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Plumbing Design Dilemma Bathrooms

Ugliest Bathroom in the World: Basement Bathroom Renovation

4 years ago

My husband and I are first time homeowners who are beginning the planning and design process to renovate a basement bathroom that is original to our 2,000 sq foot ranch built in 1956. There is an additional 1800 or so square feet in the basement that is largely unfinished with the exception of a good sized guest bedroom and this hideous bathroom (pics attached). The bathroom is approximately 9 ft (108.5 inches) wide and 4.6 ft (56.6 inches) deep and will be used primarily as a guest bathroom. Full ceiling height is 7 ft. Houses in our area go for around $110 (needs total renno) to $150 (fully updated) per sq ft. We bought in the mid range of this. For this bathroom, we plan to install a new shower, vanity, toilet, tile floor and additional storage. Here are my questions:

1) Is the size of the bathroom okay or should we move the wall with the door to make the bathroom 6 inches deeper? We cannot make the bathroom wider due to other structural things happening on both sides of the bathroom, but we could eat into the hallway on the other side a bit. Is 6 inches worth the hassle and cost?

2) Tile shower or prefab shower/tub stall? For our market, we are leaning towards the prefab shower stall based on cost, ease and speed of installation and because our sense is that buyers in this market are more interested in everything being finished and updated as opposed to super high end finishes in basements. We also have two ground level bathrooms to renovate and prefer to spend less money on this one and more on the other two. (We are not trying to flip the property, we are just trying to make smart investments and not overspend on what is the first of many many improvements we need to make to the house.)

3) If we do a prefab shower stall, is there a product that will connect the old drain to the new one securely? Is this easy to do? Is this easier to do if we do an all tile shower? My husband is super handy and has done a few renovations (maybe 5 total kitchen and bath renovations) would connecting this drain be something he could probably do or would we need to hire a plumber?

4) Any design recommendations are welcome!!!

TIA!!!

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Comments (2)

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Beth H. :
4 years ago
are there bedrooms down there as well? if someone will be using the bedroom in the basement, then they will want a decent bathroom to go with it. 6 inches really isn't worth the hassle of taking down or moving a wall. A foot, maybe, 6" ? no. once you put on the wall or tile, you've got maybe 4" total. Maximize the space by choosing a good vanity w/storage, and possibly building a niche into the wall for additional storage. (use the area between the studs as a built in cabinet)

using a prefab shower is fine, but pick a decent one as opposed to those flimsy acrylic pieces. you don't say want the resale value is, so i have no way of knowing how much you should invest. You say you bought mid-range, but I don't know what else you need to redo. anything under a 15% profit really isn't worth it.

as for fitting it over the existing drains, usually you will need the new drain cover. if the drain needs to come up, there are extensions. I would advise your husband to do some research on how to fit those into an existing bathroom. If he's handy and can build his own slope, mortar bed and waterproof the shower, then he could prob tile it himself. Just depends on how much work you want to do and what the return is on what you choose.

by the looks of what you have there currently, you may have some water damage underneath all the mess. Tear out what you can and then determine what you need to do.
Anna Bialik
Original Author
4 years ago
There is a good sized guest bedroom down there, a laundry room, and a walk out to the backyard. The rest of the basement is completely open. We are planning to keep it open, but to finish the basement, probably with carpet and to have an entertainment area and a toy/play area for the kids. Our realtor said that if we finished the whole basement that we could probably add 30-40k to the list price if we ever decided to sell.
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Wooo!!! Cat, I am stuck at home because of the snow storm so wandered around here not looking at anything in particular and came upon your thread. I totally agree with you on the shower curtain choice. Regardless of whether I have the money to spare or not, keeping those suckers clean is a nuisance over time. We have a glass shower door that was installed back in 2003 and I can't tell you how much I hate cleaning it. Not that the door is all that dirty, but a shower curtain is way easier, and you can change the look/style whenever you feel like it. Can't do that with a pricey shower door. Anyway, everything looks lovely as usual, including the "prom" dress :-) Love, love those circular tiles, and the floor tiles that look like fabric. Gorgeous. What colour is that again? It looks greyish on my monitor.
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Good questions. We've now used beadboard in two bathrooms and, at the risk of going overboard, are going to use it as the kitchen backsplash as well (laid horizontally). In all cases we've used MDF panels under semi-gloss paint. None of the surfaces are able to soak in water, and their well-caulked, but PVC would probably be the safest bet in damp environments. We chose a board (from our local lumber supply yard vs. HD or Lowes) that had deep, authentic-looking grooves. I adore true tongue and groove, but my husband, the main carpenter of the operation, wasn't interested in the time needed to install it. The chair rail is two 1.5 x .5 inch trim pieces laid perpendicular to one another. I really like this detail, and it's a cinch to do. Good luck with your decisions! Whatever you do will be great...
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