I own a 54 year old house in Los angeles and I want to convert my 1/2 bath to a 3/4 bath by adding an upright shower. The room is "L" shaped with a toilet at one end of the "L" and a sink at the other. The idea is to make the room square by demo'ing the closet that makes the room "L" shaped. I have very little experience but a lot of guts. I have a professional who will hang the drywall after I am done installing the shower. My biggest concern is tapping into the existing plumbing. My plumbing questions are: What supplies will I need? How difficult is this project? How do I do it?
Thank you,
Hopelessly Cheap

Hey there HC...

I want you to look at the plumbing pipes and tell me what kind of pipes you have..?

PVC (white plastic), ABS (black plastic), Cast iron (black metal) or could be copper pipe..?

Hopefully, the pipe that picks up the sink is a 2" pipe... If this is the case you may be able to cut into the drain pipe for the sink (under floor) and use the vent for the sink to vent the shower... ;)

The shower requires a 2" drain pipe and an 1.5" vent. If WET VENTING is allowed in your area (you would need to call a local plumbing inspector and ask if allowed in your area) then as mentioned, you may be able to simply cut into the sink drain pipe, run that over to the shower, add a 2" ptrap and you are done with the drain and vent work for shower.

If wet venting not allowed in your area then you will need to plan on adding an individual vent for the new shower... this vent will need to connect to the sink vent at 48" off the floor or it will need to connect into the vents upstairs or in attic.

Let me know what type of pipe work (WATER and DRAIN) you have so I can tell you what tools and fittings you will need.

I don't think this project is too tough if you have basic tools and basic skills. Odds just got better that this project will go pretty smooth because you found this site :) Lots of experienced people here willing to help you... step by step!

Glad to help!

MARK

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Thompson55 has some good information here...

But be clear that you are not required to increase water lines to 3/4"...it would be nice, but almost every bathroom we have in our state only has 1/2" copper supplies going to them. Again, 3/4" is nice, but unless you are planning on installing a multi-head shower system... NOT REQUIRED!

Have good day all!

MARK