Assessment - Bathroom Addition

When you're approaching a project like this, there is a lot of foreknowledge
that is helpful to have. Being a Do-It-Yourselfer, you probably won't have
that knowledge, so it's important that you communicate with someone who does.
Be sure to visit a forum when starting a project like this. Be prepared to post pictures and ask
lots of questions.

The success of a project like this won't be determined by how much you know,
it will be determined by how much you learn (and how quickly you learn).
This isn't an entry level project. You'll be doing just about
everything there is to do for the Do-It-Yourselfer. You'll be doing layout
work, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, trim, and flooring.
If any of these areas aren't familiar to you, or you feel unsure of yourself
(such as with electrical work) consider sub-contracting that particular phase.
If you want to, you can even sub out the whole job and just play contractor, but
that wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

Bathroom Location

The project I'm going to be doing here probably won't match your particular
situation. This is why you'll have to ask questions and post pictures.
So keep this in mind as you go through the articles.

The first thing we've got to figure out is, where is our new bathroom going
to go? On this job, the location was dictated in an obvious way.
There was a full bathroom upstairs. Downstairs, there was a half bath
built into what used to be a closet, underneath the stairs. Although this
provided the bare necessities, it was far from elegant and made it uncomfortable
for tall guests. However, right next to the bathroom was a very large open
room, currently used as a multi-purpose room. Two guest beds, some
exercise equipment, and other odds and ends were conglomerated into this one
large room. The solution I offered was to divide the room into a guest
bedroom and a full bath. This would leave room for the
exercise and entertainment equipment in a separate room, and provide guests with
more privacy, while also giving this large family another full bathroom
downstairs.