Tub in the Master Bedroom or Not???

[Lisa99]

Could you post a picture of what something like this looks like? Either yours, or something similar?

Ha

I'll see if I can find a pic of the finished shower. We sold the house in 2006 but we took pictures of the process as we built the shower. If I can't find one I'll look for something similar on the web.

 

[haha]

I'll see if I can find a pic of the finished shower. We sold the house in 2006 but we took pictures of the process as we built the shower. If I can't find one I'll look for something similar on the web.

Thanks.

Ha

 

[Katsmeow]

I think it is fair to say that master bathroom with the huge shower and no tub are becoming more common. That said, there are people who won't consider a house without one just as there are people who won't consider a house with no formal dining room. I've seen this discussed elsewhere and the usual comment I've seen is that not having a tub in the master may make it slower to sell rather than causing a reduction in vlue.

That said, if it was me and you were were planning to be in the house for at least several years I would remodel it to suit myself...

We ended buying a house last year but considered building a house and worked with a designer. The house we were designing had only a very large walk in shower. Coincidentally while we were working on plans, we looked at the modified plan that the builder actually built for his personal home. He had modified the standard plan (which had a separate tub and separate showed) to build only a large shower and no tub in the master.

 

[Wheel]

When we built our house, we did not want a tub for the exact reasons that LandlordInvestor listed. However with an eye towards the future, we plumbed the water into the wall as well as the drain in the floor. If a future buyer (or we decide we need one), it's easily installed. Only have to remove 1 cabinet.

 

[eytonxav]

Our current master bathroom is Texas size, probably about 16x20, so it has a big jacuzzi and shower. When we down size, we just want a nice shower with a seat and no tub.

 

[H2ODude]

Currently contemplating a complete master bath remodel. Started out with wanting to get rid of the aluminum framed shower, then thought of replacing the tile, and now want to get rid of the jacuzzi tub. Unfortunately the tub, as big as it is, sits in the windowed corner next to the shower. If we lose the tub, about all we will gain is floor and cabinet space. Can kick out the shower a foot or so, but not enough to make it walk in sans doors. Only resistance is DW who questions losing a jetted tub. To me it's an easy decision, especially since all the fixtures, including tub drain are brass (well, likely faux brass) need to change out to brushed stainless or nickel. It's mainly a "for us" project but in the end the update will pay for itself, with or without a tub. IMO.

 

[audreyh1]

No tubs. I hate tubs.

Our main living area is small - 1100 square feet - so no huge master bath. We have a very nice large walk in shower with bench. The best use of the space, IMO.

I also had them do a glassed in shower with sliding door for the guest shower.

The way our houses are - we are in a section of houses with very similar design - the decisions on buying will be based more on availability of lots, and the deep, wider lots (like ours) are all bought!

 

[palomalou]

This topic seems to bring on an almost religious fervor! I am sure I'm in the minority, but I have had a jetted tub for the last 15 years or so and would hate to give it up as I use it virtually daily (as in, I can remember being in the shower but it was at least a month ago if not longer.) Our retirement condo has only a shower in the master, but a tub in the hall which we would like to replace with a standard-tube-sized jetted tub if we can get permission. In a house, I wouldn't buy with only a shower in the master; in Manhattan apartments, 2 baths period in our price range are hard to find.

 

[devans0]

I and DW are looking into building a house for retirement. Simple, cheap, energy efficient, easy to clean and maintain, and age-in-place friendly are what we hope for. DW has just been booted in a re-org, so the next few months will tell.

I stayed at one apartment that had a large tiled bathroom and open shower. I thought it was perfect. Two bathrooms is the main feature that makes a home into a livable happy home. Especially when I had a teen aged daughter.

 

[Midpack]

As often happens here, some are answering from the perspective of what's best for resale, and some are answering from the perspective of just doing what the owner wants without regard for resale. Of course they're not always one in the same. We're about to redo our kitchen with resale in mind, most definitely not what we'd like.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, I guess it depends on whether you are aiming for resale to younger couples who like the jet tub, or geezers who are thinking wheelchair-sized showers.

 

[kyounge1956]

Could you post a picture of what something like this looks like? Either yours, or something similar?

Ha

haha, the Tacoma Home & Garden show will be at the Dome this coming weekend, and the Seattle Home Show is coming up in a month or so at the Exhibition Center. Probably some of the vendors at both will have photos etc. that you can check out, and with luck there might be a model house with a bath that you could actually walk through. Seems to me there have been such at previous shows.

I'm asking myself the tub vs shower question too. The house I've bought has a hall bath between the two bedrooms. I can't remember the last time I took a bath (vs shower). The tub surround needs to be replaced, and I'm wondering whether just to do a shower rather than the tub. It's a small bath, so walk-in with no doors would not appear to be an option. Decisions, decisions....

