The Loo: Last Details

This is the 3rd post of 3. You can see Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Yes, there’s been quite the lag between 2 and 3, but if you’ve been reading my blog long enough (I’m sure the only repeat reader I have is my contractually-obligated husband, so I’m probably wasting my breath here), you’ll know that documenting my work is usually tougher than getting it done! I always have too many things getting in the way, hence the chaos.

But this is the fun part… setting up the urinal and handwashing station. I know, urinals and fun? Really? But this whole project was exciting for me! I was able to manage a solution to something we thought we would hire out for… and therefore wait for.

Plumbing the Urinal Sink

Here is the urinal sink I used. It’s on the deep side and has a lip to hold it into the bench. It was also budget-friendly. Add in a sink drain, such as this, and a flanged tailpiece. The flange will enable you to attach it to the sink drain. I’ve linked here to a double flanged piece, which you could cut in half and use the second end for the handwashing sink.

Next, I grabbed this 1/2″ vinyl tubing. (See note on tubing size below). At 10′, I was able to cut it in half and use 1 half for the urinal and the other for the sink bowl. This barb inserts into the end of the tubing.

Now there are probably an infinite number of ways that you can go from the 1 1/2″ tailpiece to the 1/2″ male end of the barb. It’s really up to you. You can grab your pieces and go to the plumbing section of your local store and ask someone to help you, or have fun trying to solve the puzzle yourself!

You can use this bushing (1-1/2″ Spigot x 1/2″ NPT Female). The male end of the 1/2″ barb will go into this, and then you would attach the socket end to the tailpiece.

Tubing Size

I used 1/2″ tubing on mine, and we did have some issues with the the drain taking a bit of time to empty. If I were doing it again, I would use 3/4″ tubing. This would be your revised supply list:

bushing (1-1/2″ Spigot x 3/4″ NPT Female)
Barb Nylon Male Connector Fitting, 3/4″ Hose Barb x 3/4″ Male NPT
Tubing

Flower Box

The urinal tubing hangs down from the sink and then goes underneath the foundation board to the side (see pic). There I constructed a compost pile by digging out the dirt, adding in straw and compost, then planting my flowers. The box is bottomless. It is constructed from PVC 1×6: 2 @ 4′, 2 @ 11″. I simply used deck screws through the front and into the sides. I also added a 1×2 brace off centered. One pic below shows the brace in the middle, however, I ended up moving it off-center to allow enough depth for a plant in the middle of the box. I set it on 2 pavers to give it stability. If you really want to get fancy, you could puncture holes in the tubing where it hits the ground to spread out the urine.

Hand Washing Sink

The hardest part of the handwashing sink was selecting my sink bowl. I found this beauty and thought I would give it a try. I don’t know how long it will hold up, but replacing it won’t be difficult. Look around for cheap vessel sinks or salad bowls. I also think a bamboo bowl would look cool. If you find a glass bowl you love, check out this post here on drilling through glass.

I love these wood serving bowls with the pretty designs inside. This one is by Pioneer Woman in Heritage Floral. Use a good quality hole saw bit, such as this. The one I used was just part of a very basic set, and it wasn’t the sharpest. To find the center of the bottom, trace it on a piece of paper, cut it out, fold the paper in half and then half again, mark the center, then place the paper back over the bottom of the bowl and mark the center.

For this bowl, it was easier for me to find the middle on the bottom of the bowl where there was a defined circle. So I used that to start my anchor hole with the center bit. Once I got through to the other side, I turned it over to cut the hole from the inside out. If you try to cut through the wood first, you will most likely cause the plastic to break like this and cause a few tears, or at least so I’ve heard…

With this plastic inlay on the inside, you will want to cut from the inside out. After you start your anchor bit through the inside, turn the bowl over, set the center bit back through the hole from the inside, then take a razor blade to score around the edge of the the hole bit. Once the plastic is cut, you can use the hole bit to go the rest of the way through the wood.

Plumbing the Handwashing Sink

I had originally planned to use a sink drain here, but once I drilled the hole, I just pushed the flanged tailpiece through. I did not seal it, but I would recommend sealing the space between the wood and the plastic with caulk.

Once you push the tailpiece through, use the same pieces as above to attach to the tubing. My tubing drains right under the seat bench. I used my hole cutter to cut the hole in the shelf for the flange and then another hole cutter to cut through the seat bench. I then placed my drink dispenser to supply water.

To finish it off, add in some dock cleats for towel hooks. A mirror might not hurt either!

And that is IT. Whew! Documenting this has been almost as exhausting as completing it, minus a lot of sweat.

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