I'm contemplating a shower in a tiny home. The owner wants the whole build to be natural (metal allowed). I'm struggling to find good options for a natural shower pan to collect shower water and keep it from rotting out the naturally insulated floor. They might be ok with a fiberglass shower base but they're fairly expensive these days.
All I can think of is a metal container of some sort that can be repurposed. Some options are:
- Galvanized wash tub
- Pros are it's pretty water proof, would keep a shower curtain contained and could be hauled outside to dump if a drain isn't included.
- Con is that it's kinda high to step into and not likely big enough for comfortable shower dancing (24" dia).
- Galvanized square stock tank
- Pros are that it's water proof, would keep a curtain contained and is shower sized (34" on a side)
- Cons are that it's $170 so a bit pricier than the alternatives
- Water heater leak catch pan
- Pros are that it's flat bottomed, water tight, cheap and has a side drain hole
- Cons are that it's flimsy, may not keep a shower curtain inside it, is only 28" diameter, and has a side drain hole
- Washing machine drain pan
- Pros: Has a drain, beefy, 32x30 is borderline size, rectangular
- Cons: Fiberglass, won't keep a shower curtain inside it
- Duct drain pan
- Pros: didn't know it existed in the world, leak proof, cheap, square
- Cons: Only 24", need a better threshold, shallow, probably flimsy
- Big piece of galvanized metal and bend it into a pan shape
- Pros: likely cheap and within my abilities, customizable to fit the shower space, custom threshold height
- Cons: don't know where to get a piece of galvanized sheet metal that big (48" square?)
Any other ideas or thoughts? Thanks!
Mike is a homesteader, gardener, engineer, wood worker, blacksmith and most recently a greenhouse designer. He heard about permaculture in 2015 and has been learning ever since.
