Transforming a Basement: Maximizing Space and Functionality
The Challenge
The homeowners had two (2) areas in their basement that were no longer working for them. They needed more usable space for their growing family and to better accommodate guests. The plan involved converting a powder room into a full bathroom by adding a shower and making the under-used space in the laundry/utility room into a new bedroom. See below for the “BEFORE” photos.
The Transformation Journey
In this blog post, RMC Builders will guide you through the renovation venture of this basement, highlighting the challenges faced and the creative solutions implemented to maximize the available space.
Powder Room to a Full Bathroom
For the powder room, we helped the client figure out the best layout for the new full bathroom. An existing closet next to the powder room was eliminated to make way for the new shower. While the sink remained in place by the entrance door, we needed to find the best locations to relocate the toilet and add the new shower. However, one corner of the new bathroom was limited by the space underneath the basement stairs, which restricted headroom in that area.
The large shower and glass shower door gave a feeling of openness in a relatively small area. The height and overall size of the new shower would have been limited by the slope of the ceiling below the staircase, and moving the toilet allowed for the shower to be built in this previously occupied space. This new layout even gave way for a linen closet to be built with the remaining space of the new shared wall with the shower.
One customization the homeowners decided to include early on was a pocket door versus a swing door to save space. There wasn’t a good way for the door to swing as it would have been in the way of the new shower if it swung into the bathroom or it would have impeded the hallway and entrance to the bedroom door. The new bathroom layout, pocket door, and linen closet were all ways that we were able to maximize the existing space while staying within the budget.
Bedroom Conversion for Comfort and Functionality
The layout of the new bedroom changed slightly from the original layout - as one wall was moved to accommodate the changes in the bathroom. The other changes in the new bedroom were the removal of existing plumbing from the laundry room, sink and refrigerator and the removal & relocation of electrical outlets to better align with the bedroom. Removing the old tile and installing the LVP flooring gave the new bedroom a cozier and warmer feel. Also, we swapped out for a larger door to the home gym, matching the new door to the existing doors in the rest of the house. Putting in the larger door allowed all the exercise equipment to fit into the gym! The new bedroom will help the homeowners more comfortably host family & guests in this new space.
Under Construction: A Sneak Peek into the Modifications:
Demo Day - This was the 1st step in creating the new bathroom and bedroom. We took down the wall between the existing closet & powder room and the wall between the previous powder room & laundry room (soon-to-be new bedroom). You can see the existing drain for the toilet. The toilet is moving below the stairs to make room for the new shower. The next steps will be the groundwork for the new plumbing and moving & adding in some electrical fixtures. With a new shower we need to add a bath fan. We opted for the bath fan/recessed light combo that blends in well with the other recessed lights in the bathroom.
Groundwork!
We did have some existing plumbing which is very helpful when installing a basement bathroom, but we still needed to do some groundwork to move the toilet and add in the new shower. The sink stayed put, but we needed to reroute the new plumbing under the concrete slab to achieve the desired layout for the new bathroom. During the groundwork, we discovered that the house did not previously have a backflow check valve. We were able to install this crucial backflow check valve while installing the new plumbing to give the homeowners the needed protection against any future sewage backflows and bring the new bathroom up to code.
Electrical & Plumbing - With the laundry room converted into a new bedroom, we needed to remove some of the existing plumbing. There was a sink, washer & dryer, and refrigerator with the plumbing eliminated for all of them. We also relocated a few outlets & switches to better suit the layout of the bedroom. The switches were moved to accommodate a larger door into the home gym.
Flooring - The new floors look fantastic! The owners selected Stainmaster waterproof LVP flooring in a color that is close to the existing basement flooring which blends well at the thresholds between the rooms. The waterproof LVP flooring is ideal for a basement and especially for a basement bathroom.
Bathroom - The shower glass door provided the desired openness in the new bathroom and really accentuated the shower as the centerpiece of the new space. The durable shower walls & pan are an affordable time saving option that also worked nicely with the shower glass. We were able to achieve the homeowners’ vision of a linen closet next to the shower with additional storage under the new vanity (an upgrade from the lack of storage with a pedestal sink in the previous powder room). It's always nice to add storage when the available space is at a premium. Along with the shower glass - the black fixtures, new mirror, and lighting all gave the bathroom an updated modern feel.
