Thursday, May 03, 2018

Float Cabin Living: What about a bathroom?

Former outhouse with a view.
When we purchased our float cabin it was 420 sq' downstairs with a 200 sq' sleeping loft under the peak of the roof. That's more than amble living space, but it didn't include "indoor plumbing."

In 2011 we traded in our trusty outhouse up the hill for a 6'X10' bathroom with a composting toilet. The view isn't as great, but the convenience is appreciated. Instead of climbing four flights of stairs, we walk into another room. No rain, no wind - how civilized.

John during construction.
John, who built our cabin, did the construction. He framed the walls, tied in the new roof, made the old window into a doorway, added a window in the guest room, and gave us a side porch extension. He's a jack of all trades and worked mostly by himself.


Bathroom construction was a big project. Here's how it progressed:

Under Construction - Ed's video
Up Goes the Frame - walls
Site Supervisor - roof beams
Save That Nail - rain delay
Night Watchman - John and Bro
Toilets and Telescopes
Bathroom and Porch Addition Nears Completion

Non-electric Sunmar composting toilet.
We chose a Sun-Mar Excel NE (non-electric) compost toilet. It has its own solar panel and 12-volt battery to run a small exhaust fan to eliminate odour and help with composting. A handle turns the drum to mix the compost. An air circulation pipe rises above the roof line with a built-in rain deflector. The capacity works for two of us and are very pleased.

Our tub now in a real bathroom.
Our bathtub has been in the downstairs storage room for several years. Now it's part of a real bathroom. The tub, however, isn't connected to hot or cold water. Our tub is a cold weather luxury. In the summer, our natural swimming pool is all we need for a cooling swim.

Heating bath water.
We heat water on the wood stove. I fit four large pots on the surface at a time. We add cold water, and there's enough for a nice soak or soaping. And there's nothing like bathing with a friend to save water.

Bathroom storage.
The bathroom gives us additional space for storage. A shelf built by John holds towels and toilet supplies, a recycled $1 end table holds toiletries, and a commercial pantry kit on sale for $49 provides space to store my canning jars in a cool place away from the sunlight.

What a difference an indoor bathroom and extra space makes when it is used wisely. And the new covered side porch was a huge bonus. 

The new side porch and bathroom addition.

You can read more about float cabin and off the grid living at in Wayne’s Coastal BC Stories  including Up the Lake, Farther Up the Lake, Cabin Number 5, Off the Grid and Off the Grid: Getting Started have lots of chapters about our cabin life on Powell Lake. -- Margy

12 comments:

  1. Ok so I gotta ask, where do you dump your compost?

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    1. If we owned our own land I would use it on ornamental plants or in the forest. Since we don't we bag it up and take it to town to the dump. Not the easiest solution, but the only one at our "disposal." - Margy

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  2. There are days when I don't think I'm going to make it to the bathroom that's just down the bathroom. Four flights of stairs! Still, if I have the opportunity to live on a float cabin in my next life, I shall take it. :-)

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    1. We weren't sad to give up the stair hike when we made our indoor bathroom. In the beginning when it was a vacation home it was kind of fun, but when we started living there almost full time it wasn't so much, especially in winter. - Margy

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  3. Composting toilets are very common over here. Nice not to have to go outside.

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    1. I've read about making your own using a handbook called Humanure, but didn't see any commercially made ones until about 10 years ago. - Margy

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  4. You always amaze me with your "pioneer" spirit - I don't mind roughing it when we go camping, but I am not sure I could live like that - enjoy my showers way too much! Thanks for sharing this fascinating post.

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    1. It makes you appreciate a shower even more when you get one. Tub bathing works pretty well though. - Margy

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  5. Hello, your new bathroom is great. It is much more convenient too. I like the covered deck area too. Enjoy your day and new week!

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    1. Yes, it is much more convenient. We've had quite a few guests this summer and that can stress a compost toilet quite a bit. But when there are only two of us it works great. - Margy

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  6. Wow. This is all hard work! What energy you have!

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    1. We are about ready for a rest after lots of company. - Margy

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy