While most homeowners don’t necessarily consider that they have too much closet space, some nonetheless wonder if they might better benefit from converting a closet into a powder room. In fact, you can convert many spaces into your home into a half-bath, including under a staircase, in an attic or basement, or as part of a little-used room.
The powder room originated as a space for servants to powder wigs — hence the name powder room. However, powder rooms have become a staple in home renovations as a visitor bathroom. If you want to add a half bathroom to your home, below are some important considerations.
Location of the Powder Room
As noted above, almost any little-used space is possible for a half bath. Most powder rooms feature 20 square feet of space. However, you can get away with 11 square feet, depending on the configuration.
You do want to keep in mind the half bath’s main purpose, which is as a visitor bathroom. Therefore, you should look for a space that’s easy for visitors to access. These areas can include near the living room or front entryway. A finished basement or attic is also a likely space for a half bath. You can even add one to a garage.
Sink Plumbing
The bathroom sink must connect to two lines. One is the drain-waste-vent. This line is where the water flows after you use it. The drain must consist of a sink trap, which traps sewer gas before it enters the house. The drain-waste-vent must also connect to the house’s main drain-waste-vent system, which runs throughout your walls.
Naturally, for you to have water to even drain, you also need a water supply system. As with the main vent line, pipes for your house’s water supply system run throughout the walls. Your sink’s plumbing taps into these main lines.
The location of those two lines within your walls will help determine the location of your powder room as well as its orientation. Professional plumbers can run branch lines to nearly anywhere, but extensive plumbing does add to the cost. So, the hope is you can locate your half bath near existing plumbing.
Toilet Plumbing
Toilet plumbing is tricky. The drainage for the toilet is naturally more significant than for a sink. You might be able to piggyback onto the sink’s drainage, which causes the whole line to serve as a wet vent. Such piggybacking does work because of the close proximity of the two fixtures. That said, a wet vent does need the just the right venting slope to allow all waste to drain out.
As you can imagine, you can’t toss a toilet in just any corner as you can a sink. In fact, the toilet has to be put in over the three-inch drainage hole. This ensures that the toilet fits squarely over the hole without too much or too little clearance behind the tank. Therefore, you’ll need to choose your toilet before having the plumbers over.
You might consider a wall-mounted toilet to save space. With wall-mounted toilets, the tank and other plumbing are located inside the wall, thus freeing up space in the bathroom. However, many consider wall-mounted toilets a luxury item, which means these toilets might be pricier.
Style of the Powder Room Fixtures
As noted, the powder room is a visitor’s bathroom, so you might want it to make a specific impression. Unless you opt for a wall-mounted toilet, you’ll probably just install a basic model.
The sink is an area of special consideration. Since the space is small, many homeowners choose a pedestal sink so it doesn’t take up much visual — or actual — space. You can choose from many different styles.
The third main component of the powder room is a mirror above the sink. You don’t need a medicine cabinet in a half bath, so look into a simple wall-mounted mirror. You might consider having one custom-cut to fit your style sense, or you could look for a ready-made mirror that catches your eye.
Add utility to your home with a half bathroom. Let the experts at Rapid First Plumbing provide the plumbing for your remodel project.
