An outdoor shower is a simple structure on a country plot that will not leave any person indifferent. Agree, it’s nice to cool off on a hot summer day or after working in the garden. For the sake of such pleasure, you can spend a little time and make a simple shower in the country.
The design of a summer shower is simple. It consists of a cabin and a water tank. Traditionally, the container is placed above the booth, but there are other options, but more on that later. A shower nozzle and a faucet are installed in the bottom of the container.
The operation of the shower is very simple. In the sun, the container heats up, transferring heat to the water. During the day, the water temperature can rise to 40 degrees. To take a shower, just open the tap on the tank.
Fig.1.
To build a summer shower, you need to solve three problems: build a cabin, install a container with water and organize the water supply, and solve the issue of draining water from the shower.
Foundation for a summer shower
The outdoor shower is not a large structure and its weight is not great. However, so that the building does not warp after winter and the shower does not collapse under the weight of the water tank, it is advisable to make a foundation for its installation.
Pile foundation
A pile foundation is very easy to make. To do this, holes are made in the ground at the corners of the building with a diameter of 13–15 cm and a depth of about 1 meter. You can make holes with a garden auger or an ice auger (although you will have to sharpen the knives later). You can do without a drill and just dig holes.
An asbestos-cement pipe is placed in a hole in the ground and filled with concrete. It is possible to use steel pipes. The pipe should protrude no more than 10–15 cm above the ground surface.
Slab foundation
This foundation is good for a small shower stall. To install it, you need to dig up 10-15 cm of soil. Install formwork from boards. Use sand as a cushion. The sand should be poured in such a way that the concrete pour is 5 - 7 cm thick. Next, fill it with concrete. You can make concrete with your own hands at the rate of 1 part cement to 3 parts sand.
Fig.2.
In my opinion, a slab foundation is more functional and easier to manufacture. In addition, it is suitable for installing any type of booth made of any material. Having a slab foundation makes it easier to organize water drainage from a summer shower. To do this, it is enough to make a groove to collect water when pouring.
Shower drainage
An important point in the construction of a summer shower is the drainage of used water. The fact is that if you do not organize a drain, an unpleasant odor may appear, and the shower stall will rot from excess humidity.
The simplest solution for draining water from the cabin is to make a drainage. To install drainage at a short distance from the shower, preferably in the shade, you need to dig a hole the size of two ten-liter buckets. Next, run a pipe from the shower to transport water; a regular sewer pipe will do. The hole should be filled with crushed stone. This way, water from the shower will seep through the crushed stone and be absorbed by the soil.
Drainage can be disguised, for example, with grass or flowers. To do this, crushed stone is poured 10–20 cm below ground level. Agrofibre is laid on top of it and covered with earth.
How to make a booth
For a summer shower, a cabin measuring 1x1 m is sufficient. Three sides are sewn up, and an entrance is made on one. To make a more convenient option with a wardrobe compartment, the size of the cubicle can be made 1x1.6 m. The height of the cubicle depends on the height of the user. In most cases, 2 m is sufficient.
The cabin for a summer shower can be made of wood or metal.
The easiest way to assemble a booth with a metal frame is by welding, however, you can use bolted connections of the elements, but this is more labor-intensive. For booth racks, a square pipe with a cross section of 40x40 mm or a round pipe of a similar diameter is well suited. Cross members can be made from an angle or pipe, but of a smaller cross-section.
Fig.3.
It is easier to make a cabin for a summer shower from wood, since no welding is required. For racks, timber with a cross section from 60x80 to 100x100 mm is well suited. For transverse beams, you can use timber of a smaller cross-section.
Fig.4.
It is advisable to make the floor in the cabin similar to the floor in the bathhouse, i.e. from boards. Crossbars are installed on the walls of the booth perpendicular to the entrance; boards will be laid on them. The boards are laid with a gap of 5 mm to quickly remove water.
Fig.5.
If the foundation of the cabin is made of slabs, then you can lay paving or ceramic tiles.
The booth can be covered with any material. For a cabin on a metal frame, siding and profiled sheets are well suited. For a cabin made of a wooden frame, it is advisable to use wood. It is important that the wood must be treated with a special antiseptic to prevent rotting.
Installing a tank and supplying water to the shower
There are two options for organizing water supply: install a tank on the roof of the cabin or use a pump.
