Hi,

Not sure if should put this in the Kitchen/Bathroom or Basement forum..

I'm wondering if anyone can share the DIY costs of adding a basement bathroom. I've gotten one quote from a plumber to rip up the concrete, rough in the plumbing, and patch the floor, for $1100. In retrospect, I would probably do the patching to save a little bit of money. I'm having a pro do this since we have old cast-iron and I don't want to be the one cracking that open.

I'm trying to add up the costs of the obvious items, shower, toilet, sink/vanity, etc. I'm looking for what are the hidden expenses that people have run into in a project like this. Pictures/experience would be appreciated.

Few other thoughts/questions:

- Tile the shower yourself vs. buying one of the plastic shower units? I realize tile is more labor intensive, but if the cost is the same or cheaper than the shower units, I'd rather do tile. Plan to have a stall shower, not a tub.

- Better to tie in the vent into existing stack pipe (just above existing first-floor bathroom) or have a second vent pipe going through the roof? I plan to have a near-horizontal run for the vent pipe (3") and then take it up through the existing wet wall (for the first floor bathroom). I'm fine with cutting out some plaster (above the highest fixture) in order to crack open the existing CI stack, and join the two stacks. Current CI stack is 4".

- Does the exhaust fan for a basement bathroom just exit the house with a hole cut out just above the sill plate?

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

 

You could save money if you do the floor demo and patching, have them mark it out, but let the pro's do the DWV. You can rent a concrete saw in a lot of places, but dust is always a problem. There are lots of ways to do a shower stall, from an all hand done tile to a ready-to-use plastic unit. Depends on your skills, budget, ambition.

 

We're trying to keep it down to $2000, with me doing just about everything except the DWV under the floor. We don't expect to stay here for more than a few more years, but we'll also use this bathroom everyday (currently only have one bathroom). We can't go all out, but we also don't want something that will fall apart.

I haven't done much tiling before (just floors), and I'm not sure how perfect I could get a tile shower (these are some great examples: Ceramic tile shower photos, building a ceramic tile shower pictures) without any experience.

How does a corner, square tile shower compared to the prefab'd inserts? I'm seeing prices of $300-$600, so it feels like unless you go with really expensive tile, the tile will probably be cheaper.

 

Well, you have to remember, those showers you linked to are done by pro's. Some DIYers can achieve something like that, but it takes time and patience. I would have a properly tiled shower over a prefab anyday.

Alot more labor involved with tiling then prefab, but it's worth it IMO. I won't even begin to give you quotes on tiling a shower, but a good tiled shower will START at about $2k in my area.

 

Right...I'm not sure that I can do a shower as perfect as I'll want being that it's my first time. I'm also looking at the Schluter drain/waterproofing system to help make it easier (I'm probably most worried about building a proper mortar bed with the slope & drain than anything else). Also, given that it's a basement bathroom, it will be a good practice run for the other bathrooms.

 

You wanna build a bathroom with a shower for $2k? You gotta be kiddin?

Heck, a 3 mile an hour ding with your 25K car will cost more than that!

Jaz

 

Only $900 left, already paid the plumber $1,100.