# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > General Homesteading >  pole construction

## randyt

Here's a couple projects I made from poles. a tornado came through a few years ago and slapped down several acres of my woods so I've been burning and saving a few poles for construction. probably more of a pain but I'm a glutton for punishment or maybe I'm just stubborn or maybe I just don't like seeing something go to waste. nevertheless these poles have more character than a 2 by 4.

thanks for looking

here's a photo of my woodshed. cedar was used for the posts and balsam for the rest of the framing. I think I had my head cocked to one side because the photo looks crooked but in real life it's straight except for that hump lol. for a roof I used some cast off tin.
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this photo is the beginning of my out house. just poles and boards. I used some scrounged 4 by 4 for a base. the boards are cedar that a local sawmill owed me in a trade. I would have much preferred rough cut instead of planed but I'll make the best of it. I do plan on having a door . 
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## Justin Case

Looks Great !  I love that rustic look  :Smile:

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## Rick

Great job. I'd remove that fern before you sit down. That might tickle a bit.

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## Camp10

Well, it wasnt the kind of pole construction that I was expecting to see but it really looks great!  I made my outhouse from utility poles and crossarms. They are a very rugged way to build.  Nice work!

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## crashdive123

Very nice.  Remember now ---- no dancing - the neighbors will talk.

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## randyt

I'll do that Rick, but I must clarify something the outhouse is being built next to the cabin but when done it's going to be moved back into the woods a fair piece.

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## randyt

I figured when I posted something about pole construction it would get y'alls attention. LOL

thanks for the nice comments

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## Rick

I just wanted to prove that Sourdough is really a man of class and a good catch. Some guys don't even have the outhouse. 

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## panch0

Awesome work! I have always wanted to make something like that for fire wood.

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## Rick

An outhouse? Oh, the wood shed. Sorry.

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## hunter63

> Great job. I'd remove that fern before you sit down. That might tickle a bit.


That's the TP, works better than the dry leaves, (scratchy/crumbly).

Very Nice job, I like it.
Had an outhouse up the mountain in Colorado, framed just like that, but had heavy tarp as a cover. Walls were a little lower, so you cound still hunt on the 1/2 drum.

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## Alaskan Survivalist

Reminds me I have to start putting up some firewood. I can appreciate your hard work and it looks good. It would look better if it was sitting behind my house.

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## randyt

here's my progress on the outhouse. I'm getting a little closer, tomorrow I'm going to put a tin roof on it.

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## crashdive123

Looking good.

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## randyt

here's a couple photos of the latest progress. this spring I'll make up a door handle, probably from antler. And I"ll finish the wood with linseed oil and turpentine. the hinges are treated with logwood dye. I threw them in the pot last fall when I was dying my traps. I need to finish up leveling and installing a skirt of sorts.

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here's a photo of the inside. I went whole hog and used a elongated seat for comfort. just in case I get company lol. the  big panel hooked to the hinges is called a door Lol.
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wanted to add the out house works. no problemo.

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## crashdive123

Nice throne ya got there.

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## Camp10

I never had good luck with an antler handle outside...Mice like to chew them on me!  That is one great outhouse though!  
Here are the two I have up at camp..The first is the "ladies room" and the second is everyone else's

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## randyt

thanks for the comments guys.

I hear ya about the mice and antlers but if it's MY out house there won't be a mouse within fifty feet LOL.

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## crashdive123

> thanks for the comments guys.
> 
> I hear ya about the mice and antlers but if it's MY out house there won't be a mouse within fifty feet LOL.


Are you insinuating that the mice will need one of these?

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## randyt

yup, that's what I'm insinuating lol

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## copybiz

Great job friend. It looks great.

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## hossthehermit

I've noticed, and browsed thru a couple threads here on outhouse construction, and one thing that I have not noticed is winter activity therein. Maybe I simply missed it, I certainly haven't read every word here, but having grown up in cold weather with outhouses, one trick I learned from the old folks was to keep a wool blanket with a hole in it tucked in by the woodstove, to carry along on your journey. AND don't forget to bring it back. If this is a new idea to only one person here, then it was worth all this letter pokin'. Great job on the construction, by the way.

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## randyt

thanks for the comments. One thing too, I don't know if it's been mentioned. the wood pile should be between the outhouse and the cabin. that way on the trip back a fella can grab some wood, no excuses.

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## hunter63

> thanks for the comments. One thing too, I don't know if it's been mentioned. the wood pile should be between the outhouse and the cabin. that way on the trip back a fella can grab some wood, no excuses.


