Detached shop (Add bathroom or not?)

[David Helm]

My shop is about 60 feet from the house. I pee outside and take care of the other before going out to the shop. Not everyone who is old has prostate problems. Mostly it depends on the amount of coffee drunk (or other liquids). Only you can really determine the utility of installing a bathroom.

[Steve Kohn]

My shop is attached to my garage. So I have to go thru the garage, into the house to use the bathroom. My wife always complains about the resulting sawdust around the toilet. I still kick myself for not having a sink and urinal installed when I built the shop. I really miss the running water more than the urinal.

My friends shop on the other hand has running cold water in it. It is plumbed so that he can add an electric inline heater if he wishes to. So far the cold water and slop sink meets his needs. He runs the drain to a gravel filled trench. His bathroom is the grass out back. Of course he also doesn't have neighbors living behind him like I do.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Scott, although I often prefer the outdoor facilities, grey water is restricted to waste water from sinks and the like, not urinals. That would be black water in most jurisdictions, would be required to run to the septic system.

Simple answer, pee in the sink. Lucky for me, neighbor behind owns 120+ acres, and the one beside me owns 40,000 acres. So I'm a whiz in the woods kinda guy. Plus I'm doing my part to save the environment. Saving water and fertilizing the trees, which help to remove carbon from the air. I guess I should sell my "carbon off sets."

[Glen J. Peterson]

I put a 1/2 bath into the shop. I only seem to use the sink, but the water is nice to have.

[Edward Clarke]

If you put a bathroom into the detached shop, does it convert the shop into living space for tax purposes? This could make the initial $15k look like chump change if you get re-assessed. This is the reason that I didn't put running water in my ex-horse barn ( now home to a small business ).

[Wes Billups]

It's been a while but we just broke ground on Wednesday for the new shop. Gave up on dreams of a bathroom. In concession there will be a hydrant just outside the door. It' pretty exciting to see it finally start. Once I get a little more time I'll post progress reports and pictures.

[Don Bullock]

It's been a while but we just broke ground on Wednesday for the new shop. .. It' pretty exciting to see it finally start. Once I get a little more time I'll post progress reports and pictures.

I know that feeling and it never goes away either. Congratulations on your pending shop construction. Yes, we want pictures.

[Bruce Kohl]

When I built my detached shop two years ago I elected not to put in a bathroom. For me it was an issue of cost and space - I'd rather use the money for tools and not take up valuable shop space with a bathroom. I did have the drain and water rough-in done under the slab in case I wanted to add it later.

My shop is about 150 feet from the house so getting there to take care of business can be a chore. Luckily we have a couple of acres with lots of trees. so I'm not always having to make a mad dash to the house (although for obvious reasons I wouldn't necessarily advocate this for you). Keep in mind that we are all getting older so more frequent trips to the john are likely in your future.

As far as your other questions, the price for the installation of the bathroom sounds a little high to me based on what going rates for construction are around here. However, are they just roughing-in the bathroom within the perimeter of the existing shell, or is additional space being constructed to create the bathroom? Obviously makes a big difference on cost.

Depending on your local codes you could add a small septic tank and field dedicated just to the bathroom, but that probably would cost more than the hook-up to the existing septic system.

Around here I believe the water and gas lines can run in the same trench, but you need to check your local codes or with the building inspector. Running the gas line to the shop is a separate issue. Having natural gas to heat the shop is nice in a cold climate, as I believe Topeka can be.

Another factor is potential salability of the property. Would it enhance the value of the property and sale potential to have a bathroom? Probably yes. Also, could either you or a future owner convert the shop into something else, like a guesthouse - or a pool cabana? That would make the space more attractive with a bathroom already installed, and thus improve salability of the property. Also, you said that the bathroom would also service a pool - better to have the kids going in your shop than in the pool.

Personally, if it's just going to be a shop I'd rough-in the drain and water under the floor and skip the bathroom for now, and instead spend the money on upgrading your tools. But then I don't have a pool next to the shop.

[Roy Turbett]

When I built my detached shop 15 years ago I ran the water, electric, telephone and cable TV in the same trench and the inspectors didn't have a problem with it. My shop is built on sandy soil and I made a dry well out of a 55 gal drum for a floor drain and slop sink. I added a 5 gal electric hot water heater that turns on and off with the lights. A couple of years ago when the little girl next door entered pre-school I became concerned about her seeing me "wave the flag" outdoors so I added a urinal in the shop with an inexpensive ball valve so I can run lots of water to flush it. I have as many as 10 friends at a time in my shop and this setup works fine. I also hung a shower curtain that can be closed on the rare occasion women are in the shop. The natural gas line to my shop is in its own trench and I heat my shop with overhead radiant heat.

[Tom Clark FL]

There are always many ways to get the job done. When I had my current shop built, they said that if I had it roughed in for a toilet, the bathroom would have to meet code, which meant a huge minimum size, and even though the shop is large, it did not make sense to give up that much shop space.

I found a local plumber who would do the job after the building was finished. I built the walls 4' x 4'6". That is plenty big enough for a toilet and sink. We used a simple system. A simple tank is buried in the ground, and has a macerator and pump that allows the 150' run to the septic using 2" pvc. Total cost was about $1500. No hot water tank was used, but for $10,000 washing hands and brushes in cold water is fine!

After 12 years system works trouble free.

[David Weaver]

I'd use an empty jug and walk it back to the house when your wife isn't around.

No way I'd spend that much to put a john in the shop, because if you ever decide to sell, nobody else will ever see that kind of value in it.

[Matt Meiser]

Tom, for about $200 you can get a 2.5gal hot water heater that plugs into a 110 outlet.

[ray hampton]

Tom, for about $200 you can get a 2.5gal hot water heater that plugs into a 110 outlet.

if he got hot water why do he need a water heater
I would run the water pipes to the building and install a sink for washing in case of a emergency

[David Weaver]

So I'm a whiz in the woods kinda guy.

This seems reasonable to me, too. Watch out for the ticks, though!

[Scott T Smith]

In answer to question #4 - Yes, water and gas lines can occupy the same trench. However, don't put sewer and gas lines in the same trench. Those need to be separated by a minimum 5 feet of undisturbed soil.

Water and gas are both pressurized systems. In the event of a leak, gas will not be able to infiltrate into the water line. Actually, since you are talking about a customer side gas line, your gas pressure is likely 8 ounces or less which means that the weight of the water would easily overcome the gas pressure and you would flood the gas line instead. Low pressure gas lines can get flooded just from heavy rains if there is a crack in the pipe.

Sewer on the other hand is a negative pressure, or atmospheric pressure, system. If you put a sewer line and a gas line next to each other, and have a leak in your gas line, it will seek out the path of least resistance. That would be the nice, big, open sewer line that leads right up into your shop or house. That's a good way to blow up your shop. If you have to cross a sewer line with a gas line, the gas should be on top (gas is lighter than air and will try to rise).

PE plastic pipe is the best way to go for natural gas. Do not use PVC for gas as it will become brittle. Also, make sure you bury a piece of copper wire along with your pipe so that it can be located in the future.

+1.

I would strongly encourage you to run water to the shop; I have it in mine and would not wish to be without it.

One other option is to skip the septic line, and install a urinal (since that's what most shop guys use the most), and plumb the urinal and sink to a "grey water" french drain system out behind the shop. You should be able to do the whole thing yourself for less than 2K, including trencher rental, pipe, sink, urinal, etc.

Go ahead and put in the plumbing for a toilet, just don't install it. If you ever want to add it, simply reroute the pipe from your grey water drainfield to the septic tank instead.