basement drain

Hello, I have come to the point in my basement remodel that I have been dreading the most...breaking up the concrete floor and splicing into the main drain to add a toilet, shower, and sink. I have read two articles on it but am still nervous. Am I right to be intimidated by this project?

If I were to hire this out - are there plumbers that would just do the drain portion so that I can cut down on my costs? What would be a reasonable price (the new service will be within a few feet of the sewer line and directly underneath another bathroom)? I am very comfortable running all of the supply lines myself and breaking up the concrete. Any thoughts or experience any one might have would be greatly appreciated.

Just finished doing exactly the same thing. It was a lot of work but not a real problem.

I scored the concrete with a circular saw and masonry blade as deep as I could - about 1 - 2 inches deep (the smell permeats the house for days). On one corner of your proposed cut out, go deep as possible, providing a starting point for your sledge hammer work. Knock out the smaller portion and then begin chipping away at the rest, digging out gravel from under the cement as you go, allowing the concrete room to "sag" when you pound on it. The square I cut out came out beautifully and clean (about 3ft X 4ft). When working around the drain pipe going through the floor, use a small chisel and careful blows to avoid damaging the pipe.

I did run into one surprise during the project, the main drain that I was trying to access did not run in the direction I expected - but my cutout was large enough to provide access to it anyway. Once you've dug out the concrete and gravel, it is a simple (sort of) matter to cut into the line and begin installing the new pipes.

Make your cutout large enough for working room and the unexpected. QuickCrete is cheap and easy to use later when you refill.

Took me about 3 hours to score, cut, break, and dig out the hole. And saved me a bundle in plumbing costs. Good Luck!