There was nothing wrong with the backyard. It just was not being used. An outdoor shower would give it a reason to exist.

I walked the space and found the right spot: three feet off the sunroom and the back of the house. Enough room to move around, enough room for a lawn mower to get through. The footprint came from standing in the yard and feeling where the structure wanted to go.

Before

After

The back wall, the built-in cubby, and all the trim are aromatic cedar. It smells right and it will hold up. I added trellis on each side and planted jasmine at the base. In a few years it will cover the whole structure. I finished the wood with penofin oil.

Taking a shower here is something else. The cedar, the jasmine starting to climb, cool water on a hot Charleston night. You tell yourself you are just rinsing off. But with the smell of cedar and jasmine and the sky above you, are you sure that is all that is happening?

Details

• Built outdoor shower structure in aromatic cedar
• Built-in cubby for storage
• Trellis added on both sides, jasmine planted at base
• Finished with penofin oil
• Sited to allow lawn mower access on both sides