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blackcats13

what would you do with clawfoot tub?

blackcats13
15 years ago

This is killing me. I was sooo excited about having a clawfoot tub in our new old house, but it's a small one, and useless to me. Except that it's cool and old and I like cool old things. We have 2 "full" baths, the downstairs one works and is typical tub/shower combo. The upstairs one doesn't work and needs to be gutted (and hopefully completed before the downstairs one rots out!). The clawfoot is upstairs.

I would like the downstairs to be just a shower. I would like the upstairs to be shower and soaking tub. The clawfoot is too small for me to soak in. This is an old house so both bathrooms are small. I suppose the clawfoot could go in the downstairs bath instead of just a shower, but how would I get it down there? And where would it sit until we get to that bath sometime next year??? And, now I'm wondering if it's too wide for that space anyway!!

What would you do? It's the coolest thing in the house but I don't think I can use it :(

Comments (15)

  • mightyanvil
    15 years ago

    I would pitch it.

  • kframe19
    15 years ago

    Bath tub gin.

  • antiquesilver
    15 years ago

    If it's one of the 4'(?) sizes, salvege yards sell them for the same or more than the larger tubs, at least the dealers in central VA. I had a 5' that I couldn't use & wanted to trade for a 4' but no one would give up their 'baby' sized ones; we wanted a small one to wash dogs.

    A lot of the older bathrooms around here that have a shower & tub use the small tubs even though they're too small to stretch out in.

    If you don't want it, I doubt if you'll have trouble getting rid of it - just because it is small.

  • jedwards601
    15 years ago

    I live close to one of the largest architectural salvage places in the US. Its called Discovery. They sell smaller tubs for more than larger ones. At the very least, if you cannot reuse it - sell it - for no less than a two hundred dollars. Dealers will sell it for probably around 4 - 5 hundred. Discovery would sell it for about 8 hundred.
    If you can store it - why not get a furniture dolly and move it into the garage? I have one and my husband and I put it on a small four wheeled dolly that came from the hardware store. We just picked up one end and slid the dolly under the tub's belly and held it in place with our foot while letting the tub back down. then we moved it from one side of the house to the other.

  • patser
    15 years ago

    If you live in a community that has clubs for old home owners, post a for sale add with the club. Tons of people would love a good condition, shorter tub (me included, but bathroom remodel isn't at the top of our list yet). I can give you club names in some major cities, if that would help. What state are you in or metro area are you near?

  • arlosmom
    15 years ago

    Move it to the garden, paint it purple, and plant petunias in it!

    {{!gwi}}

  • blackcats13
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for all the ideas! Great tip about the furniture dolly, but it's on the 2nd floor, so not sure how to get it down. I'm amazed smaller sells for larger! Maybe I can at least sell it to someone who thinks it's as cool as we do. Those flowers are beautiful, and I love the idea, but it's just not right for our yard. We are in Chicago, so maybe I could post sale ads on some of the bungalow forums. Will have to talk that over with DH.

  • Miss EFF
    15 years ago

    Blackcats -- Call Salvage One. They may pick it up for you - I'm not sure what their policies are but if you want to see what they are selling for -- go there.

    My-ex BF sold one -- 4' one -- 15 years ago for $500. They are impossible to find and lots of people want one. We had one that was 3 1/2 ft....... it was cutie. Like a baby's tub.

    Cathy

  • powermuffin
    15 years ago

    We have a smaller claw foot and it only took two of us to move it. Might take three if we were going up and down the stairs. It might not be as heavy as you think. I would NEVER pitch it though. My son and I both use ours as a shower. If you decide you can't use it, call your local Habitat Restore or some other charity and they will come and get it.
    Diane

  • blackcats13
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Wow Cathy! I just took a look at their site:

    "Pricing for tubs are: 5 feet length or more =$1200.00 4.5 feet lengh = $1350.00 4 feet length = $1400.00"

    Granted, those are reglazed/refinished, but mine is in pretty decent shape, probably because it's been hidden behind a surround for a long time.

  • patser
    15 years ago

    Keep in mind that Salvage One believes in markup. It's an expensive Chicago salvage place. I'm also very near to Chicago...we have this almond tub and I hate it!

  • Miss EFF
    15 years ago

    Oh -- no doubt! Salvage One is one of the most expensive salvage house that I know of -- but they have been in business a long time because they have the stuff no one else can get!

    So Blackcats, you could sell it to Salvage One -- I'm betting about 25%-30% of their retail price. You could sell it outright on Craigs List for $500. Or you could donate it to habitat of Humanity ReStore Store.

    But now ....... you have options. the other thing -- my girlfriend and I did historic interior design many years ago. We would move around clawfoot bathtubs all the time by ourselves. And we are both in the 130-140 # category. Now -- we didn't care them up and down stairs. But we carried them around a showroom on a regular basis.

    Cathy

  • blackcats13
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks everyone for all the options!! I imagine DH and 2 of his friends could get it downstairs then (hopefully without dropping it!!!). Last night we played with the idea of putting in a bathroom in the basement using that tub. There used to be something down there long before we bought it, but it's completely gutted now.

    Of course, if we could sell it (without crying) we'd have some money for the new soaking tub upstairs. Sigh, decisions, decisions!

  • brickeyee
    15 years ago

    Put it in the front yard half buried and put a Madonna statue in it.

  • redheadedstepchild
    15 years ago

    I had a neighbor that had one buried top deep in his backyard as a goldfish pond.