Build a bathroom and increase the value of the home.
Homeowners contemplating the sale of their home have good reasons to add a bathroom. The National Association of Home Builders reports that adding a bathroom can increase a home's value by more than 10 percent. A small investment in time and money allows the homeowner to construct a simple bathroom that gives him a more comfortable and higher-valued home. To construct a new bathroom, the homeowner must understand the necessary skills and workmanship the project demands.
Instructions
1. Evaluate the space available for the new bathroom. Bathtubs come in various sizes and shapes, so a small bathtub may fit into even a small bathroom area. Consider the options. Speak to an architect for new ideas and look at design books, magazines and websites. If the homeowner plans to build a luxury bathroom, look at the wide range of luxury bathroom fixtures and options available in a bathroom specialty shop or on an online shop.
2. Buy the necessary fixtures and materials. At a minimum, bathroom plumbing should include a sink, toilet and a bathtub/shower. Measure each area carefully to ensure that each fixture will fit in properly.
3. Lay the plumbing lines for the incoming and outgoing water. Measure the lines carefully to ensure that they line up exactly with the planned settings for the bathroom fixtures.
4. Frame in the interior of the bathroom with a wood frame. Buy wood boards at a lumber supply store. Lay insulation in between the exterior wall and the bathroom wall and ceiling's wood frame, making sure that the bathroom will contain enough insulation to maintain a warm temperature. Not only does proper insulation save money and create a warm and comfortable bathroom, but environmentalists consider building with proper insulation an ecologically-friendly manner in which to build.
5. Lay the electrical wiring along the wood frame. At a minimum, ensure that wires exist for a light switch and a light. Other bathroom electrical gadgets may include an illuminated mirror, exhaust fan, tankless water heater, floor heating, thermostat, and a towel heating drawer. Check the local building codes to determine the requirements for installing electrical wiring in a bathroom.
6. Install the interior plumbing pipes for the bathroom. At a minimum, bathroom plumbing should include a toilet, a sink, and a bathtub/shower. Other plumbing fixtures you may want to install include bidets, jacuzzis and a sauna stall. Buy plumbing pipes at a hardware store or a home center.
7. Close in the interior walls of the bathroom with sheetrock. Cut holes in the sheetrock for the bathroom fixtures to fit to the prepared piping. Tape the sheetrock seams and sand them down to create a smooth wall. Buy sheetrock at a lumber supply store.
8. Install the bathroom fixtures. Bring the bathtub in first, as that will be the largest fixture and the hardest to maneuver in the bathroom. Set it in and install the faucets, including a shower head. Bring in the toilet and hook the plumbing up to it, then install the sink and the sink faucets. Caulk around the base of each of these fixtures after installation.
9. Install cabinets. Most bathrooms have at least a medicine cabinet and a towel cabinet. Depending on the size of the bathroom, the homeowner may want to have other cabinets as well. Purchase bathroom cabinets at a home center or have them specially made by a carpenter.
10. Lay the tiles on the walls and the floor. Caulk the areas between the tiles. Buy bathroom tiles at a home center.
11. Paint or wallpaper the walls and ceiling.
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