Outhouse design plans and ideas to spruce up your house

Without even realising it, you accumulate multiple things in your house like tools, gadgets, gardening equipment, etc. Check these outhouse design plans to help you declutter your house and do away with unwanted materials.

Having an outbuilding can help you do away with extra goods that you might have lying around your house. An outhouse is the best possible option you have for working towards this.

So, what exactly are outhouses? Outhouses are, traditionally, shacks, huts, or sheds built as an extension to your house. They are constructed onto the same property as the original house and then used as a place to, very literally, outhouse things away from the main building.

Originally, outhouses were used as barns, wood sheds, and lay hills. But modern outhouse designs are not only beautiful, but they also add to the overall aesthetic appeal of your land and property. Plus, they make it much easier to segregate things. Modern outhouse designs aren’t just restricted to serving the purpose of stowing away unwanted materials.

Outhouse design plans and ideas to spruce up your house

 

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How to plan your outhouse design?

Constructing an outhouse design is something that requires a lot of thought, just like any other installation you want to add to your house. Here are a few things you might want to research beforehand.

Permission before planning

First, if you plan on building an outhouse on your property, see if you need any specific permissions from the local authorities (like municipal councils and municipal corporations in India). If you do need them, start with applying for permits as soon as possible because most governmental tasks are time-consuming processes.

All good things come with a plan

Once you have got the permissions, you need to come up with an outhouse design plan. First, you need to define the purpose of the outhouse. What do you need the outhouse for? If you are building it for storage, then what kind of equipment do you plan on sorting in the outhouse? Once you have figured that out, you can figure out the size of the outhouse. You can decide the flooring, the ceiling, the number of shelves to be made, the type of wood to be used, your lighting needs, and other such interior necessities.

Outhouse design plans and ideas to spruce up your house

 

Pick an outhouse design

Outhouses usually have smaller spaces so, using all of that judiciously is a must. Figure out if you need an open outhouse design or a closed one. Ventilation is a necessary aspect of an outhouse design if you plan on spending time there. You may also need to check out places on your land situated away from moisture and any streams of water in your vicinity. You would also need to install some rain protection into your outhouse design.

Outhouse designs provide plenty of opportunities to be creative. Reclaimed woods are your best option for DIY-ing any shelves, benches, or desks that you might include in the outhouse.

Shelve your tools

While the purpose of your outhouse is highly individualistic, it still can have a small space to store your tools and gadgets. It declutters your main area, organises miscellaneous items in your house, and gives you easy access to all your apparatus in case of emergencies. Now, this space can also serve as your little creative hub inside your house, a personal workshop of sorts, if you will. Here you can build virtually anything – benches, bookshelves, birdhouses, or your baby’s crib!

Do you have an aesthetic?

For a modern outhouse, it becomes imperative to have an aesthetic. You also have to ensure that our outhouse design aesthetic matches the aesthetic of your main house since it is just an extension of the main building. First, you have to figure out the theme you’re looking for. It could be country, modern, gaming-centric, etc. After figuring that out, choose your colour schemes. This colour scheme shall be used for your ceilings, walls, and any shelves that you might choose to have.

Other than the traditional uses of an outhouse, bathrooms as outhouses are an overused concept too. Celebrities like the Dolan Twins have an outhouse where the brothers store their athletic paraphernalia such as surfboards, skateboards, etc. They even use the same outhouse as their workstation.

Outhouse design plans and ideas to spruce up your house

 

Which outhouse design is the best for you?

There are various ideas you can use to make an outhouse that serves your needs and wants best. Here are some outhouse design ideas:

From an outhouse to a greenhouse

If you are into gardening, this is the perfect outhouse design idea for you! Greenhouses are spaces primarily made of transparent materials such as glass. They are used for growing plants that require regulated climatic conditions (such as moderated temperature, specific soil pH levels and drip irrigation). Small-scale greenhouses are called cold frames. Your outhouse can serve as a perfect greenhouse. You can try planting exotic species, ones that cannot grow in a regular garden. 

This greenhouse could also serve as a functional place for horticulture, viniculture, or ornamental agriculture. And if not a greenhouse, you can use the outhouse for storing your gardening equipment such as hoses, mowing machines, pruning shears, etc. It could also be the perfect shed for storing your fertilisers, pesticides, and other wellness nutrients. 

If you have a developed garden already, you can build a composting outhouse dedicated to making composting sludge and your garden manure. To get rid of the unpleasant fumes, you can install an effective exhaust system or a working aroma system.

Chic bathroom designs

According to older traditions, bathrooms were not constructed into the interior of the house. They were built as a separate shed on the same land, but still a little far away from the main house. So, you can sometimes see some houses, especially in the suburbs, with an outhouse built onto a property, with one toilet placed into a rusty old wooden structure.

But, nowadays, we have bathrooms built into the structure of the main house. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a fancy bathroom on your premises. A bathroom with a steam shower, a jacuzzi, and a sauna can make for a beautiful outhouse design. Since steam houses usually are made of wood, you can use reclaimed wood to build a structure. But you would need to install a full-time working drainage system, ventilation system, and a septic system. 

It would require more maintenance than usual. If your outhouse design turns out to be a bathroom, you can use aroma candles, cotton towels, bath salts, and other essentials to stock up for relaxing bath time sessions.

Outhouse design plans and ideas to spruce up your house

 

Gaming and sound

Gaming rooms as outhouse designs are an excellent idea. The outhouse can be exclusively dedicated to your gaming needs and designed accordingly. It would remove any disturbance from your house and move it a little bit away from the main building. A gaming outhouse can lead to a reduction in gaming time since the equipment won’t be as readily available. And when you do want to play, there will be no disturbances. 

Another outhouse design can be converting it into a beautiful recording studio or something devoted solely to music. It could be your place to play instruments, produce songs or play songs on a higher volume. It will be a little removed from the main building so you can work in peace and not cause any commotion for others.

Outhouse designs are brilliant ideas to work on your passion projects and indulge your inner wishes and desires. They can be highly personal or, if you choose, they can be practical and impersonal, as well. It is a place where you can give your creativity free rein and build more spaces into your house.

 

FAQs

Why does one need an outhouse?

Outhouses can be used for various purposes. They can be used for storage, as separate bathrooms, to build a workshop, to make a thematic gallery, to make a recording studio, etc.

Do we need any permissions before building an outhouse on our property?

The permits required for building an outhouse vary according to your location. For example, if you live in India, you might need to get multiple permissions from the municipal council or the municipal corporation. It becomes imperative to research such requirements beforehand.

How much does an outhouse cost?

An outhouse is just like any other structure built into your house. You can spend as much or as little as you want, on its construction. Choose your outhouse design theme according to your budget because some designs (like a greenhouse) are more expensive than others (like a bathroom).

 

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