Last week I wrote about our visit to Judy’s old homestead and how we moved her outhouse to our farm. This past weekend, we got busy setting up the outhouse.
It wasn’t too hard, about half a day worth of work, but this is because we have a tractor with a backhoe attachment so the hardest part of digging the hole was done by the machine.
We chose a spot about 100 feet from everything else, measured the dimensions, and started digging. In the beginning, it was very easy, but once we got about 4 feet deep, we hit rock and because the hole was small, it was hard for the backhoe to dig any deeper.
Everywhere I read, said you should have your hole dug 4 to 6 feet deep. We tried to use a shovel to deepen it a bit, but it was really hard. So finally we decided to add a bit of soil on the bottom of the hole so it’s not an exposed rock down there, and set the outhouse on it.
Next we worked on positioning the concrete frame and level it. We used bricks and treated wood to raise the pieces and bring then together.
Nothing fancy really.
Once the frame was leveled, we used the tractor to carry the concrete slab…
And position it on the frame.
Since the slab is broken, we had to come up with a way to support the two smaller pieces.
Here is the first small piece…
And the second.
Over there in red, is the county inspector. He had to make sure daddy and mommy are doing their job right. Thank God we passed inspection 😉
Next, we rolled and lifted the outhouse on the slab. We used a PVC pipe (you can see it in the picture to the side of the outhouse), my husband lifted one side of the house and I put the pipe under the house. Then we pushed, and it rolled on the pipe. When we got closer to the slab, we made two ramps from 2×6 planks and kept rolling the house with the pipe under it until it was on the slab.
Another look…
OK, now we have some fixing to do. First, we had to deal with a broken frame.
Instead of breaking the whole top apart, we just added another 2×4, so the old, broken one does not carry any weight anymore.
Few nails here and there to hold everything together…
A piece of the door broke when we rolled it on the slab, so we fixed that as well.
The concrete base for the seat is going in…
Then the wood frame for the seat…
And the seat.
The toilet paper has its special extra-long nail on the wall…
And we found a great spot for the hand sanitizer.
We packed soil and rocks around the base to make sure we closed all the gaps and so rained water don’t flow down the hole.
We will add ash from the fire to the hole once in a while to help things decompose, and we also have to make sure not to use any chemicals to clean the potty. Chemicals will kill the bacteria that is working to break things down in the hole.
Now to the dilemma.
David thinks that we should leave the outhouse as it is right now and not paint it. He says it is rustic and beautiful, and this is the whole point of having an outhouse. It needs to look old. I am not so sure. He has a good argument, but as you can see one of the sides and the back are not painted at all. Also, I think maybe some paint will protect the wood better from the rain and sun.
So, what do you think? To paint or not to paint?
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Sharing at: Homemade Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, Natural Living Monday, Homestead Blog Hop, Art of Homemaking Monday, Motivation Monday, Mostly Homemade Monday, Healthy,Happy, Green & Natural Party, Simple Saturday, Simply Natural Saturday
Anna @ NorthernHomestead says
November 25, 2014 at 10:38 pmGood question. Since the outhouse is so old, the wood has been unprotected for what, 40 years? 4 more will not matter all that much, or? Beside happy husband, happy life. Save yourself some work ;).
Lee says
November 26, 2014 at 8:33 amThat is what my husband said. Some of it is rotten anyway already. And you are right, a happy husband is very important, especially when you have a farm 😉
Angi says
November 26, 2014 at 9:01 amI say leave it. It’s charming looking, plus (for me) it wouldn’t be worth the time, effort, and resources to paint the old wood. Love it!
Nihal says
November 26, 2014 at 10:40 amIt looks fantastic as it is!
Cynthia Swenson says
November 26, 2014 at 5:13 pmI think I would paint the inside floor & base of the toilet…maybe with a nice grey floor paint. And a picture or two on the walls! Perhaps that would be a good compromise?
Lee says
November 27, 2014 at 11:57 amYes, I definitely need to add some pictures and a few magazines. I didn’t think about painting the floor… Might be a good idea.
Steve clayton says
November 26, 2014 at 7:14 pmIt’s lasted that long with no protection?
That’s hard to believe.
You could use something like Thompson’s water seal.
It’s colorless.
Lee says
November 27, 2014 at 12:00 pmOh wow! Thanks for telling me about this. I never thought about a colorless water seal. This can work.
Krista says
December 5, 2014 at 10:04 amhttp://timberprocoatings.com/color-choices.html I have done a bunch of research on sealing natural wood. This is the best and is eco friendly. It seals the pores of the wood and makes it impervious to water. Wood keeps natural look. You can’t stain it after because wood won’t absorb stain but you could still paint it. I am going to use this for raised beds that I am making. Good luck. I love an old outhouse as well!
