Should You Place a Shower Niche in an Exterior Wall? Maybe if…

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Is an exterior wall shower niche a good idea? Maybe if you live in a hot climate, like Phoenix where this bathroom is located.

Generally frowned upon, installing a shower niche in an exterior wall is still possible.

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).

Many of us live in houses made of two by four construction. This literally translates into four inches of insulation in between the interior wall and the exterior sheathing. If you place a niche in those four inches, you are eliminating insulation in that entire area.

What’s your climate?

This missing insulation may or may not be a big deal depending on where you live.

Do you live in sunny San Diego? Or are you living the dream in Hawaii, where the average high temperatures vary about 5 degrees between summer and winter?

Yep, you could handle a shower niche on an exterior wall here in Hawaii.

If so, you won’t even notice a lack of insulation.

A temperature change is still not a problem even in a much hotter climate like Phoenix. Due to evaporative cooling, hot temperatures are welcome when you are standing in a shower! That’s why we like being in a pool on those hot summer days!!!

From an energy perspective, your air conditioner is not going to work overtime from a couple square feet of missing insulation.

Now compare balmy and even oven-like temperatures to the freezing winters up north (or much, much further south). You don’t want a cold draft hitting you when you’re taking a shower. You don’t want to put a shower niche in an exterior wall when you live in a location where there is actual legitimate winter weather.

Imagine a shower niche in an exterior wall in a cold climate.

Second, imagine the condensation build up on the backside of the shower niche with the radiant cold hitting the warm niche and dripping down on the insulation below. Mold anyone?

I wouldn’t touch that as a contractor from a liability standpoint either.

In this scenario, could shampoo and conditioner freeze if they are in contact with the wall? If you know, please comment below!

What kind of framing do you have?

Shower niche on exterior wall example in a 2×6 frame home.

The depth of framing can also make a difference.

Let’s say you have 2 by 6 construction.

In this case, you have the ability to install two inches of insulation behind the shower niche. While that is not the ideal amount of insulation, it is still a good compromise and you won’t experience frigid drafts. It is also still better insulation than a window, which so many of us have on these exterior walls…

Will the structural framing allow you to place the niche in a decent location?

Plans are all well and good, but if you are in the planning phase of a bathroom remodel versus a new-build, we all know there can be some nasty surprises behind a wall.

Maybe you discover the framing holding up your friendly roof is right where you want that niche to go.

Or a plumbing stack.

Or…you get the idea.

Sometimes you don’t want to deal with the mechanics you discover.

Workarounds to 2 x 4 construction in a colder climate and poor choices of niche location based on framing/other stuff in the wall.

All is not lost! Is it possible to extend the wall along the exterior wall? As in, do you have enough space to build another 2 x 2 (if the original 2 x 4 has the right spot for the niche) …or better yet, an entire 2 x 4 wall on the exterior wall specifically for a niche?

If you do, frame it out and you are in business!

A full on 2 x 4 wall might be a better option even if you have 2 x 6 framing, because you can create a niche of any size. You can find many slick and modern niche examples online as noted in this article, where they extend several feet from side to side. This is not something you can do when you are stuck holding the roof up over your head (without some significant structural changes), as exterior walls are meant to do.

However, if you cannot afford to give away the floor space, you can still make some beautiful corner shelves. It may not be the look you want for your shower, but at least you now know the performance consequences if you still choose to install a shower niche in an exterior wall.