How to Build a Latrine
In a now by-gone era, the little house out back served young and old alike. Making a trip to the outhouse in the dead of a winter night was a chilly experience at best. Most latrines were humble structures, built to serve their purpose and little else. Today, modern toilets and bathrooms have largely replaced outhouses and latrines. Yet, there are places where an old-fashioned latrine is the only option. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Pick Axe
- 8 cement blocks for a foundation
- Level
- 2 x 4 lumber (pressure treated preferred)
- 5 sheets of 1/2 inch exterior grade plywood (pressure treated preferred)
- 1 sheet of 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood (pressure treated preferred)
- 3 inch galvanized nails
- 1-1/2 inch galvanized nails
- 1-1/2 inch galvanized roofing nails
- Tar paper and rolled roofing
- Tape measure
- Square
- Three inch sheet metal duct pipe for a vent
- Circular saw
- Jig saw
- Toilet seat with cover
- Contact paper
- Safety glasses
- Dust mask
Instructions
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Dig a pit three and half feet square and at least four feet deep. Depending on usage requirements, a four foot deep pit will last up to five years. Place a cement block in each corner of the pit and roughly level them to each other. Add four more blocks, centered on each side.
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2
Frame the left and right sides of the outhouse with two-by-four lumber. The side walls are angled at the top, pitching to the back six inches from the front. See the framing illustration for dimensions.
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Frame the back and front of the outhouse with two-by-four lumber. See the illustrations for dimensions.
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4
Frame the base and bench of the latrine. Note the doubled two-by-four joists for support on the floor. The front of the bench seat also has a doubled two-by-four. See the illustrations for dimensions.
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Place the floor frame on the cement blocks. Join the side, front and back frames together on top of the floor frame, nailing them together at the corners to make a frame with the outside dimensions of 48 inches by 48 inches. The front and back fit between the sides. Nail through the end studs on the sides and into the end studs on the front and back.
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Cover the entire base frame with three-fourth inch plywood for a floor, but cut out the entire back opening to the pit. Nail the floor to the base frame.
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Cover the left, right and back sides of the outhouse with sheets of one-half inch plywood and nail in place. Measure for the door on the front and cut the door opening in a sheet of one-half inch plywood. The door will use the two-by-four studs and header as a door stop, so the opening must bisect the two-by-fours. After the front is nailed in place, use three hinges to attach the door.
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8
Nail the front bench support to the floor along the opening to the pit. Add the bench frame and nail it to the front support frame, back frame and side frame studs. At the sides of the bench top frame, there will be a three-and-one-half inch wide opening between the frame and the outside sheathing. Fill this gap with a two-by-four piece cut to length and nailed in place through the bench frame and the studs.
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Cut a piece of plywood for the top of the bench. Use the toilet seat as a template to cut an opening centered side to side on the bench top, with the seat overhanging the front of the bench top about an inch. Nail the bench top in place. Cut a piece of plywood to cover the front of the bench. Cover this piece with two layers of tar paper and nail it in place.
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Cut a roof from one-half inch plywood. Make the roof four feet wide and five feet long so it overhangs the front and back about a foot. Add two rafters cut from two-by-fours to help support the roof, running them between the front and back of the latrine walls. Place the roof on the outhouse and nail it down. Add tar paper and shingles to keep the rain out.
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Fasten the seat over the hole in the bench with nails or screws through the hinges. Both the seat and the seat cover must open and close.
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In a rear corner, cut a three inch hole in both the roof and the bench. Install a three inch vent pipe through the roof and down to the corner hole in the bench.
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Cover the bench top and front with contact paper and ensure the front edge of the bench is smooth. Add a block wood handle to the outside of the door, a couple of nails to hang tissue paper rolls on and another to hang your coat. A simple hook and eye will serve for an inside lock. For a final, old-fashioned touch, cut a moon shape into the door and staple a piece of screen over it from the inside. Add some reading material and you are all set.
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Tips & Warnings
Keeping the seat and lid down will cause odors to vent through the vent pipe, rather than into the latrine. Although there will always be some odor, the vent pipe will greatly reduce it. Only use tissue paper that is suitable for septic systems. It will decompose quickly instead of filling in the pit. Fly paper is a necessity. A few spiders will help keep the flies under control too. Paint the latrine with a coat of primer and two coats of paint. Keep it painted and it will last a number of years. Using pressure treated wood and plywood will make the latrine last a lot longer.
Never use the pit as a dump for food scraps or other types of waste other than what it was dug for. Food scraps will attract unwanted animals and insects. Some local codes prohibit the building of a pit latrine or outhouse. Check your local codes before you begin. Methane, a by-product of decomposing waste, is flammable. Smoking in a poorly vented latrine or carrying a burning lantern into one could possibly result in a fire or explosion. Always wear safety glasses and a dust mask while cutting lumber. Wear safety glasses when pounding nails.
References
- Photo Credit Photo by Jaye Whitmire, Illustrations by M.J. Logan
