How to Build a Luxury Basement Bathroom

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In this luxury Bathroom DIY video, I am building a basement bathroom from rough plumbing. I went from a storage space to a luxury bathroom for about $7,000 by doing everything I could myself and shopping around for the best contractors for the rest. You can do it yourself, the first step is believing you can! I hope you enjoy my video about building a basement bathroom from scratch!

I will show you how I designed the layout, framed the walls, removed the concrete, roughed in plumbing, roughed in electrical, hung drywall, finished the drywall, textured the drywall, installed the flooring, Installed the drop ceiling and then installed the plumbing fixtures. I also will show you how I installed the pocket door.

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First, locate the rough plumbing and identify what is where. You should have a drain for the toilet, sink and shower/tub. Look around the space to determine roughly where you think walls will need to be.

Figure out all the plumbing fixtures you want to use and look up the dimensions. Then either sketch or use free online software to develop the floor plan. Be sure to consider door swing and standard spacing called out in your local building code.

When you like your floor plan, sketch it on the concrete to see if it make sense.

When you are done planning, be sure to pull the proper permits before starting your work.

If you have any drains that are not in the correct spot or if you need to add a drain, you will need to remove the concrete. Here is how I like to do this:

-Mark concrete that needs to be removed

-Use a hammer drill to drill holes around the perimeter about every inch

-Scoop the fill stone out from under the concrete you are about to break off.

-Use a heavy sledge hammer and break off some of the concrete

repeat scooping stone out and hitting with sledge until you have it all removed.

Then, move the drain as shown, put removed fill stone back in the hole and then fill back in with concrete.

Frame the walls with 2x4 construction per your plan. If ductwork or plumbing can be easily moved out of the way, do that. If not, you will have to frame in the duct work as shown.

I did not want a door swinging into my space, so I chose to use a pocket door.

Figure out where you want the door, If there is already a wall there, you will have to remove the studs that are where the door will go. Carefully cut the studs in the middle and pull them back. If you do it right, there will be almost no damage to the drywall on the other side of the wall.

Now, either frame out the door opening or install the pocket door frame. Now carefully cut drywall for the opening of the door. You can install the door now or after drywall is up. I chose to install now to keep dust out of the finished side of the basement.

Now install rough pluming. If you are starting with roughed in plumbing your builder installed, all that you will need to do is install the supplies by tapping into the existing plumbing. For the drains, tap into the sink drain and install either a shower pan, or a tub drain flange. Most newer houses use PEX plumbing which makes this much easier. Call an plumber if you are uncomfortable doing this yourself.

Install your rough electrical boxes and wiring. Call an electrician if you are uncomfortable doing this yourself.

You will need one supply for HVAC in the ceiling and one bath vent that runs to the outside of the house. Locate the main supply trunk for your basement and add duct work to the bathroom ceiling.

For the vent, be sure to determine what CFM is required for the sq/ft of your bathroom per you local building code.

Call and HVAC contractor if you are uncomfortable doing this yourself.

I used moisture resistant green board in my entire basement including this bathroom. Start buy hanging the drywall. Then apply mud in the seams then use drywall tape to tape the seams. Then fill all holes and apply more coats to the seams and corners until you have a very flat and smooth surface. Now prime the walls and spray your desired texture. Once the texture is dry, prime again.

I used vinyl plank in my bathroom with a insulating thin foam underlayment.

Clean the floor, roll out and tape the underlayment and then just install the vinyl plank per the manufacturers instructions.

Install the door trim, baseboards and 1/4 round. If you want to install any accent wall of any kind such as shiplap or tile, you can do this now or before you install the flooring.

Choose what kind of ceiling you want to install. If you used drywall, you would have done it back in the step where I covered drywall. If you do a drop ceiling, this is a good point in the process to install it. I chose a tin drop ceiling for looks and the agility to access plumbing and HVAC above the ceiling.

Now, install the sink, toilet and tub per the manufacturer instructions. If you were doing a shower it would have been done before drywall.

Also, install any lighting fixture, switches, outlets and covers.

Finally, put the finishing touches on your project. Choose a mirror that fits the room. Paint a color that fits the theme of your room. Hang towel rods. Add décor if you choose. Then pour a beverage of your choice and get in that tub for a well deserved soak!