Outhouse salesman has a good singing voice

BUSHNELL, Fla. -- In an economic recession such as the one Florida is experiencing, it helps to be good at a lot of things, just in case. Vince Denimarck's job skills include drafting, design, carpentry, wiring, plumbing, laying tile, hanging paper and roofing. He knows how to build stone fences and is proud of his Italian cooking."My hobby is making a living," he says. "I can survive any crisis. I'm not afraid of anything." He once operated a beauty parlor and a limousine service. He is comfortable on horseback and can drive a forklift. He writes love songs and has an exceptional singing voice. He acted in high school and wonders if there might be a place for him in the movies. He writes romantic poetry to his girlfriend, Linda Elliott.He knows how to catch the wild hogs that tear up his pasture and gladly shares his recipe for sausage. He has a license to carry a concealed weapon and allows that he might possess a talent for marksmanship. He has a license to fly small airplanes and helicopters.He is 55 but still hasn't figured out his destiny." I'm going to do something big," he says, in his dramatic way. "Come along with me." So we do. In a Sumter County barn, watched by patient horses and suspicious geese, Florida's Renaissance man is building outhouses.A while back, when Denimarck and his girlfriend attended a horse show in Ocala, he noticed an outhouse next to a barn. It was a nice outhouse, but not a great one. It looked historic, which was good, but smelled historic, which wasn't. Seeing this gave him an idea. And when he gets an idea he is going to pursue it, even if it involves toilets.He started building outhouses. Now he offers a basic, single-hole model, with super ventilation, for $1,195 and he throws in the crescent moon for free.His deluxe outhouses feature running water, a sink, a flush toilet, an electrical outlet, a place to hang your hat. He designs, he builds, he sells, he delivers, he installs, he connects the whole kit and caboodle to your septic tank or pipes.His most expensive model, the Imperial Potty Shed, which comes with a shower, carries a $3,295 price tag."It may sound expensive," he says, "but it's cheaper than adding a bathroom to your house. My motto is put a potty shed where you need it."When the economy was good, and he was the toast of the home-show circuit, he was cranking out the outhouses, maybe one a week, for rural folks, ranchers or business people who bought them for daily use, for novelty, to function as billboards on roadsides. Now, during the recession, with Florida citizens counting their pennies, outhouses merely trickle out of his workshop.The down time has given him leisure to explore what he calls "my passion for living." About a year ago, he and Linda headed for the Moose Lodge at Lake Panasoffkee for an evening's entertainment. There was a karaoke contest. The man who can do anything was suddenly self-conscious about his voice, but the nice people at the Moose Lodge coaxed him into trying.He performed "Oh, Pretty Woman," a song by the late glass-shattering Roy Orbison. He won $100.Now he is preparing to take his act on the road, in hopes of winning a few bucks at other karaoke contests. He has honed his Tom Jones, his Engelbert Humperdinck , his Kenny Chesney . Friends tell him they prefer his "Keeper of the Stars" over the original version by Tracy Byrd."You know, you can't sit around waiting for life to happen. Am I right or wrong? I mean, I have to do something in the evening, right? Why not karaoke?" He sings in the shower. He sings behind the wheel of his pickup. When he's in the barn, hammering outhouses together, he tests his pipes. The geese, that usually express their irritation by hissing, shut up and listen.Jeff Klinkenberg can be reached at klink(at)sptimes.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com