Bathroom remodel - Is a tub important?

[Ian S]

In our previous home (built in 1969) the master had a walk-in shower and a sunken tub. In over 30 years living there, I think I only used the sunken tub once and if we had stayed there, it would have been gone in a remodel. I actually used the guest bath tub (shower/tub combo) several times. Our new home (built in 1991) has a master bath with walk-in shower and separate jetted tub. We have lived there nearly 2 1/2 years and the only time the jetted tub's been used was during the home inspection! When we redo the master bath, I'll gladly see it gone. We do have two other bathrooms with tub/shower combos elsewhere in the house. Those are fine as is.

 

[pb4uski]

When we put in our jetted tub, I was having some occasional back issues. We have used it a few times in 11 years, but not near enough to justify the cost.

 

[Badger]

If you're not planning on moving soon then do exactly what you want and don't worry about a potential buyer years or decades in the future.

It's your house, not a stranger's house.

+1 When we remodeled the bathroom that had a tub we tore it out and put in a shower in the space. It made sense to us since 1.) we are getting older and are trying to make our home safer and 2.) we plan on staying here until we can't take care of ourselves and 3.) when the house is finally sold it will be knocked down for a larger and newer house as has happened to every other house in the neighborhood.
A house should be comfortable and designed/remodeled to your specifications while you are living in it.


Cheers!

 

[old medic]

"the house of many projects"

Want to trade?? Ours whole house is totally gutted. Living in a camper.

Its funny as he##, we wanted a tub in the camper... Can save water to wash, rinse off with shower... 3 of us camping and only have 50 gallons of water.
But not putting a tub back in the house... Just a walk in shower.
IF we ever add a tub, it will be heated and out on the back deck.

 

[Music Lover]

If you're not planning on moving soon then do exactly what you want and don't worry about a potential buyer years or decades in the future.

It's your house, not a stranger's house.

Just to add to my comment. I did a massive renovation of my house 2 years ago just before my GF moved in. I changed a 3 bed 1 bath to a 2 bed 2 bath by combining the 2 smaller bedrooms into one larger room and adding an ensuite.

A few people commented about resale value but we plan to live here until we're unable so we wanted it to be right for us, not a future buyer when we're too old to care. That being said, I think there are more than enough people that would prefer an ensuite over a rarely used 3rd bedroom.

Then it turned out that we have enough overnight guests that a 3rd bedroom would be useful as GF's daughter is using the 2nd bedroom. So I added another room in the finished basement. It's technically not an official bedroom as it has no closet but it's fine for an overnight guest. I had also added a half bath in the basement during the original reno which saves guests from having to go up a flight of stairs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Looking back at it now, the renovation was the right choice for our lifestyle. We plan to be here for many more years and when the time comes to sell someone will either buy the place because they like it as is or they'll buy it and make their own changes.

 

[Chuckanut]

If you do get a tub, consider some of the smaller ones that are shorter and deeper than a regular tub. You basically sit in them as you would a low chair. That takes up less square footage.

I almost never bathe in a tub because they are just too short for me and I find them uncomfortable. If I really wanted a tub I would get a nice long one that accommodated two people, and make sure the tap and faucets where at the center of the tub and not at one end.

 

[Gumby]

In the 29+ years we have lived here, I don't believe I have ever used the bathtub for purpose implied by its name. The young wife may have used it once or twice. I'm not sure. But it works just fine for showering too.

 

[Scuba]

We remodeled our 2.5 bath home and took the 6’ long cast iron tub from the 60’s out of the master. It looked cool, and it’s hard if not impossible to find such a long tub these days, but we never used it. Replaced it with a walk-in shower that we love, and added what was previously the master shower into my closet.

In our guest bath, I initially wanted to do a walk-in shower there too instead of the tub/shower combo. Our GC and our realtor both advised us to leave one tub in the house. We live in a mostly adult area, but if we ever want to sell or rent our home out, many potential buyers/renters have grandkids so not having a tub would be negatively perceived. We have never used the tub.

 

[wmc1000]

While our 2nd bath has a tub, we did get rid of the jetted tub in the master. Before and after shots.

 

[Earlygirl]

Yes, this ^ ^ ^. Lack of tub will shrink you eventual buyer pool at resale time. And resale time may arrive sooner than you ever expect, so it never pays to give short shrift to resale when you can solve a problem right now during a remodel.

I agree.

 

[Murph]

If your flipping it, have you thought of a tub and shower combo? If you’re not, then build it to suit you.

 

[kcowan]

Our third bathroom/guest powder room has a tub for decor. The last place had a jetted jacuzzi in the master that we never used.

This one has a hand held that can be used in a pinch to shower off. (Just avoid getting suds on the acrylic!)

 

[meleana]

We have always had at least two bathrooms so had at least one tub. In our current small home with two bathrooms when it was being built we had the option of two showers or a tub/ shower and a shower in the master bathroom.

Though we don’t take baths we felt it was important to have a tub. We hang wet towels and bathing suits in there on a rack. I don’t have a laundry sink so sometimes I have had to soak something in it.

I did have a medical issue where I needed to soak in a tub. And for resale value I thought it would be important, especially for families with children.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm a believer that a home should have consistent styling throughout. You wouldn't put a slick finish marble luxury bathroom into a 1300 sq. ft. FHA home. The finish should be representative of the rest of the house. And I assume your home is somewhat rustic.

In a log home, I would replace the current spa tub with a claw foot tub in the same place. The toilet is in the right place, but the window is in the wrong place. With a good chain saw, you could center that window on the back wall--but it's not worth the effort.

Just turn the toilet 90 degrees (toward the tub) and put a wall up to the left of it.

You have room on the long wall to put a 36 x 42 inch free standing shower stall.

We have a neighbor with a log home, and he has a stacked stone shower in his master bath--and it's knocked out. Looks like a small waterfall.

 

[SonofCohoes]

Yeah, you could sit in there with your knees up to your chin...

Some may even need to butter the sides to get in and out.......