Outdoor shower in lanai
 

We are beginning our plans to build down in The Villages and all the forums have been extremely helpful. Thank you all for the great advice. This has helped us think about things that we didn't even know we had to think about! One thing we are very certain of is that we want to have our own pool. We would love to have a shower in the lanai to rinse off before getting in and after getting out of the water. Does anyone have a shower in their lanai (if this is even allowed) and if so, anything we should consider before moving forward with this? Thanks in advance for any advice!!

For the shower you have two options, having the lines plumbed in like an outdoor kitchen, or one of the "big pipe" models they sell on amazon. You run a garden hose to them, the pipe, which is also holds the shower head, fills with water. They are black, they also have cold water adjustment. Enough for two showers. They are bolted to the concrete deck and cost 250.00. Obviously they heat the water by the sun. Low tech, takes up little space.

My recommendation, if the lot allows, is a back door to the garage with a screen door. A hideaway retracting screen door is fine. Some pool lots can accommodate this, especially if the lot is narrow in front and wide in the back. You will appreciate the cool(er) garage

Thanks for the info!!

Besides the outdoor shower, which is great to have. Something people overlook until the home has been built, is a door to an inside bathroom. Nothing better than to have a door straight to a bathroom and avoiding running through the air conditioned home in a wet swimsuit when a door is all you need. It can be even a half bath with just a toilet and sink.

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Wow, never even thought about that. Thanks for the idea!

Question for the poster: you will probably install a salt water pool, so there will be no chlorine to rinse off. Consider this before you invest in an outside shower.

The original owners of our house had a hot tub on the patio. They had an outdoor shower installed. The hot tub is long gone, but we still have the shower. We have used it a few times to cool off on hot days, water to wash off the patio, or to get water for plants. Also, a conversation topic when we have guest.

We are leaning towards the salt water pool. From what I have read showering off before entering will help with the maintenance cost of the pool...haven't talked to any experts on that yet but would like to have about 95% of this figured out before our design meetings!

A complete waste of money in my opinion. As someone who owns and uses a salt water pool nearly all year (as well as friends and family who use it) an outdoor shower is absolutely not necessary. I cannot even begin to fathom why anyone would say it is a benefit. An even bigger waste of money would be having a bathroom located directly next to the pool. Complete nonsense. Please feel free to send me a private message if you would like more information.

What do you do, go in the pool? I've had two pools in two different Florida homes. It's a great idea to have access from the outside to a bathroom. To say differently is complete nonsense. You don't have the bathroom next to the pool. Many homes if properly designed will have a half bath somewhere near the living area, it only requires the addition of a second door. Sort of a Jack-n-Jill situation. Many homes built in Spring Hill where I lived a few years ago, all came with this feature.

I'm going back aways, here's my very first pool, a 16 x 32 installed in 1979 in a home I built in Pensacola Florida. This photo is 41 years old.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...29&oe=5EF5BF4F

A lanai shower is not necessary. Put your pennies toward a pool bath. This is a must, if you are building a pool. Ever try to walk dripping wet on tile through the house? This is an accident waiting to happen!

We have a villa w/o a pool. Remodel included an outdoor shower w/ wood enclosure.
(outside kitchen window) Rarely do we wash inside. Rarely do we clean indoor showers.

We get out, pat dry with a towel, then go inside to the bathroom. I can’t believe I had to explain it to you, it’s a a pretty simple concept, and has worked well for years. Geesh.

In Florida it is called a pool bath, a salt water converter will help immensely with the expense of pool chemicals and really keeps your skin, hair and suits nice.

Don't let anyone tell you a salt pool is cheaper. It is nice in that it makes the chlorine for you, but rain constantly changes ph and calcium levels, thus you buy chemicals. Plus everytime you backwash you send salt out of your pool, thus, replace salt. In the 10 years I have owned a salt pool, I have replaced 3 salt cells, $275.00 a piece, 1 computer board, $600.00, 3 pool pumps, $360.00 a piece. I have done the work myself so I did not have to pay a pool company to do it which would have cost an additional 2- 300.00 bucks each time. The salt is corrosive and destroys things. Lightening takes out computer boards,, etc. Salt is great, but it does not cut your overall cost.

Built a pool a year ago. Also put a hot water shower in a semi-enclosed area at the end of the pool. Connected water line to house hot water heater. Best thing ever. I swim an hour every day. After the swim I shower and dry off and change into new clothes. No tracking in the house. Best thing I ever did.