If the first option is chosen, then it is necessary to provide a special gander for filling the tank. After all, the tank will be very high and it will be simply impossible to bring the hose to it.
Installing the tank on top of the cabin is the simplest option and does not require additional equipment. The disadvantage is the lack of access to the contents of the tank, as well as control of the water level and cleaning of the tank.
The second option completely solves the described problems, although it requires additional costs.
A barrel of water can be placed next to the shower stall on the ground. To supply water to the shower, you can install a submersible pump in the barrel, and install a waterproof switch with IP 56 protection into the stall to turn the pump on and off.
As you can see from the description, making a summer shower at your summer cottage is very simple. The construction of a summer shower comes down to assembling the cabin and installing a water supply and drainage system. You can make the booth and drainage yourself without any problems. For water supply, you can purchase a specialized container. Containers for summer showers are available in a huge range on any construction market.
When setting up a shower in a country house, different foundations are used. The bases are standard structures of a smaller version without the elements that provide the strength of larger structures.
The type of foundation depends on the volume of the load. It is necessary to take into account the lining material and the weight of the tank filled with water. The foundation of a summer cabin can be columnar, strip, or slab.
Anyone can build a foundation with their own hands. It is important for a summer resident to have a little knowledge of the construction process and basic information about earthworks. Based on the chosen type of foundation, the order of work on the site differs.
Required tool:
- Concrete mixer (can be replaced with a regular container);
- Shovel;
- Level;
- Hacksaw;
- Rope;
- Drill;
- Master OK.
Prepare yourself for pouring the foundation. The main thing is to maintain certain proportions. It is advisable to measure the components in buckets. In the absence of a concrete mixer, it is most convenient to mix the solution in a basin with a hoe. 
Sand (about two buckets) and a bucket of cement are poured into the container. The components need to be mixed. Add water little by little, the volume of liquid does not exceed two buckets. The mixture should become homogeneous. Crushed stone completes the batch. The dry component is added in small portions.
Work on equipping the foundation is carried out with the following materials:
- Metal pipes;
- Beam;
- Fasteners;
- Formwork boards.
When choosing the best location for your shower, there are a few things to consider. The first is the ability to supply clean water and remove dirty water. Locating the shower close to the well is a good option; during installation you won’t have to pull the hose or pipe far. 
The water must be drained into a drain or septic tank. If this is not done, the flowing water will fall into the aquifer, from which the well is fed.
Most summer residents prefer that the water in the tank is heated by the sun. It is necessary to install the shower foundation on the sunny side, well protected from the wind. It is undesirable to locate the shower stall close to the boundaries of the summer cottage.
Water drainage
To ensure that water flows freely from the site, moistening the vegetation planted near the cabin, the summer shower is made on an elevated surface. It is chosen based on the terrain features of the site, or it is done with your own hands by adding soil. 
An important stage in building a foundation is to create a drainage system for used water. If the drainage is not organized correctly, rot may form in the shower stall due to high humidity. It will not look aesthetically pleasing, and an unpleasant odor will appear in the room.
The easiest option for drainage equipment is drainage. It should be done in the shade at a short distance from the booth.
The drainage will require a hole that can accommodate two ten-liter buckets. A pipe from the shower is installed into the hole; water will flow through it. A standard sewer pipe is suitable for transportation. Then the hole will need to be completely filled with crushed stone. Water will seep through it, being absorbed by the soil.
To mask the drainage, or sow the area with lawn grass. It will be necessary to fill the hole with crushed stone not completely, leaving twenty centimeters of agrofibre and soil.
Ribbon view
This foundation is in little demand. When laying, it is necessary to observe the recommended depth of the monolith tape - it should not exceed thirty centimeters. This value is ideal to ensure maximum strength of the base. 
The disadvantage of a belt-type base is its labor intensity and high cost.
The first stage of work includes a detailed breakdown of the base with precise fixation of turning points using reinforcement or pillars. The quality of the future structure directly depends on compliance with the form. Carefully measure each side by checking the diagonals of the rectangle.
A rope is stretched between the marker posts. After this, they begin digging a trench, along the edges of which formwork will then be installed. The prepared trench is filled with concrete. After the mixture has hardened, the horizontalness of the surface is measured with a hydraulic level.
Piles
The most popular type of equipment for a shower house is a pile foundation. It's easy to do it yourself. You need to mark the corners of the rectangle. You need to drill deep holes in the corners (about one and a half meters). Pipes made of asbestos cement or metal are inserted into the recesses so that they rise above the ground. 
The preferred pipe diameter is ten centimeters. An anchor pin equipped with a screw thread is mounted on top of each pile.
Pipe piping is made from rolled metal or wooden beams. Holes are made in advance for fastening to piles. After this, the harness is placed in the desired position and secured with a washer and nut. Next, work is carried out on installing the frame, installing the cabin roof and internal lining.
When building this foundation, you will need to dig four square holes for the pillars. The depth of the pits should be at least 50 and the size should be 20*20 centimeters. Sand should be poured into the recesses so that it covers the bottom of the hole. Then you should put a waterproofing layer and treat the walls with roofing felt. 
To concrete the upper parts of the pillars, which will be above ground level, formwork is installed.
Cement mortar is poured into the pits; small crushed stone or crushed brick can be used. Before pouring concrete, it is recommended to strengthen the reliability of the foundation pillars using reinforcement bars by inserting them into the recesses.
Requires strapping. You need to place a threaded pin in the center of the post so that it is sunk two-thirds into the solution. After this, they make the strapping and begin installing the cabin structure.
Detailed construction instructions are given in the video:
By observing the recommended parameters and technical standards, a strong, durable structure is obtained. A shower with a foundation built by yourself will be an excellent solution for a summer cottage and a budget-friendly way to create a place for hygiene procedures in a summer cottage.
You can't do without washing. Therefore, with the arrival of summer, not only many summer residents, but also owners of country houses are building shower stalls, especially in places where there is no centralized water supply or there is no water heating system.
Summer shower- a necessary thing, and, unlike a bathhouse, completely hassle-free: you just need to fill the tank with water in the morning. Agree, it’s very nice to wash yourself comfortably before going to bed or when returning from the dacha to the city in the evening.
Based on this relevance of the issue, let's consider how to build a permanent frame summer shower with your own hands.
Choosing a place for an outdoor shower
Under shower stall select the most flat area of the dacha. Provide a place nearby for water discharge, as well as a source of water supply, otherwise you will have to run communications across the entire territory. Of course, there should be no toilet or waste pit nearby.
If you plan to have a heated tank, then the shower can be placed in the shade. Otherwise, it is recommended to choose a place in the sun so that the water has time to warm up well during the day.
Finally, it is advisable to build the shower in a less visible area, hidden from prying eyes, for example behind the facade of the house or behind a nearby extension.
Cabin dimensions
Plan your shower to be relatively spacious so that you can not only move comfortably in it, but also place towels, bathrobes, shampoo and other bath accessories there.
The total height of the cabin is usually taken to be 2.3-2.5 m, the height from the floor to the shower head is 1.9-2.0 m. In this case, design the length and width of the cabin based on the size of the person, but with a side of at least 1 m The width of the shower should be slightly greater than the “depth”.
The most convenient parameters for a shower stall are 1.6 * 1.0 * 2.5 m, as well as 1.9 * 1.4 * 2.5 m.
By the way, you can plan a shower consisting of two sectors: a changing room and the actual bathing area, which is separated by a curtain and a threshold.
Foundation for an outdoor shower
A solid frame shower is placed on a stable foundation. Most often used for these purposes pile (columnar). Much less often used under a booth strip foundation or continuous shallow screed- they are more labor-intensive, less ventilated and more suitable for a brick shower.
So, for the piles, make a rectangular marking on the selected area, which must first be well leveled. Then use a garden drill to dig holes 1-1.5 m deep in the corners of the site.
For supports, take metal or asbestos-cement pipes with a diameter of 9-10 cm. You can also buy screw piles with special caps for quick construction. Screw the piles or dig the pipes into the ground so that they rise above the horizon by about 30 cm and are at the same level. Wider booths may require 6 supports.
When working with pipes, periodically, after adding soil, thoroughly compact everything with a block of small cross-section; however, for greater reliability, the pipes can also be filled with concrete. Attach metal caps with holes for fastening the timber to the ends of the pipes or make holes for bolts for the timber.
Another good alternative is to use suitable formwork to pour 4-6 concrete pillars at the corners of the site and, if necessary, in the middle of the wide sides. This will even make it easier to attach the frame.
