Hi All -
My husband and I are about to embark on a bathroom reno - we will be reno'ing our main bathroom on the 2nd floor.
We also have a toilet (only) in the unfinished basement but are focusing on the main for now.
We have decided to remove our tub entirely and turn that area into a walk-in SPA - like shower .... We have received a mix or opinions on this. We have never used the tub in the 6 years we have lived in our home - it is our starter home - and will eventually move - perhaps 5 years (we love our house) - We do not have kids nor do we plan on..... the individuals against our ideas are focused on future buyers with babies / on the way / future plans....
What are some of the opinions out there? Should we keep the tub? why?
Should we remove it? Any idea.... we really want to get rid of the tub but don't want to jeopordize resale in the future.
Thanks in advance
d
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Well an access panel would show the existing plumbing (I have one in this house) and I didn't have any problem having a plumber replace the tub I had here. No new anything required other than taking the old tub out and putting in the new one and hooking everything up to the existing plumbing. It probably depends a lot on how busy they are whether they appreciate the smaller faster jobs or not. I too have experienced the ones who can't be bothered all too often, but can say with this house that was one job that did get done pretty easily.
One thing to consider though when planning would be how a new tub would be put in since when they did mine, he had to cut some of the floor and walls to maneuver it in to the spot.
I'm not sure I would believe there was a tub rough in if someone were to tell me that. The new homeowner will still have to go through the hassle and mess to get the tub installed and many people just want turnkey.
A plumber wouldn't give anyone any breaks in price for roughing in now and the future plumber probably wouldn't want to be bothered to go hook up the tub because the job wasn't big enough for him to bother with. This is based on attitudes I have dealt with in plumbers recently, maybe in the future there will be more of them so they will be more amiable to doing any plumbing job that comes their way.
Seems to me the key to being able to drop a tub in later is planning and installing the plumbing when you do the shower (tub drain and tap position being roughed in but covered). As long as there is a good access panel on the other side, the extra plumbing can easily be uncapped and connected when the time comes and it would mean being sure you have some extra tile for where the taps are. With a tub drain you'd just have to remove the covering tile and cap the shower drain (the tub would cover any damaged tiles that causes).
Besides, if you did do the rough in and kept the plan, you might even be able to sell without a tub installed as long as a buyer knew one could be put in without major headaches.
You're absolutely right Arizona - cost is something that must be factored in - it sounds good - but costly - Thanks for pointing that out.
When you cost out on paper the prices for your dream walk in spa and then the costs to put in a tub when you want to sell, unless you are made of money you won't even consider doing that. Think of the plumbing involved and the cost of ripping tiling out, it's not just as simple as buying a $500 tub and that's the end of it unfortunately.
WOW - what an incredible response - thank you so much to all of you -
the answer is so so clear!
HOWEVER.......... I am quite drawn to the option of creating the dream shower then slipping the tub in when it's time to sell - I'll have to ponder that one a bit more.....
The dilemma we face with moving - right now - is that we love our starter home - it's PERFECT for us - it's everything we wanted and still want in a home - the only thing that's not perfect is the street we live on - and that's the only thing that has us thinking about moving - We've decided we like our house enough to endure the street a while longer - in the meantime we will make it as comfortable as possible.
It's looking more and more like we might be tubbing it afterall.
Thank you again for all the responses / ideas - they've been very helpful!
d
I think every home should include a bath tub. Not everyone uses it but they sure are convenient when you need one.
This may be more than what you want to tackle, but can you steal some space from an adjoining room and give you the space for both a tub and a separate shower? I've often looked at my main bath and thought that if I reconfigured the spare bedroom closet (move it over and make it smaller) I could get in a separate shower beside my tub. I think everyone who has said you need to keep the tub is right, unless you plan to stay for 10 or 20 years!
Why change a starter home? Move now, why wait?
Everyone seems to agree that leaving the tub is the best idea. Me too, but you could build your shower to the dimensions of the tub and so if you go to sell you simply slide a tub back in. Little plumbing to modify and fixing the wall to seal the tub.
Could be done.
I agree with the others. There should be a tub somewhere in the house if you are going to sell especially with a starter house because those are the houses that often sell to people with babies. If you were talking just a master bath then you'd be okay.
In this case I am certain a tub less home will not sell quickly to the average buyer, with or with.
I am with you on that one PearlG. I always cringe when I hear people discuss resale when decorating or designing their home.:rolleyes: But, I think this would be seen as odd down the road when you do want to sell.
I could certainly live in a tubless society - I am a shower person.
&
then you have your bathers :laugh:
which could be a possible deal breaker (lack of tub) if you are faced with selling
OMG, I love my tub!! I installed a soaker tub when we renovated our bathroom and it is my favourite stress reliever at the end of a particularly hard day. Soooo....I would be a future buyer who would see that as an expense that I would have to incur if I was to buy your house.
Certainly in a starter home I would keep a tub.
If you were planning to stay in your home "forever" I would say go ahead with removing the bathtub, and create your dream bathroom. However, if this is the only full bathroom in your house and you DO plan to move in a few years I suggest that you leave the tub in. The reason being - as you said - for resale purposes. Eliminating the bathtub will eliminate a rather large segment of the house buying population interested in your house (families with kids, etc. as others have said).