Adding a half bath
Hi All,
I have a contractor coming by next week, but I was hoping to get a few design ideas, or possibly a heads up on any challenges I might encounter when it comes to adding a half bath to this space. I'm hoping it will be straightforward enough to do the hookups, as the only bathroom in my house is directly above this room, and the sewer pipe is accessible from the crawlspace directly under this room. I will remove the cabinetry as I've purchased a stackable washer/dryer, which will go opposite the entrance (i.e. in front of the dryer plug), and the laundry sink will go next to it in front of where the washing machine pipes currently are. The toilet will be across from that under the stairs, i.e. where my kegerator currently sits.
Additional points:
- Both the back and left side walls are exterior so a vent should be easy to add
- The ivory coloured box on the left wall is my breaker panel; not sure if having that in a bathroom is against code
Basically I'm just looking for confirmation of whether this is a good idea in a house that only has 1 bathroom, or if not, why not.
Thanks!
Comments (19)
localeater
6 years ago
Milly Rey
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Help! Is 1/2 bath in basement a good idea?
Comments (11)Wheneve one is considering the feasibility of putting a bathroom in the basement the first thing you have to check is where your existing main drain/sewer exit the structure. If your main drain is under the basement floor it is usually not a big deal to add a 1/2, 3/4 or even a full bathroom in the basement, but if your main drain is at any level which is higher than the basement floor you then need a pump to lift the discharge from the toilet up to the drain line. You stated that your washer and dryer are in the basement so in all probability your main drain is under the floor, however it is possible that the washer standpipe is connected on a horizontal pipe that ties into the drain above the floor. Whether or not it is practical is really dependant upon your lifestyle. At my house I have a small workshop, my ham radio room and my computer room in the basement so I spend a lot of time in the basement and running up & down the stairs to use a bathroom gets old very quickly, especially when I have two or three of my ham radio buddies over to the house and we are all sitting around drinking coffee. Fortunately I have a walk in basement with an outside door so even though I often have guys over to play with my radios or the work shop, the 1/2 bath is not only convenient, it saves bothering my wife with all that traffic through the house....See MoreAdding half bath
Comments (18)It really depends on your selections. I have seen people drop 40k in a all granite shower and tub. If you are going to question the contractor, I would recommend talking to a second one. If you want to know exactly how money will be spent and what you will get, find an architect, designer or Design-Build Contractor, have the plans drawn up with all of your fixture selections, all of the HVAC requirements, plumbing plans, electrical plans, structural plans, tile types and patterns etc. Enter into a Design Agreement. You then can get an accurate bid on the project, you will know exactly what you will be getting down to finish of faucets and shower heads, cabinets etc. There are some bigger numbers in there, like mechanical, perhaps he looked at the system and concluded he would need to do a reduct to pass building codes. Perhaps you will need a new home run or 2 for your electrical, which means punching holes in the walls all the way between your electrical service and the bathroom which means more drywall, which may mean texturing entire walls to hide the changes. Many contractors wont give a heavily detailed estimate showing these thing because, many people will just look down the list and start calling other contractors to complete the individual tasks; they basically use it as instructions to manage the project them selves. In addition, an estimate of that caliber, can take tens of hours to put together and no body wants to work for free. I completed 20 bathroom design and estimates, full details, only to land 5. 15jobs*10 hours=150hrs= 15000 lost in labor hours and paying customers should not have to carry on the cost of the ones tire kicking. I am able to save almost $3000 per bathroom remodel by not doing detailed first estimates/plans for free. Enter into a design agreement and get your project designed then someones price will or will not make sense. You can go a step further and send the plans to a professional estimator. If your budget is a little over and need to wait to do the job in 3 or 6 months, you are already to go. If you have any questions, you can reach out to me here on houzz, Best of luck, Nicholas Mendoza Greenspot Construction HTTP://www.greenspot-construction.com...See MoreAdding half-bath inside a family room? Pics?
Comments (6)Thanks for your reply! I'm not thrilled with the location but not sure where else it could go. We did our kitchen- mostly DIY but hired contractor for a few things like drywall, hanging the cabinets, backsplash - and spent under 15k so I'm shocked to think it would cost more than that for a half bath. And yes to other comment there's a similar post below but I'm really wanting any photos or insights on adding a half bath inside of an existing room- like how that looks since I just can't picture it. Thanks!...See MoreHalf Bath Addition - Should We Move Door?? Please Help!
Comments (8)Swing door is a good idea--I have both and the pocket doors only get closed when absolutely necessary. They just take more effort than a kid is willing to put out. You can throw a regular door shut as you run out. A powder room can be very tiny and still be just fine. If you go that route it looks like you might have space put a shallow cabinet or bookcase at the end of the mini hall. Maybe open shelving on top and closed TP storage on the bottom. Or a window to pair with the on in the bath? I'd rather have the smaller powder room and the little hall, but I don't know if the cost would be worth it....See MoreShawn
6 years agoShawn
6 years ago
User
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoThe National Electrical Code references are in [brackets]
In addition, there needs to be a 30" wide by 36" deep clear space in front of the panel with no shelves, counters, fixtures, or even appliances in front of the panel.
You may be able to flip the panel to the exterior with a weatherproof all-in-one panel/meter socket... for 2-3K.
ETA - Sinks are also supposed to have 30".
You only have to have 21" or 24" in some places in front of the toilet, so it may not have to be under the stairs except for the tank... ask the local building dept if they will be lenient.
Milly Rey
6 years agoShawn
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoDo you have any websites where I could make a layout? Happy to post one, just unsure how. Also I had one change to the room- it's nice to have a working washer again. I'll stack them once I get rid of the cabinets, which I'll do once I decide a plan.
The space under the stairs, i.e. across from the washer (which is the left one) is 28" deep and 28" wide. Not sure if I can expand it, but width seems to be more of a problem than depth, as agreed, a wall mounted toilet is a good idea if they need less space.
Shawn
6 years ago
enduring
6 years agoMilly Rey
6 years agoShawn
6 years agoenduring
6 years agoUser
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoBuilding a box around the panel is actually a code VIOLATION, unless the box is 30" wide × 36" deep × 78" tall. ... or the box would at least need a full sized door that started at the floor, and opened at least 30" wide unobstructed (2'-8" + with doorstop) and the standard 6'-8" tall
Section E3405
https://codes.iccsafe.org/public/document/IRC2015/chapter-34-general-requirements
They make Outdoor Enclosures - E3404.4 - that do not require additional protection ... and, a dairy is a separate and unrelated issue with its own challenges.
enduring
6 years agoUser
6 years ago
enduring