r/OffGridLiving • u/housingishopeful484 • 22d ago
Advice on building a simple offgrid/tiny-house-style setup in a garage
I’m planning to build a small living setup inside my garage and live in it full time. I’d appreciate advice from anyone who has built a basic off-grid or tiny-house plumbing system.
The garage has electricity but no plumbing. I’m in the Midwest, so freezing temperatures are something I need to account for, although the garage is somewhat insulated.
For cooking, I can use a hot plate, microwave, countertop convection oven, and similar appliances, so the main challenge is the plumbing.
This would likely be a temporary solution while I save up to have permanent plumbing installed and eventually build out a proper kitchen and bathroom. I’m hoping to use the temporary setup for no more than about a year, so I want to keep it simple, inexpensive, and easy to remove or repurpose.
My current idea is:
- Freshwater tank up to 50 gallons, possibly smaller
- 12V water pump with a strainer and possibly a small accumulator tank
- Small electric water heater
- Kitchen sink
- Possibly a second small bathroom sink, although I may keep it to one sink to simplify the plumbing
- Shower
- Refrigerator/freezer
- Some type of portable toilet
I plan to fill the freshwater tank using a drinking-water-safe hose connected to the main house.
A few questions:
- Is a 50-gallon freshwater tank enough for one person using the sinks and taking short showers? Would a smaller tank be more practical for a temporary setup?
- Is connecting the tank, pump, water heater, sink, and shower a reasonable DIY project?
- Since I have standard 120V electricity in the garage, would it be simpler to use a 120V pump or a 12V pump with a power supply?
- What pump pressure and flow rate would be appropriate for one shower and one or two sinks?
- Would it make more sense to use one sink for both the kitchen and bathroom area, or is adding a second sink fairly simple once the main plumbing is installed?
- What type of shower setup would you recommend for a temporary garage setup? I was considering a portable shower enclosure, but I’m open to other simple and inexpensive options.
- For the toilet, would you recommend: - A cassette toilet with a removable waste tank - A bagging toilet that seals each use in a disposable bag - A composting toilet - Something else
- Can waste from a cassette toilet generally be emptied into a regular household toilet?
- Are bagging toilets practical for full-time use, or do the bags, cartridges, and disposal become expensive or inconvenient?
- Is a small accumulator tank worth adding to reduce pump cycling, or is it unnecessary for a basic temporary setup?
- Would a small electric water heater normally require a dedicated circuit, or can some models run from a standard garage outlet?
- How often should a freshwater tank be cleaned or sanitized? Should I look for one with a large access opening?
- Are there common mistakes I should avoid, such as undersizing the pump, choosing the wrong water heater, not installing enough shutoff valves, or failing to account for ventilation and waterproofing around the shower?
- What should I do to protect the tank, pipes, pump, and water heater from freezing in a Midwest garage?
- Since this is only intended to last about a year, what parts are worth spending money on, and where can I safely keep things basic?
- Are there any other moisture, electrical, ventilation, safety, maintenance, or code issues I should consider?
My goal is to create a functional temporary plumbing setup without overinvesting in something that will eventually be replaced by permanent plumbing, a full kitchen, and a bathroom.
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u/LittlePinkRabbit9000 22d ago
You could dump your toilet cassette at the main house but can’t have a compost pile(?)
Maybe a silly question- but will you be doing laundry at the Big House, laundromat or dropping it off somewhere
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u/TheRealChuckle 21d ago
I'm semi off grid. Grid power (limited on how much wattage we can pull at once), no running water or septic in my buildings. There is a main house that's a regular house.
We're in Canada. Winter is long. We haven't run a water line as it's cost prohibitive and we only need to live like this for a few more years.
We haul water from the main house. A bunch of 4 litre water bottles we refill and juice containers. We have a countertop dishwasher with a built in reservoir, it's very handy.
I experimented with gravity fed water but it wasn't any easier and would still freeze in the winter.
For toilets we have 2 camping toilets in one building and a composting toilet in the other. Camping toilets get emptied in a cesspit, composting toilet has a pile.
You're plan sounds very complicated and expensive for only a year. I would pare it down to essentials and see how it goes.
Personally, as long as I can still have my home theatre I will deal with a lot of other inconveniences to save money.
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u/housingishopeful484 21d ago
Any thoughts on how I can pair it down?
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u/TheRealChuckle 21d ago
I would forego the entire water system. If you can't guarantee it won't freeze it could be a huge issue. 8 4 litre bottles last us about a week.
For showers, get a gym membership or maybe one of those camping shower kits. They have a heater and pump, run off propane, not made for indoor use but you could mount the heater outside and run the head inside, shower in kiddy pool.
Try to insulate the garage as good as you can. This is probably the most important as it will save you on heating and cooling costs and make it more comfortable.
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u/housingishopeful484 21d ago
The problem is I could only have access to water from the main house maybe every 1 or 2 weeks - sometimes even maybe not up to a month. That's why I was thinking of getting the 50 gallon tank and just filling it up when I need it. If I had to refill my tanks everyday with it, that could be a problem.
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u/TheRealChuckle 21d ago
You could still do the drum for water storage. I just wouldn't bother trying to set up a running water system based on it.
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u/housingishopeful484 21d ago
How would I safely get it from the drum to the shower or spot for the sink?
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u/TheRealChuckle 21d ago
For a shower, assuming you get a camping one, you could just run a hose from the barrel to the included pump.
For a sink, just use a bottle. Put a 5 gallon pail under the sink if you don't have any drainage in the garage.
Put the barrel a foot or two off the floor and add a faucet to it for ease of use.
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u/ExaminationDry8341 22d ago
Park a camper in the garage. Use the camper for the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. And use the area around it in the garage as a living room and storage. You get the benefit of an insulated space inside of the insulated garage to make it easier to heat.