The Finka Bathhouse V2
This year's upgrades to the bathhouse. New ceiling panel, sanded and stained wood flooring and the structure. Making it feel like it belongs here.
The Roof
A year after building the bathhouse from scratch it was time to make it properly good. The neighbor's replacement roof from last summer was a start, but I wanted a real metal one with insulation underneath to push the heat away during the brutal Tenerife summer. So that's where I began. Laid the insulation first, then put the metal roofing panels on top. Solid and done.
Water Collection
One metal roofing panel was left over and I couldn't let it go to waste. I cut it down and shaped it into a collection bed that sits under the floorboards at an angle, so all the shower water runs down to one edge. At that low edge I cut a pipe in half length-ways so it catches everything running along the metal and channels it into a proper drainage pipe. That pipe runs along the horizontal floor beams and exits the bathhouse, where I dug a deeper hole outside and built a small wooden utility box. Inside the box sits a plastic basket where the pipe arrives and deposits the water. From there it's easy to collect and redistribute. Water recovery went from a messy handful of 8-liter plastic bottles to something close to 100% efficient. One of the more satisfying problems I've solved.
Sanding
Then I uninstalled the sliding door, took down the polycarbonate panels, cleared everything out and started sanding. The vertical beams, the angled braces, the cross-bracing, the shelves, the wall planks, inside and out. It took a day or two of solid work but by the end the whole structure felt like a different thing under the hands.
Staining
Once the structure was done I chose a dark brown stain and went through everything. Such a good color, it grounded the whole building and made it feel like it actually belongs there. Then I pulled up all the floor boards and gave them the same treatment but more carefully. Sanded them fully, rounded all the corners so there are no sharp edges anywhere, did the underside too. Four coats of stain later the floor was finished. It feels absolutely magical to walk on and looks better than I expected.
The Result
Put everything back together, rehung the sliding door, reinstalled the polycarbonate panels and the shelves, added a few more hangers and some small improvements here and there. The bathhouse went from something that worked to something that actually feels good to be in. And with the sink still to come, it wasn't quite finished yet.
The Roof
A year after building the bathhouse from scratch it was time to make it properly good. The neighbor's replacement roof from last summer was a start, but I wanted a real metal one with insulation underneath to push the heat away during the brutal Tenerife summer. So that's where I began. Laid the insulation first, then put the metal roofing panels on top. Solid and done.
Water Collection
One metal roofing panel was left over and I couldn't let it go to waste. I cut it down and shaped it into a collection bed that sits under the floorboards at an angle, so all the shower water runs down to one edge. At that low edge I cut a pipe in half length-ways so it catches everything running along the metal and channels it into a proper drainage pipe. That pipe runs along the horizontal floor beams and exits the bathhouse, where I dug a deeper hole outside and built a small wooden utility box. Inside the box sits a plastic basket where the pipe arrives and deposits the water. From there it's easy to collect and redistribute. Water recovery went from a messy handful of 8-liter plastic bottles to something close to 100% efficient. One of the more satisfying problems I've solved.
Sanding
Then I uninstalled the sliding door, took down the polycarbonate panels, cleared everything out and started sanding. The vertical beams, the angled braces, the cross-bracing, the shelves, the wall planks, inside and out. It took a day or two of solid work but by the end the whole structure felt like a different thing under the hands.
Staining
Once the structure was done I chose a dark brown stain and went through everything. Such a good color, it grounded the whole building and made it feel like it actually belongs there. Then I pulled up all the floor boards and gave them the same treatment but more carefully. Sanded them fully, rounded all the corners so there are no sharp edges anywhere, did the underside too. Four coats of stain later the floor was finished. It feels absolutely magical to walk on and looks better than I expected.
The Result
Put everything back together, rehung the sliding door, reinstalled the polycarbonate panels and the shelves, added a few more hangers and some small improvements here and there. The bathhouse went from something that worked to something that actually feels good to be in. And with the sink still to come, it wasn't quite finished yet.
