Another weekend of outhouse construction has gone and passed, we arrived late Friday evening in the rain. Saturday brought oddly enough no bugs, yet it was damp and there loomed a thick heavy fog all around the lake. There was the occasional black-fly or mosquito but they obeyed the laws of the bug spray and left us in peace.
So we set to work, finishing off the bench and mounting the toilet seat. Once that was complete it was time to prepare the door for paint. The old green paint was cracked and peeling so the entire thing had to be sanded down before finally applying primer. The next step was to caulk some of the larger gaps between the boards and give it an initial coat of paint.
While we had our brushes full of primer it was time to coat the entire building. Unfortunately we ran out of painters tape before we could start painting the trim of the building.
Oh well at least the inside is done so it should be functional the next time we go out.
See all the posts, from start to finish.
Thank you for the idea of the recycle bin. I’m in the process of trying to get an outhouse finished by the start of winter, and I will be using one in my design as you have.
Thanks again!
David
No problem David, we found that one at Home Depot, it was tall and fairly square. It made for a perfect hole liner. With summer coming to a close our outhouse has been in use for two years now and is holding up great.
Thanks again Mike. Got my outhouse finished and used your idea of a blue box for a liner.
Much appreciated!
David
Oh sure, NOW I come across your site after winging-it with my own privy design. Surprisingly, our designs are similar however what I did was to make a “two-seater” by burying four 55 gal drums stacked two high and side by side with a 5 gal bucket on the top of each (I had drilled drainage holes in the bottoms of the two bottom drums) then built a similar box-top except on the top “seat” board I cut one hole to which the toilet seat was attached and one in which the 4″ pvc ‘stink-pipe’ was installed. By the way, the stink-pipe needs to be AT LEAST 10-12′ above the roof! In a year or so (or when that side becomes a bit full) all I have to do is remove and flip the top plank, reattach the seat, re-install the stink-pipe and begin using the other side. In another year or so, the first side should be fully biodegraded and can be used again therefore, by alternating sides there is no need to ever have to build a new privy.
Mine was built in a 4′ x 8′ area of the back enclosed porch of my cabin and includes an open shower on the opposite side of the privy bench. On the outside wall of the shower/privy combo area I installed a small dresser converted into a vanity with an old copper washtub as the ‘vessel’ sink.
It all worked out so well that I now live in the cabin full time.
Jymmer, cool idea with the dual holes. We were lucky to get a barrel in the ground at all. The earth was extremely hard packed and had to be loosened with a steal bar before shovelling. It was slow and hard work, not to mention water started seeping into the hole as we dug.