A home inspector opened a side gate he thought hid the trash cans, then found something on a concrete slab and said ‘yes, it works’

A home inspector recently stumbled upon an unexpected amenity while checking out a property in Texas. Derrick (derrickmcmullen86), a Texas home inspector, shared the find on TikTok, which has racked up over 1.6 million views. In the video, he shows his viewers a fence along the side of the house that he thought was for trash cans, only to find an open-air toilet, which might be just as confusing as opening a bathroom door to find a wall.

Derrick noted, “I have seen a lot of things in 22 and a half years of inspections. I’m in a neighborhood in Cyprus. Come around the side of the house. I thought there was just a fence here for the trash. I go around, open the gate, and there you have it. A toilet. They poured a concrete slab. They actually put a vent for it. And yes, it works.”

The internet had plenty to say about this facility. On the funnier end of practical-adjacent questions, one user asked, “does that count as a 2 and 1/4 bathroom?” Some were just impressed. One TikToker wrote, “As a landscaper this is genius… it’s only weird if the neighbor looks out his second story window… make eye contact and set dominance.” A second user noted, “Listen, if the house don’t come with a yard toilet, I ain’t even making an offer. The bar has been set.”

A facility decision that could increase property value

One user, however, noted a potential logical reason for the surprise toilet’s existence. They wrote, “I see pool equipment, which means they didn’t want anybody walking through the house wet so they put that outside so people didn’t piss in the grass or in the pool I’m loving it.” Another person who seemed to have a personal history with the property wrote, “I used to take care of that pool. That toilet literally saved my a– multiple times.”

The fully functioning toilet with a sky view is an unconventional sight, though the story comes solely from Derrick’s video and could not be independently verified. Poolside bathrooms themselves, however, are a common home improvement project.

According to HFS Home Improvement Loans, a poolside bathroom can keep swimmers from tracking water through the house and damaging floors. The lender also says it can cut pool maintenance costs and may boost a property’s resale value, though it requires an upfront investment.