Coping without a bathroom for 2 weeks

[SpamhappyTootsie]

We’re having our (only) bathroom totally ripped out and everything new put in. Plumber said 12 days in all for the job - I assume this is working days so might be looking at more than a fortnight. Because of the work that needs doing we will only have a working toilet in there for that time.
I’m really looking forward to the new bathroom but the logistics are keeping me awake at night already and it’s 3 months off yet!

We can travel to a relative’s house for showers and in fact I could move there for the duration, but that wouldn’t be fair on DH who would be left juggling wfh and dealing with the dog.

How have people in this position coped? Any portable showers etc you can recommend? I’ve had the bright idea of a camping toilet in a spare bedroom so we don’t have to disturb the tradesmen while they are doing their work.
We get on well with neighbours but not to the extent of asking to use their toilet or shower.

I will totally look like that parietal My Granny would have shrugged and pointed out that the hot water would have had to be heated over the fire so why on earth did anyone fill in a perfectly good fireplace?

Could you change the date of the work to when you’re on holiday? We always try and time tradespeople for when we’re not here. I think they prefer it and I escape the chaos.

That would be Easter next year for a 2 week holiday and the bathroom is leaking through into the dining room below so that wouldn’t be possible @Walrus6. The sealant has failed on the over bath shower and the backboard is so old and warped we can’t reseal again (have tried). I’ve ordered some Gorilla waterproof tape to do a temp repair. It wasn’t professionally fitted by the previous owners, although the electrics bit was and is safe.
Plus, don’t want a succession of workmen coming in and out while no one is here. I do trust the company but I’d only be comfortable with that in an empty house.

How do you get past the mental block of leaving strangers a) with your keys and b) alone in your house all day?

You don't think about it.

I agree, I always go away if any major work is being done. I'll have done some checks on the firm and know that they're people who want to keep their reputation locally, that I know who they are if anything awful did happen and I have insurance. In lots of ways the house is probably safer than if you go away leaving it empty.

If I didn't trust them I wouldn't want them in the house at all.

I've been doing it for 30 years now without any issues.

We did do that years ago, when we had very little ‘stuff’. The job went on for ages because the builders kept buggering off on other jobs. Plus, some dangerous electrical work was left that another electrician said was so bad he wrote us a report in case we wanted to take it further. I’m talking about wires left in such a state that the TV kept randomly ‘booming’ - if there’d been a lamp in that socket with any metal on it would have been extremely serious.
Then window installers who broke things in the garden and tried to flatly deny it until we told them we’d seen them do it through the window “oh yeah…..those pots…..yeah I suppose we might have caught them with the ladder….”
Both were companies that came highly recommended from friends and family.
So I’d rather keep an eye! Although we’ve used this current company for quite a bit of electrical and gas work as well as plumbing so I’m sure they won’t be as bad as the previous builders.

We had our bathroom done in one of the lockdowns where builders could work but gyms were shut and you couldn't meet family and friends. We do have a 2nd loo but it was a tough 2 weeks not having a shower or bath. A lot of sink washes and wet wipe washes to freshen up over the day. It sucked but the pay off with an amazing new bathroom was worth it. You can go to the gym, leisure centre, workplace, family or friends etc... you have loads of choices.

We had our only bathroom redone last year. I was 4 weeks postpartum (great organisation there haha!) and there was me, dp and 3 other kids

The baby was obviously bathed in a baby bath and was irrelevant to the situation.

Children went to a friend to shower every other night and me and DP went to MIL to shower every evening. Toilet wise my older kids were at school during the day and dp was at work so was just me and 3yo here at the time during the day. They changed the toilet over on day 1 and so we were never without a toilet. They were more than accommodating if we needed to use the bathroom in the day. They were more than happy to stop work for 5 minutes for me and DD to have a wee. I was still using maternity pads and had stitches healing. I just kept my pads in the bedroom and fetched a new one out once the workmen had stepped outside. It was never awkward. Even when dd did a smelly poo 😂

Teeth were brushed in kitchen sink. It was hard. It felt like it went on forever but it was so worth it.

