Can A Shower Niche Go On An Exterior Wall

Sometimes the wall is insulated but not the rim joist between floors and you get freezing there.

Can a shower niche go on an exterior wall. A good practice will be to go a couple of feet above the top level of the niche so as to make the wall mortar waterproof. In my opinion you should NOT install plumbing in an exterior wall however there are two reasonable options that will solve your problem. It fits between studs that are generally 16 inches apart.

The other wall is interior but the plumbing for the shower runs up the middle. In a 2x6 wall you might be able to get a piece of 2 foam insulation between the niche and the sheathing but on a 2x4 wall youll have no insulation. Unless it is unusually huge or otherwise customized a typical shower cubby built into an existing wall is 12 inches wide.

Remember to use Stainless or Galvanised for any fixings. First it is important to know why installing a shower niche in an exterior wall maybe a problem and why your contractor may be telling you no. Installing a water line in a cold exterior wall is a recipe for disaster and it doesnt matter how well you wrap a pipe and surround it in insulation on the coldest day in January or February it will freeze.

When remodeling bathrooms we always plan to install all plumbing lines inside interior walls and avoid running plumbing in exterior walls due to the reality of the pipes freezing. While not ideal I did put my shower niches in the exterior wall as the closest interior wall hosts my showerhead diverter thermostatic mixer and handheld-shower wall outlet ie too much going on on that wall and the second interior wall is at the other end of my shower 68 away. Other than the tiles being cold are there any other problems I could face.

We try to avoid niches on exterior walls if at all possible. If it bears a glass shelf at 12 inches this offers shelf space of. Build a Second Wall.

This ensures any splashing or accidental spraying of water on the wall or shower door does not result in any seepage and water damage behind the tiles. Id love to hear others thoughts on why we should or should not add the niche. So I can only do a niche on either side not one big one like I want to do on the exterior wall.