It will take quite some time for the old bricks to dry out . Many of the older bricks can be quite porous and will absorb a lot of water ,you definately want to get some air circulation in there. As they do dry out you will probably notice a white furry substance come out of them. This is an efflorecence, my dad, who is an 86 yr old mason (only recently retired btw )also, calls it "Salt Peter".

All LVP is actually waterproof. It's a very solid option for basement flooring because of this. That being said though, remember that you should never leave water sitting on your flooring, whatever that flooring, for weeks on end. The water won't damage you LVP, but it will eventually seep through to the bottom floor and gradually cause damage and become a huge insurance problem. You can measure against this though with the installation of a moisture trap depending on your situation. Another thing about LVP, is the option of ER or Embossed in Register. With ER, the texture of the plank matches up perfectly with the register or the original graphic. This means that every grain is captured in detail, including wood knots. An advantage of this is increased surface area so it protects against slipperiness and you from falling. Here's the main link I used to learn about ER and LVP if you'd like more information. I hope this helps!: https://www.reallycheapfloors.com/blog/the-best-flooring-for-basements/

If it's a 3 inch drain line, I guess it would be possible to use it for a toilet, although I usually prefer a 4 inch line for that. Two inches is adequate for the vent, so you should be alright there, at least above where the other lines connect. A jackhammer still is going to be required though, since the floor drain will have a trap (probably filled with the "debris" you mentioned) that has to be removed. I don't think it's that big of a deal because you just have to remove concrete above the pipes, not the entire floor. Probably the thing to do is have your husband start breaking the concrete by the drain and then follow the pipe back to the vent and then a foot or two "downstream" to see how it's laid out. Then have a plumber come in and design a new layout with the toilet outlet where you want it. Probably should also have a floor drain included, since it's in the basement. Actually, in my basement, the floor drain doubles as a shower drain for my homemade "shower stall". Works out good, though not exactly fancy looking. If you're still set on having a real shower in the far area, that will involve more jackhammering, of course. I think you would cut a trench from the vent stack over to where you want the shower to be. I'm with your husband on the mechanical toilet. I'd only use one of those if you didn't have gravity working for you, which you obviously do.

Hey, Houzzers, From a basement remodeler who is sadder but wiser, my advice to those who live in wet climates and who are thinking of finishing their basements is: Get to know and understand your home’s water drainage system. I learned by trial and error two drainage issues (and I am sure there is more to learn. I am just a hapless homeowner who is just learning about all this the hard way) so check with your professional for your own drainage situation and needs. Before you even think about doing your basement remodel: 1) Check your gutters and downspouts to make sure they are all using the advantages of gravity and that they are not sagging and that they are connected to drain pipes and draining properly and away from the house. Much of your home’s roof drainage system is likely unseen and underground. Make sure the ‘daylight’ end of the drain piping (piping that is likely connected to your downspouts underground and which runs out in the yard and that drains by gravity) is in tact and clear of debris. I didn’t even realize we had such drains out in our yard and we paid dearly for our ignorance when the drain pipes were blocked by leaves and soil And by the yard guys collapsing them by running over them with their trucks. We had to have “The Underground Detective” come in and help us find our drain lines—a very helpful guy, btw. 2) Be sure your sump pump system is in order, including a back up pump or battery or generator for storm outages or other failures. Additionally, if you don’t have a sump pump consider if you might want/need one (for our house we need two—one on each end of the basement). Secondly, find your exit drain pipe for your “footer drains” and/or sump pump (if you have a sump pump). I don’t know much about sump pump drainage because we don’t have one yet (we are getting them installed after 20 years of living here) but I am sure they have an exit drain, either separate or connected to your “footer drain” set up. These footer drains (which if you, like me, may not realize you have) are situated eight or so feet just underneath your foundation. They have at least one exit drain for overflow water that typically works by gravity or a pump and goes out in to the yard or maybe to your sewer system. This footer drain pipe should be separate from your roof gutter system drain pipes which I wrote about above, so that in the case one exit pipe gets clogged the other is not affected. Depending on the quality of materials used in your footer drains they may have corroded or be on the verge of corroding if your house is older (ours was built in 1991) as ours did. 3). If you are on a septic system, as we are, be sure to get your tanks pumped out regularly if you have tanks. I am sure there are different kinds of septic systems—ours uses tanks. My neighbor has lived in her house for ten years and never had her tanks pumped (ignorance again) and had her basement ruined by a horrible back up. (At least we knew enough to get ours pumped.) As I said, we are learning the hard way about our home’s drainage system. After twenty years of living here and having not so much as one drop of water come in to our basement, in 2018 during a winter of heavy rain we totally remodeled our basement, and after eight months of work, on the day the contractors were leaving, our basement flooded! We sustained major damage. The cause was poor gutter drain connections and blocked up exit drains for the roof system and footer drains around the house. A very very expensive mistake made out of ignorance. (Sob). Please don’t be ignorant and pay such a price like we are paying—pls inspect your drain systems and understand how they work.