tub vs. tiled shower with frameless doors

10 years ago

Redoing upstairs hall bath and trying to keep the cost down, while not being penny wise and pound foolish. We have a beautiful tub in the current bath that has a tiled surround. Builder says we could re-use it, but am getting advice from family that we should convert to a tiled shower (not tub) with frameless doors. Question to all the GW Gurus out there: Is a tub with a shower curtain "dated" and will I regret not changing to a tiled shower with doors?

Additional background: Hall bath is on second floor, so the talk of making a universal design/accessible shower wouldn't be relevant. We currently do not have a tub in the master bath (goal is to re-do that in the coming year or so and would add a tub, possibly re-using the hall tub, if it fits with the layout as it is unfinished on three sides).

Thank you in advance for your advice!

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Comments (8)

Katy60
10 years ago
I think it is a matter of considering all the possible ways you may want to use the room. If you have kids that currently take showers, will you still be in the same house when/if they have children. Do you ever have friends/relatives with small children visiting. Or are you likely to have a guest staying for an extended period. How likely is it that the plans for the master bath could fall through, leaving you without a tub for a longer period. I never use a bathtub, but needed the guestroom tub the other day when a visiting two year old unexpectedly needed a good wash. Those would be the issues for me.
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
10 years ago
Could limit your pool of future buyers if they want a tub for the kids. Something to consider.
sjhockeyfan325
10 years ago
I wouldn't take out the bathtub if it were the only bathtub in the house, but I would if that were not the case. We have two bathrooms, took out the tub in one to create a tiled shower (currently with curtain, we're debating whether to add a door instead), and left the bathtub in the other, re-tiked, and added a shower curtain.
Bunny
10 years ago
Although I rarely take baths, I wouldn't get rid of my only tub. I like the idea of having one should I get the urge.
texasgal47
10 years ago
Ditto to the above. Do not delete your only tub. There are too many future unknowns.
rsponholtz
10 years ago
I've got a similar quandary - trying to decide whether to remodel my bathroom to have a tub (like the existing bathroom in the picture), or to have a walk-in shower (that I'd prefer). I have another bathroom upstairs that has a tub. Do you think it will hurt the value of my house to change from a tub to shower?
sjhockeyfan325
10 years ago
Actually, I think it will increase the value to have a walk-in shower, as long as you are not eliminating the only tub in the house.
pooks1976
10 years ago
I only use a shower, but I like the tub/shower combo for the hall bath/kids bathroom. They generally have lower walls, which allows a person to easilly wash a child, dog, or blinds. I would NOT buy a house that didn't have a tub in the hall bath. JMO.

I don't care if there is a tub in the master. I don't take baths and the tubs in the master bath is usually a deep soaker that isn't useful for washing things.