We are currently in this situation - our only bathroom was meant to take 10 days - it is still
being done over a month later. Period came during this time which was awful - the builder very kindly stops work if the children need the loo but I couldn’t bare the thought of going the loo during period time and him carrying on working there straight after so I did use the local supermarket loos a lot. For showers we use my Dad’s and friends showers every other day which is lovely of them but not practical

I went to a hotel and Travelodge when my only loo was out of action for circa a week

We had our only bathroom redone 2 months ago. It took 2 weeks. We were never left without water switched on and the loo - initially they just put the old loo back in situ, the new loo was one of the last things to be fitted. Fitter arrived at 8 every morning and so we would all be up, washed, dressed and leaving the house as he arrived, it meant Dd2 got to school a bit early, but she'd just go to the library, I'd be at work a bit early but would have a coffee etc.

I gave the fitter keys and they were usually gone by the time we were back from work/school. It was a bit of a building site especially for the first week, they fitted the bath first so we could have a bath from about the third day. We just did teeth and flannel washes in the kitchen for the first few days. In theory we could have had showers at work/school, but actually didn't bother! I think the main thing is to try and be out of the house while they are there. If I was going to be home a bit early I'd go shopping and for a coffee. Reminded Dd2 to go to the loo at school before coming home. It was fine, less disruptive than having the kitchen done ime. And so lovely when it's done.

We went away for a week while ours was done so there were just a couple of days at the end when we had no shower. I also felt uncomfortable disturbing the fitters so I made use of the loos at local McDonald's. I felt bad about it though so I would buy something every time I went in 😊. Usually a coffee which kind of defeated the purpose. We did have a public toilet nearby but it was absolutely rank, no way I could use that.

@parietal
what a beautiful picture, thank you.
interesting, that looks like a ‘purpose built’ basin, wide enough to stand in but not deep enough for clothes washing.

re going away while work is done, it is dodgy because especially with complex projects , I find there is often something unforeseen that builders want a snap decision for. We recently had a bathroom redone, and it emerged that there was enough panelling to do some extra work, which was great, but they needed a go ahead and also some extra finishing which I had to source.

I had a empty house completely updated while we were in France. I’m pretty sure that two of the builders were living there with each other, I found some interesting kit in the new bathroom cupboard….

I've just hired a chemical toilet from Nixon's for my building workers. I had to pay for two weeks, total was £240.

My daughter bright idea was to employ the partner of her friend, that lives near by. The arrangement was that daughter could use friends bathroom as and when.

It resulted in a loo fitted in record time, and the shower not long afterwards. Not a result open to everyone, but affective.

That is fiendishly clever @user1471453601!
@HopelesslyHopeful87 your post made me ashamed of being worried about 2 adults and a dog being able to cope

Any time I feel like backing out this week I’ve stood in our horrible bathroom for a few minutes and imagined it with clean white lines, tiled floor instead of manky carpet and a fresh breeze floating through the window while I lie in my roll top bath with a glass of balanced on the soap rack. And a shower that isn’t a halfhearted dribble that goes everywhere apart from on your head

What will your tradesmen do when they need to use the toilet?

There will always be a toilet in there. I assume it will be out of action for a short time while they fit the floor around the base of the new one but less than a day. Project manager did specify we would have a working toilet in there throughout. If the tiler needs to go while an electrician is fitting the extractor fan then they will have to fight it out themselves. I will not be disclosing my Secret Spare Bedroom Camping Toilet

If tradesmen need a toilet wouldn't it be included in the remit for the job, we had some roofers in and they had an arrangement with the garage down the road for toilet if they hadn't got access to ours (if our house was locked up if we were out). As it was we were in while they were there anyway so it didn't occur.

I have no idea where our roofers and pointers went, because they never used the one in the house, even when I offered. Mind you, they were good at disappearing for long stretches of time so I assume they nipped to Sainsbury’s in that time.
The window and door fitters were never out of the bathroom. Actually had to ask one young lad to close the door behind him. With that and the breaking garden ornaments that we’d cleared well out of the way, plus leaving an unsealed bit under a window that allowed a rat to get in and scamper merrily about in the wall cavity, it’s no wonder I have the Fear about having any work done!