You mention 'code', but in most areas that have inspections and follow building codes, your entire project probably won't fly. Personally, I think people should be able to do what they want to (within reason) on their own property, but I always strongly recommend that you find out if you're project is legal before starting.

Usually, any building that is going to be used as a dwelling has to meet a long list of code requirements- think 'house'. As such, it gets pretty expensive to meet all of the requirements. A shed up on blocks is way, way out of compliance. If you are in an area that doesn't have code enforcement, than you may be able to get away with it. If not, there are other options, such as living in a camper on-site, which is how we started out.

I don't understand what you mean about water and sewer lines being 50' apart. There is no such code that i know of. After all, they are within inches of each other in the bathroom. You might be thinking of the distance that a well needs to be from a septic tank or field.

The reason for not running plumbing in an outside wall is that they can (and will) freeze in cold weather. Unless you are in a very mild climate, it's a bad idea. Even north FL suffers frozen pipes during bad cold snaps. If the building is up on blocks, you'll have the same problem with freezing under the building unless you close it in tight to keep the cold air out. Houses built up off the ground sometimes have an insulated box running from the floor down to the ground to house the pipes and keep them warm. In a very cold climate, even this would want to be heated a little. As long as you can shut off the water and drain the pipes, an outdoor shower won't be harmed.

I would back up and find out if you can do what you want in your jurisdiction. Find out who is the authority in your area. It could be the town, county, or state. They are the ONLY ones who can tell you what the requirements are. My favorite site for projects of this type are the forums at countryplans.com. You'll find a lot of like-minded folks building small buildings. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply mushcreek.

Well it looks like we are going with concrete piers for a more stable footing and will be insulating under the floor and enclosing entire the craw space area to insure the pipes are protected.

Good to know about the outside shower since we have no problem turning the water off and blowing out the pipes.

It is the septic drain fields that need to be 50' from the water line so I misunderstood the code requirements regarding the septic.

cricket, I don't know much about plumbing, but we have an outdoor shower and we don't have to turn off the water and blow out the pipes manually. It is somehow made for outdoor use and it drains itself when you turn off the shower. Sorry I can't explain it better, but it's nothing fancy, just something that had to be planned in advance.

Also, don't most people in most places have some water lines in "outside walls"? A lot of kitchens have a window over a sink. Is that different? And I'm not sure how much insulation people in mild climates have in their walls. Our house was wrapped in an outer layer of rigid foam before the siding went on, and it isn't often cold here, but it can be. I don't know how that option would compare in expense with an whole extra framed exterior wall.

But mushcreek asks good questions about who regulates what in your jurisdiction. That is wildly variable depending on where you live. My brother has a cabin in an area with no codes and can do whatever he wants. We built a house in a pretty remote place that is closer to a metropolitan area and our codes are not much different than what you'd find in a major suburb.

Thanks lori

We will check into that type of outdoor plumbing for the outdoor shower.

As far as running the pipes on the outside wall (especially the north wall) it is a valid concern to us. The current house we live in is only 11 years old and we have had many pipes freeze over the years. Especially the last 2-3 with the unconventional cold weather.

The shed will be built on property that has colder weather than where we currently live so we want to insure better precautions before we build. If you have ever had pipes freeze, you understand the concerns.