Building a Basement Bathroom

Perhaps you own an older home that was built with only one bathroom and want to expand your living space. Adding a bathroom to your home can greatly increase its value if you decide to sell it someday, and it'll add to it convenience right away. Anyone with a family or frequent guests knows how frustrating it can be to have to wait in line at the bathroom door. That's why building a basement bathroom is such a good idea. It's not as hard as you might think, and it has an enormous number of benefits.

There are a number of considerations you should take into account when you build, however. That's because drainage works differently in the basement, and most basements also have a few things in common. They're often dark and damp, and may be chilly as well. You'll need to treat your plumbing and the entire bathroom design with special care if you're going to get a bathroom that works well. However, building a basement bathroom is something that you can do on your own, if you have the right skills and knowledge.

One solution to the drainage problem is to use a sewage ejector pump and a sump installed below the concrete floor. This method does require excavation of the floor, but it'll allow you to flush a basement toilet easily, as well as handling the waste water from shower and sink. There are also toilets equipped with grinding mechanisms to deal with waste and flush it out easily. These require no excavation, but are often costly. You may hear some noise after flushing as the motor kicks in, but the functioning is otherwise very difficult to notice.

Of course, if your building has a drain below the level of your basement, no pump at all will be needed. Find where the main drain comes out of the house, and see how deep it is. If it's below the level of the basement floor, you'll have no trouble building a basement bathroom the normal way. One way to tell if your drainage is below the basement floor level is if your basement has floor drains for easy cleaning. A professional plumber can also tell you where your drain lines are located. It's a good idea to sketch out your proposed basement bathroom before you talk to the plumber. He or she can tell you if what you want to do is actually a good idea.

Building a basement bathroom is a great idea for just about any home, and if you know the setup of your house and what you want, it won't even be hard. You just have to know what to expect and be ready to deal with it. If you're thinking about building a bathroom in your basement, take the time to draw up a detailed plan and budget, and the whole process will get much simpler.

Thomas Johnsen is the Author and Leading Expert on Building Basement Bathrooms and the creator of the publication Building Basement Bathroom 101. Visit the site now to find the easy-to-understand step-by-step guides on basement bathroom construction available online today