Basement Finishing
Basement bathrooms in Lancaster and Chester County, PA
A basement without a bathroom is a basement people go upstairs from. Adding one is a plumbing question first: whether the sewer line leaves the house low enough for a gravity drain, or whether the bath needs an ejector pit cut into the slab and a pump. We solve that on the first visit, then build a bathroom that looks like it belongs upstairs. The West Chester basement bath below has a hex tile floor, a wood vanity, and a tiled shower.
Three Ways a Basement Bath Drains
- Gravity: if the sewer line exits the foundation below the slab, the bath drains to it like any other. The slab is cut, the lines are run, and the floor is patched.
- An ejector pit: a sealed pit cut into the slab with a pump that lifts waste up to the main line. It is the common answer here, it is reliable, and it is quiet behind a wall.
- A macerating toilet: a unit behind the toilet that grinds and pumps to the main line through a small pipe, for baths where cutting the slab is not an option. Good for a half bath, though the pit is better for a full bath.
Building the Room
Once the drain is settled the bath is built like one upstairs: framing, a vent run to the stack or through the wall, a fan vented outside, waterproofing and tile for the shower, a vanity, a toilet, lighting, and a door. We give basement baths a little more light than they would get upstairs, because they have no window, and a heated floor if the budget allows, because the slab is cold.
Radon and Ventilation
Chester and Lancaster Counties are high-radon areas. Cutting the slab for an ejector pit or a drain is the time to test and, if the number is high, to have a mitigation system put in, because the pipe can go in the same opening. We raise it on every basement job that opens the floor.
Permits
A basement bath needs plumbing, electrical, and building permits, and the rough plumbing is inspected before the slab is patched. We walk you through the permit every step: the application, the drawings the township asks for, and the inspections. In most townships the permit itself is in the homeowner’s name, and we handle the rest with you.
Questions
Questions We Get
How do we know if our basement can have a gravity drain?
By finding where the sewer line leaves the house. If it exits below slab level, a gravity drain works, and if it exits above, the bath needs an ejector pit. We find the line on the first visit.
Is an ejector pump loud or smelly?
A sealed pit with a proper vent is neither. It runs for a few seconds when the bath is used, behind a wall or in a closet. Most people forget it is there.
Can a basement bath have a shower?
Yes. A full bath with a tiled shower is common, and the ejector pit handles the shower drain as well as the toilet. The West Chester basement below has one.
Process
How We Work
- We visit, measure, and talk through the scope before anything is priced.
- You get a written proposal, and we build to it.
- Where the work needs a permit, we walk you through it every step: the application, the drawings the township asks for, and the inspections.
- We are on site from the first day to the last, and the house stays clean while we work.
- We walk the finished job with you, fix anything on the list, and clean up.
Basement Finishing
More Kinds of Basements
Service area
Where We Work
Based in Christiana, we work across Lancaster County and Chester County.
Lancaster County
- Christiana
- Gap
- Quarryville
- Strasburg
- Lancaster
Chester County
- Parkesburg
- Coatesville
- West Chester
- Kennett Square
- Downingtown
- Malvern
- Chester Springs
- Frazer
Ready to Talk About a Basement Bath?
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