Drain and septic tank (septic tank)
Before installing the frame think over the water drainage system. It is not recommended to place the septic tank under the cabin, otherwise an unpleasant odor will soon appear there. The same applies to the direct discharge of water into the soil under the shower, otherwise problems with soil destruction will occur.
Equip a septic tank or a regular settling pit a few meters from the cabin, connecting them with a drain pipe and a ditch covered with film, roofing felt, etc. Make the water drain under the shower slope towards the trench or sump. You can also use a special tray from which you can drain water to the side using a hose. It will be good if plants that strongly absorb moisture grow nearby.
Frame and harness
Of course, tall metal pillars can be concreted as supports to the very top of the cabin instead of frame beams, but metal is more difficult to work with and costs more.
To make the frame stable, use a strong hewn wooden beam 10*10 cm for its installation. Treat the beams with a water-repellent agent - thanks to this the wood will last much longer.
First, attach the bars with bolts to the pipe caps, tying them around the perimeter - this will be the lower frame of the future frame.
Now, separately, on the ground, mount the upper frame and attach 4 racks to it in the corners with bolts, nails and metal squares. Then tack the vertical beams to the bottom frame already installed on the foundation. As a result, all axes of your structure should coincide.
Start dressing already inside the booth itself. You should start from the floor boards, while the bars of the bottom ligation of the foundation are used as logs for the flooring. If necessary, leave gaps between the floor boards to allow water to drain.
To make the structure reliable, be sure to attach wooden struts diagonally to the side posts into the thickness of the future walls (not into the trim).
Shower trim
For covering the frame of a summer shower it is used:
- lining,
- slate (both wavy and flat),
- siding,
- regular boards,
- corrugated sheets,
- thick canvas fabric,
- opaque film
- moisture resistant plywood.
But there are some nuances here, for example, you can get burned on hot slate or metal in the heat, synthetics give off an unpleasant aroma, and the film quickly deteriorates. Therefore, the most rational cladding options are considered to be ordinary dry planed boards, lining or moisture-resistant wooden panels. Only the wood needs to be treated with an antiseptic.
In general, select the same material from which nearby buildings in the country house are made in order to maintain the integrity of the style. The sheathing is cut to the size of the sides of the booth and simply attached with screws or nails.
It is recommended to make small windows in the upper part of the shower for better ventilation; there is no need to glass them. If desired, the structure can be insulated from the inside with polystyrene foam and finished with any waterproof material (linoleum, etc.).
Door to main shower It is better to mount it from boards, placing it on hinges and attaching a latch - it will be more reliable and more aesthetically pleasing. Of course, it is also suitable to hang a curtain made of any waterproof material, but in this case you may be accidentally disturbed.
Lighting
As for lighting (often you have to wash already at dusk), pulling the cable and making a separate light bulb inside the booth is quite troublesome, unsafe, and costs will increase. An alternative is to install the shower so that it is partially reachable by a street light or a lighted window.
Or you can attach ordinary battery-powered LEDs - they are absolutely safe, and one charge lasts for at least a month.
Tank
Shower tanks Available with or without heating.
For a container with an electric heater a cable connection must be provided. Cabins equipped with heated tanks can be placed anywhere in the dacha and always use warm water, regardless of the whims of the weather. Their disadvantages are high price, additional costs for electricity, the need for cable supply and increased safety requirements.
Tanks without heating much cheaper, they are absolutely safe, but a shower with such a container should only be placed in a sunny place. It is better to take not a barrel, but a rectangular black tank, of small height and with a flat bottom that best matches the area of the top of the cabin. This way the water will heat up more evenly and faster, and the load on the frame will be distributed evenly. If the tank is rather high, you can provide a float intake to “scoop” water from the warm top layer.
Select a container of such a size that the volume of warm water is enough for everyone (the daily norm is 40 liters of water per person). In addition, the volume of any tank should not exceed 200 liters, otherwise there is a risk of deformation of the shower stall.
As for the material, you can choose metal (stainless steel) or plastic tank. The first ones are heavier and will cost more, but their service life is much longer and they are not afraid of damage. The latter are comfortable, lightweight, cheaper, but not as strong and can emit an odor in strong sun.
Secure the tank to the top of the cabin using bars or wide belts, nailing them down. For ordinary containers, you can also build a separate small “greenhouse” frame on top, covering it with a transparent film so that the water heats up faster and cools down more slowly.
