While there are expenses dealing with clawfoots, they are so beautiful and make wonderful bathtubs. They work fine as showers, just get a good enclosure, the classic chrome oval shaped shower rods are sort of pricey but look great and function quite well when you put shower curtains on both sides or do 3 curtains as I did as my tub is fairly long. Get a good shower head and you are all set!

The fixtures are expensive but you only have to do it once. You can get the bargain basement fixtures but they don't last as long. I think this is the least of your worries as the original tub is better than anything you can buy now. Pay now, save later...

About re-porcelaining- it's actually just a spray coating, they cannot actually re-porcelain, despite what the company says. If you can avoid this at any cost, I would highly suggest it. As long as the porcelain isn't cracking off and exposing the cast iron, you can actually take out stains and etching with some elbow grease and pumice stones. It's hard but the original porcelain coating is priceless, that spray junk is just that- junk. Even the best versions peel eventually, especially in bathtubs where there is standing water, it peels even faster. The only re-coat job I've had good luck with was experimental and expensive- I had a tub powder coated, it was worth it, even with the high cost. It's a gorgeous tub and the finish is baked on. No peeling. I own 3 clawfoots, by the way. I do love them, despite their challenges. They look gorgeous and everyone loves them.

About the framing- have your general contractor or a framer evaluate the floor joists, the tubs are heavy but people put them on the second floors all the time. If you have an old house, you may have better quality framing than you realize. They don't build them like they used to...

Finally- you can't sit on the side but they make these cool wire racks that lay across the tub to hold soaps, etc. Also, I use the corner space with a high quality chrome tension rack and they fit nicely where the curve of the tub goes away from the wall, then you have some storage. I got used to not sitting on the side of the tub, a small trade off, I think.

About the couch, They are expensive to fabricate and a kind of a waste of a fabulous tub- We had a couch and 2 chairs done on a recent restaurant design project I did in NYC. Not cheap.... if you think refinishing is expensive, try finding someone to cut a cast iron tub in half and create a decent edge you can use. It's a pain.

my 12 cents...

Here's a photo of the powder coated clawfoot. It came out really well but it was expensive. It was a rare 4' tub I had brought all the way from the east coast. They are hard to get here and expensive, so I ended up getting this one which needed massive renovation. It came out well, i think.

Again, not cheap.

Here is a link that might be useful: