Holidays & Entertaining

Holiday Updates

Whether you’ll be hosting a grand holiday party with out-of-town guests or an intimate affair with local loved ones, these top improvements will prepare your home for holiday merriment

Affordably Add a Guest Bathroom 

Adding a guest bathroom will help make holiday guests feel more comfortable while also adding to your home’s value. This may seem impossible in spaces without below-floor drainage for plumbing or when proximity to drainage is inconvenient. 

A simple, affordable solution is above-floor plumbing systems from Saniflo that avoid the hassle and expense of busting through the floor or concrete to create conventional drainage or installing a sewage ejector system. The Saniaccess 2 is ideal for creating an additional half bathroom virtually anywhere, thanks to a 1/2-horsepower macerator pump system. Above-floor systems like this can process waste from sinks and toilets before pumping it to the nearest drain line that connects to the home’s septic tank or a sewer system. When an up-flushing, macerating toilet — like the Saniaccess 3 — is used for the project, its comparatively low installed cost makes a bathroom addition very affordable. The stainless-steel cutting blades inside the Saniflo unit quickly break down and liquefy incoming waste, then discharging it through small-diameter piping into sewer or septic lines. Consequently, there is no need for the mess and heavy expense of digging through the flooring, especially the concrete variety in a basement or a slab foundation.

DIY influencer Sammy Pampani recently converted an unused storage room into a bathroom. The remodel consisted of removing a pre-existing oil tank, cleaning up the space, and installing a toilet, shower and sink. The Saniaccess 3 was the best solution for Sammy’s planned bathroom. Using Saniflo saved a substantial amount of money on the installation, she says. “The Saniaccess 3, compared with conventional plumbing, saved close to $2,000 and three days of labor. We just love it.” Thanks to Saniflo, Sammy now has an additional bathroom in her basement to accommodate guests during the holiday season and beyond.

Add a Wet Bar

 Simple updates can make a big difference in functionality. You might consider adding an island with running water and a sink. Once again, an above-floor plumbing solution, like the Sanivite, can quickly and affordably create that functionality where no below-floor drain currently exists. Small enough to fit inside a kitchen cabinet, the unit is designed to meet the toughest applications and is capable of handling hot water and grease. 

Dane Perkins of GMH Construction estimated that homeowners saved close to $2,500 on a recent sink addition to a basement bar when they chose to move forward with the Sanivite above-floor drain pump solution, rather than conventional plumbing. The homeowners wanted a basement bar for entertaining guests. According to Perkins, connecting the Sanivite was an easy and straightforward installation: “The most beneficial aspect of the Sanivite is that the pump in itself is already quiet.” Once installed, the system was practically silent due to bumpers included with the product to isolate the noise and vibrations. After multiple tests, Perkins confirms that the Sanivite “had plenty of power to do what it needed to do.” 

Add a Basement Kitchen 

A popular hang-out spot during the holiday season is the basement. Why not add a full kitchen to your basement, including a sink and dishwasher? The Sanivite is a drain pump for kitchen installation or for any gray water application. It can be used to pump gray water away from a variety of fixtures in commercial and residential applications. The system is able to discharge the waste up to 16 feet vertical and/or 150 feet horizontal. This unit is also small enough to fit inside a kitchen cabinet and was designed to sustain the toughest applications as it is capable of handling hot water and grease. www.saniflo.ca

The following two tabs change content below.
Canadian Home Trends magazine gives you a personal tour of the most stunning homes and condos across Canada. You'll be inspired by a selection of accessible home décor products, trend reports, simple yet stylish DIY projects, and much more. In each issue, you are given the tools to recreate designer spaces you've always dreamt of having at home, in-depth renovation and design advice, colour palette and furniture pairings, and Canada's best places to shop.

Latest posts by Canadian Home Trends (see all)