Fill the container manually (not very convenient), using a pump, or according to the most popular scheme - through a rubber hose or plastic tube from a water tap. It is advisable to install a special valve that will promptly shut off the water after filling the container.
At the bottom of the tank, provide a hole for a pipe with a tap and a watering can, which is sealed with rubber inserts. It is better to buy all the parts in one set (watering can, various nuts, squeegee, tap, silicone gaskets and washers).
That's all main points on the construction of a capital frame summer shower. As you can see, any business person who is comfortable with tools can handle this job.
The vast majority of summer residents at the stage of arranging their plot were faced with the issue of organizing a shower. Some limited themselves to the summer option, as the simplest, others went further and started arranging a full-fledged shower that can be used not only in the summer. In addition to the differences in the design of the above-ground part, the optimal design of the base for different types of shower is also very different.
Influence of design on the type of base
The foundation for a country shower is selected based on the weight of the structure and the degree of capital construction. Therefore, you should first figure out what kind of shower can be installed on a summer cottage, and only then move on to building the foundation.
In general, one of the following types of shower can be used in the country:
- shower-treadmill - the simplest option. In this case, a container with water (which can be installed at ground level) and a symbolic frame are sufficient; it is sheathed with wooden planks or simply curtained with an opaque film. There is simply no point in talking about any kind of foundation, the weight of the frame does not exceed 10-20 kg, and the main drawback of the design is its dependence on the weather, suitable only for periodic visits to the dacha;
Note!
The shower got its name - trampler - because the necessary pressure is created through human efforts; the principle of operation is similar to car pumps.
- shower on a counter - the main difference from the previous option is that the water supply can be organized either from a water supply or from a water tank installed on the roof of the shower stall. If the water supply is organized from a water supply system, then you can do without a serious foundation, but in the second case you can’t do without it. The soil may not be able to support the weight of the water tank, the cabin will warp and collapse;
- a foundation for a shower in a country house is also considered mandatory if the shower is built from brick. Of course, you will have to tinker, but you can use it not only on a hot summer day.
Types of foundations
- columnar;
Note!
A columnar foundation is often confused with a pile foundation; their design is very similar, but it is not entirely correct to identify these concepts.
The fact is that piles can be used on weak soils, but the columnar version is used only on soils with good bearing capacity.
But a country shower is a simple design, so such inaccuracy is forgivable.
- columnar with concrete grillage;
- tape;
- solid - used quite rarely.
As for the columnar foundation, you can imagine it as several concrete pillars placed around the perimeter of the shower stall. You can simply fasten a wooden beam on top (analogous to the bottom frame in frame construction) and only then proceed to the construction of the above-ground part.
It is allowed to combine the pillars on top with a concrete grillage. This design will be much simpler and quite capable of withstanding the load from the brick walls of a permanent building.
Due to the larger area of the base, a do-it-yourself strip foundation for a shower is suitable for weak soils. The main disadvantage can be considered the increased volume of excavation work compared to a columnar foundation.
Technology for constructing foundations of various types
The procedure for constructing foundations of different types is quite different, as well as the labor costs for their construction. Therefore, the construction technology of each of the mentioned types will be considered separately.
Pile and column foundations
Even before you start constructing the base, you need to draw out the contours of the shower from the project into nature. Typically, the dimensions of the structure do not exceed 2.0 x 2.0 m, so this can be done using ordinary twine and tape measure, and mark the corners with metal pins.
The step between individual piles can be 1.0 - 1.5 m, so depending on the size of the future cabin, it may be necessary to either install them only in the corners, because 1 more pile will be placed in the center of each wall.
To facilitate the work, it is very convenient to use ordinary asbestos-cement pipes as permanent formwork. In this case, it will be much more convenient and practical to carry out excavation work using not a shovel, but a hand drill, which will literally “drill” holes in the ground for pipes.
Further instructions for performing work will look like this:
- At the bottom of each hole, it would be a good idea to lay a sand and gravel cushion (a layer of sand and a layer of crushed stone on top). With a pit depth of about 1.1-1.5 m, the thickness of each layer can be 10-15 cm. Each layer must be thoroughly compacted, first moistened with water;
Note!
