Outdoor showers make a splash beyond the summer season

There’s nothing quite like a lazy summer day on the East End filled with morning bike rides, midday swims, afternoon picnics and evening strolls on the beach. Early sunrises and late sunsets give way to seemingly limitless hours spent under clear, sun-drenched skies and are often enough to make just about anyone believe that there is such a thing as an endless summer.

But all of those hours spent hitting the roads, splashing in the surf, relaxing in the grass or walking along the shore do take their toll—in the form of sweaty clothes, salty skin, sticky fingers and sandy toes. And that’s why, at the end of a leisurely summer day, so many East Enders agree that nothing beats the refreshing experience of rinsing off in an outdoor shower.

From simple spigots to showy copper showerheads, outdoor showers in the Hamptons—much like other aspects of the East End lifestyle and real estate offerings—run the gamut from basic to extravagant and everything in-between. Not surprisingly, local contractors and landscape designers interviewed recently reported that building a new shower can cost a homeowner anywhere from $2,000 to upward of $80,000.

“If someone wants to spend a lot of money on an outdoor shower, it’s easy,” explained Barry Block, a landscape designer in East Moriches. “You can go off the charts, to the nines,” he said with a laugh.

But Mr. Block said that for most people, an outdoor shower is a matter of function over fashion. He explained that the majority of his clients simply want an outdoor wash area, a place to rinse the sand off their bodies after a day at the beach.

According to Mr. Block, his clients’ primary concerns are often that the shower is utile and doesn’t detract from the surrounding architecture.

“We have to deal with the functionality of the shower,” he explained. “And we have to analyze if it’s going to fit in.”

Therefore, Mr. Block said most of the showers he designs are natural extensions of a home’s architecture.

“It becomes part of the house, even though you’re outside,” he said.

And that’s certainly the case for Michael Mezzacappa, who recently built a structure that was a true continuation of his Springs home. Mr. Mezzacappa’s shower, a large structure enclosed by cedar paneling, is attached to the side of his house. It matches the building’s exterior almost exactly.

“My father, father-in-law and I built the structure out of clear cedar for the most part, which was expensive, but which matched the house and gave the earth-toned colors we desired,” he wrote in an e-mail last month.

Mr. Mezzacappa wrote that he decided to design and build his own outdoor shower because he wanted to add an additional wash space to his one-bathroom summer home. With just one “inside” bathroom, two school-aged children, and a seemingly endless list of houseguests, an outdoor shower seemed like a natural choice.

“We often have my niece and nephew and my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, parents and in-laws with us,” he explained. “And this helps facilitate everyone getting ready for dinner after outdoor activities.”

He added that when he was planning the outdoor shower, the only requirement his wife, Nancy, had was not to make it too small. And Mr. Mezzacappa’s structure definitely isn’t too small—the enclosed space includes a wash area with two types of shower heads, rain-style and hand-held, and a changing area, complete with hooks and a comfortably-sized cedar bench.

Mr. Mezzacappa described his elaborate shower as a labor of love. “We are very proud of the way it turned out,” he said.

Hugh Lamle, a homeowner in Westhampton Beach, said he takes equal pride in his outdoor shower and waterfront manse. Both his home and shower were envisioned by Mark Stumer of Mojo-Stumer Associates in Greenvale, New York, in the mid-80s.

“Our philosophy is if you should do it, you should do it right,” he said in an interview last month. “Having an outdoor shower that overlooked the dunes and beach wasn’t an afterthought.”

Indeed, Mr. Lamle’s outdoor shower has unique aesthetics, offering both spacious views and privacy. The 4½-foot-tall walled-in semi-circle structure is an extension of his home. The wall, which is tall enough to offer privacy, is also low enough to allow whoever is in the shower to overlook the surrounding area’s dunes, beaches and water.

According to Mr. Block, the “more is more” standard for outdoor showers is a growing trend. He reported that nearly two-thirds of the showers he builds feature some sort of changing area or extra convenience.

“It’s always those little amenities—a place to sit, store a towel, put soap or hang a robe,” he said.

John Tortorella, president of Southampton-based J. Tortorella Swimming Pools, agreed.

“Many will have changing areas or double showers,” he said. “If the structure is too small, everything ends up wet, and if you try to put something on, you’re going to get that wet too.”

But more important than changing areas and benches, according to both Mr. Block and Mr. Tortorella, is what to do with all the water since one outside bather can use upward of 25 gallons per shower. Both men said that ensuring proper drainage is of utmost importance for outdoor showers.

“One of the big issues is drainage,” Mr. Block said. “Drainage is huge.” He added that he recommends clients utilize a catch basin, rather than connecting their shower to a home’s septic system because dry wells are less expensive and don’t put extra stress on the existing septic system.

Mr. Tortorella also said his structures also rely on dry wells. “You need a stone basin so the water doesn’t run all over the grass,” he said. “And that basin should be tied into a dry well.”

Ron Race of Water Mill, an outside shower aficionado who designed and constructed his own structure made of spruce, said that he was careful to include a dry well in his outdoor shower.

Mr. Race’s octagonal structure utilizes a basin and dry well, and the water supply is connected to his house. His outdoor shower, which features a 12-inch diameter sunflower-shaped shower head, is shaded by tall trees and bamboo plants and is flanked by a small clothesline for hanging sweaty clothes, wet bathing suits and the like.

Because the structure is tucked away behind a guest home and studio space in the backyard he shares with his wife, Laura, and dog, Sophie, Mr. Race said privacy isn’t too much of a concern. But he added that one day, he would like to add a spruce door to completely enclose the shower.

For now, though, Mr. Race said he’ll continue to use the shower every day—at least until the first frost in the late fall.

“It’s a joy—our little piece of heaven,” he laughed.

And just because Labor Day marks the official end of the summer season on the East End, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to turn off the water to the outdoor shower. In fact, many of those interviewed agreed that the pleasures of the outdoor shower can last well beyond the end of summer, and that, despite the cooler air and shortening days, fall offers best time to enjoy the experience of outdoor bathing.

Mr. Lamle said he continues to use his shower well into the fall months, when the warm water can offer a refreshing reprieve from chillier temperatures. “It’s awful nice to have a nice, hot shower,” he said.

Mr. Block summed up what many outdoor shower lovers shared during the course of their interviews. “There’s nothing like being naked, outside in nature, but still private in the shower,” he said. “Especially for people who are not that ambitious, but want that feeling of being naked outside.”