Earthen Bathroom & Shower
Private Client - National City, CA
MudWorks Natural Building designed and constructed this indoor/outdoor bathroom with various clay plasters, a compost toilet, and a naturally-sealed lime plaster shower.
Lovingly called “The Hummingbird House”, this project also showcases a whimsical clay/straw relief sculpture on the exterior wall facing the garden. Certain elements, including finish carpentry and tile installation, were completed by others listed below.
Project Contributors
- Design/Build: MudWorks Natural Building
- Tile Installation: José
- Finish Carpentry: Erin E.B.
- Workshop Facilitation: MudWorks Natural Building
- Photography: Autumn Flower Creek
Project Details & Specs
The walls of this structure were framed using primarily upcycled shipping pallets and other scrap wood. Aside from a few finish coats, all of the clay plasters (base and certain finishes) were created solely using soil from on site combined with local straw.
Greywater from the shower flows directly into a basin that was dug out in the garden when harvesting soil for plaster. The water feeds a fruit tree and native plants.
This project was built onto the exterior wall of pre-existing multipurpose shed, and additional features—such as plumbing, electrical work, and certain finish details—were completed outside of the scope of the MudWorks contract or were added after the primary build. Any permitting and inspections, where applicable, were the responsibility of the property owner.