When you think of your garage, basins, faucets, and toilets are not the immediate things that come to your mind. But a garage can be the best place to build a new bathroom. A few decades ago, the use of garage performed a vital function such as parking cars. The cars were very susceptible to the elements and thieves. In the cold weather, a car would not start when parked on the driveway instead of the garage.
Nowadays, the garage is one of the best places in your home that you can turn into a gym or workout room, bathroom, kids’ playroom, etc. If you still want to park your car inside the garage, you can use partial space of the garage. Adding a bathroom to your home garage remains one of the most popular and rewarding improvements you can make in your home.
Tips for Adding a Bathroom to Your Garage
Adding a bathroom to your garage can be one of the challenges when you want to utilize garage space for alternatives. On the other hand, you will be able to add value to your home at the time of selling. With careful planning and innovative plumbing fixtures, it is possible to add a bathroom to your garage.
How To Use Your Garage Space?
Most of the time, the garage can be used for various purposes and it can turn into a glorified storage unit. It becomes a place to throw all the wonderful and weird things from your hobbies and past time such as accessories or auto parts, toys, barbecue grills, washer, dryer, or even freezer.
More than 50 percent of motorists don’t use their garage longer to park their cars. Most of the house owners have turned their garage into a gym, kids’ playroom, study room, etc. It depends that how do you want to use your garage space. Before you plan to use your garage for another purpose, clean up the mess and make space to know that how and where you will be adding a bathroom to your garage.
Finding Space
Where to add a bathroom to your garage is a burning question. If your home is 1,800 square feet or 3,800 square feet, then you don’t have to worry about anything. On the other hand, it becomes difficult for those who are having old or smaller homes. You will have to plan the layout for the bathroom in the garage that how you will allocate the space and install the plumbing.
The finished bathroom should be having at least 21 inches of free space in front of it and 15 inches from the center of the bowl to one wall on each side. Add the mounting distance such as 12 inches plus half the width of the bowl. It will help you to determine the clearance required from the back wall.
A 24-inch clearance in front of the shower entrance and shower floor must occupy a minimum area of 30 inches by 30 inches.
Breaking Through Concrete
Adding a bathroom in a garage on a slab requires cutting concrete. There are many pitfalls that to be aware of with this traditional approach. Firstly, cutting a concrete slab is an expensive undertaking and inevitably weakens the structural integrity. The process creates dust and noise and the contractor doesn’t know what he will find. The slab might be thinner or thicker than expected. As a result, cracks might develop and cause other structural issues.
To avoid any kind of structural problems, you can do above-ground plumbing or there are several options you can opt for.
The process creates dust and noise, and the contractor cannot be sure what he will find; the slab may be thicker or thinner than expected, cracks may develop and many other issues may arise. These challenges can be solved with above-ground plumbing and there are several options.
Plumbing and Drainage
Perhaps the biggest challenge in this type of home improvement is installing the plumbing in a bathroom. If you are adding a bathroom to your garage or under the first-floor staircase, finding the room for pipes can involve cutting through walls or concrete. These traditional approaches can be troublesome and expensive.
If your garage is on a concrete patio, you can always go through the patio to install the drainage pipes and repair them when you are done. A simpler alternative would be to place the toilet and shower on raised platforms. It can run the drainage pipes through the wall and you can route them underground when you exit.
The pipes must maintain a slope of 1/4 inch per foot the point of connection to the main culvert. If you are not able to maintain this slop, then install a liquid manure toilet to pump the waste upstream into the sewer. Attach the shower into the pumping system and collect the gray water from the shower in a holding tank. If local ordinances allow it, you can recycle it.
Water Supply
Another common challenge most homeowners need to consider while adding a bathroom to their garage is ensuring an adequate supply of water, both hot and cold. Before moving on, make sure that you have assessed the capacity of their water heaters. Also, assess the condition of existing plumbing in the home. Make sure that the water heater is capable of serving hot water to an extra bath.
If you add a vanity, it will require less hot water than a full bathroom, where people need lots of hot water to shower. You are likely to draw water for your home’s toilet and shower through underground pipes. If you run these pipes along the side of the garage, the water in the pipes might freeze in the winter. To avoid water pressure issues, you can provide your garage with 3/4-inch plumbing.
A small water heater installed near the shower will provide hot water more efficiently. Also, it will be economical than an underground pipe from the main water heater. Direct the cold-water supply 3/4 of an inch towards it. Then connect a 1/2 inch hot and cold hose from there to feed the shower. Connect an additional 1/2-inch cold water to the hose to supply the toilet.
Ventilation and Humidity
Moisture becomes an issue wherever you install a shower. You will require a window that provides at least 1 1/2 square feet of moisture drainage space. Even though everyone who uses the shower remembers opening the window, the steam will still float inside the space. The garage walls are finished like bathroom walls so you might have to paint them with easy-to-clean and moisture-resistant gloss enamel. It will protect the walls from mildew.
Remember to install a drain that requires a 2-inch vent that rises a foot above the roofline. It is because whichever setting you choose; you will be needing extra ventilation to deal with humidity and odors. Also, you will not only be using the bathroom of the garage but also be using the garage for your work.
Garage Bathroom – Planning The Layout
If you have not been parking your car in the garage, then you can use the free space by adding a bathroom to a garage. For this purpose, you have to look for the covered area of your garage. It might be a great idea to add a bathroom in the garage at the corner or where there is a water supply. Adding a bathroom to a garage can be helpful for independent living.
Before you plan to add a bathroom, you have to plan the layout, ventilation and humidity, drainage, water supply, etc. Apart from these considerations, you can decide if you will be doing all the work by yourself or hire a professional for the job.