When your backyard covers 200 acres, chances are good that you’ll need more than one spot dedicated to the call of nature. Wayne Ignatuk, a furniture craftsman from Upper Jay, has three: the standard type in his main house, a very rustic version near his backcountry lean-to, and a classier throne room for the off-grid cabin he built so that friends and family could get away from it all for a night or two.
The Long Drop, as he’s dubbed it, was built with reclaimed wood from a centuries-old farmhouse, including its antique red-oak kitchen door. But Ignatuk’s favorite thing about the room is its name, which came from an Irish visitor who hadn’t heard a full description of the place prior to arrival. When she saw her accommodations, she asked if it was fitted out with sawdust or a “long drop,” as only wealthy families could afford the luxury of a well-dug privy back in the old country. She was pleased to hear she’d be living the high life on her Adirondack holiday.
