Where to shower and use a toilet during a bathroom renovation
A bathroom renovation in a single bathroom home leaves you without a shower and, for part of the job, without a toilet. It is the first practical problem people raise with us and it is worth solving before the work starts rather than on the morning the demolition begins. The good news is that the room is not out of action for the whole project, and there are eight workable options depending on your home, your budget and how long the job runs.
How many days is the bathroom actually out of use?
This is the question underneath the question, because a week is a very different problem from three weeks. A complete bathroom renovation typically takes 4 weeks from demolition to handover (we have seen companies promising 2 weeks which can’t be done if they are following the manufacturers curing rules for sand, cement, priming and waterproofing), and our page on how long a bathroom renovation takes sets out the full budget and timeline, and the room is unusable for all of those, with the longest continuous gap falling across demolition, waterproofing and the screed drying period when nothing can be walked on or connected.
On some jobs we can stage the work so that the toilet is reconnected and usable overnight for part of the project. Whether that is possible depends on the layout and on where the drainage runs, and it is something to ask about at the quoting stage rather than assume.
Eight ways to shower while your bathroom is being renovated
1. Use the second bathroom, if you have one
The simplest answer where it applies. The only real issue is scheduling in a household of three or more, and it is worth agreeing shower times for the duration rather than discovering the problem on the first morning.
2. A portable shower head connected to the laundry tap
A shower head that attaches to a laundry tap costs very little and gives you hot water immediately. Stand over the floor waste and most of the water will drain away, and a shower curtain rail or a temporary screen keeps the rest of the room dry. This is the option most of our clients end up using, because the laundry already has hot and cold water and a floor waste.
3. An outdoor shower on the garden tap
Workable in warm weather and useful if you have privacy in the back yard, although a garden tap gives you cold water only. A licensed plumber can run a temporary hot and cold connection outside if the job is long enough to justify it.
4. A temporary shower set up by a plumber
Where the renovation is long or the household is large, we can set up a temporary shower in another part of the house, usually the laundry or a garage, connected properly to hot and cold water with a drain. This is the most comfortable option and it costs money, so it makes sense on longer projects rather than short ones.
5. A gym membership
A month at a local gym costs less than most people expect and gives you a hot shower, somewhere to leave a towel and, if you want it, a pool. It suits people who are out of the house during the day anyway.
6. Staying with family, or a short term rental
For a two or three week job, a short stay elsewhere removes the problem entirely. It is the most expensive option and the most comfortable one, and it is worth comparing against the cost of a temporary shower installation before deciding.
7. A camping shower
Portable camping showers heat a small volume of water and run from a battery or gas. They work outdoors and, with care, inside a laundry over a floor waste. Sensible for a short job or as a backup rather than as the main plan for three weeks.
8. A hired portable shower unit
Several companies in Sydney hire portable shower units, including versions with disability access, delivered and connected on site. Worth pricing if the renovation is long, if there are mobility needs in the household, or if there is no laundry to work with.
What each option costs
| Option | Indicative cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| OptionSecond bathroom | Indicative costNothing | Best forHomes with two bathrooms |
| OptionPortable shower head on the laundry tap | Indicative costUnder $50 | Best forMost households, most jobs |
| OptionOutdoor shower on the garden tap | Indicative costUnder $50 | Best forWarm weather and a private yard |
| OptionPlumber installed temporary shower | Indicative cost$400 to $600Each home has a different set up. Sometimes there is accessible hot and cold water and drainage points that can be used to mock up a temporary solution. | Best forLong jobs and larger households |
| OptionGym membership | Indicative cost$10 to $85 per weekA very wide range. Current Sydney gym listings run from roughly this, although the cheaper prices are generally standard ongoing memberships rather than genuine short term passes. | Best forPeople out of the house during the day |
| OptionShort term rental or staying with family | Indicative costVaries widely | Best forTwo to three week jobs where comfort matters |
| OptionCamping shower | Indicative cost$100 to $300 | Best forShort jobs and backup |
| OptionHired portable shower unit | Indicative cost$150 to $400 per weekDepends on the specification, whether it is a toilet only or a toilet and shower combination, and how many weeks it is hired for. | Best forLong jobs, mobility needs, no laundry |
Costs are indicative and current at September 2026. Nu-Trend discusses the temporary arrangement before the job starts, because the right option depends on how long the room will be out of action and who is living in the house.
What about the toilet?
People plan the shower and forget the toilet, and the toilet is the harder problem because there is no equivalent of the laundry tap. There are three realistic answers.
- The first is staging. On many jobs the toilet can be disconnected and reconnected around the working day so that it is available overnight, and where the layout allows it we do this as a matter of course. It depends on where the drainage runs and on which stage of the work is under way, because during waterproofing and screed drying nothing can be walked on at all.
- A second toilet elsewhere in the home, which is one of the reasons a great many of our clients end up adding a second toilet to your home, usually in a laundry. Where the room is being changed completely, we cover how to convert a laundry into a bathroom separately.
- The third is a hired portable toilet, delivered and serviced, which is normal on longer jobs and on renovations where the household cannot easily leave the house. These tend to cost between $150-$400 per week depending on the specification e.g if it is just a toilet or toilet/shower combination then for how many weeks it is hired for.
Although the reality is that once you do the demolition of the room the toilet is often removed and not available for use until the bathroom is completed as it is one of the last items to get installed.
What we do to make it easier for you
Before the job starts we walk through where you will shower and where you will use a toilet, and we say plainly which days the room will be unavailable. We protect the path from the entry through the house, we remove demolition material rather than leaving it in the yard, and we clean at the end of each day. On a single bathroom home we plan the sequence around keeping the toilet connected for as long as the work allows.
None of that is complicated, and it is the difference between a renovation that is an inconvenience and one that becomes an argument.
Common questions about where to shower and use a toilet during a bathroom renovation
Can I stay in the house during a bathroom renovation?
Yes, and most of our clients do. The two things that decide whether it is comfortable are how many bathrooms the home has and how long the job runs. Homes with one bathroom and more than three people are the ones where a short stay elsewhere is worth costing.
Can a plumber leave the toilet connected during the work?
Sometimes, and it depends on the stage. Once waterproofing has been applied and the screed is curing, nothing can be walked on or connected until it has cured, and that period cannot be shortened. Before and after that stage there is often more flexibility than people expect.
Is it cheaper to move out?
Rarely, unless you have somewhere free to go. A month of short term accommodation in Sydney usually costs more than a temporary shower installation and a portable toilet hire combined, so it is worth pricing both rather than assuming.
How much water damage can a temporary shower cause?
A laundry with a floor waste handles it. A room without one does not, and this is where people get into trouble, because a temporary shower in a carpeted or unsealed space causes damage that costs more to fix than any of the options above. Use a room with a floor waste or set the shower up outside.
Talk to us before your renovate
When we quote bathroom renovations we go through the sequence with you and tell you which days the room is unavailable, so you can decide which of these options suits your household.
Call Rick on 0401 165 779 or request a site visit.
