The Unsung Hero of Our DIY: The Bucket Toilet

We all love the glamour shots of power tools. The shiny red Milwaukee drills, the chop saws, the nail guns. Those are the tools that build the house.

But what about the “tools” that keep you running while you build it?

When we started this renovation, we weren’t just fixing walls. We were basically camping indoors. We had no power, no running water, and—most critically—no working bathroom.

The Reality Check Let’s get real. When the plumbing isn’t hooked up and nature calls—you’ve still got to go somewhere!

Originally, we relied on our neighbor’s bathroom or walked down to our neighborhood lodge to use the facilities there. But then came a busy holiday weekend. Our neighbors had a house full of company. I needed to go in the middle of the night, but Mike didn’t want me walking to the lodge at that hour.

He insisted on driving me. I felt ridiculous making him get up at 2:00 AM just to take me to the bathroom.

The next day, Mike converted one of our buckets into a toilet, and honestly? It was a lifesaver.

It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t fun. But it allowed us to stay on-site, keep working, and sleep through the night without a car ride if we had to go.

The Setup (How to Build Your Own) If you will be without plumbing during a renovation (or just going camping), here is the exact system that saved us:

• The Bucket: Any typical 5-gallon bucket will work. You can grab the one we used from Menards or find a standard one on Amazon.
• The Toilet Seat: This is a snap-on lid that fits perfectly onto a standard bucket, instantly converting it into a seat. Get one for yourself.
• The Toilet Bag: (This was the game changer) These bags contain an absorbent gel that turns liquid into a solid and seals tight for disposal. No smell, no mess. It holds up to 2 liters, so changing it once a day worked perfectly for us. See the exact bags we used here.

Renovation isn’t just about carpentry skills. It’s about grit. It’s about being uncomfortable and figuring it out anyway. And being able to go when you need to.

So if you’re planning a major overhaul, buy the fancy saw… but maybe buy the bucket lid, too. Just in case.