Toilet rough-in?

My house was built in 1962. The plumber left rough-ins in a basement room so that it could be later fitted as a bathroom. The sink and shower areas are simple. My issue is the toilet.

I'm attaching pictures of the clay pipe that comes up thru the floor. It has an elbow right at floor level that aims it back towards the wall. The very lower edge of the elbow is barely up to level with the finished floor (I can't even fit a piece of paper under the elbow). The pipe is also more of an oval shape than perfectly round.

In photo 1 the camera is between the pipe and the back wall

In photo 2 the camera is looking straight down on the pipe (also shows distance between the pipe and the wall)

What would I have to do to connect a standard toilet to this?

What country do you live in?

I'm in Worthington (Columbus) Ohio.

As I see it, you have two problems. First is the clay pipe. Second it the elbow. I would be my advice to give this job to a a plumber who will know how to connect a flange to the clay pipe after removing the elbow. Perhaps some of the experienced pros on the forum will have some input about clay pipe.

I'd rather be able to do it myself, but...if I do need to hire someone I'd appreciate the opinions of someone who may have dealt with this type of situation in the past. That way I at least understand what I'm hiring a pro to do.

I'm wondering, with no way to really know, if that clay elbow is the only clay piece. I have three other waste stacks (each bathroom has it's own and so does the kitchen) that are copper to just above the slab, where they all switch to cast iron (with a clean out etc). They wouldn't all then switch from cast to clay would they?

There is a stack just a couple of feet from this clay pipe I'm referencing. It services the bathroom above this space on the first floor. I've attached a picture of it to show the proximity.

Also, to support the theory that it's not clay pipe any further under the floor, to the right of this is a stub up for a sink drain that is brass.

Any ideas of what might be going on?

clay

Unless you had a really incompetent handyman do the plumbing, there is no way that clay pipe is for attaching a toilet, especially with the rest of the piping being cast iron. It may be being used as a form to keep the concrete away from the real connection, or for some other reason, but there is NOTHING that will attach to clay pipe for installing a toilet. Clay pipe has not been used, or allowed, inside a house since the 40's.

hj...that's what I've assumed all along, but it's nice to have that confirmed

I figure maybe the elbow aiming back at the wall may have been used to prevent anything from falling into it.

My thought now is to stuff a rag into the pipe and carefully break the clay elbow to confirm what comes after that. I would have to assume it's going to be cast iron, based on how the rest of the house was done.

It definitely was a good plumbing contractor originally. EVERYTHING is copper, even the largest of vents all the way up and thru the roof. The house had high-end fixtures. All fixtures are Crane and the toilets on the main level are wall mount. With that in mind, I'm assuming I'll find good news beyond the clay elbow.

Any tips or warnings before I try this?

I might try to cut the pipe with a diamond blade in angle grinder rather than risk breaking it below the slab. Can you hear water running in the pipe if you use other fixture in the house? My other concern is that it looks way to close to the wall to even connect a toilet even if you could attach a flange somehow. Add to that the cinderblock wall that would need to be furred out for a finish wall and you lose even more space. I think if you really want a bathroom there, there's going to be some concrete breaking in your future.