The idea to redo the basement bathroom began as a desire to refresh the space for guests. It always bothered me that the bathroom was cramped and dark.

It started out fun–ripping out the existing parts…

and hauling them up the stairs and outside.

Then came the pulling up of the tile

and the removal of the surround tub.

Once everything was out, we saw what we were dealing with. This would be a more involved home improvement job than we first anticipated. To start, there was a hole in the concrete under the shower drain. Over time, the suspended pipe developed a small crack which caused minor leaking with each use of the shower.

We also discovered that the concrete around the toilet drain was lower than the rest of the floor, which also caused problems. First order of business: rent a jackhammer to break up the concrete around the toilet drain in order to see what we were dealing with.

Since we had the jackhammer, we also broke up concrete where the shower was in order to make room for new pipes. Then we got to work removing the concrete pieces.

Meanwhile, we removed some drywall that had to be replaced.

My photography lapsed during the next phase: we tore down an entire wall in order to make room for a shower basin. This greatly opened up the small space. We put up new wall studs and fixed the floor studs into the concrete.

Here is a look from the other side.

Next, we mixed concrete and poured it into the gaping holes we made with the jackhammer.

This was a first for us.

It always bothered us that the light and fan switches were behind the door, so Jim rewired them.

We laid the shower basin and began drywalling the room.

The new shower space!

I started out thinking mudding and taping were not so bad, but eventually became weary of the seemingly never-ending feeling.

Not only did we have the inside walls, but also hung and finished the new outside walls.

Next, came the backer board for the tile in the shower.

Then we brought in Peter “tiler” Johanik to do his work.

And what gorgeous work he did!

After countless rounds of mudding and sanding, the walls and ceiling were finally ready to be painted. This is a job I definitely enjoy.

Jim built a shelving unit for storage, which also helped to open up the room. Finally came the floor.

At last, after many times the effort and time we expected, the basement bathroom is complete.