DIY Outdoor Bathtub!

  My guide to bathing outside on a dime...

I don't know where I first saw one, but ever since the idea sprouted in my mind I have dreamt of having an outdoor claw-foot bathtub. Literally dreamt. I am to outdoor bathtub as James Taylor is to "Carolina". As a young artist in a terrible economy, however, I am not exactly "rolling in the Benjamins" as they say, so I resorted to my second best resource: creativity. Did I say creativity? I meant Craigslist. 

Me lookin' real crazy in my new tub!

The Essentials...

I perused the internet for some time, and saw with a gasp the OUTRAGEOUS amount of money that some claw-foot tubs were going for, even second hand. That would never do for my tub-on-a-dime plan, so I waited it out and eventually found one listed for $200.00. I drove about an hour away to see it, and was pleased to find that it was in pretty great shape, considering the price. I wasn't wild about the dark green exterior, but hey - beggars can't be choosers and all that rot. The man I bought it from was nice enough to drive it home for me in his truck, and in a snap I had my tub. 

As someone with a passionate distaste for being cold, I knew I had to find some way of getting hot water into my tub. I had originally planned to build a small deck and run actual pipes to the thing, but that required.... work. Lots of it. Instead, I was struck with the brilliant plan to hit up the local Ace Hardware and buy a garden hose adapter (approximately $8) that I could hook up to our outdoor shower spout and pilfer the water from there! If you don't have an outdoor shower, you could use the same concept and hook it up to a sink or other spigot. 

Garden Hose with adapter attachment. Ace Hardware: $8.
NOTE: Metal coil is not part of attachment.

While I was researching how other people heat the water for their outdoor bathtubs, I discovered a myriad of ways ranging from solar heaters to up and building a fire under your iron tub, but discovered no method that was as simple as my hose setup. Just sayin'! You simply:

1) Unscrew the shower head.

Our shower head screws off without any tools.

      

Turn water off before attaching hose. Obviously.

2) Fasten hose adapter.

This adapter has a flexible rubber end that you fit over the pipe, then tighten to size.

Tighten until no water leaks from spout when faucet is turned on.

                                                      

3) Turn on water & fill tub.

Exciting photo - I know.

4) Luxuriate! 

Optional

Because our outdoor shower is used on a regular basis and attaching and detaching the tub hose alternately between showers and baths was getting a bit old, we placed a splitter valve (also from Ace Hardware: $18) on the shower head, and now both attachments can be affixed at once! How convenient. Don't bother with the cheaper plastic splitters - we tried two before finally settling on the slightly more expensive but actually functional metal one. 

                                                       Privacy

I live in a residential neighborhood, but since the tub is on the porch of what is essentially a backyard guesthouse that is fully enclosed with a privacy fence and a good number of bushy plants, I'm not too concerned about Peeping Toms. If you are, you could easily string a curtain or place a privacy screen around your tub to cut down on the exhibitionist factor of your outdoor bathing experience.

Bonus!

Another great benefit of an outdoor tub is that the water can be used to water your garden once you're done using it, as opposed to letting it just wash down the drain into the sewer or septic system. Obviously, if your dregs are saturated with an over abundance of soap and detergents, you may want to think twice before dumping it all over your precious plants. However, if I've learned one thing from The Garden Rebel, it's the more soap on plants the merrier! (Don't quote me on this.) I'm still trying to figure out a way to connect yet another hose to the drain pipe of my tub for easier watering. If I ever succeed, I'll update you all. 

Accessories

Because cheap is in my blood, I managed to furnish my outdoor tub with a few accessories for the low, low price of 75¢. I got these wood trivets that I thought would be perfect for holding soap at a garage sale, 2 for 25¢!

I got this old tool box that I'm using to hold my toiletries for just 50¢, also at a garage sale. I love things with character, and while it's not in great shape, it certainly has it's charms. 

In summary, you'll need:

~ A claw-foot tub

~A garden hose

~Garden hose adapter

~ Hot water source i.e. sink, shower

~ Valve splitter (optional)

Happy soaking, everyone!

~Rachel