1GirlTwinBoys Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 did not have a bathtub but did have a really nice big shower? The master bath is on the main level and there are bathtubs on the upper and lower level of the home. Would this bother you, or would you actually prefer a large shower and more storage space vs. having a tub in the master bath? The reason I'm asking is because we may be doing a reno this summer and I'm not sure which way to go. Currently, we have a HUGE bathtub that I've NEVER used in almost 3 years of living here. My shower is TINY and I hate it. My neighbor is in the process of a MB reno and her contractor told her most newer homes are not doing the bathtubs in the master and instead are doing REALLY nice big showers. He said it doesn't matter as long as there is a bathtub in the home for children etc... Just don't want to do something that could impact resale value in a negative way either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Personally, neither my husband nor I take baths, and I would just as soon not have one in the master bathroom to clean, as long as there are tubs elsewhere for the kids (as you said there are). But I know that many people do want tubs--and huge ones--in the master bath, so I'd accept that it would be viewed as a limitation by some potential buyers. But if I were buying a home or remodeling a home I intended to stay in for several years, I'd prefer no tub in the master bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I love baths. I wouldn't buy a home without a bathtub in the master. We have looked at homes in the past that had no bath, so I do know that they exist. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 No tub would be a deal killer here. I only shower. But DH only bathes. Having a really well laid out master bathroom that supports both of our needs is on our priority list. This is really a personal preference, but for resale I would hesitate to potentially eliminate a lot of buyers because of the lack of a bath tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 No tub would be a deal killer here. I only shower. But DH only bathes. Having a really well laid out master bathroom that supports both of our needs is on our priority list. This is really a personal preference, but for resale I would hesitate to potentially eliminate a lot of buyers because of the lack of a bath tub. This is what I'm thinking too. My bathroom is big enough that we could do a smaller tub and make a nicer, bigger shower too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Not for us, because neither of us like to take baths. James Bond just takes a shower to get clean (I know, right?), but I take long showers to relax. I would love to have a HUGE shower with multiple shower heads and options (rain shower, waterfall, steam, etc), with a place to sit or even lie down. I sold a house once that had the biggest shower I've ever seen and had a long bench at one end with a set of shower heads set above it for a water power back massage. Heaven! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 We would prefer a nice big shower over a tub in the master. Neither dh or I take baths and a nice big shower (esp. one for 2 people) would be really nice. If you think ahead they are easy to make handicapped/elderly friendly as well---lower lip, reinforcements for adding grab bars in the future, etc. For us it would be a positive thing. Others might feel differently though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 That's what we have and we love it. Actually, everyone uses our shower and we have the cat's litter box in the bathtub in the other bathroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I am fortunate enough to have a huge bathroom with a really large shower with a bench, multiple shower heads including a rain shower, etc. We also have a huge tub with jets. I have never used the tub. Not once in 4 years. My youngest daughter takes a bath in it once in a blue moon, and I think my DH soaked in it once or twice when he was particularly sore from a workout, but that is it. It is just not something I find a necessity at all. As long as there is an option for a tub somewhere in the house, I would be fine with it. My younger DD did have a bathtub in her bathroom, but really wanted a walk-in shower instead (like her older sister has in her bathroom). So, we re-did her bathroom and got rid of the tub. There is a bathtub in my bathroom and another one in the basement bathroom, so there are options for people if we ever go to sell this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Sounds like you have space for either/or. In my mind a perfect master bath would have a nice shower and a nice large tub. Since you have to choose one or the other, I would go with the large, awesome shower that you want and eliminate the tub altogether. Putting in a smaller bathtub would be a waste of space to me- if I'm going to bathe, I want a nice, deep soaker tub. So I vote to go for the shower, ditch the tub completely. Especially since you have other bathtubs in the home for bathing children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom23Boys Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 No tub would be a deal breaker to me. I want a tub in the master bath. However, my IL's just remodeled their bath and took their tub out and did a huge shower. So, it really depends. Tubs in master baths are still the norm in new houses where I live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 For me-- it would depend on how long I planned to live there. If this is a 2 year house-- then no If this is a 7-10 year house, then yes-- You live there, not someone else, and while I want to preserve my house value (and part of value is others wanting to buy it for a tub) but mainly I want to be able to enjoy the house I own-- they don't it yet.... Anyway--- from what I have seen-- people tear out almost everything the previous owner did anyway. Craiglist abounds with stuff the old owner had -- from granite countertops and landscaping rocks to outdated blue toilets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 So long as there is one bathtub in the house, I would prefer to have a larger shower in the master bath. