The 100% Recycled Outdoor Shower - And Other Little Projects

This summer's tiny house projects are meager
compared to the last two years.

But, that is bound to happen as you near the end of that "Must Have" list and start venturing

into the "Nice to Have" list, which seems can always be pushed to a later date. Couple that with a new business and generally active/social lifestyle and you don't see the same kind of pace as in years past. C'est la vie! I have learned to embrace the constant juggling of projects rather than the neat, clean chronological completion that the anal retentive side of me so desperately craves. 

Shower stall wood, ready to go.

Last year we spoke often about getting an outdoor shower together, but we had too many other far more pressing needs. This season we had a little help and inspiration. One thing I didn't mention about our week in VT at the Strawbale workshop with Andrew Morrison was the awesome outdoor shower set up that our hosts, Tyler and Tara, created. I wish I had taken a photo...it was a simple and quick set up. They wrapped tarps around a small circle of trees, filling the ground within that space with small smooth pebbles. A wonderful treat for achey feet! A small cement circle stone stood just below the shower head. A tankless water heater, 20 pound propane tank, huge water tank, and a shower head were all hooked up to provide us bathing capabilities.

Love working with fallen trees!

Let me tell you- after putting in an 8+ hour day of straight busting ass, your body covered in dust and dirt and straw, that shower experience was other worldly. There is just something about being out in the elements as you wash away the grime that brings a level of refreshment unlike any other shower. After that week, Dan and I were determined to get a shower going at home. As with all of our projects lately, we used all recycled and salvaged materials. 

Dan's Dad was doing some work on his store roof, so more free wood was available to us. We picked the best pieces, organized and chopped them into relative lengths and planed them. Some pieces still have remnants of paint, but I plan to paint a funky mural inside the stall, so we didn't spend excessive amounts of time getting the paint off. 





Next, we headed out into the woods and collected several fallen trees. Dan got his first taste of working with a hatchet and how to properly chop wood. I'm always amused in a special kind of way when I teach someone a skill that any kid in the Northern woods learned by the age of 10. I appreciate my upbringing more and more as the years go by. Isn't that always the way?! 

After collecting enough fallen logs, we headed back to the house. We gave each log a clean chop so they would rest flat on the cement. We cleaned out the small section of the dairy barn remains just behind our tiny house. Conveniently, this slab of concrete has a drain right in the middle with a sloping floor.





We held up each small timber and nailed boards one at a time, then we would connect the next timber, then the next set of boards. Given the floor was slanted for drainage, we said to hell with levels and built the stall to work with the floor. This thing isn't meant for a hurricane shelter, just scrubbing stink off.

Next we searched through the old dairy barn and snagged a few pieces of old metal dairy equipment. One slid perfectly into the wall remnants next to our shower and provided exact placement for our solar shower bag. We dug through our scrap pile and created a little raised platform to stand on while showering. 

We both giggled with glee as we used the shower together for the first time, and discovered some of our hilarious design oversights....like the gaps between boards being a little too big....and lining up on all the wrong places of Jess's body. It was too funny to be frustrating. If I stood in the right place, it's like a black bar was placed on all the wrong sections of the body. Good thing I'm not a prude! Flopping my towel over the side of the stall fixed this problem pretty quickly. 

We still need to add some hooks, a shelf or two, and a door, but we have a way to bathe people! Outdoor showers rock! 

Shower stall!

In other news- we also managed to sand and stain all of our recycled pallet siding (the stuff that's on the house anyway) so it's looking WAYYY better and behaves much better when it rains. Before, the pine pieces would swell and at times cause some rubbing on the front door. 

The perfect hanging point for our shower.

Ahhh! All stained and protected! Thank goodness!

We also took our home gym up a notch by installing a hang/pull up bar. Again we used part of a fallen timber and some heavy duty rope. We drilled holes in the loft edge and the bar, simply knotting each end of rope to serve as the stopper. This thing has been a lot of fun since the moment we installed it. We are both considerably stronger even just a month later. I can now do 5 full extension pull ups! Not to mention all of the other gravity resistance moves we can do!

Next up, I will recap the awesome weekend at Deek's Tiny House Summer Camp 3 this past weekend!

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Keepin' It Tight - Even In A Tight Space

Our tiny house gym can fit most anywhere.

Everyone, meet our tiny house gym.

Staying fit and active has always been a big part of each of our lives, and moving into a small space certainly wasn't going to make that change. I once had an excess of exercise equipment, and honestly, I think I had so much because I had a "spare" room. Don't we all imagine it will be a home gym one day? HAAA. "Part time use and full time debris" is a phrase that comes to mind. I think I tripped over the stuff more often than I used it. The equipment included a full size exercise ball, several free weight sets, resistance bands, stepping blocks, stationary bike conversion kit, ab cruncher, etc. I got rid of a good chunk of it as a "set" on Craigslist. I was several items lighter and $20 richer, and this cute, little petite lady- who spoke barely a word of English- looked so happy she could die. :)

I digress. After working a traveling job for several years, and researching all things portable and compact, I've come up with a very effective trio of tools that take up minimal space. I actually got two of the three items for Dan for Christmas. It's pretty remarkable the results we have seen since then. 

Our Tiny House Gym

1. The Ab Wheel Roller

2. The Push X Pro

3. Resistance Bands

4. Outdoor Cardio! -Running, biking, roller blading, hiking, snow-shoeing, SHOVELING

This combination of tools, plus basic floor exercises, like lunges and push ups, allows us to hit pretty much every major group of muscles- AND- with functional movements which are several times more effective than the typical isolated movements seen with machines. Through working at a physical therapy office, I learned that any movement with an added layer of instability, became incredibly difficult and effective. Results were also swift and unparalleled. Ever since, I have searched for tools that add the element of instability.  I really hope to get a Bosu ball at some point, but I have more downsizing to do if that's the case! 

Dan and I typically do a floor routine 3 times per week. Dan has his own regimen of various push up positions using the Push X Pros that activate all areas of his arms, chest, and back. I do some push ups, planks, and windmills with them, but my strength isn't quite there yet. We both do a few sets of ab rolls, lunges, squats, and various resistance moves with the bands. I focus on my shoulders when using the bands. 

On occasion, Dan will even use our water bricks as weights. They are an excellent way to add a challenge for squats and add some instability (due to the sloshing water)! For cardio, we enjoy doing a great deal of different activities, lately it's just been shoveling. I'm ready for spring. I can't wait to do yoga at sunrise on our deck! Glorious!!

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