How to Build a Basement Bathroom - What to Know Before You Start

One topic that gets a lot of attention is how to build a basement bathroom. Many people find themselves wondering if finishing their basement will add value to their homes and improve their living space. Overall, the answer is yes. A home with a finished basement, including a basement bathroom, adds a lot of livable square footage without an enormous cost. If you've got a basement and you'd like to make it some place that's worth living, you'll be happy to know that finishing it and adding a bathroom can be surprisingly simple and inexpensive. You just have to know what to do and you have to have a good plan.

What's the difference between a finished basement and a remodeled basement? Finished basements change a bare area into a carefully constructed living space, often with separate room and all the amenities you'd expect in the upper parts of a house. A basement remodeling is usually a much larger project that requires more effort and money. Many older finished basements, done with low quality materials or those that are just plain wrong, can turn into remodeling projects. You need to know in advance what you're doing and what methods you're going to use. Knowing how to build a basement bathroom properly in advance is one key to keeping yourself from having to remodel it again later.

This means keeping organic materials out of your basement bathroom and basement finishing projects. Many non organic materials are also susceptible - avoid ordinary wall board in favor of moisture resistant board, for instance. You'll be willing to deal with the extra expense when you realize that using a moisture resistant board in your new basement bathroom and in the rest of the basement will keep you from having to deal with mildew and mold. After all, you only want to build your basement bathroom once!

If you're not sure how to build a basement bathroom, or you know how to do some of the work but not all of it, stop. That doesn't mean you can't get into your dream finishing project. It does mean that you should enlist the help of a professional to get through the parts of your project that you don't know how to deal with. Making it up as you go is a surefire way to end up with a basement that needs work down the road!

You'll need to make sure that your basement bathroom has the right plumbing and wiring, good flooring that won't warp or delaminate, wall materials and paint that will resist damp and mildew, and fixtures that are suitable for use in a basement. Make sure that your bathroom is well lit and well ventilated, too. You'll be happier if you build a room that's pleasant to use as well as practical, and basement rooms can often seem cave like. Good design can help counteract this tendency. If you learn how to build a basement bathroom before you get started, you'll have a much better chance of a successful finishing project.

Thomas Johnsen is the Author and Leading Expert on how to Build Basement Bathrooms and the creator of the publication Building Basement Bathroom 101. Visit the site now to find the easy-to-understand step-by-step guides on basement bathroom construction available online today.

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The Bible's Power Over One Child

I mentioned Sean in another one of my articles, the story of a young foster boy that we were taking care of. Sean's father was my ex-wife's uncle, and they were going through some tough times for a while and their three children ended up as wards of the state. We eventually ended up taking the oldest child because he was the hardest one to place and another home. His brother and sister ended up with a family that wanted to adopt them and eventually Sean went to live with them and I believe all three of them were adopted by this family. I don't know this for a fact though.

Sean was a emotionally damaged child. His parents would punish him with some strange and bizarre punishments. They weren't really physical punishments but seemed to leave the emotional scars on him and I often think about where he is and what he is doing.

We watched him for about a year and I learned quite a bit from this young man. He was in the third grade but was still at the first grade level for reading and math. I would spend a couple of hours each night during the week helping him with his schoolwork, I seem to have created some sort of allusion that I would be able to bring him up to the third grade level within a short period of time. Wrong. He must've had learning disabilities and of course I don't think I was that good teacher.

Sean was easy going, polite and extremely obedient. He would do anything to avoid getting in trouble and often blamed others for his mistakes. His punishments must have been more than he could bear before he arrived at our home. I think you're getting the picture about what kind of a child Sean was.

One day I found myself in a dilemma with Sean, I couldn't get him to tell me the truth, even though I knew he was lying. I forget what the problem was but I remember a hollow look in his face. It was almost like he wasn't really there. It was almost like he was just doing time, sitting on the bed, listening to me asking the same question over and over again, "Sean are you lying", but he wasn't even paying attention.

I normally would not punish my children for accidents, and never tolerated lying. I was trying to explain to him that he wasn't going to get in trouble, I just wanted to know the truth. He wasn't budging at all and stuck to his story. I remembered that his mother and father were Catholics and feared the church, almost as much as they loved it.

That's what I came up with my evil plan. I don't know where I come up with these ideas, but every once in a while one pops up in my head and I run with it.

