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xeedoo

Bathroom dilemma in basement

xeedoo
14 years ago

We are in the process of getting our basement finished (about 1200 square feet). We are going to make it all open play/party area with a wet bar.

We are not able to make up our mind regarding bathroom. We ourselves do not see a need of bathroom in basement but is it going to be a big value add for resale value of house? We have 2 full bath and one 1/2 bath upstairs in the house.

Different contractors also seem to have different ideas about need of bathroom in basement. Please advise pro and cons of adding a bathroom.

Thanks in advance

Xee

Comments (12)

  • savemecash
    14 years ago

    Conventional wisdom - you should have a bathroom on each floor. Buyers expect it.

  • worthy
    14 years ago

    I could never see the need for indoor plumbing at my cottage. It had a perfectly good outhouse. But when I was getting it ready to sell, I put in a septic system and plumbing.

  • david_cary
    14 years ago

    Good answer worthy....

    1200 sq feet is a decent amount of area - I'd put a bathroom in. If it was 400 sq feet, i'd have a different answer.

  • beer_geek
    14 years ago

    Play/party area with wet bar. Partying and drinking and staggering up the stairs everytime someone has to go to the bathroom?

    VS.

    Having the ability to keep the party(or kids) isolated from the rest of the house.

    The first thing I put in the basement was the bathroom.

  • lazypup
    14 years ago

    The first consideration is where does your house sewer line exit the building?

    If it is lower than the basement floor adding a bathroom in the basement is generally not a big deal, but. if the line exits above the floor you would need to install a sewage ejector pump system. Because of the code mandated load factor for a sewage ejector pump if your house sewer is not 4" you would have to change the entire sewer line to the municipal sewer tap or the septic tank.

  • xeedoo
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions till now.

    Sewage ejector pump system is already there in the basement and is right next to bathroom proposed location. Approximate cost for full bathroom is coming around 5000$.

    I am leaning towards going ahead with the bathroom.. I will appreciate any suggestions if it is worth spending another 5k to have a full bathroom.

  • bmrbabe
    13 years ago

    Is it already plumbed? I'm trying to figure out why it would cost $10K. I would put in at least a 3/4 bath. A full bath would be better if cost isn't a huge issue.

  • hilltop_gw
    13 years ago

    It would be a deal breaker for me if I was a house buyer. I'd want a bathroom in a basement with a family room. If there's a bedroom down there then I'd want a shower as well.

    But it's your house and as you come to use the basement you'll appreciate having one down there.

  • bio-modified
    13 years ago

    Just finished a basement off in this foreclosure I purchased. When I bought the house, the copper rough in was already done, but I had to redue the existing soil line under the floor as they forgot the back water valve. That's about $1,000 if the plumber does it and has to rip it all out and install all new soil line including the shower drain and toilet line. Make sure they are license. Then the shower unit,valve, toilet, vanity, medicine cabinet, faucet, fan/light for shower, and so forth ran about $1,000. I choose a Auquaglass three piece 5 foot wide- similar to a legth of a bath tub. I have one if you need one, but the pan is cracked just a bit, about 4 inches and you can repair that. The walls are new. Plumber fees cost $750. Electrical fees cost around 650. The greenboard, sanding, priming and painting cost does add up. Think I used 13 sheets of green board and 12 sheets of drywall for the outside walls, use atleast 3 cans of mud. I say if you can get it done for 5 grand, your lucky. Try adding 15% to the cost for the unexpected for good measure.

  • bio-modified
    13 years ago

    Almost forgot, for anyone considering a basement remodel, the new guide lines on appraisal is only 10% of the value of the house regardless of what you do to the house as a whole. That's the info from my own banker/appraiser. Check with your appraiser for your area. We can thank the governmental controls over the bankers for that one.

  • jollyrd
    13 years ago

    argh!!! bio-modified, you just said what I was trying to reject in my mind. We have 2000 sq ft house and 2000 sq ft basement unfinished but we started to finish it hoping to do it ourself one room at a time.
    Because of this, we are doing the basement as WE want to see it. Who cares what the next buyer wants. Trends and desires change, and no two families will have the same use for the basement. Some like adults to hang out there, some like to send kids away, some just use it as utility room only. For what I know, the next buyer can demolish it all.
    But to answer the original question - I definately would want a bathroom on the same level - at the very least 1/2 bath - just to take care of the urge. But DH is actually adding a men's room close to the bar - sort of his personal "extra" feature. Since we are doing all labor ourself and try to find used fixtures and cabinets, he can have it. So we should end up with a 3/4 guest bath between living room and guest bedroom and men's room by the bar

  • sweebs
    13 years ago

    definitely go ahead with the bathroom. I wouldn't "expect" to be able to utilize anything as far as pre-roughed in plumbing. I have always had to re do drains that the builder roughed-in in the slab because they were either A. not done correctly, B. done, but in a different location compared to the blueprints, C. done correctly, but not acceptable for the proposed floor plan (yeah, a toilet right in front of the door is a GREAT idea),,,but if you can use anything that's already there, then you are at least a little ahead of the game - and like you said, the ejector pump is already there. The $5000 estimate most assuredly is assuming all the plumbing rough-ins are going to "work" - I would not be surprised to be notified that, oh-by the way, we're going to have to break up your slab, and re-route the drain line over this a way,,,,(for another grand)