A Quebec "Becosse" (Outhouse)


Front View of a Home-Built Outhouse in Quebec Photo by S. Loutfi

Corner View of the Becosse Photo by S. Loutfi	Side View of the Becosse Photo by S. Loutfi

In the beautiful Province of Quebec, the French slang word for outhouse is "becosse". It is Pierre's learned opinion that the word comes from the English "back-house".
Pierre built his second "becosse" this Spring because the wife was complaining about the fact that the actual becosse was located at a distance of 1/4 mile of the shack...

The becosse shown above is 54 inches by 54 inches and the walls are eight feet tall. The structure is made of oak beams (4 inches by 4 inches) that they got at a local scrap yard. The roof is covered of hand splitten red cedar shingles. 54 inches is a very comfortable size. Pierre's first "becosse" was only 42 inches and although it was build according to the government's standards, it was too small. The public servant who enacted the by-law must have been a small man.

What else can you see in the images shown? Many times a photo is worth a thousand words and I've only elaborated with a few so here is your chance to add some "color commentary" to my collection. If your addition is worthy, you will find the quote added on the Comments to the Curator page. You can use Email to respond.

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