I told Sean that I was going to bring the Holy Bible in, and if he could swear on the Bible that he was telling the truth, I would accept that and this would be the end of our conversation. I couldn't believe my eyes, as he started crying and screaming, frantically and excitedly as a yelled out, I did it, I did it, don't bring the Bible in, I won't do it again.

I couldn't believe that was all it took to get information from him. I have always been a pretty good interrogator and found myself gathering information from those people easily, but this was amazing. His fear of the Holy Bible got me thinking about how powerful this book actually is to some people. I remember when I looked upon this book, pretty much the same as Sean did.

It's just a book, like any other book. It's not made at a holy factory or a secret monastery in the Swiss Alps somewhere, it's made from paper and ink and can be damaged and destroyed like other books. I would be surprised if I threw the Bible into the fire, that it wouldn't burn. I would be even more surprised, if I seen three men standing in the fire, wait a minute that's another story in the Bible.

Is it possible for this book to actually control the lives of people. It seemed to control Sean, I wonder if I, could have actually been driving a nail home that his parents started. Could I have added to his belief, that the Bible is a book from God the creator of everything.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion. Simple Words Create Powerful Beliefs.

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Bathroom Remodeling Tips - Serving Two Masters

The hustle and bustle of big city living should be left where it should belong, in the busy New York streets and commercial establishments and not at home. But if you're early morning routine involves having to deal with traffic jam just to get into the master bath, then it may be high time to consider a bathroom remodeling that aims to accommodate his and hers facilities.

A common problem that most New York City homeowners share is limited space offered by their living units. The master bathroom, most of the time is unable to serve both masters at the same time, forcing couples to make arrangements on how they use the bath. But instead of making do with what it has to offer, why not undertake bathroom remodeling and create it into something perfectly fitting for both yours and your partner's needs?

When remodeling your New York bathroom for two, the key to maximize space while enhancing functionality is knowing which can be shared and which is better provided for both. To help you create the most comfortable his and her space out of your master bathroom, here are several tips:

Style

As the goal of your bathroom remodeling is to create a haven of comfort for both of you in one shared space, the two of you should have each, a say on styling matters. Colors, tastes, and preferences should be discussed beforehand. Be creative in finding harmony in individual choices like coordinating both your favorite colors. And as much as possible, every decision to be made must be tackled as a couple.

Vanity

His and her bathroom vanity designs are increasingly becoming popular, especially for use in master bathrooms. In bathroom remodeling, this feature could be your best bet in creating a personal station for each. Other than being a source of appeal, vanities also promote organization. For your New York bath, choose a setup which already integrates built-in storage with the counter space and two sinks. Aside from saving on area, this liberates both of you in terms of keeping your own toiletries and other necessities.

Lights and Mirrors

Light and reflection work hand-in-hand in amplifying space, making any room much more spacious than it seems. For your bathroom remodeling project, choose lighting fixtures offering more brilliance. To maximize your use of natural light without sacrificing your privacy, having your windows with film treatment is a good idea. Other than this purpose, these elements are also most useful when it comes to grooming. When shopping for full length mirrors, look for the pivoting function which allows for adjustment depending on the height of the person looking into it. Another great tip, most useful for prepping up, is to have wall sconces over mirrors instead of overhead lighting to avoid unflattering shadows.

Shower or Tub

As your New York bath is limited in space, instead of having two showers or tubs, a shared one serves as a more intimate option. For either, choose a design that can accommodate two people. To spruce things up and make bathing more enjoyable avail of spa features like multiple spray settings with massaging showerhead or hydrotherapy experience.

Eugene Makeev has been in the home improvement industry for a while. His skills and expertise, which have been polished through time, are now used to help New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls in home improvements by matching their needs with prescreened Bathroom Contractors NYC. For more, visit Bathroom Remodeling Brooklyn, NY.

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Outdoor Shed Foundations - Home Building Tips

When looking to build your own outdoor shed the first place to start is with the shed foundation. Your storage shed needs to be built on a strong foundation. Whether it is wood or concrete your slab needs to be a firm base that your outdoor shed will be built on. If you don't have a good shed foundation then your shed will not last as long as it should.

Wondering when to use a concrete slab or wood for a shed foundation? Here are the two main reasons for choosing one or the other. A wood foundation for your outdoor shed will allow you to move it if you ever decide that your original spot is not right. If you use a concrete slap then you will not be able to move it at all.

After you figured out what type of foundation you want you need to start to assemble it. If you're going to use the wood foundation, make sure you use pressure treated wood. Any home improvement store will have it just make sure to ask for help if you're unsure of the type and size you need. Tell them you're building an outdoor shed and they will be able to point you in the right direction.

An easy way to build a nice strong shed foundation is to get a couple of skids. These can be found at just about any store and usually they are in the back and free. Lay the skids out and placing your pressure treated wood around the outside nail then together. Using 3/4" plywood for the floor will give your outdoor shed a very strong foundation. Using bricks under the skids will help level the shed floor off and also keep any moisture from getting into our wood foundation.

If you decide to use the concrete slab make sure you have picked out the correct location, as this will be a permanent structure on your property. If you need your outdoor shed to support a lot of heavy equipment then you want to use the concrete slab foundation. It will be able to hold a lot more weight than the wood foundation.

It's always best to have a plan of attack before starting any home improvement project: it can save you time and money. Think about what you plan to keep inside your outdoor shed, if its going to be heavy equipment and you know that the wood foundation is going to be raised up off the ground 5-8" you may need a ramp to get stuff in and out. A concrete foundation can be made to be ground level. Keeping all these things in mind before you start building your outdoor shed will make this go so much faster and give you less headaches.

Learn more about outdoor storage sheds & buildings

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Installing a 32 Inch Back Door

In some older houses you will find a 30 inch back door. Have you ever tried to move a refrigerator or some large furniture through a 30 inch door? Keep in mind most bedroom doors are 30 inches wide and are in 36 inch hallways. 30 inch doors and bedrooms make it tough to move some furniture in too.

Let's start with the price difference between a 30 inch door and a 32 inch door. The cost difference is usually going to be around $20. If you are building a hundred homes this could become quite an additional expense. So we can understand why the home builder installed a 30 inch door in the back of our home.

He got the extra money in his pocket, you got a headache.

Here's the big problem. If you ever want to install a larger door you will need to replace the structural door framing. Now this is where you could run into a little bit of an expense. Changing the framing for a wider door could become quite costly. It could actually cost over $1000 in some cases.

Now if the homebuilder would have originally installed a 32 inch door in your house it might have ran him as high as an additional $45. How can this be? I will give you the first clue. There is a good chance the homebuilder will not be moving into any of these houses. If for some strange instance he did move into the house, he would learn the same lesson whenever he needed to move a large item into the house.

I'm a contactor and learned this lesson in a long time ago.

If you are building a new home you might even want to consider installing a 36 inch back door. This door will give you plenty of room when it comes to moving large items in or out of your house. The cost difference between a 36 inch door and a 32 inch door is usually around $20 also.

When building a new home most people don't give very much thought about their interior or exterior doors. Here's a simple chart I made to help with some basic door decisions.

Bathroom Doors Should Be 28 Inches Wide Minimum.
Bedroom Doors Should Be 30 Inches Wide Minimum.
Front Doors Should Be At Least 36 Inches Wide
Back Doors and Garage Doors Should Be At Least 32 Inches Wide

If you are a professional football or basketball player don't use these numbers above.

If you have large sliding glass doors or French doors throughout your home and can use them to move large items into the house you can install whatever size doors you choose that are comfortable to walk through.

Give some thought when installing a new door on your next project and keep some of the above tips in mind..

If you are designing a home give some thought to the stairways and hallways in the home as well.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Bay Window Ideas

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Remodeling is the Choice For Hotels and Homeowners Waiting Out the Sluggish Housing Market

Hotels remodeling, home remodeling or home improvement is becoming more and more the choice for hotels, motels, apartments and homeowners waiting out a housing market that is in a rut. One of the reasons being that homeowners or hotel owners would rather stay in their homes than lose up to 10% of home equity in today's sluggish housing market.The advantage of home improvements is that it helps people protect their biggest investment, which is their hotels, motels, apartment complexes or homes.

As long as the housing market stays weak, homeowners would continue to make their house or property the nicest one on the block. According to the NAHB forecasts, the U.S. housing market will remain soft through 2009 but begin to rebound in the first quarter of 2010.

