building of a shower that can be used in all seasons, we suggest you consider the following option: on a pile foundation and with a drain in the form of a septic tank. Recommended dimensions of a comfortable shower room with a dressing room: height - 2-2.5 m, width - 1.40 m, length - 1.90 m. For accurate calculations of materials and sizes, you will need a drawing.
Foundation laying
The pile foundation can be made of metal pipes with a diameter of 100 mm and a length of 2 m each. For the foundation draw a rectangle corresponding to the size of the shower enclosure. In the corners you need to drill four holes 1.5 m deep for piles of garden or ice-drills, or dig them with a shovel. To extend the service life of metal pipes, they are treated with engine oil before being placed in the ground. 
We lay the pile foundation
After digging in the pipes above the ground level, at least 30 cm should remain. The pipes must be filled with concrete.
After the concrete has completely set, it will be necessary to install the timber and the strapping. The frame is fastened with long bolts.
Installing the roof on a new building is an important step that requires proper coordination of actions. Learn how to self-cover the roof with a metal tile, ondulin, to make a mansard and a gable roof.
Digging up septic tank
For the simplest version of the septic tank, a hole is dug in the immediate vicinity of the shower, which is coordinated with the dimensions of the receiving chamber, about 2 m deep. The walls are sheathed with brick or cinder block. Under the receiving chamber, you can use a barrel or other containers with a lid. A chute is fed to the receiving chamber and connected to the drain pipe. Gutter for drain lay out waterproofing material. 
Septic tank
Frame Mounting
Shower frame - welded construction of metal pipes with a cross section of 40 x 40 or 50 x 50 mm. This design will allow to sustain a 200-liter tank with water. Саму кабинку можно изготовить из дерева, сайдинга, профлиста, вагонки. Следует продумать наличие в стенах, ближе к потолку, вентиляционных окошек.
Если нет сварки, то конструкция делается из деревянных брусьев 60 х 80 мм. В этом случае кабинка также будет деревянной. Такой душ выйдет более дешевым. Дерево обязательно нужно пропитать специальными водоотталкивающими средствами.
After installing the vertical supports produce top trim. The side frames are fixed with struts. 
Mounting a summer shower frame
The floor is made of wood. In this case, it will be warm, and you can stand on it without shoes. Boards in the floor are made with a gap so that the water flows freely.
The door is installed last.
The plastic tank is placed on the roof and fixed with belts. Select the desired water supply scheme.
Shower arrangement
In the capital shower will require wiring of electric lighting. At the same time, it is necessary to adhere to the safety rules and isolate the wiring in order to avoid contact with water. 
Electric lighting in the shower
All interior decoration must be made of moisture-proof materials. For the shower, which is planned to be used throughout the year, insulation from foam or other materials will be required.
You should consider the location of shelves for detergents, hooks for clothes and towels, internal lock for doors.
Another version of the capital construction of a warm country shower - on a concrete slab with a frame made of wooden boards and OSB sheets - can be seen in the video //www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwhv_668wwo.
Did you know? The remains of an ancient shower complex, presumably belonging to the beginning of the II. BC e., were found by archaeologists in the territory of modern Turkey. It consisted of seven installations, water in which came from the trunk system, was fed from above, flowed from installation to installation, and then flowed into the drainage system.
Summer shower is a necessary outbuilding for summer residents, who prefer to use the dacha plot both for the purpose of rest and for the purpose of growing fruits and vegetables. Street shower is easy to do with your own hands, without possessing special skills. However, even for a simple structure, certain conditions must be met: the choice of the most suitable place with a long exposure to the sun's rays, ensuring the unobstructed discharge of used water. For more complex capital structures, you will need to design and purchase the necessary tools and materials.
Video: how to make a summer shower in the country with their own hands
Feedback from the users about the summer shower
