How I Built a Basement Bathroom: A Series

Welcome to my new series on how I built a basement bathroom from beginning to end myself. Can you believe it has been almost a year since I started this project?

Did it take me a year? Luckily, no.

This 10-part series will break it down, step-by-step, and answer your questions 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 tile a bathroom?” and “What are the steps to take when finishing a bathroom?”.

This 10-part series of how to finish a basement bathroom will include:

1. Prepping the space, creating a design board and choosing materials.
2. Cutting and installing a shower niche and choosing a waterproofing method.
3. Waterproofing the shower.
4. Getting the drain right.
5. Tiling the shower and tools you need.
6. Adding flooring to the bathroom.
7. Adding a vanity to the room + tips and tricks.
8. How to select the right toilet for your space.
9. Adding board and batten to the space.
10. Installing a glass shower door.

When we moved into our new, builder-grade 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 too long to begin. Acting as the general contractor for the basement and did a lot of the work myself. I created a one-stop place for ALL the things you need to know about how to finish a basement along with a checklist 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 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 all codes before beginning to be sure you’re up to the task.

I can’t wait to share this series with you. How long do you think this room took me?  Can’t wait to share!