Lee says
December 5, 2014 at 10:25 amOh, thank you so much for sharing this with me!
Rhonda Crank says
November 27, 2014 at 10:08 amHello there, Your outhouse job is well done. I’ve never know anyone who actually laid concrete, that’s pretty industrious. Your husband is very handy and I agree with the others: If he is happy with it, let it be. Since he will have to build a new one when this one is too rotten, then you can paint it. Your photos are great.
Lee says
November 27, 2014 at 12:02 pmGotta have a happy husband on the farm, right? 😉
Nicole @Little Blog on the Homestead says
November 29, 2014 at 9:32 pmVery nicely done! You have the cutest inspector ever 😉 I agree with you, I think you need to paint it, if for no other reason than to protect the wood! Thanks for sharing at the Homestead Blog Hop, hope we see you there again next week!
Lee says
November 30, 2014 at 7:23 pmI wish all the county inspectors where that cute! 😉
Susan Livingston says
December 1, 2014 at 5:06 pmI vote for no paint but the sealer is a good idea for longevity! Great job!
Vickie says
December 3, 2014 at 7:22 amI don’t know the perfectionist in me would want to paint it and plant pretty flowers on the sides. i did read the other comments and decided maybe the beauty is in the old look.
Have a great day.
Lee says
December 3, 2014 at 7:42 amThank you Vicki. That it my problem too… I have to have things uniform and tidy, just need to learn to let it go sometimes. Thanks for visiting.
Vickie says
December 4, 2014 at 4:03 pmI agree with Steve in comment #5, Thompson’s Water Seal! It will help preserve what is left of the wood, yet won’t add any color! I also agree with painting the concrete! Seal the cracks from the broken pieces first, then paint – maybe a gray color? That will make it easier to clean any sprinkles (hey – with boys, it happens!) that could absorb into the concrete, taking away that “ick” factor! I love the outhouse! Well done!
Lee says
December 4, 2014 at 10:25 pmYes, the water seal is a great I idea. If I remember correctly, you had a post on your blog about your outhouse, right?
Vickie says
December 4, 2014 at 11:22 pmYes! Someday we will be able to finish the outhouse. We have been using it but just haven’t been able to finish it! Other projects have taken priority, so hopefully we will soon get back to our outhouse. You know – it’s funny – I absolutely adore my outhouse (as I am sure you really like yours also) and yet our ancestors couldn’t wait to have indoor plumbing! It just shows you how old ideas become new and fun again!!
Jenna says
December 8, 2014 at 2:07 pmI am so enjoying following your outhouse journey! 🙂 Thanks for sharing at The Homestead Blog Hop!
lisa M says
December 11, 2014 at 9:21 amWow…great job. No, don’t paint it. It looks great like it is.
Thanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday last week. I’ll hope you’ll join us again for this weeks hop!
Lisa
Sherry says
December 13, 2014 at 12:39 pmMarine spar it. You can keep the look, but protect the wood from rain….
Debora Hotard says
December 29, 2014 at 1:58 amYou should paint or seal the wood to protect it from the weather.
Matt G says
October 3, 2015 at 1:28 pmGreat project. I thought the concrete floor and commode base was an interesting idea. One observation I had regarding the commode base…the way it is oriented, it seems the seat is back too far, one’s legs will be resting on the wood base and feet on the concrete sloped face (or perhaps it just a perspective lost in photos). If the entire base was rotated 180-degrees, I envision the toilet seat being closer to the front edge and one’s legs/feet wouldn’t be impeded by the base. Nonetheless, a great homesteading project. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Lee says
October 3, 2015 at 2:18 pmMan, you’re good!
How did you figure it out from looking at the photos?
We did, in fact, realized we put it wrong and changed it right away.
Matt G says
October 3, 2015 at 3:04 pm🙂 Oh good! I wasn’t sure how the hole in the slab would line up if the base was rotated. Sounds like it isn’t an issue! Enjoy your new “office”! 🙂
Judy says
August 6, 2017 at 11:00 pmI like it as is. Congrats on the inspector — so cute.
Lee says
August 7, 2017 at 7:10 amThanks, Judy.
patty says
May 5, 2019 at 3:56 pmdid you ever paint it? i am getting ready to paint our old outhouse, i scrapped old paint off, but its pretty rough. i think i will do white.
Lee says
May 7, 2019 at 1:53 pmI didn’t! It’s still standing, looking exactly the same and I still use it. I love an outhouse. I think that it’s a great second bathroom!