Outside Shower

Why an outdoor shower is one of the smartest space-savers in tiny living, and how to set one up.

An outdoor shower is a favourite tiny-house trick. Moving the shower outside frees up precious indoor floor space, keeps moisture and steam out of the home (which means less mould risk and less ventilation to worry about), and turns a daily routine into something that feels a bit like a holiday. In warmer climates it can even replace the indoor shower entirely.

Why it works so well in a tiny home

• Saves indoor space: a shower is one of the largest fixtures in a tiny bathroom. Moving it outside can free up enough room for more storage or a larger kitchen.
• Keeps moisture out: showering indoors pumps steam into a small sealed space. Outside, that moisture simply disappears, protecting your interior and finishes.
• Great for off-grid and beach life: perfect for rinsing off after the beach, the garden or work, without tracking mess inside.

Hot water options

You can plumb the outdoor shower off your existing hot water system, or use a dedicated source. Popular choices include a gas instantaneous (continuous-flow) heater mounted on the exterior wall, a portable camping gas shower for simple or temporary setups, or a solar shower bag for off-grid and summer use. For year-round comfort, an instantaneous gas or electric heater is the most reliable.

Privacy and enclosure

A simple timber screen, slatted enclosure or even a hardy outdoor curtain gives you privacy. Many tiny-house owners build a small three-sided cubicle against the exterior wall, open to a view but shielded from neighbours. Use weather-resistant materials (treated timber, marine fittings, stainless fixings) so it survives constant water and sun.

Draining the water

The water that runs off (greywater) has to go somewhere legal and sensible. A simple gravel soak pit or a directed drain to a garden bed works in many areas, but greywater rules vary by council, especially for permanent setups. Use a biodegradable, low-sodium soap if the water is going onto plants, and check your local greywater requirements before committing to a permanent drain.

Why having both inside and outside is the ideal setup

Many tiny-house owners do not choose between an indoor and an outdoor shower. They have both, and use each when it suits. The outdoor shower becomes a kind of decontamination zone, while the indoor one covers comfort and privacy. Together they protect your home and your routine:

• The outdoor shower keeps mess out: rinse off sand, mud, paint or sweat, and hose down wetsuits, boots and muddy dogs, before any of it reaches your tiny floor or drains.
• The indoor shower covers all weather: a warm, private wash in winter, storms or when you simply want the comfort of being inside.
• Together they manage moisture: showering outside through the warmer months keeps humidity, and the mould risk that comes with it, out of your sealed little space.
• And ease the morning rush: two showers means less bathroom traffic when you have guests staying.

A few design approaches

• The fold-away deck: a hinged timber platform that drops down to become the shower floor, with fixtures hidden in a flush, lockable exterior hatch. Folds flat for travel, so nothing protrudes on the road.
• The spa extension: for a fixed site, a permanent slatted timber screen around a pebble drainage bed, with an overhead rainfall head. Feels like a private outdoor bathroom.
• The utility mudroom: a simple, hardworking setup by the back door with a handheld sprayer on a slide rail, ideal for surfers, hikers, off-grid builders and pet owners.
• The window pass-through: a clever budget option where the indoor shower has a large waterproof window, and a long-hose head passes through to an exterior mount. One set of plumbing serves both, which saves cost and space.

Running two showers from one system

A continuous-flow (tankless) LPG gas heater is the popular choice, because it heats on demand and will not run out even if both showers are used back to back. Look for a flow rate around 6 to 10 litres per minute for good pressure, and have it vented and installed by a licensed gasfitter. Fit separate mixing valves for the indoor and outdoor sides so each has its own temperature control. In the few parts of Australia that get hard frosts, add a shut-off and drain valve on the outdoor line so you can isolate and empty it in winter to stop the pipes freezing.

Dealing with the greywater

Shower water (greywater) carries soap, hair and skin oils, so it needs to drain somewhere sensible rather than pooling. Two common approaches: a ready-made greywater kit (a grease trap plus a diverter feeding sub-surface garden irrigation, roughly $2,000 to $2,400 in Australia), or a DIY mulch basin or French drain, a gravel-filled trench with an agi-pipe under bark mulch, where the mulch and soil microbes filter the water naturally as it soaks away. Use a plant-safe, low-sodium soap if the water feeds a garden, and check your council greywater rules for any permanent system.