I'll let this drop.

Sorry you didn't get any replies. Initially I was going to tell you that we have a "family bath" but I realized it wasn't quite the same thing. Our "family bath" is just the main bathroom in our small ranch -- the only bathroom w/a tub. The other bathroom, a master, has a shower only.

I do think it's nice to have one bathtub in a house...and I do not think more than one tub for a family is necessary. At first I regretted buying a house that only has a shower in the master, but I never have a time for bath anyway because I have a kindergartener and a toddler running around.

Your family bath idea sounds VERY luxurious and I think, if you have space and budget, makes sense b/c it will give your place the one tub. It may not be used regularly, but when it's used it will be enjoyed!

It's an interesting idea and looks like it will work very well with your layout.

When I read your post, I thought you meant a bath that everyone in the family uses. We are a family of 3 with only one child. He has his own bath upstairs but prefers ours right now b/c of the heated floors. I thought I wouldn't want him in our bathroom but actually I don't mind. Only one bathroom to keep clena-LOL!

We have a family bath in our plan, but to the exclusion of a master (ie we chose one larger bath upstairs versus two smaller ones). It's all in the way we live, and with 3 kids under 5 right now we all end up in the bathroom way more often than you might expect. Haircuts, potty training, tubby time, medicating sick ones, the doing of hair, the list goes on. All of that means that a more spacious bath took precedence over a more private one. Plus as pps7 said, my wife is all about fewer bathrooms to clean. She would rather have two spotless baths rather than 3 functionally clean ones.

Plus if you have room for an airy bath particularly with a great claw foot tub under a window.. yes. Just yes.

A family bath is nice in theory, but I don't know how functional it is in practice. Those large garden tubs take forever to fill, and the cast iron claw foot tubs, while lovely, get cold fast! I'm speaking from experience on that.

It is very convenient to have all the kids in there with you when they're little, but they get big FAST and want their privacy -- and so will you. You don't have potty training and "tubby time" for more than a few years, and there's nothing quite like a teenager in the house to make you wish for your own space again.

Title of this thread caught my eye, and I too misunderstood what it meant. It's an individual thing and one that has to fit your home, lifestyle, wants and needs so if it's important to you go for it. But I have to ask, if you think it will become one of your favorite spaces, why not reconfigure so the tub fits in your master bath?

You mentioned you have shower/tub combos upstairs so wouldn't that be more than adequate for guests?

I can only speak for myself and my family, but as guests in other people's homes, even close relatives, we're more comfortable using bathrooms closest to the bedroom we're staying in. It's more about getting in and out rather than lingering like I'm at an inn on vacation. Looking at your plan, I'd think most guests would probably use the baths upstairs too because they'd be more private than choosing the bathroom surrounded by your social areas and off the deck. I love my tub time, but I wouldn't feel comfortable hogging that first floor bathroom. I think a powder room or small bath downstairs and a larger MB makes more sense.
Do nephews really like to take luxurious soaks or need a big tub? If they want to frolic in water wouldn't using the hot tub on the deck be more fun, scenic and make more sense?

Also agree and know from experience that those club foot and large tubs get cold so fast. I love long soaks with a book so a seperate shower and a large tub in the MB was important when we bought our house, but I often go to the bathroom with a smaller tub so it stays warm longer. When I remodel the MB tub will be deep narrow and heated.

Just some thoughts.

Ooops forgot to ask. Is your plan to scale? I ask because it says the MB is 6x10 and the family bath is 8x10, but eyeballing it the family bath looks wider than the master by more than 2 feet. Am I reading it wrong?