Good advice, the women will bring in a lot of wood, as they don't ues the out house....LOL.

Door should open in, so you can enjoy the sunshine, but kick the door shut if needed.

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## crashdive123

Door??????

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## randyt

door????????? that's a panel with hinges that provides privacy in the privy.

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## crashdive123

Oooooh.  Got it.

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## Beans

> I've noticed, and browsed thru a couple threads here on outhouse construction, and one thing that I have not noticed is winter activity therein. Maybe I simply missed it, I certainly haven't read every word here, but having grown up in cold weather with outhouses, one trick I learned from the old folks was to keep a wool blanket with a hole in it tucked in by the woodstove, to carry along on your journey. AND don't forget to bring it back. If this is a new idea to only one person here, then it was worth all this letter pokin'. Great job on the construction, by the way.


Growing up in Northeastern Missouri, In the winter time I allways tried to be the* second* one to use the outhouse in the morning.  Leaving the door open when it was snowing would get you an earfull.

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## OhioGrizzLapp

Put a picture of B's Bat Cat in the outhouse, that will keep the mice away.... 

Great looking project..... I would kill for some of the round side slab wood, thats what I make most of the rustic furniture from  :Smile: ......

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## randyt

years ago I built with slabs, I like the rustic look. Slabs are a commodity in this area. I can think of ten sawmills with in 15 miles. I Installed a water heater for my nephew and he brought me a huge dump truck load of maple slabs. Normally the slabs sell for 15 dollars a bundle. A bundle is 8 feet long by 4 feet in diameter. For soft wood slabs my brother in laws and I own a 01 frick circular mill for our own use. I scrounge up pine and cedar slabs from there. we have lots of timber.

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## randyt

You mentioned slab wood and I realized there isn't any slab wood there. It's probably my cabin that looks like slab wood but it's built from logs.
here's a inside shot.

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## hunter63

> Growing up in Northeastern Missouri, In the winter time I allways tried to be the* second* one to use the outhouse in the morning.  Leaving the door open when it was snowing would get you an earfull.


LOL, I hear ya.......
Our hunting camp in Wisconsin, we were just using a Port-a-potty in the shed, was waiting to put in plumbing/septic, so didn't want to start with an outhouse, we need a concrete tank here. I figured why by two tanks?
Worked pretty well....till empty time.

So anyway we had to keep the shed sorta warm so we didn't end up with a Poopsicle in the port-a-potty.
One of the guys donated an electric radiant heater, ...that heats objects, instead of air for the shed/quzi-outhouse.

Got down to 10 degrees delow zero, so all water jugs were stored in with the heater as well, so they wouldn't freeze.

We kept the heater on low, turning up to warp speed when it "was time".

One morning, I had gone out, checked the temp in the shed, pretty cold, so put the heater closer to the port-a-potty, turned it up....Thought I would let it run awhile to sorta 'warm up the seat".

Went back out to the shed about 1/2 hour later, the air was still cold, but now things were getting important.
Haul trow....sat down on the plastic seat, and I think it melted right into my butte. Said."Gosh dern it, was that fairly hot" or words to that effect, and what a supprise!

Bless any of you that do the midnite walk on a regular basis.......

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## OhioGrizzLapp

No, I was looking at the fire wood that was cut down into firewood from slabs....I shed a slight tear.... *Oh death, where is my sting.................

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## sjhopkins

Wow, RandyT, that is fantastic! Would love to have the timber available for some projects here!

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## randyt

thanks for the comment. 

here's a little storage shed I built from some poles. I enjoy working with logs, it's relaxing.

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## finallyME

That is an interesting way to build with logs.  Cut grooves in the corner logs and slide the rest into the grooves.  I like it.

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## Rick

Perhaps he balanced the walls very carefully and then attached the corner logs. You gotta think outside the box.

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## randyt

Actually Rick is close and that shows he's thinking.  That day the clouds cover was low and I slipped a sky hooks into the clouds. The hooks held the walls up, then I was able to install the corner posts at my leisure. LOL.

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## randyt

> That is an interesting way to build with logs.  Cut grooves in the corner logs and slide the rest into the grooves.  I like it.


thanks for the compliment. I was working on Mackinac Island a few years back on a old bar. The bar walls were made this way so I gave it a try. The bar is well over 200 hundred years old. I wondered at the time if The Roberts ranger commander drank there back in the day. He was the commander of the island for awhile way back then.

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## Sparky93

That is awesome, how do you cut the grooves?

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## randyt

I used a chainsaw for most of it.

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