$25,000 for a Toilet

I’m feeling a bit sympathetic towards the Pentagon today. You see, I never really understood those $25,000 toilets and other gross pork-excesses padding the defense budget, but now, I understand perfectly how one toilet can cost $25,000. Freak and I want a second bathroom, ideally attached to our new, oh-so-lovely master bedroom in the basement. Our house is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with about 1200-1500 square feet on the main level and an equal sized finished basement. Oh and an attic, ideal for further expansion. But, I digress. Since Mr. 37 joined the Scientist, I, and Freak, that makes four adults with one bathroom.  

So, we’ve been batting around bathroom plans, and lovingly stroked the porcelain at Home Despot while chirping naively about tile showers and glass block accents, and marveling at bargains! to be had in cabinetry. We, again being laughably naïve, figured we could do the whole shebang for about $5000, doing most of the work ourselves. Oh, we were wrong. Oh, how very wrong. 

First of all, cement is HARD. And impermeable. Which makes it an ideal basement floor. And exactly what you DON’T want to be slicing up and drilling through to lay a bathroom. Add several thousand just for all the cement work required. Next, remember what a bathroom is used for. All that water? All that grossness? It has to go somewhere. Because our house has one bathroom, it has one toilet stack. The basement toilet MUST connect to this stack. Now, we COULD use our preferred location, and add several grand for all the ceiling work that will be required + a pump to move the waste water from that location to the stack. OR, we could use the current laundry room area, save money, but add the trouble of framing out a new room. Either way, add a few thousand.  

And then, there are all those pipes, which hang from the ceiling, giving a nice “industrial edge” that just loudly proclaims basement. They will need to be re-routed. And that cement you just tore up? Well the flooring will have to be re-poured and leveled for that area. The absolute minimum this little project might cost? Any guesses? $10,000 from a well-known, low-balling contractor, with us doing pretty much everything past the pluming, flooring, and electrical. More likely: $15,000 with us doing the drywall, painting, trim work, installing the fixtures, and so on. Most realistically: $20,000-$25,000 with them doing most of the work. 

So, um, guess who WON’T be getting a bathroom for Christmas this year? I think I want to be a plumber and/or a contractor when I grow up. There’s lots of money to be made in selling $25,000 toilets. 

Comments

[Carol]

Hi,
I just looked at your photos and they are great.

[better safe than sorry]

just dropped in to say thanks for visiting my blog earlier. we re-did our bathroom two years ago, actually, paid to have it re-done. it cost close to $15,000! how can one little room cost that much?

[Nik]

Bathroom and kitchens are real budget busters that is for sure!

[amanda]

only 25,000? Heck, I'll write the check ;-). I need a basement refurb, sump & reconcrete. But its only money (that I dont have). Maybe you should get a port-a-potty for the guys :-)