Tub in the Master Bedroom or Not???

[LandlordInvestor]

Wife and I want to remodel our Master bath. We have one of those large traingle shaped jacuzzi tubs in there. We never use it. It takes up most of the bathroom. We would like to make the shower bigger and just leave more open space in the bath.

We plan on staying in the home, but our final backup plan if we ever get in trouble is to sell and take the equity. Do you need a tub in the master, or is in a nice shower good enough? We have another tub in the house, but its upstairs.

 

[haha]

Wife and I want to remodel our Master bath. We have one of those large traingle shaped jacuzzi tubs in there. We never use it. It takes up most of the bathroom. We would like to make the shower bigger and just leave more open space in the bath.

We plan on staying in the home, but our final backup plan if we ever get in trouble is to sell and take the equity. Do you need a tub in the master, or is in a nice shower good enough? We have another tub in the house, but its upstairs.

Likely a good idea to get an experienced woman realtor to go through your place and tell you her ideas on this as if she were going to be the agent trying to sell the house.

My guess is that it would not be a good idea, from the pov of resale considerations.

Ha

 

[JOHNNIE36]

We remodeled our master bath 18 months ago and have never been happier. We did it because we hated cleaning all the glass enclosure in the shower area and we had the large garden tub that was never used. We wanted a walk in shower that didn't have to be wiped down every time. If I can find the pictures of our remodel, I'll post the before and after.

 

[Midpack]

Likely a good idea to get an experienced woman realtor to go through your place and tell you her ideas on this as if she were going to be the agent trying to sell the house.

My guess is that it would not be a good idea, from the pov of resale considerations.

Ha

+1. Above the most modest price point, I think a large jetted tub and separate shower are normally expected in a master bath these days, but a local realtor should be able to give a definitive answer without even seeing your house. But if you plan to stay in the house, you can take your chances and remove the tub for a super shower, since resale may be so far in the future that another remodel may be needed anyway. Best of luck...

 

[KingB]

We remodeled our master bath 18 months ago and have never been happier. We did it because we hated cleaning all the glass enclosure in the shower area and we had the large garden tub that was never used. We wanted a walk in shower that didn't have to be wiped down every time. If I can find the pictures of our remodel, I'll post the before and after.

I saw Johnnie's thread and the walk-in shower was nicely done.
We have never used the bath tubs in our homes except for taking showers. If I have do it all over again, I'll do like what Johnnie did.

 

[GrayHare]

Replace the large jacuzzi with a standard tub. Win-win?

 

[imoldernu]

In our newer 2000-2007 senior development, the standard is a walk in shower with seat and hand holds, in the master bedroom/bath. For the long term, handicap accessible homes. Aquaglas w/curtain, not glass doors. 8 years, and the surface is almost self cleaning.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have read about elderly people remodeling their bathroom to prepare for the time when they cannot step into a tub or spa. That means a walk-in tub like the linked photo below, or a low-step shower, or perhaps even a large shower that one can roll the wheelchair into.

From my own observation with my father-in-law and my late father, either of the above options would allow them to take a bath or shower with assistance, and to stay home for about 1 to 2 years before they had to enter a full-time nursing home. I wonder if that is worth it. YMMV.

 

[heeyy_joe]

We faced this same decision two years ago under similar circumstances with our master bath remodel. We kept the tub, glad we did.

 

[grasshopper]

My current home has a step through bath, with shower, in the guest end of the ranch house. No one has ever used it, never have any guests. Well maybe once we deskunked a dog or 2 in there.

 

[imoldernu]

I have read about elderly people remodeling their bathroom to prepare for the time when they cannot step into a tub or spa. That means a walk-in tub like the linked photo below, or a low-step shower, or perhaps even a large shower that one can roll the wheelchair into.

From my own observation with my father-in-law and my late father, either of the above options would allow them to take a bath or shower with assistance, and to stay home for about 1 to 2 years before they had to enter a full-time nursing home. I wonder if that is worth it. YMMV.

The walkin is nice, but a little pricey... $2500 to $6000 plus installation. Our shower has a low step to keep the overall size small. The built in seat allows moving from the wheelchair to be relatively easy. As mentioned in several threads, decisions on handicap accessibility for retirement homes can be very important. Much less expensive to make adjustments while remodeling, than later on.

 

[W2R]

Personally I see no need for a bathtub in the master bathroom if there is one in another bathroom. However, realtors in your area would be the experts on how tubs in the master bath affect resale in your community.

A huge, well designed shower suitable for the handicapped or elderly would be a big selling point, I would think.

