Basement Bathroom Costs

ktulu05

Hi,

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

Thanks,
Kevin

J187

Hi Kevin... I know you dont' want to hear this, but this is one of the most impossible questions to answer. The cost of the obvious things is going to vary incredibly depending on your tastes.. A bathtub for example ranges from the in-stock builders grade $99 special to upwards of $10,000 for a fancy clawfoot, champagne bubble jet tub! A "typically" free standing shower enclosure will run you from $500-800 depending on size, providing you buy the in-stock box store equipment. Special order could double that. Toilets - you could spend $1000 on a high effiecency etc. but Would probably end up in the $200-400 range for an average unit. You can get a 24" vanity/sink combo for $100. You can get a seperate vanity and a drop in sink in 36" for around $400-500. A nice granite top with a basic vanity will run you $600+.

If this is a second or third bath and its a smaller, basment area- there is nothing wrong with using a standing shower unit - I'm planning on using a nice corner unit for my basement. Obviously tile looks best - but its money and time! Lots of time if you do it right! It depends on your space as well. A 32" shower area will feel pretty small to you. So, sometimes to get a decent use shower in a smaller bath, those prefabbed standing units save you some much-needed framing space. My house had a fiberglass tub/shower remodel unit - a cheapo unit and it cracked. If it came down to that or tile, I'd tile at all costs. Those shower units like the corner units and such, are different than that.

ktulu05

We're looking to do this on the cheaper side, as we don't expect to be there forever (no special order kind of stuff, but no paper-thin shower stalls either). Sink/Vanity, toilet, stall shower, probably in a corner.

However, we will be using this bathroom, so we want to use decent materials. I have done a fair amount of renovations, including 2 kitchens, but never a bathroom. Currently we only have one bathroom (which also needs a gutting) on the first floor. Probably looking at a standard 5'x8' bathroom layout. My best guess is that the cast iron sewer line in the floor is about 5' away from where the bathroom would go, so it's not a lot of concrete to tear up and repair.

I've looked at some of the cheap shower units at the big-box stores, and they seemed paper-thin. They also had some that were pretty solid looking, and since we plan to use this bathroom daily, I'm going to be building something that will last.

I'm hoping to stay around $2k in our budget. We recently had a house appraiser in our house, and he said in our area, an average bathroom in the basement will add about $5k to an appraisal.

Ron6519

With that budget, you're doing it yourself. And coincidently, this is a DIY forum.
So ask any questions you need the answer to.
Ron

ktulu05

Yep, absolutely will be doing it myself. I might hire out the cast iron stack work (rough plumbing), but other than that, I plan to do this myself (with permits).

J187

Adding a bathroom in the basement on average in your area adds $5K?? Where are you, that seems low to me.

dgbehrends

I'm in MN and that seems accurate to me. I'm guessing he is from the midwest
I recently had a quote done to do all the plumping and fixtures for a basement bathroom. Included a tub and tub enclosure, kohler toilet and sink with cabinet. No concrete work would be needed as it's already roughed in and the plumbing work wouldn't be more than 6-10 feet for the longest run. The quote was $1850. That leaves electrical, bath fan, lights, flooring, sheetrock, paint, door+trim and some extra framing. I think I would be up around 3-4k when all is said and done. Unless you really go on the cheap, I think you will be hard pressed to stay under your 2k budget.

This is my second bathroom remodel. In my old house I did wall to wall tile, including the floor with a nice kohler pedestal sink and toilet, plus an Aker jet bath ($1100) and the total was over $7k, but we had to bump out a wall and do some framing, plus had to move the toilet drain, which meant breaking up the cement.

__________________
D in MN

J187

Remodel magazine 2006 National averages...

Bathroom Remodel – Mid-Range – With an average job cost of $10,449 and an average resale value of $10,727, you can expect to recoup approximately 102.2% on this project.

RippySkippy

If those numbers are accurate (which I'm not disputing) it wouldn't be worth the hassle if I had to hire it out. Lets say I would spend $5K for materials, toss in my labor and enhance the resale by $10K....now we're talk'n....just my perspective...

__________________
when it comes to breakfast, the chicken is dedicated, the pig is committed.
LMASD

J187

I'm not sure I follow? Typically a return of 90% is considered excellent in real estate. Over 100% is ridiculously good. You spend $10k hiring the job out - you get a renovated bathroom to live with, use and love, and at the same time increase the equity in your home by more than you spent... If anything I bet the percentage from the magazine is a bit high, realistically its probably a little lower.

dgbehrends

Yep I think that's either an east coast or west coast magazine. It's definitely less than that in the midwest unless you put in golden fixtures

__________________
D in MN

Ron6519

None of those magazine ,"recoup" figures relates to basement renovations. They are all above ground guesstimates.
Ron

RippySkippy

What I'm saying...if it were my family's home and realize a return of $278 after spending 10K, it's not worth my time. That's not good enough. Let's NOT spend 10K hiring it out...let's spend 5K by DIY and if it's done well...still realize the added resale value of $10,727. Now, rather than increasing the resale by $278, I have an increase in value of $5,727, plus all the benefits you mention. I would rather have 214% return than 100% or god-forbid 90%, wouldn't you?

For a home improvement project of this scope, I want the maximum impact for the dollars spent and to achieve that, I'm the one that will have to do the work...eat the dust and provide the sweat....not that that's a bad thing...it's just the reality and I'm good with that. I also realize that not everyone is cut out to do this type of project...and I've said many times, it's more important to figure out what you don't know that what you do.

I've got an unfinished basement living space of about 2K sqft that I'm getting ready to start working on...and you know...I'm not even giving it a second thought about my plans for the space because as you said it will enhance the living for my family in our home. All I know is that when it comes time to sell it...it will pay for itself. If I were to hire it out, sure, I'd have to really watch the $ because now because they are not going as far. Eventually I'll realize the gain...more importantly I have the pride in doing it and doing it well.

So why is this important to the OP? Consider doing it yourself...if not all of it...at least what you can...that's what this board is about...good luck with your decision making process....

__________________
when it comes to breakfast, the chicken is dedicated, the pig is committed.
LMASD

LeviDIY

I'm towards the tail end now of an existing bathroom DIY remodel... project scope for me did not include rerouting plumbing or electrical, but it sounds like you are getting a pro for that (probably a good idea), so on the "rest"... here is my breakdown... we are in a 2bd/2ba condo, this is the 2nd/guest bath, so the standard 5'x8' space, and keeping it on the cheaper side - almost all from Home Depot:
- Moisture (green board) and cement board (tiling shower surround area) and fasteners/adhesive, tape, joint compound, taping knives, cement board saw blades, hole saws, random tools: $200
- Toilet: $120 on sale (all in one unit)
- Home Depot stock granite vanity top w/ sink: $199 (keeping existing vanity, sanding down and painting
- Pegasus Sink faucet/handles & basic plumbing connections/tools: $125
- Primer/Paint/supplies: $50
- Tile (basic 3"x6" subway tile and some accent pieces), thinset, sealer, spacers, grout, sponges: $300

Some $$ savers for me: not doing the floor and keeping existing bathtub (although gonna need to refinish it with a lot of debris getting on it... any ideas out there on this?). Also, I hate buying tools I'm only going to use once, so I try to multi-task some tools I had already.

Mop in Hand

Just off the top of my head. Lumber, nails, insulation, staples, screws, caulk, mirror, light fixture, fan, hose, vent, flooring, adhiveses, door, trim, door knob, towel racks, paint, shower door, mud, tape, mixer valve with trim, shower head, p-trap, angle valves, supply lines, heat, rough in plumbing and wiring, gfci outlet.