If only I knew then ....
 

We put a pool in and now I wish we had the foresight to put a shower near by to rinse off and, (don't laugh) sometimes would even like a toilet handy so you don't have to drip your way through the house to get to one. There are days I could be happy to spend 12 hours in the pool if I had those two facilities close to hand.

Totally Agree for a Pool Bathroom
 

We wish we had put in at least a half bath off of our pool, with an outdoor shower. We have a salt water pool which is great, but it still leaves a slight pool odor on my skin that I like to wash off. Tile floors inside the house are truly slippery when wet if you need to use the bathroom. Enjoy your build!!

That’s the one thing we failed to put in our pool, spa, kitchen that we added. We have one at our Sumer home on Lake Michigan and it get used more than the bathroom showers. They’ll try to talk you into a salt water pool here, in which case you will really need one. We resisted the salt water pool and stuck with the fresh water. If you’re going to have the project designed and built after you buy your house make only one call, to T&D Spa and Pool. They’re be far the best. I didn’t even call anyone for another bid. Good luck!

A pool bath is not only a good idea for its convenience when using the pool. It is also very handy when sitting outside on your lanai.

Agree...........outdoor accessible bathroom is great. With shower, yes you might rinse off.....but unless to strip down (& use soap), you ain't getting all the pool water (or dried pool water) off.

Hang a water hose

Pool bath
 

You might want to look for an Elm designer home. The guest bath has a door directly to the lanai so you wouldn’t have to walk through the house to use the bathroom or shower.

With close to 100 pools With shower with toilet in the villages, I cant see the need for a home pool. I fussed with a pool for 35 years up north so I know all of the plagues that come with them.

A salt water pool generates cholorine.

my only response is to the folks who think a salt water filter actually makes their pool salt water. It does not the system uses the salt to create chlorine cheaper than buying it to use. So your pool still uses chlorine for cleanliness.

If you live south of 466 do not use a garden hose type outdoor shower. Outside water is reuse and not potable. Call City of Wildwood water dept if you're in Fenny area and Brownwood area and they will explain what your outdoor water is, otherwise call the Villages Utility dept and ask for the water dept phone number and call them and ask about your outdoor hose water. It is all reuse, clean but not drinkable and legally can hold some bacteria so you definitely don't want to shower with this water. You get 2 separate charges on your monthly bill, potable which is inside, and nonpotable which is outside.

Even simpler is a half bath on an exterior wall, instead of a small window, you add a second door. I can't believe someone cannot grasp such a simple idea that is used 100's of times in Florida home construction. This is what is looks like, the photo taken from the doorway near the kitchen, instead of a small frosted window, you add a door, like a Jack-N-Jill layout.

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That's not true, that means I've been washing my car with reused water. The outside water spickets are potable water, only the reused water goes to your irrigation system.

Appreciate the info.

Outside is nonpotable, not just irrigation
 

You should call and check. Yes you have been washing your car with reuse. Nothing wrong with reuse, just not potable. Call. You might be surprised by what you hear.

Our home is 8 years old here in the villages. We have a small pool. Wish we had access to a bathroom. Drying off before going into the air conditioned house is a pain!

I already did call, the reclaimed water is used for irrigation. That's why on your monthly statement the potable water and irrigation water have two different amounts. It doesn't say reclaimed water, it's irrigation use.

Amenity Fee $0.00
Irrigation Use $0.00
IRRIGATION BASE $0.00
Sewer Use $0.00
Sewer Base $0.00
Sanitation Collection $0.00
Water Use $0.00
Water Base

Absolutely not true !! The hose bibs on the outside walls of your home are connected to the potable water system inside. The Non potable water is for irrigation only and is NOT connected to the house building in any way.

We have a salt water pool and have to rinse off when getting out. We have an outdoor shower and love it. We use it all the time.

If I wanted a pool, to me the obvious choice is a bathroom I can access directly from the pool. IOW a door from the lanai directly into the bathroom. That way I have a toilet and a shower. Perfect for swim days, and entertaining.

i was told the opposite! thx for info :coolsmiley:

That's what I use to rinse off after swimming. I have an outdoor faucet with a hose.
Water is always very warm.
I guess I could attach a pipe with a shower 🚿 head to the faucet but really see no need.

I got one, called outdoor faucet with garden hose on it. :icon_wink:

We have a sink and toilet accessible off the pool area. Very handy to towel off and change clothes without going through the house. Haven’t seen need for a shower.