How to cope with no toilet whilst decorating bathroom?

Charlotte86 · 7 Jan 2013

We are about to start decorating our bathroom and are trying to work out how we will cope without a toilet whilst we are mid project?

We plan to rip everything out, go back to brick on the walls, have the room re-plastered and then install new toilet, shower etc. We are doing most of the work ourselves so could potentially be without a toilet for 1-2 weeks.

We have showers at work so not too worried about that, but wondered how people cope without a toilet. Portaloo? Camping toilet?

rjm2k · 7 Jan 2013

You could hire a chemical loo or use a friendly neighbours, but can't you just keep the existing one plumbed in while you work around it? If you do take it off for an extended period make sure you cover the soil pipe opening or your house won't smell very nice and nasty gases could build up!

stuartturbo · 7 Jan 2013

Just slide the bowl in as and when and chuck a bucket down

ivixor · 7 Jan 2013

Just don't rip out the toilet until you are ready to replace it with the new one!

I've done it before, and I think I managed to keep both bath and toilet functioning bar a couple of hours for the changeover each. Fit temporary speedfit pipes to each if necessary.

Graeme1983 · 8 Jan 2013

We used a chemical toilet for a few months when we just visited our house at weekends until we built some basic facilities. Not sure Id recommend it as even with the cleaning chemicals it stunk a bit, worse then normal untreated waste with the chemically smell. You still have to empty it somewhere too which is messy on your hands, clothes and bathroom your emptying it in not to mention the olfactory.

I couldnt use a portaloo as it would give me flashbacks from Iraq!

ladylola · 19 Jan 2013

You could always go for the composting toilet. It's nothing more fancy really than a bucket with a seat on it which you "deposite " your waste in and then drop a good handful of soil / sawdust on top. Ideal for solids as give it six months to a year to break down and it can go on your tatters

HH1 · 19 Jan 2013

Porta potty, from a caravan shop, amazon/ebay and the like.
Still there is the problem of emptying it, perhaps an understanding neighbour?
Going to be doing the same as the OP shortly and my plan was to use a porta potty. Got some work going on at the moment in the bathroom, managed to get a temporary bath set up so that at least i can have a good soak now and again.

cajar · 19 Jan 2013

Asking the neighbour to empty your toilet might not be the best of introductions!

HH1 · 19 Jan 2013

Thats why they have got to be "understanding".

Graeme1983 · 21 Jan 2013

HH1 said:
Thats why they have got to be "understanding".

Dont think there is any chance of a neighbour that understanding, I couldnt even get the mrs to do it. It smells rank and splashes on the toilet and tiles when you empty it. After a few goes my method was to empty it in the nak, clean everything with antibacterial wipes and then jump right in the shower,

HH1 · 22 Jan 2013

Is it that bad, Oh No.
that's what I was planning on using.
May have to rethink.

I suppose if you hire a portable toilet they will come and empty it on a regular basis, saving oneself getting into a mess.

streetlighter · 22 Jan 2013

When i did my bathroom i removed the toilet cistern from the wall and kept the pan in place, we would then fill a bucket with water from the kitchen tap when a flush was needed !
plenty of Domestos on hand to keep it clean too.

timothydoran · 21 Feb 2013

You could empty the porta pottie down the man hole outside?

I lived on a boat for 4 years and needed to empty the porta potty every two weeks if you used a wee bucket as well. Just tip the wee on your compost.

AndrewSchofield · 26 Feb 2013

If you can survive without the bath/toilet i'd go with those that suggested you just leave the toilet in until you're ready to replace it, that fact that you are replacing it means it doesn't matter if it gets covered in paint, plaster etc while you do the work....

If you go with the camping toilet - definitely empty it down the manhole outside if you can, not sure it'd have crossed my mind to try and empty one of those down a toilet pan....? And as you haven't got a toilet you'd probably have to empty it down someone elses, and if it were me, i'd rather you came and used the toilet normally than wander through my house with a chemical toilet full of **** to tip down it!!

We looked at hiring one of those 'thunderboxes' for a party in field once - not cheap, think they were about £200 for a weekend - Saturday am to Monday am.... And bare in mind things often take longer than expected, so your 2-weeks could easily become 3 or 4weeks.... Probably work out cheaper 'per day' for longer hires though as I guess delivery and collection costs account for most of the charge.

When we converted our loft we took out the bathroom ceiling and there was no roof above that for 2-weeks - its quite a liberating experience sat on the loo or taking a shower with nothing but the sky above you!! Although we're on the flight path into Manchester Airport, so if anyone was looking down and had their binoculars with them, they might have an unexpected (and probably unwanted) souvenir from that holiday!!

joe-90 · 26 Feb 2013

Use the kitchen sink and a potato masher.

How to cope with no toilet whilst decorating bathroom?

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