I'm a tub person and there's no way I'd consider 10-12" of depth a tub. I would either put in the shower you want or put the tub/shower combo back in.
If you go the shower route and this is the only bathroom in the house, be prepared for buyers asking 'where's the tub' when you sell in 4-6 years.

The Kohler Villager is 14" high. I think that's about the minimum you could go and still call it a tub.

annz, if you're a 'tub' person, I can understand your statement. But we are 'shower' folks. As I mentioned, we are going to remodel, and had planned on changing out the tub/shower combo to just a shower. But it does concern me, as you say, not to have a bathtub in the house when we sell in a few years.

So it seems a 10-12" height tub would make alot of sense. Enough water to bathe babies or very young children, but still low enough to make it easy for an older couple (either us some years down the road, or if an older couple bought the house) to get in and out of with less possibility of tripping/falling. I tried a 14" height (by stacking up some books) stepover and it's just a little too tall. At least for me. Lowering it to 12" made a big difference. And I think 10" would be even better. But that may be a little to small once children get into the 3-4 year old range.

I called American Standard and Kohler, and neither of them has anything less than 14" height. I was surprised.

This post was edited by jb2c on Mon, Oct 14, 13 at 10:37

The tub is installed on the subfloor, so that 14" could effectively be 12" (the tub bottom will seem relatively lower, but no more than 12".) The flooring could give you about 2" in height with a combo of plywood, cement board & the tile. You can even add radiant floor heat, if you like. There you go.

While it's true that the tub is installed on the subfloor, creating 2" of step down into a tub (or step up out of it) is creating a safety hazard that would really need a railing or grab bar added in order to be safe in a wet environment.

Our son bought a house with a regular tub that was set down low in the subfloor, until only about 4 inches was above the floor. What an accident waiting to happen....Besides being hard to get in the tub, it was harder to get out of the tub. No grab bars. He took it out a put a regular tub sitting on the floor...like most tubs are installed. I would just be careful that the tub sides would be too low and someone would fall.

My 14 yo daughter will be using this most of the time. So no issue with her falling. But I would prefer to have a tub not sitting down into the subfloor. I find it hard to believe that the major mfgs. do not offer a 10-12" height tub. Is there some reason I'm not thinking of? You would think with all the baby boomers aging, it would be a popular choice.

With the overflow drain location, a 14" tub will only get around 8"-10" of water in it. That's as low as you can still "bathe" in and call it a tub and not a dishpan. Heck, dishpans are probably deeper. Subtract 2"-4" from that, and you are in a damp puddle situation that won't even cover a baby's knees. It just isn't a tub anymore. It's a tall shower pan. That's why most people would rather have a shower than have a low sided tub. Compromises like that serve neither function all that well.

It would be pretty simple to plug the overflow, I would think. So a 12" tub could have 10" of water in it. That should be more than enough to wash a baby or very young child. And make for an easier stepover for older folks.

However, I'm starting to think that we go with a shower and be sure we go with a showerhead that can be handheld. That way, a couple with a baby or small child could put some sort of plastic 'tub' in the shower when they needed to use it for the baby or child. Thoughts on going that route?

This post was edited by jb2c on Fri, Oct 18, 13 at 17:30

Since your teenager is the only one using this shower, why are you against putting in one of the nice tub/shower combos? It sounds as though this isn't the only BR in the home, but the only one with a tub.

IMO, trying to sit on the edge of a shallow tub to bathe a young child would be very uncomfortable and I can't image a busy mom trying to deal with a pan in a shower.
I had to smile at some of your comments about seniors. Please don't assume it's difficult for us older folks to get in and out of a tub. A good example is my DM who at 94 yrs. still steps over her tub to take a shower.

My idea of an ideal shower for all ages is one that has no ledge at all....a true walk-in shower. I think you have to decide if you want a true shower or the tub/shower........there isn't a reasonable in-between answer.

"It would be pretty simple to plug the overflow, I would think. So a 12" tub could have 10" of water in it. "

You sir, are a genius. I can tell you went to college for that.

Just check local codes to make sure you can sell a house that has no tub in it -- some locations forbid this. And be aware that it will be marketed as a 3/4 bath. So it will be missed by all those real estate search engines when someone checks the "minimum one-bath" option.

If you're going to be selling so soon, it might be wiser to put in the tub-shower combo and add a grab bar for the shower.

Same! I am looking for a low tub. Personally, I don’t need to be fully submerged. 10-12” is perfect. When I posed the question to a home improvement group on Facebook of whether a master en suite was “lacking” without a tub, a couple of architects chimed in that that is the new normal. Especially if there is a bathtub somewhere else in the house. It is not true, as someone stated above, that a shower makes a bathroom ”3/4,” not these days anyway. Now, a powder room sans bath/shower is a “1/2“ Bathroom, but a shower/toilet/sink is a full bath.

I hate deep tubs! I’m a young 50, and they are a pain to get into and out of. They take too much water to fill, and very rarely do I ever want to be fully under water anyway. If anyone hears of a high quality brand making a low profile tub, please post.

I have been looking for a shallow, DROP_IN tub for a year. I do not want an ugly apron, which is what the Kohler Villager has. I am in a wheel chair, and if I ever transferred into one of the current SOAKER tubs, I could never get out... We are rebuilding after the Napa wildfires and I need a tub!

I am also looking for a shallow tub. I won’t use it, but I think it’s important to keep a full bath(tub) for resale value. Kohler Bellwether is 14” with modern boxy look and if I could have it sit 2” lower on the subfloor that will work... Still, Ideally I would like an 8-10” high splash tub, enough to call a shower/tub bathroom a full bath. Open to suggestions..

Jennilu, that is exactly what I did! i purchased the Bellweather and had it set 2” lower than the finished floor in my bathroom! When my bathroom was remodeled, they tore out the original 1940s floor tile. It was set on a bed of concrete after the original tub was installed on top of the subfloor. The contractor asked me if I wanted him to remove the concrete bed down to the wooden subfloor. I said no. We inserted the new tub into the hole left by the old tub, 2” lower than where the new tile was laid as my floor. I LOVE the low profile of the tub, yet the depth inside of it. And because the Bellweather has a simple skirt, it doesn’t look odd, either.

Agree!!!

Maybe there is a shower base with higher sides??

Anyone try this option? Ingerested in any issues.

I had one of these installed in a second bathroom when I was caring for two aging family members with mobility concerns. It worked but was not ideal. I needed to have the insert out while they got into the tub and then close it to add water which meant they sat in the cold waiting for water to be added. We eventually advanced to using a shower bench and this did make it easier to get in and out but there was some leakage around the opening even with a long shower curtain. Both of them are gone now and I'm debating if I should have the original tub restored ( if you save the section of tub that was removed during installation it can be welded back into place) or leave it as is. It looks a little hokey but would be fine in a kids bathroom or if one was caring for someone with compromised mobility. I will be selling my home in the near future and am unsure how best to proceed.