10 Things I Did for a Basement Bathroom Installation

Need to know how to handle a basement bathroom installation? Here I am sharing 10 things I did that you will want to know about a basement bathroom installation from a builder rough-in.

When I say that a bathroom is not a quick or easy job, I say that because I know first hand. And if I can do it, YOU CAN, TOO!

I had just finished the basement bathroom in our old house before we put it on the market. Gosh, I loved that house!

It is where I thought we would live forever and where I truly cut my teeth on DIY. I had so many dreams I wanted to make a reality in that house.

But we sold it and moved back to Colorado to be near our grown children and I have no regrets. Although I still think about that house often and if I could have picked it up and moved it with me I would have!

So here we are. In a new house that had another unfinished basement and unfinished bathroom to be completed.

This 10-part series I have created will break down a basement bathroom installation and explain how I did it all!

It will answer popular questions I have been asked like “How do you work with a rough-in from the builder?”, “How hard is it to put a bathroom in a basement?”, “How do you move a roughed-in drain?”, “How do you tile on a cement slab?” and “What are the steps to take when finishing a bathroom?”, “How do you add a niche to a shower” and “How do you waterproof a shower?”.

How I did a basement bathroom installation:

Here are 10 things I did in my upcoming posts!

1. Coming up with a plan, creating a design board, and choosing materials.
2. Prepping the space and calculating the cost of adding a basement bathroom
3. Installing a shower niche
4. Waterproofing a tile shower and custom shower base.
5. Testing for a leak in minutes!
6. Tiling the shower and tools you need, should you tile a shower wall or floor first.
7. Adding flooring to the bathroom, tile that looks hand-painted.
8. Adding a vanity to the room + tips and tricks.
9. How to select the right toilet for your space, best toilet for a small space.
10. Adding board and batten to the space, small bathroom accent wall ideas.
11. Installing a glass shower door.

When we moved into our new, builder-grade spec home in August 2020, I knew that we would need to finish the basement soon after.

I was so excited to begin the project and did not wait long to begin. I drew the plans up and hired all the trades I needed and finishing our basement began in October.

Remember, we moved in in August. Talk about not wasting any time!! I just may be a glutton for punishment haha!

I acted as the general contractor for the basement and did much of the work myself. Knowing your limitations is the greatest piece of advice I can give you.

If you’re just getting started in finishing your basement and want to know all the details of what it takes, I created a one-stop place for ALL the things you need to know about how to finish a basement. You will also find a free checklist for a download of the order of steps to take in your basement finish.

 

Included in the items I was going to tackle myself was the full finish of the bathroom.

In full disclosure: This is the second bathroom I have finished from beginning to end and I am not a licensed contractor. But, I read a lot to educate myself and followed our local codes for the finish.

There is so much free information available to all of us so do your research.

For example, the toilet needs to be “x” amount of inches from the shower enclosure and “x” inches from the vanity. The “x” represents the code in your state and you can find that information online.

Be sure to check out the most recently posted codes before beginning to be sure you’re up to the task.

I can’t wait to share this series with you! Stay tuned for the series to begin and follow along to see how it all turned out! Let me know if you think you would ever tackle this project in the comments below!