A piece of ordinary roofing felt or other waterproofing material is laid on top of the crushed stone layer; this is necessary to ensure that the water from the concrete mixture does not leave too quickly.
- then formwork (asbestos-cement pipes) is installed in the prepared pits and fixed so that it does not warp when pouring concrete;
- you also need to remember about the reinforcement frame, and it’s not enough to just stick a couple of metal pins in, you need to build a full-fledged frame. Considering that we plan to build a regular shower, we will give preference to a knitted frame. For a pile diameter of about 20 cm, 6 reinforcing bars with a diameter of 12 mm will be enough; we combine them into one whole, tying them with ordinary wire (hence the name);
- After this, you can already pour concrete into the pipes; using large crushed stone is not recommended - it can get stuck between the reinforcing bars.
If you plan to lay wooden beams on top of the piles (bottom frame), then a short reinforcing bar needs to be fixed in the upper part of the pile so that part of it (about 10-15 cm) rises above the concrete surface. It will be useful when laying beams; you can drill a hole in them and literally string it on it, the strength of the connection is guaranteed.
In the case where the foundation of the summer shower is planned to be columnar, the order of work remains almost the same. The difference is that the holes will definitely have to be dug by hand.
The foundation itself consists of separate pillars (ordinary brickwork can be used for their construction). To reduce material consumption, it can have a stepped shape, that is, the lower part has large dimensions in plan (for a more even distribution of loads on the base).
At the bottom of the pits under the pillars, a gravel-sand cushion is placed in the same way, and when installing the pillars themselves, reinforcing outlets are left for attaching the strapping beams. Separately, it is worth highlighting foundations that use a concrete grillage. This design can be used, for example, in the construction of a brick shower.
In this case, the work is carried out in 2 stages:
- first, the piles themselves are concreted, and reinforcement outlets for all frame rods must be provided;
- then wooden formwork is constructed and the grillage is concreted. This type of foundation is more reliable, but it is also more labor intensive, so it can only be recommended for a major shower.
Strip foundation
If you do not take into account the larger volume of excavation work, then it can be considered the best option for a capital building made of brick or concrete blocks.
Do-it-yourself strip foundation for a summer shower is arranged in the following sequence:
- the contour of the shower is taken out into reality and a pit is dug around the perimeter with a width slightly larger than the width of the future wall. As for the depth, you need to exceed the soil freezing depth for a given region, usually 1.0 m is enough;
- More serious reinforcement cage will be required. In the lower part (stretched zone) it is recommended to use A-III reinforcement with a diameter of 12 mm; the remaining rods will not experience serious loads, so a smaller diameter can be used;
- along the edges of the dug trench, formwork is installed from wooden boards approximately 30-40 cm high. The edge of the foundation should rise above the ground surface;
- Concreting is done in one go; the ideal option would be to additionally compact the mixture with a vibrator, but not everyone has this tool. Therefore, it can be recommended to simply not use too coarse aggregate so that voids do not form in the foundation during concreting.
Slab foundation
In fact, this type of foundation is used mainly in the construction of houses, when a large load needs to be distributed over a large area. For installing a shower in a country house, this option cannot be called recommended.
The main difference is that the entire area that the shower will occupy will be concreted.
The main steps remain the same:
- the contours of the shower are brought out;
- a pit is being dug. Its depth does not have to be below the freezing depth. The thickness of the slab will be approximately 15-20 cm; it is also necessary to provide 2 layers of sand and crushed stone of approximately the same thickness. So, taking into account the sand and gravel cushion, the thickness will be approximately 60 cm;
- Reinforcing bars must be laid in front. The lower part will work in tension, so reinforcement is very important here.
In terms of labor costs, this type of foundation far exceeds all of the above. That is why it is used relatively rarely under the shower.
In conclusion
Any building requires a reliable and solid foundation. In the proposed material, the main emphasis is on the foundation for a more or less capital shower; simplified options, such as digging in wooden pillars, were not considered due to their fragility.
The video in this article discusses the features of different types of foundations. And although the review in the video is made in relation to the construction of houses, the design of the foundation does not change when it is used for a shower.
Soul Project
Drawing. Shower room plan
First of all, it is necessary to complete a project for a summer shower for a summer residence, having decided on the dimensions of the future structure. A container of water raised to a height of 2.5 m will provide a good pressure of the jets. A comfortable cabin will allow the summer resident to wash comfortably in the shower at any time favorable for him. If the shower stall measures 2 X 1.5 m, then inside you can place a clothes hanger, a shelf for soap, gel and shampoos.