 

[Gumby]

We're about to redo our kitchen with resale in mind, most definitely not what we'd like.

Is it because you are certain you are moving soon? Otherwise, why live with something you don't like? To my mind, it would be like continuing to work at a job I don't enjoy once I'm financially independent. The whole idea was to get to the point where I don't need to care about the money.

 

[audreyh1]

Is it because you are certain you are moving soon? Otherwise, why live with something you don't like? To my mind, it would be like continuing to work at a job I don't enjoy once I'm financially independent. The whole idea was to get to the point where I don't need to care about the money.

+1

Fortunately, when I sold my last house, I was able to sell a 20 year old house just fine without any interior remodeling. We didn't discount either - pretty much matched the comps in sale price.

Personally, I'm always skeptical whether remodeling or updating is worth it, UNLESS you are doing it for your own personal enjoyment. In the latter case - do it several years before selling so you can get max enjoyment.

 

[Midpack]

Thanks for your comments!

Is it because you are certain you are moving soon? Otherwise, why live with something you don't like? To my mind, it would be like continuing to work at a job I don't enjoy once I'm financially independent. The whole idea was to get to the point where I don't need to care about the money.

We're certain we're buying a new home, just not certain whether we'll relocate when we do. Guessing in about 1-3 years.

Fortunately, when I sold my last house, I was able to sell a 20 year old house just fine without any interior remodeling. We didn't discount either - pretty much matched the comps in sale price.

Personally, I'm always skeptical whether remodeling or updating is worth it, UNLESS you are doing it for your own personal enjoyment. In the latter case - do it several years before selling so you can get max enjoyment.

Believe me I wish I was more certain that it would be money well spent, and how to far to go with updates Going part way could actually be a complete waste of time & money. It seems most realtors & designers we talk to (including some we know personally) tell us while you can indeed sometimes find buyers who'd rather have a home as-is at a big discount, most really don't want to bother with renovations (and don't have the imagination to visualize what could be) so the market is far better for turnkey homes. We realize we're not going to get what we put into it back, though we've already done the 2.5 baths and kitchens still seem to be higher paybacks than most home renovation projects.

 

[Katsmeow]

Well, I guess it depends on whether you are aiming for resale to younger couples who like the jet tub, or geezers who are thinking wheelchair-sized showers.

Actually my sense is that overall the really old (thinking my mom who is in her 80s) would rather have a large shower than a tub (she doesn't use a wheelchair but getting up and down in a tub is hard for her) and younger couples would prefer showers. My (teenagers and younger adults) never use a tub. The exception would be the younger couples who want to give a bath to a young child and prefer a tub. However, most of them would be OK with a tub in a secondary bathroom not the master and usually wouldn't use a large jetted tub for that.

I think the crowd that is most likely to want a large jetted tub is the middle aged who just grew up expecting it and started buying homes when the epitome of luxury was the jetted tub before fancy showers became popular.

 

[Sue J]

About a walk-in tub.... It looks like you have to walk in and sit there while the water runs and fills up all that space around your feet before the water gets up to where it's comfortable and your upper body is submerged. So you are sitting there undressed and cold. Same thing in reverse when you are done. You sit there wet and naked while waiting for the water to drain out enough to open the door.

Sounds like you'll need a huge hot water tank or a tankless water heater.

Full disclosure - I'm not a bath person. To me it's like sitting in a soup of all the things you are trying to wash off (skin cells, sweat, hair, toe jam, etc). Then having to deal with the ring left behind from soap or shampoo makes the next bath a chore.

I know plenty of people who love a good bathtub soak. I also know people who insisted on the huge jetted tub in their bathroom redesign and don't use it.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I know plenty of people who love a good bathtub soak. I also know people who insisted on the huge jetted tub in their bathroom redesign and don't use it.

I know people who passed on the jetted tub because of cleaning issues of the recirculated water in the jet mechanism. They have deep "soaking tubs" instead. I read the first half of this thread yesterday while soaking in my regular little tub.

Both of our adult kids have only big showers in their master baths, and regular tubs in their second baths.
Not having a master bath myself, I don't have to worry about what's in there.

 

[Katsmeow]

There are maybe 3 levels here:

1. People who really don't care about soaking or water massage at all. They use showers exclusively.

2. People who like soaking in warm water but either don't care about the water massage or are concerned with the hygiene aspects of the typical jetted tub. Many of them would prefer a soaking tub with no jets or never use their jets.

3. People who really do like the massage aspects of the jetted tub. You can further divide them into 2 subgroups. Those who can only get the massage aspects from the tub and those who have other options. The first group may not have room for a stand alone spa or don't a pool with a spa or don't want to spend the money on one, etc. The other group does.

In the house we were building we were not going to have a tub in the master bath. We now do have a jetted tub in the house we bought instead but rarely used it. In the last 10 1/2 months I've used it exactly once. DH liked the soaking aspects so would sometimes use it just to soak.