 

[Purron]

When we were preparing our home for sale, our realtor advised us against putting in a big jacuzzi tub to replace the standard tub/shower we had. He said most people like that kind of thing a few times but just want a regular shower or bath after the novelty wears off. Ours was a mid range home for our area so it might be different for a more upscale place. He was a great realtor. His advice was good and we sold our house in a reasonable amount of time at a good price.

 

[Mulligan]

You are thinking what I am. My jetted tub is 10 years old, put in when I had my house built. It is so clean from lack of use you could eat off of it without plates... What a waste in my mind. In the next couple years, I am gutting it and putting in a big shower area only with a permanent bench and jets in wall. If they are done right, people will just love it. Since you have another tub like I do, there is a place to scrub a baby in. Who takes a bath anymore? Great showers are awesome, I will rent a nice overnight room based only on the shower! And my GF always thanks me!

 

[haha]

I have read about elderly people remodeling their bathroom to prepare for the time when they cannot step into a tub or spa. That means a walk-in tub like the linked photo below, or a low-step shower, or perhaps even a large shower that one can roll the wheelchair into.

From my own observation with my father-in-law and my late father, either of the above options would allow them to take a bath or shower with assistance, and to stay home for about 1 to 2 years before they had to enter a full-time nursing home. I wonder if that is worth it. YMMV.

Definitely worth it for the person concerned, though not necessarily for the heirs. We did a redo for my parents, and I think at best they got an extra year at home. Still a very good use of their money.

 

[ShortInSeattle]

It might be one of those things a buyer thinks they want, but rarely uses. In that case, it will be important for resale, even if it's not important in reality. My gut sense is that many women will consider it a nice feature, but if your home is "the one" a lack of jets won't sour the deal.

SIS

 

[NW-Bound]

Definitely worth it for the person concerned, though not necessarily for the heirs. We did a redo for my parents, and I think at best they got an extra year at home. Still a very good use of their money.

My parents would still need a lot of help to bathe, even with the right bathroom.

I think that when it's my turn, I might just check into an assisted living or nursing home early, as I cannot be sure that my son will be available to help me on a daily basis, or that my wife will be physically able.

 

[LOL!]

Where will the guys shave their legs if there is no bathtub?

 

[LakeTravis]

It might be one of those things a buyer thinks they want, but rarely uses. In that case, it will be important for resale, even if it's not important in reality. My gut sense is that many women will consider it a nice feature, but if your home is "the one" a lack of jets won't sour the deal.

SIS

+1

My wife and I passed on a very, very nice home for sale almost four years ago because it only had a (huge) shower in the master bath and she wanted a tub.

So we bought the house we are currently in, it has a whirlpool tub in the master bath.

In the 42 months we've now been living in this house, she hasn't even used it once.

 

[W2R]

My parents would still need a lot of help to bathe, even with the right bathroom.

I think that when it's my turn, I might just check into an assisted living or nursing home early, as I cannot be sure that my son will be available to help me on a daily basis, or that my wife will be physically able.

I have a place like that in mind, and have checked on the price. However the older I get, the less appealing it sounds. I value my privacy so. I think I am going to try to live a solitary life as long as possible.

 

[NW-Bound]

I prefer to be in a single home too, but we are talking about delaying the inevitable for 1 more year, and even that requires some assistance that may not be available.

In case there is no help from family members, I understand that help from a visiting aide can be arranged, but that is no longer independent living. There are assisted living arrangements where one has her own apartment in a complex, with help standing by as needed.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

LandlordInvestor:

I went back to the archives and pulled out the photos of the remodel we did to our bath in 2011. Hope this gives you food for thought as what can be done after removing the giant bathtub.




Bathroom remodel - Early Retirement & Financial Independence ...<LI class=g>www.early-retirement.org › ... › Community Forums › Other topicsCached

 

[Gumby]

If it were me, I would remodel my house to satisfy my desires now, and not worry about any possible effect on resale value. I do things to satisfy me and the young wife, not some hypothetical buyer down the road.

 

[Lisa99]

If it were me, I would remodel my house to satisfy my desires now, and not worry about any possible effect on resale value. I do things to satisfy me and the young wife, not some hypothetical buyer down the road.

+1. We removed a sunken tub and tripled the size of our shower in a fairly small master bath. The new shower had a rain head, 4 body sprays and a frameless shower door. When we sold, the house sold in 5 days to a single woman who bought because of the shower. For us, removing the tub was a positive, but it was because we made the shower over the top.

 

[haha]

+1. We removed a sunken tub and tripled the size of our shower in a fairly small master bath. The new shower had a rain head, 4 body sprays and a frameless shower door. When we sold, the house sold in 5 days to a single woman who bought because of the shower. For us, removing the tub was a positive, but it was because we made the shower over the top.

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

Ha