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Family of five, no plumbing until December 2026. One porta potty enough?

Sam O.asked 1 viewHome Renovations & Long-termUnits per personService frequencyLong term rentalStandard unitFamily use

We're gutting our only bathroom for a major renovation that won't finish until December 2026. Our family of five, two adults, three kids, will be living here the whole time with no working plumbing. The rental company dropped off a standard portable toilet on our driveway yesterday. It's level gravel, and a truck can pull right up to it. But I'm second-guessing whether one unit is enough for all of us, day in and day out, for over two years. We're not hosting parties or anything, but it's our sole toilet for everything. Should we upgrade to a deluxe unit with a sink, or even consider a restroom trailer? Or is one standard porta potty sufficient if we stick to a weekly service schedule?

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Jake W.Denver, CO

One standard unit can carry a family of five, but weekly service is the part I'd watch, not the unit count.

We lived through a gutted bathroom with a single standard unit in the driveway and three of us using it full time. A party unit gets a few hours of use. Yours gets every single trip, every day, including the kids at night. Check the tank level after the first four or five days. If it's getting high before the truck shows up, ask for a second service visit each week instead of renting a second toilet. That fixed the smell for us more than anything else.

I'd skip the restroom trailer. It needs a water and power hookup, and your water is the thing being torn out.

A deluxe unit with a sink is worth asking about with kids in the house, mostly because nobody walks back inside to wash hands. Just know the sink has a fresh water tank that someone has to refill and that can freeze once nights drop below freezing.

Other stuff that helped: a battery or solar light inside, a clear path from the back door, and keeping a spare roll and wipes in a bin by the door.

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