Remodeling an existing bathroom can give you what you need in the bathroom you already have. But remodeling an existing bathroom doesn’t add more bathrooms to your home. If you need another bathroom, remodeling interior rooms to build a new bathroom, or adding an addition that includes a new bathroom can give you what you need. Here are some signs you might need another bathroom and what to consider when adding a bathroom to your home:

8 Signs You Might Need to Add a Bathroom to Your Home

Here are some common signs you might need to add a bathroom to your home:

1. Your house only has one bathroom.
2. One bathroom is being overused and showing more wear and tear faster than normal.
3. Morning routines are rushed and stressful because multiple people need to access the bathroom in a short time.
4. You feel like you’re always waiting for someone to finish up in the bathroom when you need to use it.
5. There isn’t a bathroom on the same floor as heavily-used rooms.
6. Your family is growing, or there are more people in the household.
7. You’re aging in place and need to add an accessible bathroom on the ground floor.
8. You often host guests and don’t have a convenient guest bathroom.

6 Major Considerations When Adding a Bathroom to Your Home

These are some of the important things to consider when adding a bathroom to your home:

1. Why you need another bathroom
2. Where the new bathroom will go
3. The type of bathroom you want to add
4. What the structural impact will be when adding a new bathroom
5. Whether plumbing and electrical will need to be added or updated
6. The overall design, fixtures, and details of your new bathroom

1. Why You Need Another Bathroom

Some of the most essential bathroom remodeling tips are to think about your goals, evaluate wants and needs, and go into a remodel with a plan. These are tips that also apply to adding a new bathroom to your home. One of the important considerations is why you need another bathroom. If your home has only one bathroom, there may be several reasons why you want to add another one.

Often, the reasons behind why you need to add another bathroom to your home provide valuable insight into what choices you need to make for your new bathroom and the best options available to meet those needs. Knowing why you want to add another bathroom can help you and your contractor determine everything else. These are key questions to ask yourself before starting a remodel, and are good to answer before adding a new bathroom to your home.

2. Where the New Bathroom Will Go

Another big consideration when adding a bathroom to your home is where the new bathroom will go. There are a lot of factors that will affect the placement of a new bathroom, and you’ll want to work with your contractor to evaluate your home and determine the best placement options for your needs.

• Do you need the new bathroom to be on a specific floor?
• Does it make more sense to remodel an existing room to add a bathroom or build an addition?
• If you’re building an addition, are you building out from the ground floor or building up with a second-story addition?
• Will the addition just be for the bathroom, or will it be a larger home addition that also includes a new bathroom?

Consider what floor the bathroom will need to go on and what options are available in the layout. Depending on the design and layout of your home and your goals, you may be able to remodel an existing room to add a bathroom to it or add a home addition to expand your home’s current square footage and create space for a new bathroom.

If your goal is a new bathroom on an upper floor and you have space above an attached garage, you can consider a second-story home addition to add more livable space to your home and use some of it for a new bathroom addition. If your goal is to have a more accessible bathroom on the ground floor for universal design or aging in place, then you know that whatever options you consider will need to be focused on the first floor.

Provided your lot has the space for it, you also have the option to build out with an addition if remodeling existing rooms on the ground floor doesn’t suit your needs. As long as it’s designed well, even something as simple as a bump-out addition can be used to add a bathroom to your home. If you have the space and need for it, you can also consider larger types of home additions that serve other purposes and include the new bathroom, like a mudroom, a 4-season sunroom, a room addition, and more.

3. The Type of Bathroom You Want to Add

Your goals, your home design, and more will all affect the type of bathroom you want to add. Conversely, the type of bathroom you want to add can also affect things like placement, features, and other options. There may be different options for adding a simple powder room compared to a full bathroom or a bathroom with double vanities that requires more square footage, plumbing, etc.

In a situation where you’re adding an en-suite bathroom to a bedroom, the amount of space you’ll need for the new bathroom will depend on the fixtures you want to include and the overall layout and design you’re going for. A bathroom with a walk-in shower, toilet, and sink can be larger or smaller, depending on what you want, the space available, and the options you choose.

4. What the Structural Impact Will Be When Adding a New Bathroom

Whether you are remodeling an existing room to add a bathroom or building an addition to add a bathroom to your home, there will be some sort of structural impact that needs to be considered. Depending on your home and the specifics of your new bathroom addition, some considerations around structural impact could include:

• Evaluating drainage lines and systems
• Checking plumbing capacity
• Rerouting existing piping
• Upgrading or adding lines and pipes
• Updating or adding vents for bathroom ventilation
• Removing walls
• Adding walls
• Evaluating floor joists, beams, and support structures
• Extending the foundation and roof for a new addition
• Adding walls, insulation, windows, siding, doors, etc. to a new addition

A good contractor will be able to walk you through and evaluate specific considerations for your home.

5. Whether Plumbing and Electrical Will Need to Be Added or Updated

Plumbing and electrical are important considerations when adding a bathroom to your home. It is essential to review and evaluate the existing plumbing and electrical systems and consider how the new bathroom will interact with them.

Drainage Systems

Drainage lines and systems depend on gravity to work well. In cases where they need a little more help, a pump system may be necessary. This can be the case for basement bathroom additions when the drainage line sits above the basement floor. When adding a bathroom to upper floors, it can sometimes be necessary to open up floors and ceilings to tie plumbing from the new bathroom into the existing system.

Plumbing Capacity

In addition to proper drainage, you also need to consider and evaluate your home’s current plumbing capacity when you are adding another bathroom to it. Can your home’s current plumbing capacity support a new bathroom?

It is essential to answer this question, especially in older homes where upgrading lines is often necessary to support an additional bathroom. Depending on your home and existing systems, water lines and drainage systems may need to be upgraded or rerouted to support your new bathroom. Regardless of what the situation may be for your home, a good contractor will be able to help you.

Electrical Systems

Just as it’s important to evaluate plumbing capacity and systems, it’s also important to review and evaluate electrical systems. Between lighting, exhaust fans/ventilation systems, features, and other fixtures, your new bathroom will need to connect to your home’s electrical system without overloading it. You’ll also need to consider electrical outlet placement and switch placements within the bathroom design.

6. The Overall Design, Fixtures, and Details of Your New Bathroom

Other big considerations when adding a bathroom to your home are similar to what you have to think about when remodeling an existing bathroom. What overall design do you want in your new bathroom? The lighting, ventilation, flooring, fixtures, details, and upgrades are bathroom must-haves and are all things to consider and work through.

There are plenty of bathroom design trends to explore if you’re not sure what you want, and plenty of bathroom design mistakes to avoid to make sure your bathroom works well and looks good. A good contractor will be able to walk you through the best options for your needs and ensure all the important details are covered.

Add a Bathroom to Your Home With Zephyr Thomas

This is an overview of what to consider when adding a bathroom to your home. Just as there are things to consider when remodeling your bathroom, there are other considerations that come with a new bathroom addition. Working with an experienced home improvement contractor can help you make sure everything is considered and covered, and that you end up with a new bathroom that suits your needs and wants.

If you’re thinking of adding a bathroom to your home, remodeling a bathroom, or tackling another home improvement project, contact us at 717-399-4708 to schedule your free estimate! You can also stop by and visit our showroom to see some options in person and ask questions.

Check out the time-lapse video below to see the Zephyr Thomas team adding a new bathroom to the master bedroom of this home!