The average outhouse was three to four
feet square by 7 feet high. Many were single holers, but often they
were double holers. In the last century, hotels often had outhouses
with a dozen holes. And at least one hotel outhouse in Montana had
a two story outhouse with a plank from the second floor going over
to the second floor of the outhouse. The `droppings' fell through a
1 foot channel down past the first level into the hole.
Outhouses were easy to build. They
were nothing more than a wooden shell with a roof, a floor and a
front door. Inside was a 2 foot high box built into the back half
that went from one side wall to the other side and came out from
the back wall about two feet. In the top of this was an oblong hole
about 12 inches by 10 inches. The outhouse was set over a hole that
had been dug, usually about 5 feet down into the ground.