The Maples Estate Container Restroom

The Maples Estate, an extended weekend wedding venue in upstate New York was tired of renting luxury restroom trailers for weddings onsite. Looking at the options for portable restrooms was defeating until the owners thought up a new way of offering luxury restrooms for their guests with the use of a shipping container - the answer to all their problems.

While the idea was kicking around for a while, it was difficult to find a company that would build the unit. Most companies offering shipping container restrooms are building for use in construction or municipal applications where power and water are available onsite. However, the owners of The Maples Estate were looking for a more sustainable option for an off grid application. When it became clear that the idea was not possible through a traditional restroom builder requiring public water and 200 amps of power, they found someone that had designed and built a shipping container home just outside Syracuse New York, and was excited about the idea of an off grid unit.

As tiny house owners themselves, The Maples Estate owners saw a huge benefit to building unconventionally through their experience living in a converted school bus or "skoolie". Utilizing similar techniques and through a common interest around sustainable building, the owners and builder partnered up to design and build their dream restroom. The brand new 4-stall restroom was built inside a 40' high cube shipping container purchased through interport, and was built outside of Syracuse. The unit was then shipped onsite to The Maples Estate in Schoharie, NY. With four private unisex stalls and 17' long office / storage space, it's a one-of-a-kind unit powered by the sun! The unit utilizes US built solar panels purchased through Practical Preppers and an inverter system from Victron Energy. The dometic rv toilets, and sinks are supplied by fresh water tanks placed in the ceiling offering a gravity fed system and black water tanks underneath hold sewage for regular pumping by a local septic company.

Guests at weddings this year have loved the new unit stating that it's the "nicest commercial restroom they have ever had the pleasure of using", not to mention the fact that it's an off grid unit built out of a shipping container!

Venue owner and wedding planner, Katie Hammon led the design with each restroom offering its own unique flair through mismatched sinks, vintage mirrors, lighting and artwork. The Great Barrington Green doors, a signature of The Maples Estate is a hint to the design of their1855 colonial farmhouse where the wedding couple and guests stay during weddings onsite.