How far should outdoor structures be?
For the composite pit, the distance does not matter but rather the cleanliness. The septic tank and pit-latrine should be at least 10 feet away from the house. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
Deciding to construct a house is a long thought through process and by the time you embark on implementing the imaginary structure into something real and visible, you have already thought of how much space you have.
This is why when building a residential house, it is usually important for you to consider distance and site of some places such as the latrine, septic tank, rubbish pit and kitchen.
These are important places that need adequate spacing to avoid inconvenience and for the health of the people who will be living in that house.
Latrine
According to Moses Kinobe an architect with Kinobe and Partners, the site of a latrine should preferably be in the backyard of the house and the entrance to the latrine should be away from the main house. It should be well ventilated, covered and clean.
If it is going to be in use during both day and night, it is better to have it nearer for security and comfort purposes but as far as possible from a water source if you have any.
This according to Kinobe will prevent faecal material from seeping into the water source causing diseases.
“The latrine should be downhill from a water source, out of view and far enough for the odour not to interrupt normal living but close enough considering weather, time of the day and easy to direct a visitor, to” says Kinobe.
Septic tank
The septic tank should not be near a wall because the water will compromise the strength of the foundation of the wall so it may collapse after a short time.
“Depending on the amount of space you have, the septic tank should be as far as possible but easily accessible for maintenance in case of clogged pipes and emptying,” he says.
Kinobe also warns people not to flash soap and fat products into the septic tank because they destroy the bacteria that break down the faecal material thereby causing odour and clogging of the pipes.
Outdoor kitchen
A good outdoor kitchen should be as functional as the indoor kitchen.
When deciding where to position your outdoor kitchen, consider privacy from neighbours, proximity while serving food, how often you will use the kitchen and the type of fuel you want to use.
“If you want to use fuel such as charcoal or firewood, you would not wish the smoke to interrupt your daily activities or visitors while you are cooking. It should therefore be a little far from the main house,” says Kinobe. He also adds that, “If you are not using firewood, keep your outdoor kitchen close to the house to enable you monitor the cooking and avoid making long hikes while serving food.”
Rubbish pit, composite pit
When you decide to sort your rubbish into organic and non-organic, it calls for attention on how far the rubbish and composite pit should be from the house.
These should be away from the water source to avoid water contamination. The rubbish should be burnt (like papers and polythene bags) or covered especially the composite pit to prevent flies and not to attract rodents and dogs that might bring back rubbish into the compound.
Kinobe says, “With rubbish pits, distancing may not matter but what does is the way you handle it. You may decide to burn it using an incinerator, burry it if you have space or have it collected and taken away.”
Recommended distance
Distance of the pit latrine. The distance of 30 metres between a pit laterine and a water source is normally recommended to limit exposure to contamination.
Septic tank. The septic tank has to be either 10 or 15 feet from the structure and the soak pit has to be 15 feet away from the foundation.
