Bathroom addition cost? (vent, more expensive, contractors, room)

[002]

I'm in the Dallas, TX area and have an 8x4 space in the 2nd floor of my house. Is on the top of the garage. We're thinking on adding a full bath with a shower.

Do you have an idea of how much may cost us to do JUST THE PLUMBING for that?

[rubytue]

Is there plumbing in the garage or nearby? That will reduce your costs, conversely, if the nearest water supply and vent stack are clear across the house then it will be a lot more.

For a data point, it cost us $3500 to replumb a 5x22' single bath into two bathrooms. So that was adding a bathroom, but the plumbing was already in the walls relatively close to where we needed it. I'd ballpark you between $4k and $10k, depending on location of pipes and location of house (NY/DC/CA more expensive that TN, IN, SD)

[002]

Thanks!
The utility room is on the first floor, next to the garage. A powder bath is next to the utility room, but not next to the garage.

[chet everett]

Much cost of retrofitting a bath depends on th existing framing and ability to access the unfinished floor -- unless you willing to build a "platform" for the floor flange and bath/shower drains it can get very costly to cut / reinforce floor joists. If you are starting with unfinished space you save a fortune.

The downside is the heated space. If garage is unheated you might have to think about "freeze proofing" the whole space even in Dallas things could get cold.

[nsumner]

I think that the 8 X 4 space is not going to be enough to put a full bath. Just a sink and commode. I would guestimate about 5-7K for the whole thing. You should have a water spigot on both sides of the garage as the water source.

Pick up the greensheet the next time you go to the store, lots of contractors on there.

Naima

[Tenzo]

I had a nice bathroom in a 4 by 6 space once.

Granted; you could sit on the toilet, brush your teeth at the sink and soak your feet in the tub all at the same time.

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by nsumner

I think that the 8 X 4 space is not going to be enough to put a full bath. Just a sink and commode. I would guestimate about 5-7K for the whole thing. You should have a water spigot on both sides of the garage as the water source.

Oh good point. I didn't even think of that. Building code generally requires a 5x8 minimum. Our county follows it, and the smaller bathroom we built is basically code minimum (with an alcove for the door). Fits a 25" vanity, toilet, and 5' tub just find, but all the spacings are again, code minimum. Would be easier to fit with a pedestal sink, but we wanted the storage.

Maybe you aren't somewhere with building codes, and you could get away with it. Or maybe you aren't thinking of pulling permits? If its the second, and you might sell within the next 10 years, I'd seriously reconsider as it can come back to bite you at the time you sell, especially if you aren't meeting code.

Originally Posted by Tenzo

I had a nice bathroom in a 4 by 6 space once.

Granted; you could sit on the toilet, brush your teeth at the sink and soak your feet in the tub all at the same time.

Differnece is that was an existing space, probably in an older home. Adding something new should follow current codes.

[Eusibius2]

FWIW - my wife and I are re-doing our 1/2 bath into a full bath, going from 4x6 to 4x9. We chunked out the furthest wall (adding 3x4 floor space) and created a nice shower stall. Sink and toilet are remaining in place. Besides the additional shower, our next major hurdle was our cast iron piping needed to be replaced with copper, but would never have known that until we began the work. We're not quite done yet (almost!), but so far looks like it will run us about $7,000 (Chicago area) including material and labor.