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Brad_n_Catie · Feb 1, 2009, 04:15 PM

Hi, my boyfriend found a house he wants to buy and fix up but we want to add a shower in the half bathroom in the master bedroom. There is a closet next to the bathroom and we thought we could tear the wall out and make it a shower where the closet is. Can we put in a new drain if an existing one isn't there? Please help!

whisky4 · Feb 1, 2009, 04:45 PM

Hi,this is whisky4,if you decide to do this just the time to research it really good as this what
I did in my,except that I added a second bath upstairs.
Make sure you can get under the house with enough room to work.
Depending how far you have to run water lines I would use pex tubing as that way you can
Get by with having little or no joints,also what put in was recirculating pump for hot water
That way you do not need to wire in a water heater as it runs a loop for hot water.
It hooks into the top of your existing hot water tank on the line coming out and can be on a
Timer that is built into the pump.

massplumber2008 · Feb 1, 2009, 07:59 PM

Brad and Catie...

You can absolutely add a shower onto an existing 1/2 bathroom if you have the room... :)

The type of pipe in place will determine just how hard it will be to do. If the waste pipes are cast iron/glavanized then it will take a greater effort and probably cost more than if you have PVC or ABS plastic pipes.

Water pipes can be galvanized, brass, copper or PEX thermoplastic. Copper and PEX are reasonably easy to work with but require special tools that can be rented or purchased pretty cheap. Galvanized or brass pipes are usually old and harder to work with/connect into.

Anyway, you have found a website where there are plenty of people willing to help when you guys get to the stage that you need help. Every area of home improvement is covered here by capable people so pop back when you guys need to and let us know how we can help... ok?

Good luck to Brad and you.. hope you find the house that is right for you guys!

Brad_n_Catie · Feb 2, 2009, 04:52 AM

Okay well the house is on a concrete slab foundation, so how would we get through the concrete and the ground under the house to run the drain?

massplumber2008 · Feb 2, 2009, 05:23 AM

Couple options:

1) Rent a chipping hammer or demolition hammer to break out a trench in the concrete slab, dig out the dirt and run a waste pipe and vent over to the shower. Then backfill the trench and fill with concrete. Then tile the floor, etc...

2) install a shower using a macerator pump system. Here, no breaking of concrete but you will rely on electricity for the pump to pump and when showering the pump will turn on periodically and make noise. Check out www.saniflo.com

I would opt. for chipping out the concrete and trenching over to the shower... goes fast once you get started.

Let us know if you have more questions...

MARK

whisky4 · Feb 2, 2009, 12:59 PM

Brad-n-kate,there are some fittings that are shark-bite that are push to connect that I used
On my project they are able to withstand up to 150psi,the only thing you have to be careful about is to do straight cuts,they work like fuel lines on cars,they have a tool for different size
Lines and you do not have buy a $100.00 tool to crimp the connections,there are push on
1/4 turn valves too. thank,s whisky4