How to build a toilet in a country house with a cesspool

Even if the dacha is just a bare piece of land without a single building, you still can’t do without the main thing - the toilet. The need for this uncomplicated building arises after a few hours of staying at their summer cottage. Despite the fact that we all imagine how a toilet should look like and what needs to be done, it’s still not worth rushing. First of all, you should study the site in order to understand what type of country toilet can be built in a particular case, because there are several of them. Then you need to decide where exactly you can put the toilet, while observing sanitary rules and regulations. And only after that you can proceed directly to the construction. There is nothing complicated in making a country toilet with your own hands. However, it is not necessary to make a toilet box yourself. The modern market can offer ready-made toilet houses for every taste. In this article, we will analyze the instructions on how to make a toilet with your own hands, starting with choosing the type of toilet and ending with making a house.

What kind of toilet in the country can be equipped - types and features

In a well-equipped dacha, where there is a house and you can actually live, it is advisable to have two toilets - one in the house and the second on the street. The toilet in the house is convenient to use at night or in bad weather when it rains. Still, the house is warmer and more comfortable. An outdoor toilet for a summer residence is necessary in order to use it during the day after gardening work on the site and not carry dirt from the street into the house.

In total, there are several types of toilets that can be used in the country:

Outdoor toilet with a cesspool.
Powder closet.
Backlash closet.
Dry closet.
Chemical toilet.

The choice of toilet is influenced by such an indicator as the level of groundwater. If the water is far away (deeper than 2.5 m) and never rises above this mark, even during the rainy season or spring floods, then any of the proposed toilet options can be used. If the groundwater level is high, the water is close to the surface, then it is impossible to equip a toilet with a cesspool.

Outdoor pit toilet- the good old time-tested design. It is a cesspool up to 1.5 m deep, on top of which there is a toilet house. Impurities in the pit accumulate and gradually decompose. If the intensity of use of such a toilet is high, then the filling of the pit occurs rapidly, the sewage does not have time to ferment. Previously, such a problem was solved simply - they rented a toilet house, dug in an old hole, and dug a new one in another place and put a toilet on top. Now they prefer to clean cesspools either with the help of a sewage machine or manually.

Powder closet- a toilet option for areas where water is close. In its design there is no cesspool at all. Instead, a container (bucket, barrel, box) is used, which is installed immediately under the toilet seat. So that sewage does not remind too much of itself with an unpleasant odor, after each trip to the toilet they are sprinkled with dry peat, sawdust or ash. The process itself resembles powdering, from which the name of this type of toilet "powder-closet" came from. After filling, the container is taken out and emptied into a compost pit, heap or other place. Over time, sewage, sprinkled with peat, will turn into a wonderful fertilizer.

play closet- a toilet with a sealed cesspool, which is cleaned with a cesspool machine. Usually backlash closets are equipped directly in the house next to the outer wall of the house. The cesspool is located outside, sewage enters it through a pipe. The pit itself has a slope away from the house for easy cleaning.

dry closet- a booth familiar to urban residents with a container into which active microorganisms are poured to process sewage. Probably the easiest way to equip a toilet in the country, since you don’t need to build anything - you can buy a ready-made dry closet of any size, both outdoor and home.

chemical toilet differs from a dry closet only by means of sewage processing. Chemical reagents are used here, so the contents of the container after processing cannot be used as fertilizer in the garden, unlike a dry closet.

peat toilet- This is a homemade version of powder closet. In fact, the powder closet is also a peat toilet, because in it peat is used to powder feces. The home peat toilet is a modernized achievement of civilization. It is very similar to an ordinary toilet, only in the water tank instead of water there is dry peat, and instead of sewer pipes, a sewage container.

Such a toilet can be safely installed inside the house. To eliminate unpleasant odors, ventilation is provided in its design, which must be taken outside.

The choice of a toilet for a summer residence depends entirely on your personal preferences and on the conditions that dictate the rules of SanPin.

There are certain restrictions on the placement of an outdoor toilet. First of all, they concern those toilets in which sewage can come into contact with soil and groundwater.

