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