Homeowners are investing in both the value and security of their homes, especially baby boomers. Seniors for example, are enclosing their carports into garages and installing outdoor lighting systems. Many hotels and motel chains are using bathtub refinishing as a big part of their bathroom remodeling project.

Many hotels or motels that remodel their bathrooms for instance, do so to replace worn out bathroom fixtures. Equally important, many homeowners or nursing homes may undertake bathroom remodeling for aesthetic reasons.

The sluggish housing market is making it harder and harder for homeowners to obtain mortgage. High cost of energy is keeping more and more Americans at home and not in hotels. The hospitality industry, like all other businesses is sharing its woes of bad economic times.

Many hotel owners and homeowners are not selling their homes or hotels because of economic hardships and again because of high financing costs. Therefore it makes sense for many to save money by remodeling. As the housing market continues its correction, many hotels, motels and homeowners will continue to renovate or remodel their homes or hotels.

Bathtub refinishing is saving homeowners and hotels money because it is only about 20% of the cost of bathtub replacement. With volume discount, hotels or motels can buy a bathtub for $200, but it may cost $2500 to replace it.

The reason the price goes up for bathtub replacement is the work involved in replacement. Walls are torn, plumbers are invited and tile contractors are hand to get paid. When you add up all the sub-contractors and the payments, the cost of bathtub replacement adds up pretty quickly. All that does not include its impact on the environment.

Bathtub refinishing costs between $450 to $650. You can use your bathtub in 24 hours after it has been refinished. All work is done in the bathroom. If you are serious about saving your hotel or motel money in your bathroom remodel, let us know. All hotels, motels bathtub refinishing is nationwide. Homeowners in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville are saving money, time and the environment by using our bathtub refinishing services.

Wilson Ukah, owns Refinishing Stars, a bathtub refinishing company serving homeowners in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville. Refinishing Stars, refinishes bathtubs, sinks, and countertops for hotels and motels nationwide. Wilson can be reached at http://www.refinishingstars.com or sales@refinishingstars.com.

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Tips to Get the Best From Your Bathroom Remodeling

Many people mistakenly believe that the bathroom is the least important area of the house. Considering that this is the first place you visit after you get up, and probably the last place you go to just before bed, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, many people spend many relaxing moments in their bathroom, luxuriating in a bath while listening to soft music or playing with their kids before they go to bed. Therefore, it is only reasonable that many people want to remodel their bathrooms to give it the looks and comfort that the rest of the home provides.

Often, people are totally defeated by the thought of giving this small space a new look. After all, what is there to do? How much can one move the lavatory or the bathtub, and what would be the point anyway? Well, there are many ways you can use mirrors, lighting, free-floating cabinets and light to give this space a large, roomy and extravagant look. In fact, a properly done bathroom remodeling job could leave you open-mouthed! But you needn't call in the experts or pay through your nose for expensive designers before you get the bathroom of your dreams. Just follow the tips below and you could well be showing off your bathroom to your friends and family.

1. If your bathroom is cramped and starved for space, get rid of the tub. Go for a compact shower unit that has gleaming faucets and controls. On the other hand, if you have a large bathroom, make use of geometric designs instead of the conventional tub, and demarcate this area from the rest of your bath space.
2. Ax bare cabinets and vanities. Instead, make use of cabinets that are concealed nicely behind large mirrors. Mirrors increase the illusion of space and give a nice touch to your bathroom.
3. With the wide array of sinks and washing bowls available, it is not too difficult to get sleek designs that are compact as well as stylish. Glass fittings are popular these days.
4. Go for compact fittings. This will increase the illusion of space.
5. Make clever use of lighting to give the bathroom a bigger look. Allow light to pour in through frosted windowpanes. Use cool colors. Vertical stripes add to the feeling of space and height.
6. Get rid of dark fabric that makes the bathroom look dowdy and depressing. Instead, use light fabric in cool colors. Glass block windows should never be covered up, as they are great style statements.
7. Place lights above mirrors. Use stylish light fixtures so that bald tubes do not give off glaring light that hurts the eye. Place lighting fixtures in a way that they are nicely reflected around the bathroom.
8. Lastly, avoid clutter. If the space is small, keep unnecessary things out of it. Functionality should nicely be amalgamated with style so that you get maximum mileage from what you use in the small space.

Bathroom remodeling is not the tough job that it is made out to be. In fact, since you have to think sleek and slim, it is by far the easiest room to remodel and convert.

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