bathroom above is not pie in the sky...

If you live in a home with only one bathroom, like I do, then you may dream of adding a second bathroom.  As a man that lives with two women (wife and daughter) I know the desire for a second bathroom first-hand.  Wow, can that be a wait in the morning, and our daughter is only 4!  Sometimes we don't always have an ideal space for our bathroom and as a reader asked...

"I would love to add a second bathroom on the second floor of my house. I have no idea where to start. How much would a modest bathroom addition cost? What are the major things I should consider before jumping into the project? Any ideas?"

Well, bathrooms on the second floor can be tricky, but the key is to locate your plumbing.  As a rule of thumb bathrooms are some of the most expensive rooms in your house (based on dollars per square foot).  There are many reasons for this expense (and also many ways to minimize that expense), but the main factor is the plumping pipe.  Running plumbing pipes is expensive and can be hard to install in a renovation project.  You will need to hire a professional to install the water lines and waste lines, and the less plumbing pipe you need to run the less expensive the work will be both in time for labor and cost of material.


For my own sake I am not going to suggest how much a project like this will cost.  You can find many contractors in your area that should be willing to come to your home for a "free in-home estimate".  This will give you a much more accurate view of the cost of your project in your location.  Please take the advice in this blog as a tool to empower you to make an informed decision.

Another decision that can greatly impact the cost of your project is the type of bathroom you want.  Do you really need a second shower?  Is a shower and a bathtub necessary?  Are you looking just to add a half-bath?  Think about the needs of your family, but also how this addition will impact the future re-sale value of your home.  A three bedroom home with one bath is not as attractive to potential buyers as a three bedroom with a half-bath or even two bathrooms!

Lastly I would suggest that your other main consideration be what space you are displacing by adding this extra bathroom.  Many homes use space inefficiently  and this means a half-bath could be squeezed into an underutilized space.  The great thing about bathrooms is that you don't need (or even necessarily want) windows.  This means a bathroom can be tucked into a space in the middle of your second floor in an area that is underutilized.  And, if the bathroom is on the top floor, all you have to do is add a skylight and you have a great value addition to your home.