Basement Bathroom


  #1  
Old 01-15-01, 07:13 PM
H
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This might be a pickle. We own a two story house with 2 1/2 baths. We desire a full bath in the basement. However, it doesn't appear that any plumbing is roughed in for one. Is there any liklihood, outside of dynamiting the house, that we can have a full bath in the basement? It has concrete floor and cement foundation. I don't want to ask a local contractor due to some unfortunate previous incidents of the assumption that we were in the business of wasting money (got a $1,700 bill for replacing the circulating pump on a boiler...was told this was at the very least 10X what the job was worth so I'm a little gunshy until I find out what is involved.)

Thanks
 
  #2  
Old 01-15-01, 08:20 PM
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I assume that you are on a city/town system. The best way is to rip up the concrete ,(not the whole basement but part of it)hook up your drain pipes, and then repatch with new concrete. I had the foresight to have my basement bathroom drains put in the floor when the house was built to make it easilier later on when I get around to do the bathroom. If you cannot do this yourself, there must be more than one contractor out in your area .If you had a bad experience with one, get several estimates and go from there. Contractors like any other business are out to make money, and the best way to protect yourself for jobs you simply cannot do yourself, if get several estimates and go from there, talk to any neighbours that you may to see if they have use any and their opinions. There first quote is not always their lowest price. They will also tell you anything to try to get the job and prevent you from looking elsewhere.

Once the drain pipes are installed , life although not a piece of cake, is easilier, and depending how knowledgeable you are , could do it yourself. I will do my basement bathroom myself when it comes time that I want to do it, but I personally would not be crazy about ripping up concrete and doing the drain pipe in the floor installation. Some people are able to do that themselves, but to me I'd rather take care of things above the basement floor not under it.

So it up to you how you want to approach , and which parts of the job will be done by outside help (ie.. contractor) and which parts will be done by yourself.

You realize you can save money by taking the contractor out of the picture and hiring the workers in stages yourself.
Basicly getting someone in to do the under basement floor, perhaps someone else to do the framing. Someone to do the electrical. Someone to do the drywall. Plumber , etc. The contractor has to pay these people and take a cut for himself. By you co-ordinating it all and knowing who is needed when, you cut out the contractors cut of the money. Perhaps certain stages of the contruction you can do yourself, that stage you save money by not having to pay others to do it. The contractor usually is the one that organizes all this, he may or may not do any of the work himself but takes a cut of the money for doing the co-ordinating .
 
  #3  
Old 01-16-01, 09:50 PM
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Before you start ripping out concrete, find out if your sewer or septic line is higher or lower than the floor of the basement. If it is higher, you won't have much choice but to let a pro do at least the rough-in for the bathroom. And it will make a great deal of difference, both in the amount of work involved, and the amount of money, if you have to have a sewage pump system installed in order to put a bathroom in your basement.
 
 

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