Does anyone shower in freestanding tub?

13 years ago

Hello Gardenwebbers!

I have a small (by contemporary standards) master bath - about 8 1/2 x 10 1/2. I really want a tub in the room, and must have a shower. No matter how I try can't fit a tub and shower. Anyone out there have any opinion re actually showering in a freestanding tub? I was thinking about those Victorian-looking shower curtain frame -- why wouldn't something along those lines work for a non-Victorian room?

Thanks! If you can suggest a model I would appreciate it also. I like things simple and clean lined but not super modern. Maximum size would be about 6 x 3 (and we'll need to remove the window to bring that in).

Featured Answer

jakkom

13 years ago

You'll get a lot of different opinions here. Things to think about are:

Resale: there needs to be at least 1 tub in the house. Even for DH and I, who infinitely prefer showers, have used a tub on occasion.

Showering in a freestanding tub: Yuck. All my life I did this, but after rebuilding our master bath to have a luxury glass-enclosed shower instead of a combo, I would NEVER go back. On our recent 5-week trip through the Pac NW, we wrestled with shower curtains every day, and I hated every minute of it.

And the antique free-standing clawfoot tubs were the worst. They're narrow, and you couldn't move without without touching a clammy shower curtain. Double yuck!

Pick whatever works best for your situation and possible resale.

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Comments (9)

Billl
13 years ago
We did that in our old house - 1912. The bath is 5x8, so about half the size of yours.

We had a clawfoot tub already and got the conversion kit from Signature Hardware.

Here is a link that might be useful: house blog
cat_mom
13 years ago
Our MB is much smaller than yours. We installed a tub, not freestanding though (ours is a Toto 1525, cast iron). I shower in it daily, and love it! We removed the soffit, which makes the space much more airy, and bright, and installed a CrescentÃÂ® (curved) shower rod. Despite having to install the rod a bit further in than we'd have preferred (bathroom size necessitated this), it's still nice and roomy in the tub with the curtain closed.

HTH!
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alyssak
13 years ago
search around the web...you can find a huge selection at quality bath. It may be easier to get what your looking for if you get a built in tub. But check out both...

Here is a link that might be useful: Tubs
oldhousegal
13 years ago
Here's my tub in my remodeled bathroom, 1919 house. Tub is original, just added the shower, riser, and curtain rod. Love to shower in this, and since I'm tall, I could make it any height I wanted! Fixtures are from SignatureHardware.com
oasisowner
13 years ago
We had a free-standing clawfoot tub with a shower ring very similar to oldhousegal's. We purchased it at Sears - they still carry them for $100-200. We loved it! We used 2 liners and 2 curtains.
alexa.b
13 years ago
You will need to be careful to keep the water inside the tub. Is your floor fittede with a drain? That shower curtain looks cool, but how long will it stay looking good I wonder?

I'd go for a large shower stall more than a tub if given a choice.
auzzy
13 years ago
That's about the same size as our bathroom, which we just remodeled. What do you have now--a built-in 5 foot shower/tub combo? If you rarely take a bath, I'd go with a walk-in shower, which is what we did. How old is your house? The clawfoot tub with the circle rod might not look as good if you do not have an older home. If you have a second bathroom with a tub and if you rarely take a bath, a walk-in shower is what I'd suggest.
riverspots
13 years ago
My master bath is about the same size and I have the same dilemma. I could squeeze separate tub and shower-but it wouldn't have the spacious feel I like. I might end up with a shower/alcove tub at the far end of the bath. I had originally thought freestanding but realized it would be hard to clean behind the tub. Either that or I would have to move the tub to one of the longer walls. I do think the old fashioned clawfooted tubs with their straight sides and reasonable height are better for showering than the bigger, newer versions like pedestal. The newer style ones are usually taller and have wider sides-I would think they'd be harder to climb in and out on a daily basis. I do suggest visiting a bath showroom to climb in and out a few before deciding models.

Despite what folks suggest about using the hall tub for the occasional bath, I know I wouldn't do it-not with all my stuff in the master bath.