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I would love to have eliminated the bathtub when we remodeled. The other full bath only has a shower, so we left the tub . Master bathroom with large shower and more storage would be ideal for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Dh likes baths, so it would probably be a negative for us, but I would personally like it and it wouldn't be a deal killer. My mother recently remodeled her master bath this way and it's awesome. The shower is so nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I would prefer a shower like what MominHighHeels described over a tub any day---- multiple shower heads, a bench, etc. I have a huge shower in my master but the builder only put in the normal head. What the what? I have been in my current home for exactly nine years. My gigantic whirlpool tub has been used once, by dd. It is so big, I have to get INSIDE to clean it. I hate the blasted thing!! In my other house, we had a 'regular size' whirlpool tub and it was used by the kids only for a few years, then it only collected dust. I would guess that if you did a fancy shower AND as long as there is a tub somewhere in your home, you would be fine. I have read that the trend for big tubs is on the way out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 If this is a long term home, make it what you want. I would want a huge soaking tub but if I liked the house I wouldn't cross it off my list because of the bathroom, which I could change just as easily as you did. My answer would be different if this was the only bathtub in the home. We did cross a house off our list solely because there were NO tubs in the house. Three showers, no tub and the bathrooms were snug enough adding a tub would be hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 our previous home only had a bathtub in the kids bathroom. I love baths and put in a 6' soaker tub there... loved it. It wasn't a problem. Our current home has a tub in each of the bathrooms (ours is another 6' soaker). Honestly, I think it's overkill. If kids want to take a bath they use ours anyway and a tub is a major pain to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I think most people would be more excited over a really nice (and easily maintained) shower that's big enough for two (with two individually controlled shower heads) than a soaking tub and a small shower. baths tend to be an occasional thing (like after a really hard workout to sooth stiff muscles), whereas showers get daily use. (I only have room for a tub/shower combo, and we put in a jetted tub. kids will come and use it. my dd also only had room for the combo, and before she moved in - had it replaced with a soaking tub.) I also know a few people with separate showers and soaking tubs that rarely get used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfries Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 We have no need for a tub in the master bathroom. Right now we have a tub sized shower stall & we love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 You might want to ask a local real estate professional about what a shower-only might do to your resale value. Not the builder/renovator, but an actual agent. If there are any new home tours or model homes in your area, go take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 No tub, no sale for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 If you're not planning to sell in the next 5 years, do what makes you happy. The trend here, especially for a bath on the main floor, is to do only a huge shower. I love taking baths, but if it were a choice between a dinky tub and a luxurious shower, I'd pick shower! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 We don't have a bathtub in our master, just a double shower. We have a tub in the math bath which is 5 feet from my bedroom door if I want a bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candicane Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Much preferred! Since I still live at home with parents, they get the master and since they're elderly they can't quite use a bathtub. So it just sits there collecting dust! Typically, if the master is downstairs then it'd most likely be used for a mother-in-law suite type deal, so it'd be preferred to have a shower and no tub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 If it's a plain boring bathtub, I'd prefer a nice shower. That said, we only look at houses that have deep large 6' jacuzzi tubs somewhere in the home (or the ability to remodel and put one in). I have arthritis and dh works out strenuously. Our "garden tub" (as they are referred to here) is used several times a week, and daily in winter. We know we're weird. Most people never use theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I prefer a shower only in the master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 We just last year picked one place over another because the good one had the tub in the master bath, while the other had the tub in the general bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 we are renovating our master bath too but we are doing it as quick as possible so configuration of bathroom will remain the same......jetted tub on one side, shower on the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 It would depend on how many bathrooms you have in your house. We only have two and are in the process of redoing our master bath. I kept a shower/tub combo because if I hadn't our home would not have had two full bathrooms and that would affect resale value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 It's a deal breaker for me, because I love baths. We passed on a beautiful home that we would have purchased, had it had a tub in the MB. I also have a tiny shower though, and understand your frustration. Recently, I've seen numerous remodels on HGTV that turn the tiny shower into a walk in with a wall partition, eliminating the shower doors (which I completely hate on our shower), and entirely tiled. They look much bigger to me, than the prefab ones previously in place. This gives me hope for my tiny shower. Perhaps that's something you can look