We live in townhouse with 2 1/2 baths. We’re going to be remodeling the master bathroom soon and we have a choice of keeping the same tub / shower combination design, or going to shower only.
Other information:
The master bath is about 8’ by 8’.
We’ve already decided on tile floor, tile tub-or-shower enclosure, new vanities and granite counter tops.
The other full bathroom has a tub / shower combination which we will keep.
The townhouse is located in San Jose, Ca and is in a nice, middle class complex.
We will be moving and selling this townhouse in the next 6 - 10 years.
My questions:
What’s your opinion of shower-only master bathrooms?
Do you think it makes the townhouse “non-standard” and will make it harder to sell?
Would you buy a townhouse with a shower-only master bath?
I’m trying to decide if it is worth it to keep the tub / shower combination in the remodel. Thanks for your input.
I would worry about trying to sell a home with no bathtub at all (after all, you gotta make your gin somewhere), but as long as you have a tub in the other bathroom, you’ll probably be fine. There will be as many people liking the shower-only design as there will be those who prefer a tub, so it would likely be a wash.
I’m not a realtor or anything, but that’s MHO. Good luck!
More floor space left over and/or bigger/better design for the shower, would be my guess. I think as long as your other full bath has a tub you should be OK come selling time, but my opinion is worth precisely what you paid for it as I know little about real estate sales. (I do, however, watch an inordinate amount of DIY Network.)
Personally, I always shower, and only need the tub for washing pets. Which, come to think of it, can still be accomplished in a fully-enclosed shower stall anyway…
Might be a little bit cheaper and might look a little better. Carrying a heavy iron tub up our stairs would “cost extra” according to the contractor. And we’re not a fan of the cheaper plastic tubs. With shower-only, we wouldn’t be limited by the width of the tub and could make the shower a little wider.
I’d definately go shower only. Basic baths are for children and as long as the home has one you’re fine. The only way an included bath in the master bathroom would be a selling highlight would be if it was some type of garden tub or whirlpool bath.
I’d go to shower-only in a heartbeat! We’re actually going to add a shower stall to our half bath and put in a much nicer tub into the shower-tub bathroom we have, if we ever get the money.
We redid our master bath with a shower only. There’s a tub in the hall bath. My mom just did the same thing. Personally, if I was house hunting, it would be a definitely plus for me. Then again, I don’t like bathtubs.
I don’t think a tub/shower combo is that big a selling point in a master bath. Unless you can do a separate tub, I’d just go with a big shower. Make sure there is a bench, and do a rain head as well as wall mount shower head. Spurge on some fancy accent tiles for the shower, and keep the rest simple.
Double sink vanity is a must. See if you have enough granite left over for the top of the bench in the shower and then use a small piece for the base of the soap niche-- that tends to look real nice. Have the granite guy cut it so it’s like window sill (sticks out a little, and overlaps on the side a little).
Don’t go old school on vanity height. Used to be 32", now at least 34".
I’m watching this thread with interest - we’re putting in a spa room in the basement, and we’re trying to decide if we need just a soaker tub, or if there needs to be a shower there, too. We do have a tub/shower combo in our full upstairs bath.
I’d say you only need a shower in the bathroom since you have the tub in the other bathroom - how many people need to take a long soak at one time?
I’ll join the chorus - as long as you have a bathtub elsewhere, a shower only in the master bath is fine. I think most people would prefer a large shower to a tub/shower combo. I like baths, so I installed a tub/shower in our (smallish) ensuite, but a house without an ensuite tub wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me.
This is very true. I recently updated my bathroom, and didn’t notice that the height of the new vanity was several inches taller than the old one. Once I put it in place, I saw that it covered up an electrical outlet! I had to take it back out and move the junction box. Arghghggh…
(but the new, taller vanity is very much a good idea - better ergonomics, AND more storage underneath)
Since you have a tub elsewhere, I vote Shower only. We have a shower only in our master and it is perfect. I like not having to step over the tub wall to get in.
Plus, if you go shower only, it can look really nice and fancy. Now that it’s winter I dream of having a steam shower.
We converted the master tub/shower combo to a walk-in shower in our condo, despite dire warnings form others about affecting the sale price. We left the second bathroom intact. We did it because a walk-in is more convenient, looks better, and is safer to use. We sold the place two weeks after it hit the market and for the full selling price.
I have a tub/shower combination. Given my disability and increasing age, I would much prefer a shower only. If I went that route, I would have to have a new drain due to local code and that ups the cost considerably. Even so, I will probably go the shower only route as soon as I can.
