Welcome to Creating a Bathroom from scratch. Join us as we take on a huge project with amazing results and benefits for your home. We will be taking a journey thru the entire process from beginning to end. Make sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them for better detail. So, are you ready for an incredible project? Let’s get started.

A Second Bathroom

We have a two-story cape with the bedrooms on the second floor. There was no bathroom upstairs resulting in a trip downstairs every time the bathroom was needed. Not the best situation, especially for those late-night trips to the bathroom. The solution, add a bathroom upstairs.

Adding a bathroom not only enhances the functionality and convenience of your home making daily routines smoother, but also increases the home’s value by around 3%. You can expect a return on investment (ROI) of about 50% to 70%, depending on the market and the quality level of the bathroom furniture, fixtures, and finishes added.

A lot of planning is needed, especially on a project of this magnitude. As with any construction project, you are going to have workers traveling back and forth thru your home and can expect some mess. A good licensed professional will hopefully clean up after themselves, if not, ask them to. It helps to be flexible on the timeline as a lot of factors affect it. For example, whether or not you are using a contractor versus DIY. With DIY, you are going to need to get quotes, and then select and schedule licensed plumbers and electricians to complete the permitted work. Inspections will have to be scheduled at different stages along the way as well.

The Plan for Creating a Bathroom from Scratch

The Assessment

Adding a bathroom without building an addition onto your home is possible. You need to have an unused space or a space that you are willing to transform.

Assess any existing plumbing that may be running through the walls next to, above, or below the space. Access is key. You need to figure out where resources can be routed. Electricity is easily run through walls to where it is needed.

For us, we had this space (pictured on the right) that used to belong to the guest room and was being used as my office until we completed the Basement Transformation with a home office and home theatre.

Creating a Bathroom Layout

Once the location is decided upon, measurements and drawings need to be created. These drawings can be done on graph paper to scale making space planning possible.

Upon the completion of the first draft, the decision was made to move the wall separating the guest room and the future bathroom by 4 inches and that made all the difference in the world. It gave us a 6 feet by 11 feet space or 66 square feet for the bathroom, a gain of 4 inches in width. we lost 6 inches in the guest room but it had little effect to the rooms space.

That puts it in the large category. It was also determined that the new dividing wall would be changed from 2×4 to 2×6 construction. This was to accommodate plumbing. These drawings that you do can be used for pulling the necessary permits.

There are probably going to be limitations due to plumbing accessibility as to the toilet placement so that is a good place to start. From that point, you decide on the placement of your sink/sinks and your tub or shower.

Also, be aware that in cold climates, where temperatures go below freezing, plumbing should not be installed in exterior walls or roof structures of a frame house or building, if possible, due to pipe freezing. Not a good thing!

Be sure to draw in where lighting and electrical outlets are desired. A bathtub carries a lot of weight. So, if on a second floor, you need to ensure that the flooring structure is sufficient. For that reason and our personal preference, we decided to go with a walk-in shower.

Space

Maximizing the space is important and you want to have a good flow with minimal obstructions. We, through our careful space planning, were able to design and incorporate a concealed laundry area in the space as well. That being said, plumbing and electricity for the laundry area need to be factored in.

This phase is where you are going to consider the size of the shower (if you’re not doing a tub), and things like single or double vanity. It can be a fun process to create your space, even though at this phase it is only on paper. The vision and imagination take hold and the possibilities reveal themselves.

Choosing Bathroom Finishes

This is where the fun continues. You get to explore the many options available to you in the world of color, textures and finishes, and materials for your new bathroom.

Plumbing & Electrical

For this phase of the project, I recommend opening the walls up for the plumbers and electricians. It will cut down on labor costs and make the job go smoother making it easier to place all the fixtures exactly where you want them to be.

It will also provide good access for inspections and replacing wall board is recommended anyway so that you can install water-resistant green board or even cement board in the shower area for tiling.

All of the plumbing and electrical supplies for our upstairs bathroom creation needed to be run from the basement. Traveling up through the main level bathroom wall, which had to be opened up, to the upstairs.

Because of this, the main level bathroom wall had to be expanded from 2×4 up to 2×6 dimensions to accommodate the rather large main drain pipe which also made an appearance over the refrigerator. The electrical wiring followed the same path. Go here to see more visual detail

The Plumbing That Makes it all Work

It is not something that you want to mess with unless you happen to be a licensed plumber because that is what you need. Plumbing installed correctly is so important for so many reasons.

• One, you’ve pulled a permit and the rough-in will be inspected.
• Two, the correct layout for water supply and drainage needs to be designed in such a way for proper function and efficiency.
• Three, you don’t want to risk future leak or water pressure issues, which are less likely when done by a professional.