into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 We have been looking at new townhomes and some only have showers in the master bathroom (above the kitchen) but those showers are normal size, not couple size. Hubby thinks that master bathroom with showers only looks cheaper than those with tubs for the same locale. It would be different if all the townhomes in that area do not have tubs in the master bathroom. If it is the in-laws suite which is on the ground floor, than showers would be easier for the elderly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 The tide is turning...it's about 50/50 now (according to some people building new homes in our area back home), of people wanting a shower and a tub v. people only wanting a nice shower. Personally, I do *not* want an itty bitty shower and a huge tub, as we are in the shower much more often than we've ever been in the tub. We put in a generous spa-shower with 2 heads and body jets, built in storage, etc. Oh, how I miss my nice big shower here (most of the houses we looked at had HUGE bathrooms with itty bitty fixtures (I kid you not, one bathroom was 15x10, had a 4x4 shower, a pedestal sink and the toilet and bidet were about 5' apart). I haven't found many people who like the itty bitty shower and the huge tub option, though. Usually, if they want a tub and a shower, they want a nice size for both (I can't stand the rinky-dink tubs that they put in most spec homes... you have to choose which part of your body to be underwater...kinda defeats the purpose imho. If you only have space for one, I'd make it a NICE shower. As an FYI, there are some nicer tub/shower combos you can do as well -- but it needs to be done right. You can see some samples here: http://www.houzz.com/tub-shower-combo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 As long as I had access to a tub if one was needed I would love a nice shower with a built in bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Our master bath has a large shower and a large linen closet. No tub. We chose to do it that way when we had the house built. Neither DH nor I take baths. We wanted the large shower enough that we didn't care if it affected resale. FWIW, there's another bathroom upstairs (same floor) with a standard sized tub. Our last house had a medium sized shower and a jetted garden tub. I think we maybe used the tub two or three times in seven years. Finally it became a holder for the cats' litter boxes. Other than that, it was a pretty useless dust catcher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Lack of shower in the master bathroom would be a dealbreaker for me if a shower wasn't readily accessible (eg. master bedroom was downstairs and the shower bathroom was upstairs). I shower daily, often at 4:30am. I enjoy baths, but not enough to bother frequently. Even the kids either do showers instead of baths, or are small enough to fit in the sink. We actually converted our master bedroom tub into a toddler bed. I'm also tall, and a tub has to be pretty long and deep to be particularly enjoyable - standard lower-end garden tubs don't cut it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Deal breaker for me. When we house shopped approximately 3ish years ago I was shocked to find so many houses listed with all full baths, yet only having showers with no tub. Apparently that constitutes a full bath now. I had always thought it was considered a 3/4. I was pregnant/newly recovering while house shopping. I prefer to take baths during that time. Even now we rarely use our shower. If I had it to do all over again, I would only look at houses that had both in the master. Not a tub with shower attachment, but a separate shower and tub. In our previous house we only had a shower in the master and a tub in the main bath. We used the main bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMV Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 did not have a bathtub but did have a really nice big shower? The master bath is on the main level and there are bathtubs on the upper and lower level of the home. Would this bother you, or would you actually prefer a large shower and more storage space vs. having a tub in the master bath? The reason I'm asking is because we may be doing a reno this summer and I'm not sure which way to go. Currently, we have a HUGE bathtub that I've NEVER used in almost 3 years of living here. My shower is TINY and I hate it. My neighbor is in the process of a MB reno and her contractor told her most newer homes are not doing the bathtubs in the master and instead are doing REALLY nice big showers. He said it doesn't matter as long as there is a bathtub in the home for children etc... Just don't want to do something that could impact resale value in a negative way either. I think this is probably somewhat region/locale dependent in general then there is the issue of personal preference. I posted a kind of similar question regarding detached garages this winter. With that disclaimer, in our area, I do think that master baths are expected to have a soaking/jacuzzi tub and a separate shower (ideally a double shower with benches and aesthetics). Our current master bathroom has a jacuzzi tub which DH and I do use and we have a double shower. If we were looking to replace our main home I would probably expect what we have now or at least the ability to easily remodel into that. If we were looking at a vacation home I would probably prefer that as well but might be more able to work with a little less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratford Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 When we were shopping for a new home, we referred to the soaking tubs as the "BST"....the big, stupid tub. I have a huge triangle-shaped BST in my master bath and we plan on getting rid of it when we remodel. It's a complete waste of space....takes up the entire corner of the bathroom. The kids used to use it on occasion, but they prefer showers now. I would much prefer to have a larger shower, and I would certainly buy a house that had a shower instead of the BST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamite5 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 did not have a bathtub