Basement Bathroom

Tips On How To Start Off Your Basement Bathroom Home Improvement Project

If you are thinking of upgrading your basement bathroom, or even upgrading your entire basement, which means adding a bathroom down there, then you will need a lot of planning time. A meticulously planned floor plan will enable you have that really great basement bathroom at a fraction of the cost. You plan should include everything from: the installation of plumbing and electrical conduits, down to where your medicine kit should be. The first and most important consideration when starting any basement bathroom home improvement project is the space. How much space can you really convert into a serviceable area? A few basements can be quite roomy, but the greater lot can be cramped, or oddly shaped, or subjected to a very low ceiling or a combination of these three factors.

Try to measure off the basement bathroom area. What particular corner or wall would it be occupying? If you already have an existing bathroom facility, try to gauge as to whether you want to keep that particular space or to change it. Changes can come in two forms. You have the liberty of increasing or decreasing its general utility area, or you may want to move the bathroom area to another spot in the basement plan altogether. Whatever your choice is, make sure that you take accurate measurements of the space, including the odd corners, exposed plumbing and whatnots.

After you have measured off your potential bathroom area, next comes to most tedious task: the actual planning process. This should culminate in a carefully constructed bathroom layout draft or floor plan draft. You need to make allowances or aesthetic improvements on possible problematical areas like installing a lean custom made cabinet to fill in the odd corner, or adding a layer of plywood to even out the sloping ceiling. Additionally, this would be the time to measure (or at least, know the measurements of) all possible fixtures you want to install in the basement bathroom. These would include the size of the bath tub and the shower, the sink, the toilet, etc. If you have a particularly roomy area, you might also want to install standing cabinets and all manner of storage areas. Or, you could always try putting up wall cabinets or cupboards as substitute.

Try to incorporate as much detail as you can with your bathroom layout. Some of the essential but often overlooked details include: Where will the light switches be located? What kind of lights will be installed? How many of these should be installed to provide complete and safe illumination? Will the bathroom door swing open inwards, outwards, or will you rather have a sliding door panel to save space? Where will the mirror(s) be installed? And how big should these mirror(s) be? Will you have a medicine kit hanging somewhere? Will the sink be a hanging sink, or a solid sink with possible storage areas underneath? How about towel racks and dirty laundry hampers, where should these go? What kind of flooring and wall designs would you rather have? Etc.

Once you have a rough draft of the things you want, you now need to consider what the space can actually provide for you. It would be best to call in one or more experts during this time. Ask a plumber if you?re your bathroom layout is a viable option. A bath tub in the corner you have chosen may not be suitable especially if it means that you have to have another expensive plumbing conduit installed for that purpose alone. Likewise, an electrician may advise against some of the additional electrical conduits you want installed, especially if these pose dangers to the rest of the architecture?s electrical supply.

Re-adjust your bathroom layout accordingly, and keep shopping around for the fixtures you need. Creating several drafts may be tedious, but this is a better alternative to a succession of expensive bathroom remodeling projects.