There must be at least 25 m from the toilet to the water source. Whether it is a well, well, lake, stream or other water body. If the summer cottage is located under a certain slope, then the toilet must be installed below the source of water intake. This will prevent effluents from entering drinking water.

Important! Please note that you should consider not only your source of water, but also the nearest neighbors.

From the toilet to the house and the cellar or basement there should be at least 12 m.
From a summer shower or bath, sauna at least 8 m.
The distance from the building for keeping animals to the toilet should be 4 m.
From tree trunks - 4 m, from shrubs - 1 m.
From the fence to the toilet should be at least 1 m.
Also, the wind rose must be taken into account when choosing the place and location of the outdoor toilet, so as not to annoy either yourself or your neighbors with unpleasant amber.
The door to the toilet should not open towards the neighbors.
If the groundwater is below 2.5 m, then any outdoor toilet can be equipped. If it is higher than 2.5 m, then a toilet with a cesspool cannot be made, only a powder closet or backlash closet, and dry closets can also be installed. Such structures are safe in the sense that sewage cannot enter the groundwater and pollute them.

Please note that when choosing a place for a toilet, you need to focus on objects not only on your site, but also on the neighbor's. This applies to trees, and sheds, and houses, and everything else. For toilets of the powder-closet and backlash-closet types, the above restrictions do not apply, since sewage does not come into contact with the ground in them. The only thing that will have to be considered when placing them is the wind rose and ease of use.

Do-it-yourself toilet in the country - instructions for building a powder closet

It’s not so difficult to equip a country toilet with your own hands, it’s enough to have basic carpentry skills, engineering thinking and stock up on the help of a friend. Let's consider an example of building a toilet in a country house like a powder closet. As we already wrote, its peculiarity is that there is no cesspool under the toilet. And this makes the task much easier. Firstly, such a toilet can be located next to a residential building. Secondly, the construction technology itself is somewhat easier; you don’t have to dig a foundation pit. Thirdly, groundwater pollution is excluded.

The construction of the toilet must begin with a drawing so that all elements and details have the appropriate dimensions, and not by eye. Due to the fact that there is no cesspool in the powder closet, only the design of the toilet house will be shown in the drawing.

Schematically powder closet can be represented as follows:

The dimensions of the toilet are selected so that it is convenient to use. For example, the most common size: width 1.5 m, depth 1 m, height 2.2 m. Dimensions can be increased if the dimensions of the owners require it. The material for making a toilet can be different: the most common are wooden toilets, but you can sheathe the walls with a metal profile, slate or other material, as well as build brick walls.

Country wooden toilet - sectional drawing.

Example 1.

Example 2.

You can use the ready-made drawing, or you can make your own. The main thing is compliance with the dimensions during construction.

Foundation and support for the toilet

A country toilet is a structure that does not require a heavy foundation. In some sources, you may come across a proposal to fill a strip foundation under the toilet. In fact, this is superfluous, especially if the toilet is wooden. A support for a toilet house can be made in two ways: the first is to bury the pillars, the second to lay bricks or concrete blocks around the perimeter.

As pillars-supports, you can use both a wooden beam or a log, and concrete columns. The latter are more resistant to aggressive environments and will last longer.

First of all, we mark the area. It is extremely important to accurately determine the angles of the structure.
We take 4 asbestos-cement pipes with a diameter of 150 mm and coat them outside with bituminous mastic.
In the corners of the toilet house, we dig wells and bury the pipes to a depth of 50 - 70 cm. The depth of the pipes may be more, it depends on the structure of the soil. Can be made 90cm or 1m.
To a height of 1/3 of the pipe, they must be poured with concrete mortar. Carefully compact the concrete to remove air bubbles.
Inside the pipes we insert wooden or concrete pillars-supports. To fix them, add concrete mortar.

Support pillars in this case can also act as a vertical part of the frame, i.e. they must be driven to a height of 2.3 m from the ground. It is also necessary to constantly check that the location of the pillars is even relative to the corners.

