Outhouse construction

[left field]

Thinking about building a new outhouse to take the place of a 40-year-old structure.

Not sure about the best way to add structure and support to the pit. I could drop in a frame for the corners with some cross bracing, but wondering if I should plank across the sides leaving the only ground contact on the bottom. 

Any advice appreciated. 

[Jeremy K]

We built one a while back ,we just went across the pit with a 4x4 frame and built off that . We had an extension off the side to hang a shower bag and the water from that drained into the pit.

[left field]

Thanks. No need to shore up the inside of the pit?

[Jeremy K]

I know we didn't ,it never caved In. The old one that it replaced wasn't shored either . I still laugh when I think about the old one , it was wide enough and had dual seats , who in the heck is gonna use a tandem out house I always though.

[Buckmaster7600]

Rail road ties going lengths ways of our 2 holer, been that way for 10 years now.

No support down in the hole.

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[Zem18]

1 hour ago, Jeremy K said:

I know we didn't ,it never caved In. The old one that it replaced wasn't shored either . I still laugh when I think about the old one , it was wide enough and had dual seats , who in the heck is gonna use a tandem out house I always though.

Growing up I would spend time at my grandparents cottage on Cayuga Lake and we had a two seater  there and I always wondered that myself

[tuckersdaddy]

I know we didn't ,it never caved In. The old one that it replaced wasn't shored either . I still laugh when I think about the old one , it was wide enough and had dual seats , who in the heck is gonna use a tandem out house I always though.

Early version of two bathrooms!

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[grampy]

Bet those two holers made for some awkward conversations!........lol

[Core]

I'm going to illuminate my ignorance here, but what are outhouses used for in 2017? I assume these are properties without septic systems? Or just occasional use cottages...? Aren't there internal toilet systems you can use with tanks like an RV has or similar?

Edited May 10, 2017 by Core

[stoneam2006]

I know we didn't ,it never caved In. The old one that it replaced wasn't shored either . I still laugh when I think about the old one , it was wide enough and had dual seats , who in the heck is gonna use a tandem out house I always though.

My grandmother's Victorian era house had a three seater...lol no fin way

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[Jeremy K]

1 hour ago, Core said:

I'm going to illuminate my ignorance here, but what are outhouses used for in 2017? I assume these are properties without septic systems? Or just occasional use cottages...? Aren't there internal toilet systems you can use with tanks like an RV has or similar?

Rv tanks have to be drained , if you want to trailer a tank full of dookie home with you and then find a place to dump it .

[Larry]

Every so many yeas we dig a new hole and put a fiber drum with the bottom cut out and move the outhouse down the hedge row a little more

[growalot]

How to make a Eco friendly out house for parties camps what ever...dig a hole deep enough to accommodate 1-2 blue plastic barrels or wide and deep enough to have them side by side with the second deeper then the first. partially fill with pea gravel and charcoal. If end to end stacked with a hole in the bottom of one and top of the other with many small holes drilled in the bottom of the lower/second barrel and bolt together...if side by side attach pvc pipe from lower part of first to upper part of second. Build your out house over the top but so you do not get bees and flies in there use a culvert pipe long enough to partially bury over the barrel hole and have a firm seal to the wooden floor of your out house. Now if you want to be fancy...buy a cheap toilet and build a tall frame  with a ladder to hold another 55 gal barrel on the back side of building...then rig a flow tube from that to the toilet tank so you can have a number of flushes refilling the barrel as needed .

Ps .......in the cold hunting months just let the barrel go half or less in case of freezing and leave the tank empty...take a bucket of cold water with you when you goe...you don't water in the tank or bowl to freeze....

Edited May 10, 2017 by growalot

[left field]

Core, it's a rustic sleeping cabin with no room inside for a bathroom so a new outhouse for occasional use is the only option.

There is a composting toilet in the main cabin, which is a 5-gallon bucket with a toilet seat that, once full, is composted under straw in the back of the property.

It's also in the watershed and I'm not going to pay for that septic system even if I could put one in.

[ncountry]

We needed a new one at camp too. .We used a pressure treated frame and set over a new hole .

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[Adkhunter1590]

The guide school I went to in Montana had a neat double stall outhouse. Instead of being side by side and having no privacy, it was built back to back with a wall in between. So basically two 4x4 outhouses back to back. Shared the same hole underneath. If I ever have the need for a outhouse, that's how I'd build one. With kids and friends that come along to camps, ya never know when you'll need a second seat.

[Doc]

We had a 3-holer when I was a kid. I believe that the multiple holes are just for spreading out the contents in the pit to make the pit last longer before the building had to be moved. It really is not fun to dig that huge hole and then move the structure to a new pit. So anything that could make a pit last longer was a good idea.

By the way, most towns now have zoning laws that regulate acceptable sewage systems. You might want to check down at the town hall to see what the regulations are. Outhouses are pretty obvious structures, and aerial surveys, or a visit from  the local zoning officer might have you tearing down a structure that you have  a lot of time and energy invested in.

[airedale]

Corporate Outhouse

Still Hunter

 

[left field]

3 hours ago, Doc said:

By the way, most towns now have zoning laws that regulate acceptable sewage systems. You might want to check down at the town hall to see what the regulations are. Outhouses are pretty obvious structures, and aerial surveys, or a visit from  the local zoning officer might have you tearing down a structure that you have  a lot of time and energy invested in.

3

I doubt this township has the resources to do an aerial survey. This is a hunting camp up on a private road among other hunting camps, and as there is an existing outhouse I have to imagine I'm grandfathered in. Could be wrong on that.

I really just want to move it 10' to the left. 

[Steuben Jerry]

57 minutes ago, left field said:

I doubt this township has the resources to do an aerial survey.

I don't think you'll have any "zoning" type problems unless you're residential. But I'm no expert on that.

But don't underestimate the towns ability to get detailed info via aerial methods. My county has little money, but contracts to get imagery. If I build something, they know about it pretty quickly.  

[left field]

Fair enough. 

[Doc]

8 hours ago, left field said:

I doubt this township has the resources to do an aerial survey. This is a hunting camp up on a private road among other hunting camps, and as there is an existing outhouse I have to imagine I'm grandfathered in. Could be wrong on that.

I really just want to move it 10' to the left. 

There are a lot of free internet sites that show amazing photographic aerial detail of even land with no roads or structures. If you already have an outhouse on the property, you may be all right, but it still would be a good idea to check in with the zoning officer down at the town hall just to make sure. Our town is mostly zoned as agriculture-conservation, and we have had full-blown zoning since about 1975, and sewage restrictions long before that. As to what may be grandfathered in, the Zoning Officer would be the only one to know about that. You would be amazed at the intrusiveness of a lot of zoning even on vacant land.

As I always say, nobody really owns their land. They just rent it from the government. The rent is your property taxes, and the government landlord overseer tells you a lot of what you can do with your land.