Once you have secured a plumber, the work begins with the plumbing rough-in. You need to make sure that your layout plans are finalized and reviewed by your plumber for feasibility. Once the work on the rough-in is done there is no going back or changes without major expense.

When the plumbing rough-in is done, the picture of the layout that you have designed begins to emerge. You can actually visualize how it is going to look and function. Now the electrical rough-in can begin.

I recommend having the plumbing done first because electric is much more flexible than plumbing. It’s much easier for an electrician to work around plumbing than a plumber to work around wiring.

Must Have Electricity

Before the electrical rough-in begins, decisions need to be made. You, at this point, have decided where the lighting, electrical outlets, and exhaust fan are to be located.

In the planning stage, you can decide if you want wall sconces, recessed lighting, and the quantity and location of electrical outlets for your convenience.

One more thing to be considered in your new bathroom is heated flooring, especially if you are in a colder climate. This needs to be factored in when you are in the planning stages of the project for placement of the wiring for the floor heating and wall-mounted thermostat.

Once the electrical rough-in is done, you are ready to move on. Decide on your light switch style and outlet style ensuring that GFCI is used in the necessary locations.

Flooring, Walls & Ceilings

Prior to Creating a Bathroom, We had removed all surfaces from the space as part of the demolition process prior to beginning the project. All the surfaces need to be recovered now that the plumbing and electrical are roughed in. Now the space will take on a whole new appearance that is very exciting.

Ceiling

Once you have the subfloor down, you’ll have a solid surface to walk and work on. I recommend covering the ceiling with green board next, before moving onto the walls. If the roof is above you (as shown in these pictures) make sure that your insulation is up to code before covering it.

When doing recessed lighting and the exhaust fan, cutouts will have to be made where each fixture is to be located. In our case, we had the exhaust fan along with 7 recessed lights. The reason for doing this first is so the walls can butt up under and against the ceiling.

The paint and or decorative finishes will be finalized later. This will consist of textured three dimensional bead board wall paper covering that is painted over then the addition of hand crafted, non load bearing, faux wood beams across the ceiling stained in a darker finish for contrast.

How do You Want to Finish the Walls?

Once the subfloor is down and the ceiling is up, the walls can be covered up again. If they are exterior walls on a frame house, make sure the insulation is up to code or make it so.

It is recommended to use green board on the walls and you may even want to consider concrete board (unless you are using the Schluter System as we did) in the shower area.

Using the Schluter System provides a water tight floor shower pan and wall panel system in the shower area including two wall niches for shampoo, soap, razors and other shower needs, This water tight panel system can then be tiled over once the installation is complete.

You can mix your finish surfaces to suit your style. After the walls are covered in green board or cement board, the end finishes can be applied.

The shower walls are going to be tiled and the remainder of the bathroom walls are going to be finished with the lower half of the walls covered in a beadboard wallpaper and the top half painted with a moisture resistant bathroom paint separated by molding.

The Right Flooring for Creating a Bathroom

The space previously had a 1/2 plywood subfloor. We decided to go with a tile floor so a beefed up subfloor is a good idea to give a solid foundation for the tile and prevent tile cracking in the future. 3/4 inch plywood did the trick.

The next layer to go over the 3/4 plywood is the underlayment to install the heat strips for the heated floor and then topped off with the tile.

Heated Flooring

We decided to install heated flooring which is easy to incorporate when it’s part of the original plans versus retro fitting an existing bathroom floor. We went with Schluter Systems after some research and learning about the superior quality that their products offer.

Heated flooring is something that I had never experienced before. I must say, it was well worth the investment, especially in cooler climates with a tile floor. There is nothing like standing at the sink brushing your teeth or stepping out of the shower on a warm floor.

It doesn’t hurt your homes value either. Heated flooring is a desirable feature in a home when considering resale appeal and value. Go here for a closer look:

Tile

The tile is then laid down in the correct pattern and then grouted. The finish is beautiful and solid.

The Walk in Shower

In Creating a Bathroom, there is nothing like a roomy shower that you can move around in and actually stretch your arms out in. The walk in shower ended up being 3 feet by 6 feet. That’s 18 square feet of spectacular space to wash up.

Especially when that shower is designed from scratch with the features that you want, where you want them. As mentioned before, we went with the Schluter System in the shower. It allowed us to design the shower to our dimensions and specifications. Using this system also made creating the shower pan a breeze.