There are cases when it is enough to fix concrete blocks or bricks as a support, on which the frame will then be installed. In this case, it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil to a depth of 20 - 30 cm and compact the base tightly. For greater reliability, a layer of sand can be covered at the bottom. Concrete blocks, bricks or concrete curbs are installed on top.

We make the frame of an outdoor toilet

The frame of a country toilet can be made from a wooden bar 50x50 mm or 80x80 mm. It is not necessary to take a thicker and more massive timber 100x100 mm and more. You can also use metal corners.

The frame should be a structure:

4th bearing vertical supports.
Toilet roof lining. The longitudinal bars for the roof should protrude 30 - 40 cm beyond the toilet body. In front, the canopy will serve as a visor, and in the back - to drain rainwater away from the toilet.

Strapping or screed at the level of the future toilet seat. Usually, the strapping bars of the toilet seat are attached to the bearing vertical supports. The height of the toilet seat should be comfortable - 40 cm from the floor of the toilet.
Diagonal struts for structural strength on the rear and side walls of the toilet.
Frame for fastening the door. Two vertical supports to a height of up to 1.9 m and a horizontal lintel on top at the same height.

Be sure to calculate the height of the toilet seat, as too high a seat will be uncomfortable, especially if there are short people among the owners. Indicate at what level the final floor in the toilet will be, and set aside 38 - 40 cm from it upwards. Please note that on top of the strapping there will be a sheathing 20 - 25 mm thick.

We sheathe the body of the toilet, make the roof

Further construction of the country toilet is to sheathe the frame. Since wooden toilets are always popular due to their original beauty, convenience and comfort, the walls of the country toilet can be sheathed with wooden boards.

Wooden boards 15 - 25 mm thick are nailed to the frame, tightly fitting them to each other. Boards must be placed vertically. Since the roof will be sloped towards the rear wall, the upper part of the sheathing boards will have to be carefully cut at an angle.

Instead of wood, you can use sheets of corrugated board, slate or other material. They are much easier to work with, as you only need three sheets for the back and two side walls. But in such a toilet it is much less comfortable to be than in a wooden one. And all because there is no natural moisture and air exchange through the walls.

On the back wall of the toilet, it is necessary to make a door through which it will be possible to remove the container with sewage. Usually it is made over the entire width of the back wall to a height of 40 cm (up to the height of the toilet seat). Such a door is fixed on hinges. You can make it from the same wooden boards.

The roof of a country toilet is usually covered with the same material as all the buildings on the site so that the buildings do not stand out from the composition. You can use sheets of corrugated board or metal tiles. A hole must be made in the roof for the ventilation pipe, which should then be carefully sealed.

If you want to make the roof of the toilet wooden, then it must be covered with roofing felt or other rolled material so that the tree does not get wet.

We hang the door

The door for a country toilet is usually made of wood. We hang the door on hinges. The number of hinges 2 or 3 depends on the severity and massiveness of the door. The heavier the door, the more hinges should be. The mechanism for closing the door to the toilet, everyone does as he likes: a latch, a hook, a latch or a wooden latch. A latch must also be installed inside the toilet.

A window should be made above the door through which natural light can penetrate. Usually it is made as close to the roof as possible so that water does not get inside during rain. The window can be glazed, then neither rain nor insects that often fly through such windows will be terrible. What a country wooden toilet looks like can be seen in the photo.

Country toilet: photos - examples

We equip the toilet seat

The seat or toilet seat in the country toilet is made of wooden boards, lining or moisture-resistant plywood. It is better to use pure wood without additives, so we exclude plywood. The frame of the future toilet seat was made at the stage of arranging the frame, so now it is enough to carefully sheathe it with wooden boards and paint it. In the middle we cut a hole through which we will relieve ourselves. Be sure to check at what depth from the beginning of the toilet seat a hole should be made so that it is convenient to use it.

Under the toilet seat we install a container for sewage with a volume of 20 to 40 liters. By the way, the toilet seat cover can be made reclining on hinges, or it can be stationary.