but did have a really nice big shower? The master bath is on the main level and there are bathtubs on the upper and lower level of the home. Would this bother you, or would you actually prefer a large shower and more storage space vs. having a tub in the master bath? The reason I'm asking is because we may be doing a reno this summer and I'm not sure which way to go. Currently, we have a HUGE bathtub that I've NEVER used in almost 3 years of living here. My shower is TINY and I hate it. My neighbor is in the process of a MB reno and her contractor told her most newer homes are not doing the bathtubs in the master and instead are doing REALLY nice big showers. He said it doesn't matter as long as there is a bathtub in the home for children etc... Just don't want to do something that could impact resale value in a negative way either. You can't please every buyer every time. If you are going to be in the house 5 years or more, put in just the shower in the master. Anyone who really wants a tub to use can go to a different bathroom. Remember, resale is great, but it's takes all kinds, and right now, it's YOUR house!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender's green Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I'm afraid it would probably be a deal-breaker for me. I love baths. I like showers too, but it's easier for me to accidentally make it too hot, and then my skin gets rashy. I can take showers, but I can't use them for relaxing like I can with baths. Maybe that won't happen once my allergies are figured out, though. I think a lot of the rashiness is from old hives getting irritated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 It would make a difference for me, but I'm the only person I know who takes baths anymore. (I love them and would not buy a house that didn't have one in the bathroom we would use.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian summer Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I don't use my MB tub. I could do without easily and opt for a nicer shower. I did like it when my littles were smaller, I could see them from my room while I got stuff done, but now that they are older and shower in their bathroom, it doesn't get used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 In the house we bought, our master bathroom has a big shower and no bathtub. I prefer showers and do not like taking tub baths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I'd much rather have a large shower in the master bathroom. At least one bath somewhere is a must, but I'd prefer the extra space in the master bathroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I vote for the nice big shower. We only take showers. Also, I've known so many people who have a huge soaker tub that they rarely, if ever, use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I would prefer the larger shower and the storage, given that there are baths elsewhere. AND, I think that might hurt resale. Even having a small soaking tub might be possible--our bathroom is not enormous, but the shower is decent sized, and there is a small soaking tub in the corner. You can't stretch out, but you can soak. That might keep it in the good-for-resale category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I'm not a bath person, so I would be fine with it. Even worse for me is a jetted tub. BLECH. Those things are gross. We had one once and at first I thought it was cool. Until we attempted to ever use it. Black crud (mildew?) always flowed out of those jets (they are impossible to keep clean and everyone I know says the exact same thing). When we were looking at houses recently, every house that had a jetted tub really creeped me out. We almost bought one that had it, and it really bothered me. I'd rather have a shower only than a bathroom with a jetted tub. Funny thing is the house we ended up buying has a nice big shower and a cast iron tub. It's lovely. I might even be persuaded to bath in the winter! Not that we really get that much of a winter in California, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I'm not a bath person, so I would be fine with it. Even worse for me is a jetted tub. BLECH. Those things are gross. We had one once and at first I thought it was cool. Until we attempted to ever use it. Black crud (mildew?) always flowed out of those jets (they are impossible to keep clean and everyone I know says the exact same thing). When we were looking at houses recently, every house that had a jetted tub really creeped me out. We almost bought one that had it, and it really bothered me. I'd rather have a shower only than a bathroom with a jetted tub. Funny thing is the house we ended up buying has a nice big shower and a cast iron tub. It's lovely. I might even be persuaded to bath in the winter! Not that we really get that much of a winter in California, lol! You just have to fill the tub up with some bleach water and run it through the jets occasionally. It's not hard, but IMO it's a pain to do and a huge waste of water. I don't know if it was really necessary, but I always ran the bleach water through, let it stand for awhile, then drained and refilled the tub and ran clean water through to rinse the bleach out of the jets. It seemed like a big waste of time and water (and bleach) for a tub we never used. But I couldn't stand to think of any crud lurking in my bathroom. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 You just have to fill the tub up with some bleach water and run it through the jets occasionally. It's not hard, but IMO it's a pain to do and a huge waste of water. I don't know if it was really necessary, but I always ran the bleach water through, let it stand for awhile, then drained and refilled the tub and ran clean water through to rinse the bleach out of the jets. It seemed like a big waste of time and water (and bleach) for a tub we never used. But I couldn't stand to think of any crud lurking in my bathroom. ;) That sounds like it would work, but I'm not a big fan of bleach either, and as you said, what a waste of water! They are just more trouble than they are worth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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