How to turn an elevator shaft into a bathroom
In the summer, Carlson Projects had the awesome opportunity to work with a client that bought the old typewriter building in Downtown Lincoln and renovate it into a breathtaking condo.
As you can imagine, demolition was no walk in the park and starting on the plans has brought up its own challenges along the way. One of those included how to add extra bathrooms so the home could be fully functional when duty calls.
After careful thought, deliberation, and planning, we decided to rip out the old elevator and turn the elevator shaft into a bathroom. Have you ever done this before? Neither have we, but we’re so excited to see the results.
The first step was to rip out the old elevator shaft and frame up the walls. It comes as no surprise that we had to be absolutely certain the structure was sound for not only the shower, sink and toilet, but sturdy enough that they could be used with confidence on any floor without ending up on the one below.
Once the elevator shaft was torn out, the floor got framed up with some monstrous 6×6 posts to the LVL beams. Next, we added 2×12 floor joists with 8-12in spacing so there won’t be any movement.
Since elevator shafts aren’t a typical space to add a bathroom we used the 4x4s that were originally used for the elevator track for extra support.
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On the top side, we were lucky enough to have electrical and plumbing pipes within a reasonable distance, so all we need to do is reroute the pipes so they’re hidden inside the drywall. Next, the electrical will get wired into the ceiling and the ceiling will get framed in.
One of the final steps before installing the flooring, golden throne, shower and other bathroom necessities is framing in the interior wall with a pocket door to make the most of the space and add some architectural design flare.
We’ll be posting an update when the bathroom is all finished, as well as a full walkthrough when the typewriter building is fully renovated.
What are your thoughts on turning the elevator shaft into a bathroom? Let us know in the comments!
