How do we install a half-bath on our ground floor?
Question:On the ground floor, we have our kitchen and washer dryer near where we would put a half-bath. We've used Google to look for instructions, but haven't found much. The floor is cement (in the laundry room), tile in the kitchen, and hardwood in the dining room. (We are thinking a nook in between the laundry, dining room, and kitchen is the best place.) Please explain the basic steps for us to get started (do we need a designer?) and some basic info about what we'll need to do (pipes, licenses, tearing up the floor, what to avoid, etc.) I'm not concerned about *choosing* fixtures; we're just trying to figure out plumbing, hook-ups, & requirements. We're brave do-it-yourselfers! If you have good books or good websites to recommend, please do. (Please be very specific!) We would like to do all the labor ourselves, but will consult a contractor or designer for planning if needed. Also: what's the minimum square footage required for a 1/2 bath? Thanks, everyone!
Answers:
To start off as far as licensing and permits go, I could care less. However, I like a good quality job. To start out your going to need to build either a sub floor or rent a jack hammer. I assume you're going to want a toilet and that requires under the ground plumbing which is not easily done with a cement floor. I would build a sub-floor. I would use 2x6s 16 inches on center and nail together a quick sub-floor.
Then comes the plumbing. First you want to tap into your water pipe in the kitchen. That should be easy. Just disconnect two joining pipes and put in a splitter. You can then split this pipe twice for a sink and a toilet. You will need to do this for both hot and cold water. (I assume you can figure out how to install a faucet) After this comes the drain pipe. You need to do the same thing, but be care that the flow of gravity will move the waste into the septic tank or sewage line. Make sure it doesn't come out the kitchen sink. After this you can put the plywood on the sub floor, put drywall up, put in what ever floor you chose and install the fixtures. I very much like your idea. I would do it to if I were you. I would also not pay a contractor.
You need to check with the building codes in your area. If you don't build for certain local specifications you won't be able to sell the house later. As long as you have the right building permits then I'd say get a plumbing book from your lobrary and the blueprints for your house (so you odn't accidently hook up your toilet to your clean water etc) and talk to the guys at your local Home Improvement Store about the specifics.
Check with local contractors to see if its worth just paying someone to do it for the warranty etc. You never knw, it might be worth it and not too expensive.
Since you already have a washer in the area, you will already have hot and cold water lines. Those will need to be tee'd and continued to the area which you would like to place the half-bath. The problem is going to be the drains and the vents. Since you have a concrete floor you have two options. One would be to remove the concrete, install drains and vents, then re-pour the floor. The alternative is an upflush system. These systems contain a sealed resovoir with an electric pump which pumps waste water to sewage lines which can be installed above floor level or even in walls. Either way, it's not what I would consider an easy job.
As mentioned, the first step is to check your local building codes for everything.
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