The internal space in the stall must have dimensions of at least 100 x 100 cm. The person washing must be able to raise his arms up without any problems and bend down freely without bumping into the walls. The cabin itself must have a shower compartment and a changing room protected from water, at least 60 cm wide. This means that the internal space of the cabin for a summer shower must have dimensions of 160 x 100 cm. However, a design with dimensions of 190 x 140 cm will be more convenient. Add the wall thickness to these parameters, then you will get 200 x 150 cm. In addition, this is an excellent waste-free option for standard sizes boards (see figure above).
Foundation
An outdoor shower does not require a special foundation. When constructing it, it is important to ensure that the frame posts are strictly vertical and ensure that they are firmly connected to the frames and that the supports rest tightly on the pads. These strict requirements are imposed because a heavy tank of water is installed at the top. After the dimensions have been determined, you need to make markings, that is, draw a rectangle on the ground with dimensions of 170 X 110 cm or 190 X 140 cm. A summer country shower can reach a height of 2.5-3 m. With a small support area, it cannot be stable enough. To prevent the structure from toppling over, it is advisable to install a pile or columnar foundation.
Simple to construct, it will reliably hold the shower under wind and other loads: after all, a 200-liter tank has considerable weight. As a material for the foundation, you can use metal pillars, metal or asbestos-cement pipes with a diameter of approximately 90-100 mm and a length of 1.5-2 m. Then four wells 1-1.5 m deep are drilled in the ground in the corners of the shower. Pipes or pillars are inserted into them so that each rises above the ground level by at least 30-50 cm. After that, hewn timber with a section of 100 X 100 mm is laid out at the corners of the foundation from the pillars.
Then the pillars are tied with it in the form of a closed harness, starting from the top. This foundation design is called a rigid frame. It is more convenient to assemble the frame on the ground, and then fasten it with long bolts.
The structure will be strong if all the axes coincide, and the fastening is done with long bolts. Then it will be possible to install a water barrel with a volume of about 200 liters on the roof of the shower without any fear.
But the shower stall will be more stable if there are 6 foundation pillars under it. Under the columnar foundation, you need to dig 6 holes measuring 20 X 20 or 30 X 30 cm and a depth of 40-50 cm - it all depends on the structure of the soil. The holes must be filled with cement-sand mortar mixed with pebbles or gravel (see figure).
These will be places for the shower frame. It is more expedient to make its base waterproof, with a slope towards the drain, which is connected to the used water drainage system.
Between the pits, it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil to a depth of 20 cm, and strengthen the formwork from boards or plywood along the edges of the resulting pit. The recess under the shower can be lined with roofing felt or PVC film, but it is better to concrete it, forming a kind of waterproof tray so that the ground under the country shower does not silt. Then fill the bottom of the hole with sand, spill it with water and compact it. Then all this can be filled with mortar so that the platform rises 10 cm above the ground and covers the space for the foundation.
Drawing. Columnar foundation made of stone
From a pan that has a slight slope, water will flow into the gutter. Therefore, a drainage gutter must also have a slope. The drainage of water from the summer shower should be organized into a special drainage ditch (septic tank) on the site or beyond. The water must be drained by a pipe laid in a trench with a certain slope towards the drainage pit.
Under a summer garden shower, you can lay a strip foundation up to 30 cm deep without installing a monolithic concrete platform. To give the building the correct geometric shape, when breaking down the plan on the ground, it is necessary to check the equality of the diagonals of the foundation using a rope or thick fishing line. Then begin digging a trench 30 cm wide and the same depth. The foundation is poured with concrete mortar. It is prepared from 1 part cement, 3 parts clean sand and 5 parts fine crushed stone - 5-20 mm each. Before preparing the solution, the sand is sifted well. The solution is poured into the dug trench. When it has completely hardened, use a level to check the horizontalness of the foundation. If there are any unevenness, they need to be leveled with cement-sand mortar. If you plan to constantly use a shower and heat the water, then you must pour a concrete platform under the foundation or lay it out of brick in the form of a rectangle. The foundation site must be concreted with a slope towards the sewer pipe, and a wooden grate must be placed on top.
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