Running Water Out There Sounds Like a Whole Other Level
I totally get the “future me” logic—every time I’m knee-deep in a project, I start thinking about what else I should be doing while everything’s torn up. But honestly, running water out to the garage never even crossed my mind until I read your post. Is it as complicated as running power? Like, do you have to worry about pipes freezing underground, or is that only if you live somewhere super cold?
Dragging hoses in winter is the worst, though. I’ve already had one of those “why is this hose so stiff” moments when it’s basically frozen solid. But then I start wondering: if you run water out there, do you need a drain too? Or is it just for filling buckets and washing stuff off? Feels like it could spiral into a whole plumbing adventure.
Ethernet cable is smart—I wish I’d thought of that before closing up the trench. Did you actually use yours yet, or is it just sitting there for “someday”? I keep hearing people say to run extra conduit for whatever pops up later, but at some point it feels like overkill... or maybe that’s just me being impatient.
At the end of the day, every time I think I’ve planned ahead enough, something else comes up. Is there ever a point where you stop second-guessing what you should have added?
I hear you on the “future me” logic—my place is a 1920s bungalow, and every project seems to uncover three more. When I ran water out to my detached garage, I did have to think about freezing. Here in the Midwest, we buried PEX below the frost line (about 4 feet here), and I wrapped it with insulation just in case. It’s not as tricky as power, but you do need to plan for drainage if you want a sink or anything more than a hose bib. I just put in a simple spigot for now—no drain, just buckets and rinsing muddy boots.
Ethernet’s one of those “someday” things for me too. The cable’s there, but I haven’t hooked it up yet... maybe next winter when I’m stuck inside again. And yeah, no matter how much you plan, there’s always something you wish you’d done differently. I’ve learned to just accept it—old houses keep you humble that way.
Running power definitely feels like a bigger headache than water, at least in my experience. Trenching for conduit, figuring out the right gauge wire, GFCI, permits... it’s a lot. I get what you mean about old houses—mine’s 1938, and every wall hides some “surprise.” Honestly, if I could do it over, I’d have run a bigger conduit and maybe a second line for future stuff.
Curious, did you run power and water at the same time or separate trenches? I tried to save effort by doing both together, but local code made it more complicated than I expected. Sometimes I wonder if I overthink it and should just go with the basics, like you did with the spigot.
I hear you on the conduit size—wish I’d gone bigger too. I ran power and water in separate trenches, mostly because my inspector was super strict about spacing. It felt like overkill at the time, but honestly, it saved headaches later when I had to repair a leak. Old houses are just full of “gotchas,” aren’t they? Sometimes I think keeping it simple is the only way to stay sane.
Totally get what you mean about the “gotchas”—old houses are like a never-ending scavenger hunt. I actually tried to combine everything in one trench at first, thinking it’d be more efficient, but the inspector flagged it right away. Ended up having to dig a second trench, which was a pain, but now I see the wisdom. Curious—did you use any recycled materials for your conduit or water lines? I’ve been experimenting with reclaimed stuff where I can, but sometimes it’s tough to balance eco-friendly choices with code requirements.