However we recently bought a stand alone hot tub spa (Sundance Maxxus) which we placed on our patio right outside the master bedroom. For us it gives us a much better water massage than any jetted tub would do, and gives a great soak. One reason that I think I sometimes see homes without any tub in the master bedroom is when the owners either have a pool with a spa built in or they have a stand alone spa.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I would be just fine with just a shower in the master bath, especially if there was a tub in the house (mostly for resale purposes...families with young children and all). It would be great to have one of those big fancy showers with the jets from all directions. My master bath has a soaking tub (never used) and a walk in shower with a seat (where I keep my numerous shampoos). I like a shower curtain on the shower, not glass doors, as I just change them out as they get grungy after a couple of machine washings. There are some really nice shower curtains out there!

 

[M Paquette]

Idle thoughts... How about an ofuro, the smallish deep Japanese soaking tubs? We were thinking about going to the shower-only setup for our master bedroom, and DW mentioned that every once in a great while she'd like a good soak. Ofuro are becoming more common out on the west coast. They tend to be smaller in length and width than the traditional US bathtubs, but much deeper (three feet seems to be pretty common here, deeper than in Japan), and often with a built in seat. It's used like a spa pool, showering off first before a nice clean soak.

 

[hakuna matata]

We just redid all three baths in our house this last summer. We took out the big soaking tub as it just was ill-placed, too big and we never used it. ZERO regrets as the new larger shower + the new very large linen and the toilet now in its own room was well worth it. New cabinets, and we added heated tile floors--it is indeed heaven! In the second bath we added new cabinets and a new tub/shower combo with the same heated floors. The 1/2 bath just got new tiles and cabinets.

As an Architect I see the trend moving away from the big tubs as most people don't use them. Our neighbor just took his out too this last month, so it isn't uncommon in the market here.

The house we sold to buy this one didn't have a tub and it sold fine, and I imagine if/when we sell this house it will sell fine. It is a great home in a great location in a great setting. The other assets to the house (like each of the bedrooms having a large walk in closet, the heated floors, etc) easily outweigh the very minor (in my opinion) negative of not having a soaking tub. Personally I think in situations like this you have to look at the totality of your home, not an individual piece of it. If your house is not in a great neighborhood, or location, or the master bedroom is small, or the house feels like it is all hallway, etc--then not having a soaking tub might be the deciding factor. Frankly if someone came to buy my current home and that was the deciding factor for them, well, frankly to be honest I wouldn't want them to buy my house!

About building for your use or the market--again just my personal opinion, but I view this as my house, and I want to enjoy it, thus it has things "I" want in it. I think as long as the things you like are within reasonable standards of the local community (ie. no dark purple or green walls, or tiger skin wall coverings!) you really won't have an issue when you sell.

 

[audreyh1]

Believe me I wish I was more certain that it would be money well spent, and how to far to go with updates Going part way could actually be a complete waste of time & money. It seems most realtors & designers we talk to (including some we know personally) tell us while you can indeed sometimes find buyers who'd rather have a home as-is at a big discount, most really don't want to bother with renovations (and don't have the imagination to visualize what could be) so the market is far better for turnkey homes. We realize we're not going to get what we put into it back, though we've already done the 2.5 baths and kitchens still seem to be higher paybacks than most home renovation projects.

I think realtors and designers are biased towards updates. Designers, for obvious reasons, and realtors because they can increase the selling price of the home and have easy bullet item boasting points and very little work when a home fits a pre-conceived ideal.

We "interviewed" 3 realtors when selling ours. One, the "top selling realtor" for the area really wanted us to at least update the light fixtures, if not other items. We went with the realtor who was fine selling the home as is and focused on setting the right price. The home sold very quickly, under contract in less than a week, and closed within 10 days. I'm so glad we didn't put the effort into any remodeling. And the old, stained linoleum on the floor in that kitchen was truly horrid........

Again, we didn't sell at a big discount.

 

[NW-Bound]

... most really don't want to bother with renovations (and don't have the imagination to visualize what could be) so the market is far better for turnkey homes...

I have also heard that most people do not have the cash to pay to do an update themselves. If the renovation is included in the price of the house and financed, they can then afford it.

 

[audreyh1]

I have also heard that most people do not have the cash to pay to do an update themselves. If the renovation is included in the price of the house and financed, they can then afford it.

Hmmm - I suppose having an idea who might buy the house gives a good clue as to how important renovation and financing might be.

We knew it was unlikely that a young family would buy our house, as it really was too small for a growing family. They are the most likely to be cash strapped IMO. It was more likely a single person - maybe a young professional, or childless couple (Austin being a city with lots of young professionals). It turned out a retired senior widower bought our house - the single story was appealing, and oodles of room for one person. He paid cash.