Part of the family now

Cleary, our youngest and the best photographer in the family, took some time and snapped a few pictures of the outhouse project.  This is the coolest of the lot, thanks Cleary!

Time has marched on and we still need to stain and paint, all we need is some warm weather.  You can see what looks like the finished product.  It's been in use since Valentines day and so far so good.

So I think we can say we are there and Pam is a very happy girl.

Almost there

I like it!

The project has moved ahead nicely, we decided on asphalt shingles and found a deal at our local building supply store.  We also picked up some cedar siding that will add some character to the outside.  Its a tall so we decided to break up the vertical lines a bit by using board and baton on the lower part of the building and cedar shingles on the upper. We had zero experience in both but I think we did a decent enough job.

With the siding finished, the door painted and the trim completed now all we have to do is install the door, paint the inside and decorate.  Where are those paint samples...?

Mike laying out the shingles

Pam's Dr. Who door.  

Red trim for a red door

Window detail.  We want to have a stained
glass window with a half moon design.

Almost there, still needs the trim and gutters installed

We have a plan

Aha!  Now that's what I wanted!

We decided to build it to last so there was a few more two by fours and plywood than most would bother with.  After digging the hole we also decided a concrete foundation would be the way to go. Pam liked the idea of a peaked roof, it ups the cute factor, and a window looking out to the ocean.  The door looks into the forest for privacy.  That's good because Pam wants a glass door to let light in. Yikes!

Me framing in the roof structure

Our youngest, Cleary and Charlie the Dog.
Cleary helped us with his framing expertise
and deft use of the carpenter's square, thanks Cleary!

Queen of the Outhouse

Getting started

Pam engaging her imagination with thoughts of practical yet romantic ideas in outhouse design

Whenever Pam and I work on projects together we spend a lot of time talking and thinking about what we want to do.  It seems to be a big part of the fun of creating something.  With this project the concept was to be very simple and practical.  Ok, that makes sense, its an outhouse after all.  Our main design considerations moved from there to include;
It better not smell bad
It should look nice, we can see it from the house
It should be inviting, we have to remember our dinner guests..
It should let light in
It should feel solid
Oh, and it better not smell bad..

We took these ideas and sketched out a rough plan of what we wanted.  It looked something like this...

A bit about why...

When you think about an outhouse in an urban setting it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.  We have sewer servicing to our home, our bathrooms are warm and accessible.  When Pam brought up the idea I kept going back to those two things forgetting some history and some practical reasons why this was worth considering.

To begin with, we live in the City but on a large treed lot.  It's near the ocean and, many years ago, it was where my wife spent her summers at her Grandma's cabin.  Outhouses in those days, especially in the "country" as it was then, where common and necessary.  Pam grew up using outhouses and they seem to have a nostalgic ring for her.  That's the history, the practical reason is that we pump our sewage up hill to the nearest main.  When there is no power there is no pump and you have to think twice about using your warm, accessible toilet.

"I can hardly wait until summer and we have friends over for outside dinner parties, they can all use the outhouse!"  Pam has lots of enthusiasm, I hope our friends feel the same way.

Every wonder what it would be like to have your own outhouse.  I didn't.  My lovely wife did and she has an imagination that is hard to ignore.  So here is our story, the Urban Outhouse, the why and how of an outdoor potty.