We were able to place our plumbing fixtures exactly where we wanted them and incorporated a bench and two wall niches into the design. The water delivery is in the form of a rain head shower over head and a separate hand held sprayer mounted separately on the wall and all controlled by a valve system for water pressure, temperature and water direction. Take a closer look here:

The only thing prefabricated is the door system. It was preconstruction selected so the space was ultimately built to accommodate them. The end result is a shower that is an enjoyable experience to use. See them here:

The Laundry Room

Who wouldn’t love a second floor laundry room? (if you have a second floor of course). After rearranging the layout several times, we came up with a plan that allowed for us to incorporate an enclosed laundry area.

Due to limited space, several options were considered. Side by side washer and dryer were out because the width wouldn’t allow it. We planned on stacking our full size front load machines.

In the process of debating where to make the hole in the wall to vent the dryer, we came across an advertisement for GE PROFILE™ Ultra Fast Combo ” One and Done” full size combination washer and dryer.

We did our research and decided to go for it. Heat pump technology is used and isn’t vented outside. They are more energy efficient. It runs on a standard electrical current. Two machines in the space of one. It was a no brainer.

The space savings allowed us to install upper cabinets for storage. We were also able to install a small base cabinet next to the machine with a counter on top. On the wall is a fold out hanging rack and the entire area is enclosed by double French style doors. It turned out to be a full functioning laundry room. Doing so also adds appeal and value to any home, and convenience galore.

Bathroom Fixtures and Features

In the grand scale of the creation you are undertaking, there is another important task to be complete. Shopping for and choosing your bathroom fixtures that you will be using every day. A toilet, a sink and vanity, the faucets, as well as any medicine cabinets, mirrors and any shelving you may want. An exhaust fan and lighting fixtures need to be chosen as well.

The Right Fixtures for You

Toilet:

There is a multitude of choices when it comes to selecting a toilet. There are different heights available as well as elongated or round bowls. Then you have different styles available to match your taste and desired appearance. You can choose the GPF (gallons per flush) for water savings as well.

There are Color choices to consider as well. The most common choices are white and beige (bone or biscuit). However, you can get black, forest green, blue or even pink to give it that retro look. Needless to say, we went with white.

Sink / Vanity

The sink and vanity go hand in hand and depend on your space which is determined when all the measurements are taken and the plans are drawn up. If the space is available, you may want to consider a double vanity as we did.

Sizes for a double vanity start at 60 inches long and go up from there. You have many choices when it comes to styles and storage. Some people (space allowing) opt for two smaller vanities to create individual sink areas. Either way, it’s purely a matter of space, preference and needs. These selections are made before the plumbing ruff in so that everything can be plumbed in the correct place.

Then, it’s completed with faucets and two wall mounted medicine cabinets with valuable storage, chosen for their function and style, separated by the wall sconces. Another convenient addition was to place USB charging outlets in the center of the vanity incase your phone or another device need charging. It’s the little things that make the difference.

Lighting and Ventilation

Lighting and ventilation are important factors in your new bathroom. The best source of both are windows. Some spaces have them and some don’t. Either way you will still need mechanical ventilation and lighting.

The exhaust fan is vented outside. They can have added features besides just ventilation. There are lighting options as well as heating options. There are even exhaust fans with built in WIFI/Bluetooth speakers for music. The choice is yours.

Lighting is just as important. Task and general lighting options are plentiful. What ever your choices end up being, I recommend going with LED as the source. It is energy efficient and a cool temperature. You can select the temperature of the light to get the desired effect. We went with 7 recessed (LED) lighting fixtures, including two in the shower, and three wall sconces beside the mirrors. They give you good facial light as well as being attractive. In the laundry room we opted for installing LED Lighting Strips (also known as tape lighting) above the doors and over the counter.

Decor and the Finishing Touches

You are probably thrilled with how Creating a Bathroom turned out. You have a chosen a paint color and painted. Now you get to decorate with shelves, maybe a plant and some pictures. You get to select your soap dishes, tooth brush holder, rugs, and all the other accessories to finish the bathroom off. And if space permits, furniture. It’s all about making it your own. Show off your personal touch! You, after all, are the one that gets to live with your choices. See our selections here:

It may seem like a long journey but, through all the planning, designing and dreaming, getting the right professionals and all the patience and hard work that you put into this project, YOU MADE IT! The end result is fantastic and is going to be enjoyed everyday improving your quality of life as it did ours.

No more trips down the stairs in the middle of the night and laundry no longer has to be carried down two flights of stairs. The value to the home is incredible in everyway. Financial value as well as personal quality of life. I hope that you have enjoyed taking this journey with me, till next time.

References and Additional Resources

• Design Solutions
• Bathroom Design
• Top Bathroom Designs and Trends
• How to add another bathroom to your house
• How to Add a Bathroom

Hiring Professionals for Creating a Bathroom

• When to DIY vs. when to hire professionals
• Vetting contractors and getting quotes
• Cost to Add a Bathroom