We hang a container for peat on the wall in a convenient place. At the bottom we put a bucket for toilet paper. A washbasin can be installed inside the toilet, if the dimensions of the building allow it. Then we install a bucket for slops under the washbasin.

How to build a toilet in a country house with a cesspool

The construction of a pit latrine is somewhat more complicated, as a waste pit will have to be equipped. The toilet house for this type of toilet is no different, so we will not touch it. We will only indicate how to make communications. The diagram shows how the cesspool should be located relative to the toilet house. Based on this, we carry out the marking of the site and proceed to earthworks.

We dig a cesspool with a slope towards the rear wall of the toilet with a depth of 1.5 m.
We tamp the bottom and walls of the pit with clay with a layer of 15 - 25 cm. Some people make the walls of the pit from wood, brick or concrete instead of clay. If the groundwater is at a sufficient depth, then it is not necessary to make the walls of the cesspool completely airtight. Enough clay castle.
We knock down the base for the toilet from a wooden bar 100x100 mm. You can also use a sidewalk curb or concrete blocks, laying them on the ground. If you use a wooden beam, then it must be treated with an antiseptic.
Above the cesspool we equip the flooring from the boards. First, we knock down the frame of the bars. We make such a distance between them that it is convenient to clean the pit. Please note that the flooring is done outside the toilet house, leaving a free space under the house of sufficient size for sewage to fall into the pit.
The flooring must be upholstered from below with roofing material or other rolled material.
Behind the toilet we install a hatch, which is a hinged lid. The hatch will be used when clearing the pit. We treat the wooden hatch with an antiseptic.
We lay the ventilation pipe from the pit. We install it next to the back wall of the toilet, display it 70 - 100 cm above the roof of the toilet. For these purposes, you can use a regular sewer pipe. We fix a visor on top of the pipe so that water and debris do not get inside. We fix the pipe to the back wall with clamps. The bottom edge of the ventilation pipe should be 15 - 20 cm below the level of the toilet floor.
A toilet house is installed on top.
Around the toilet with a cesspool, it is imperative to make a blind area and drain rainwater so that it does not flood the sewage pit.

If in the future it is planned to clean the cesspool with the help of a sewage truck, then the toilet must be located on the site so that the car can drive up to a sufficient distance. Remember, the sleeve of such a machine is only 7 m.

Country toilet backlash-closet and its features

Most often, a country toilet of the backlash-closet type is installed next to a residential building or inside the house. The sewer pit is located outside the building, behind its walls. A toilet of this type can only be built where it is possible to heat the sewage pit in winter. If they don’t use the toilet in winter, then before the end of the season, the cesspool must be completely cleaned.

The main difference between the backlash closet and other types of toilets is that the cesspool in it is completely sealed and is regularly cleaned with a sewer machine. Here are a few differences in the construction of a backlash closet:

A sealed pit so that sewage does not soak into the ground. You can fill a pit out of concrete, make it out of bricks and plaster, or you can use ready-made plastic containers - caissons.
There must be a ventilation pipe from the cesspool. It must be carried out through the chimney of the stove or fireplace. In turn, a pipe should go from the chimney into a pit through which warm air will flow. This is necessary so that the pit does not freeze. The material of the exhaust pipe is asbestos-cement or ceramic.
If the house does not have a conventional stove or fireplace, but only gas heating, then the cesspool must be heated using a low-power electric heater.
A cover / hatch is made over the pit. To prevent the lid from freezing, it is made double: the upper one is metal or cast iron, and the lower one is wooden. Between the covers we lay heat-insulating material.
The slope of the pit should be away from the house for easy cleaning.

Recently, peat toilets for summer cottages have become increasingly popular. Their convenience is that they can be safely placed in the house in any room. Peat toilets are easy to clean, practically do not emit a smell, even a fragile woman or an elderly person can cope with them. Also, such toilets can be made on the street, the same powder-closet is just the predecessor of the modern peat toilet.