Outdoor Bath and Shower
27
Feb
We have a summer-house where we go to spend time with our extended family and to “rest”….well…sort of rest! (see my earlier post titled “crowded house”)
But, for me and my husband rest means “doing what you love ” and “loving what you do”…
So we had a little DIY project during our December holiday and made an outdoor bath and shower where there previously was just….well, grass.
You have to experience it, to love it as much as we did..but here are some pictures (though not doing any justice to the ambience) .
The bathtub is under a thatch roof and the shower is under the open, African sky under a “doringboom” – aka thorn tree.
It’s an amazing feeling to be in there !
The structure is made from corrugated plates and the floor set on concrete garden stones, so I felt the need to soften it a bit with some antique, romantic and feminine items.
Having property in South Africa, unfortunately means that what you leave out there, you might loose…so it had limitations on things like putting in old fashioned copper tubing which would have added to the charm…but it was not an option.
And it is better if certain things can be removed when the place is unoccupied. So my VERY HANDY husband converted this pewter jug I found into a faucet for the main bath.
Ahhhhh….to just put your head back and let the hot steam water run off the shampoo like you are in a salon is just simple bliss !!
My brother-in-law helped me turn this old piece that was lying around into something useful and beautiful … voila…it turned into a chandelier !
Everything turned out really well and it became one of the hot spots on the property for everyone who was visiting !
To get the whole story on how it came about…read on:
Two years ago I bought a bath… sometimes I do things like that  – for no reason other than the fact that I liked it !
It is an antique bath, weighs a ton and can fit a whole family into it !
I had it re-enamelled and left the outside rustic and unfinished.
But it can be kind of annoying and in someone’s way if it just sits there in the storeroom for no real purpose. A good thing that it so happens that we have 10 people sleeping apart from the main house, but using the bathroom inside the house. Off course they would love a bathroom near their “sleeping quarters !”
And why would we not give them what they want? Yes – that is what we said too…..
All my husband could think of was to get my huge bathtub out of his storeroom.
So, during our visit in November he spotted the little thatch roof we have right on the river bank and decided that that was the perfect spot to go place the bath when we return in December.
Only problem was – when we returned 3 weeks later…the river was in flood.
Since there was no stopping me now with creating this bathroom, we had to come up with plan B.
Measure up and move the structure a little up the yard was the only option.
It meant a lot more work than anticipated..but we had no option.
But in South Africa, where the rainbow nation lives .. any spot under that rainbow after the storm …is a good spot to put up a little hide-out where you can get naked close to nature !
I checked out the view from the new location…..
…and approved.
So the building work started in all earnest.
This had to happen all in between holiday-ing, river-rafting, Christmas, birthdays and family gatherings…. so needless to say that we used every pair of hands that were sitting around looking bored.
And on New Year’s eve, after 10 days of hard work, we could finally “open” the new bathroom with a little ribbon cutting ceremony and all !
The bathroom was officially open after me and hubby spent a few hours putting some final touches on it!
Everybody loved it and I have to admit…we could not wait for the next shower round.
In fact, everybody loved it so much that I soon had to replace the bath stand with a bigger, more functional bath cabinet where people could put their belongings when taking a bath. So I found a “sorter” they used in the bank in a local pawn shop and with some paint it did the trick.
I am so happy that my bath finally got a place in the sun….or should I say..under the stars !
Finally we could kick off our shoes…fill up a glass of sherry….lie back….smell the infused bath crystals from EnStyle mixed up with the smell of the grass fields and the muddy river banks  ….. and enjoy the view!
I think this is now my favorite spot in the world !
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My name is 
I just need one more picture of you in the bath!
That’s on my paid website! Sorry. :-))
Totally Romantic. What a lucky girl you are!