# What a great rental......but there's no WHAT? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085 "2003-04-16T15:27:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/1 "2003-04-16T15:27:31Z")
So, the SO and I are moving in June. We’ve given our notice, but we’re still looking for a place to move to. We’re trying to find something a little smaller and a lot less than what we pay now. So we went to look at a one-bedroom duplex last night. It’s a great place. We would have the main floor and the basement. The other tenant is upstairs, and has a totally separate entrance. There are 1.5 bathrooms in the unit we were looking at. So main floor, we’ve got the kitchen, we’ve got the dining room, we’ve got the bedroom, we’ve got the half bathroom with toilet and sink. So far, so good. We go downstairs. LOTS OF ROOM! It’s half furnished with wretched wood panelling, but no biggie. Washer and dryer hookups, big double basin wash tub, cold cellar, lots of storage space. And the other bathroom… Sink, toilet, and a tub (with woodpanelling base?). No shower. It’s not even an old clawfoot tub without a shower. This is at least a 20 year old tub, with no shower! There have been at least 3 other tennants in that apartment before now. And none of them had problems with not having a shower? The current tennant is a grown man, a professional. And he takes baths every morning? Are you kidding me? So, we’re heading to Home Depot sometime this weekend to see if there is something we can do, because we need our showers. Pouring a bucket of water on each other’s heads every morning does not sound like fun. But really now, what kind of place these days doesn’t have a shower??? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/2 "2003-04-16T15:30:53Z")
Mr. S and I once looked at an apartment in an old building that did not have showers because of the poor water pressure (or so we were told). I have also seen places that had a shower but no tub. Some rentals suck. ---
**Author:** ![VenusProbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e495f1/32.png) [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/3 "2003-04-16T15:32:39Z")
Wow! No shower? I couldn’t live without a shower for even a week, I can’t stand sitting in dirty bath water. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/4 "2003-04-16T15:33:38Z")
When I bought my house, built in the '20s, in 1990, there was a tub with no shower. (Nice big, deep, pedestal tub, though). I did have a shower installed, but wonder about the family (and it was one family, through all those years) who lived there for 65 years without a shower. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/5 "2003-04-16T15:47:39Z")
**Harli** Go [here](http://www.clawfootsupply.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=C)for a kit. ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/6 "2003-04-16T15:54:42Z")
Nothing like stewing in your own filth… I almost rented an 3rd floor apartment in college that had a very small tub with a shower handle attachment. The only problem was the slope of the roof would make it impossible for you to stand up. It was one of those large old houses split up into college apartments. I was imagining myself with my knees to my chest taking a tub or getting some sort of weird chiropractic injury from trying to shower…The things some people will do to live in a dog-friendly apartment. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/7 "2003-04-16T16:10:42Z")
My mother in law does not have a shower - when we visit, I take along a hand shower wand that connect to the faucett. You can get one at the hardware store. Not great, but it works! ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/8 "2003-04-16T16:14:54Z")
My first apartment in Boston had a gorgeous, deep clawfoot tub without a shower and the most primitive conversion. It consisted of a heavy-duty plastic tube duct-taped to the tap and connected to a shower head. It did the trick for almost a year, and crapped out shortly before I moved. I didn’t mind using the bath because it was pretty much like swimming, the tub was so big. Those conversion kits linked above look great. ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/9 "2003-04-16T16:15:51Z")
At least the washer & dryer are inside. The wife and I had to live in a rental for a year while our new house was being built, and the washer/dryer set up was outside in the carport. Not too bad in the summer, but miserable in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/10 "2003-04-16T16:37:31Z")
I’ve been in my house for 15 years with no shower. We have a deep claw-foot tub. I didn’t think I could get used to it, but I have. The worst thing (for me) is my very rusty well water. It looks like someone pissed in my bathtub when I fill it. And cleaning the tub is a major project. We are getting a whole-house water filter some time this summer. ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/11 "2003-04-16T16:52:32Z")
The conversion kits do look great. Thanks **NutMagnet**. But this is a modern tub! It’s got the squarish base, rounded interior. I don’t know. I think we’re going to have to go take another look at it. The SO and I were both so dumbfounded we didn’t check it out too extensively. We are going to check out some other places this weekend, so we’ll see how that goes. But this place would be so great if not for that one MAJOR issue. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/12 "2003-04-16T19:04:57Z")
You’re quite welcome **Harli**. How about [here](http://www.wal-rich.com/Online_Catalog/Showers.pdf)? (PDF, sorry)Scroll down about 1/3 of the way to part number 0604012 (or do a “find on this page”) and add the Personal shower below it to complete the plumbing. Then you have to figure out how to hang a shower curtain. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/13 "2003-04-16T20:17:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sj2 \* > \*\*I was imagining myself with my knees to my chest taking a tub or getting some sort of weird chiropractic injury from trying to shower…The things some people will do to live in a dog-friendly apartment. \*\* Did that for a weekend in Germany. Wasn’t too bad, but I wouldn’t want to do it every day. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/14 "2003-04-16T22:01:13Z")
My first apartment didn’t have a shower either - just a tub. I looked at another apartment one time for which the kitchen was down the common-area hallway. This wasn’t a shared kitchen - it was a regular apartment in a regular building, but you had to go out the apartment door and down the hall to get into the kitchen. There was no access from inside the apartment itself. No, I did not rent it. ---
**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/15 "2003-04-16T23:10:37Z")
My first apartment had a modern tub without a shower. I rented it anyway because it was cheap and I was just starting out. I asked my landlord about it, and he told me a long story about a previous tenant that showered with the curtain outside of the tub, so the floor got soaked. And complained that something in the shower must be broken. Well, he “fixed” it by getting rid of the shower entirely. Fine. My brother and I built an enclosure around the tub out of 2x4s, and draped a shower curtain around it. Then put a hose and showerhead attachment overtop of the spigot. The whole thing looked horrid but worked fine and I didn’t care. My landlord was absolutely _furious_ that I’d “altered” the apartment. Bah. It was entirely free-standing and no damage was done. I just walked away. For that and other reasons, that landlord was a total :wally ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/16 "2003-04-16T23:19:07Z")
I had friends in high school who grew up in a house with five kids and no tub. How do you bathe small children without a bathtub? It’s hard enough holding onto them when you have at least a CHANCE of staying dry – taking a shower with them makes it impossible!!! ---
**Author:** ![smaft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/17 "2003-04-17T16:42:07Z")
In the house I was renting until a few months ago, the bathroom had a modern tub _and_ a shower stall, right next to each other. So there! ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/18 "2003-04-17T17:09:25Z")
Sheesh, **smaft** , rub it in a little more why doncha! Hehehehe. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/19 "2003-04-17T17:45:31Z")
**buttrscotch** , you bathe kiddies in the SINK, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085/20 "2003-04-17T19:34:49Z")
I always bathed my son in the kitchen sink or bathroom sink. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-great-rental-but-theres-no-what/169085.md?page=2)