Outhouses

Outhouse Plans

You can find or order pre-made designs for outhouses online. It is also fairly simple to design outhouse plans to fit the needs of your own area. It is important when working on the design that there is proper ventilation and light for the outhouse. Without proper ventilation or light sources, it will be easier for the outhouse to fall into disrepair. It is also important to make sure that the unit will be secure against flies and other creatures. If bugs like flies or mosquitoes breed near human waste they can carry diseases such as typhoid fever, so it is very crucial to protect against them.

Outhouse Construction

The first step to building any kind of outhouse is to dig the hole on which the outhouse sits atop. The hole needs to be fairly large and deep, typically three feet long on each of the sides and five feet deep into the ground. Depending on the plans for the outhouse, and whether the outhouse will remain in one spot or removed around the yard, it might require a concrete slab placed on top with a hole cut in the center. This helps to provide stability as well as more secure cover for the hole in the ground. According to the chosen plans, the actual privy is built at this point, usually out of wood or aluminum. Roofing can either be built with wood or with corrugated roofing material.

It is very important to include ventilation on the outhouse. This can be accomplished in the traditional way, with a design cut into the upper portion of the door. The most traditional design is that of the crescent moon. This can also be accomplished by putting screened windows on the walls of the outhouse and then putting a covering over the screens for privacy. These options for ventilation not only provide necessary airflow, but they also allow for light to enter the otherwise dark structure.

Outhouse Theme For Bathroom

If an actual outhouse is not your cup of tea, it is also an option to stylize your bathroom in your home to have an outhouse, or rustic feel. An easy way to do this is to line the inside walls with wood, to feel more like being in a wooden outhouse. You can also build a wooden seat that covers the ceramic toilet, to once more give the feel of being outside. Another creative idea would be to cut the crescent moon, the design most associated with an outhouse, into the door of the bathroom or even just to stencil and paint the design on the outside.