# New workshop planning, water and bathroom or no



## TechTeacher04 (Mar 17, 2014)

I have been given the green light to build a 32'x32' hopefully a 32'x48' workshop. I am debating on the value based on cost for adding a sink and toilet to the building. I am currently working out of my basement, the new building will be 100 yards from the nearest sink and bathroom. I would appreciate any insights that may be shared. Thank you


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have a toilet and a kitchen cabinet and sink in my little shop and recommend going for it. The older we get the more important that can become.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Oh yes.


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## CARSandCustoms (Jul 26, 2018)

I think if it's in the budget, you will regret not having it. At minimum, at least put the plumbing in. You can always build the room at a later date.


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## wuddoc (Mar 21, 2008)

By adding our bathroom it reduced the comments about tracking sawdust into the house. Prior to adding a bathroom we always seemed to be filling water jugs for various reasons.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Absolutely, a Big deep sink, big counter top and garbage disposal for fish cleaning.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

> Absolutely
> 
> - BurlyBob


Ditto. All I have is a funnel and I'd kill for a sink much less a working toilet.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

A funnel? Damn. Uppity. All I have is a tree. Get a lot of waves from the neighbors though. 
Definitely put in a toilet and sink.


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I built a 30×33 detached garage and have a bathroom and slop sink and don't regret adding it. I would only have to go less than 20' to the house. A sink and bathroom in the shop is awesome even if it cost me 3000 to have the sewer and water ran. I wouldn't skip this important part of the shop build. As a retired teched teacher I spend a lot of time in my shop and when you retire you will more than likely do the same so it is not a convenience it is a necessity.


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## Bluenote38 (May 3, 2017)

Just do it! You won't regret the installation.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I would add the toilet and sink….YES


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

even if you don't actually install all the fixtures now.
at least run all the lines and drainage and cap them off for later.
make a small closet for a 5 gallon water heater and plumb it for future use.
you can always add one feature at a time in the future.

DO IT now - you will never regret it.

.

.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

You have to weigh cost vs convenience.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

I own a funnel for winter time but its hard to get the s*** to go down it :<)) *A HUGE YES*


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I have a toilet room and a Utilitub deep sink in my shop. Even though the shop is attached to the home, these add-ons were well worth the expense.


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## RobHannon (Dec 12, 2016)

My current shop has not water. While I can make do just fine, a utility sink would be really nice. Stopping to go inside can really break up momentum on a project.

If you are gonna have a trencher for electric, I would run the waterline. Even if its just roughed in for future use, getting it in place during construction is gonna be easier than doing it after your building is complete.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Another thought, if building standalone, I would look into reclaiming rain water.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

An advantage of being a man is the world is your urinal, but that aside I'd say definitely set aside the space/cash for those two items.


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

No brainer, Bathroom not a huge deal , but I would love to have running water for cleaning Water Stones!
Lucky, Wife hasn't caught me in the house flattening my stones in the winter. Yet?


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

100 yards away, a utility sink for sure, and if you're already runnign water and sewer lines, add a toilet as well. Absolutely some form of hot water heater. No fun to be washing a paint brush out in ice cold water in the middle of winter.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

I wouldn't even think this was debatable if you're custom building a shop. Both are indispensable, especially the bathroom :O You don't want to run back to the house to do your thinking


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I have a utility sink in my shop and I'm not sure how I would survive without it. The woods out back suffice for a urinal but it's just a dash up the steps if I need to "have a seat". 100 yds? That's a long way in the dead of winter with last night's burrito nipping at your heels…..


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Assuming you don't live in a desert, you could easily catch enough rain water off a roof that size to serve your small bathroom and a slop sink. All you'd really need is to run the drain pipe.


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## tmasondarnell (Jul 2, 2013)

Just as the one possible naysayer here…I would carefully balance the cost vs convenience. Not only the cost of installation, but what might happen to your property taxes. Buildings with running water and a bathroom generally get assessed at higher rate.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

The drain for the toilet presents the biggest obstacle in planning a toilet for your shop. Tying into your existing sewage system is something I wouldn't want to tackle myself and if a contractor does it, it can get pretty expensive. If it is "#1" only, a local septic system would work, but if "#2", sewer plumbing gets more involved. Since you will be 100 yards away from the house, a sewer line is going to be expensive, considering slope needed for drainage. I live in a rural area and the great outdoors is my "#1" bathroom. For anything else, a house visit is no big deal.

Think about this for a moment! If the toilet is in the house, your wife probably will clean it. If in the shop, *you* will have to keep it clean.


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## theart (Nov 18, 2016)

> Since you will be 100 yards away from the house, a sewer line is going to be expensive, considering slope needed for drainage.


The line itself isn't too expensive if you're already digging for electrical, but the slope adds up to around a three foot drop which could be critical. Where I am, the frost line is over four feet, so any drain coming from a hundred yards out is going to hit the house well below the sewer main and require a pump.


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## redlee (Apr 11, 2016)

Yes.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I was faced with the same situation a few years ago when planning to build my shop. In the end I decided that the expense wasn't worth it. Since money for me, is always an object, I would have had to plan for a much smaller shop in order to have plumbing. I decided that walking to the house to use the bathroom, was a better trade-off than giving up the square footage necessary to have plumbing. Having water and a sink would be nice, but I really get by fine with out it.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I am late to this conversation but wanted to give my two cents worth. Prior to having running water at my homestead, I installed three 1000 gallon "lowboy" septic tanks. The gutters catch the water and it is routed into the tanks. Two above ground and one buried. Nowadays, they have fiberglass/plastic tanks for this purpose (tractor supply have some 1200 gallon ones) A water pump supplied us with washing and bathing water. One tank is probably enough for what you need depending on how much it rain in your area, how efficient your toilet flush is. Flushing the toilet at the end of the day each day can save you a lot of water. Another option could be one of these.
To conserve on water you can get a double sink and filter one that you wash your hands back into the tank. The other one can go into a 20 gallon tank with holes in the bottom.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Me too Bondo. Just the exercise is worth it. My shop is about 120 yards away as well and I was not going to spend a whole bunch of money for the purpose of having running water and having to heat the shop all winter so the pipes don't freeze. 


> I was faced with the same situation a few years ago when planning to build my shop. In the end I decided that the expense wasn t worth it. Since money for me, is always an object, I would have had to plan for a much smaller shop in order to have plumbing. I decided that walking to the house to use the bathroom, was a better trade-off than giving up the square footage necessary to have plumbing. Having water and a sink would be nice, but I really get by fine with out it.
> 
> - bondogaposis


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