In our master bathroom, we have a really boring shower/tub combo unit. And I'm talking really boring.
See? I wasn't joking. One of the things I have been struggling with in my mind for what seems like forever is what to do with this tub. There are only two nice things about currently: 1) it's a whirpool and 2) it is not all one piece, meaning we can get rid of the sides and put up tile without having to buy a new tub. However, I have been debating whether it is best to keep it as a shower/tub combo (replacing the sides with tile, of course), or if we should get rid of the tub altogether and put in a nice, walk-in shower.
We do have another full guest bathroom that has a tub/shower combo as well, so it wouldn't be as if we were getting rid of all of the tubs in the house. And if we did turn our shower/tub combo in the master bath into just a walk-in shower, we would most likely replace our guest shower with this whirlpool one.
The only concern of mine regarding getting rid of the tub in the master bath is that I'm afraid it will negatively affect the property value. From our standpoint, we never take baths (according to Noel who is 6'1", trying to take a bath in it is "not relaxing at all"), so a walk-in shower would be much nicer for our uses. However, if we turned it into a walk-in shower, we would technically only be able to market our house as having 2.25 baths as opposed to 2.5. Technicalities, I know, but in the world of real estate, it could make all the difference. After all, we'd hate to detract someone from buying our home because there is no tub in the master bath. But on the other hand, would more people appreciate a nice walk-in shower over a cramped, shower/tub combo? Decisions, decisions.
As I have been trying to make a decision on this issue, I have been scouring the internet looking at examples of both styles.
1. Leave the tub and tile around it:
2. Replace the combo with a luxurious walk-in shower:
I don't know if all of my searching has made my decision any easier, for both options have gorgeous results. I have noticed that the key to making the shower/tub combo look better though is to add tile around the base of the tub to give it a more "built-in" appearance. If you have any insight on what you think we should do, I'd love to hear from you!
We are going through the same thing, well kind of! We have just a builder basic tub/shower combo in our master. There is a small linen closet as well and we are trying to decide if we want to tile the surround, replace with a walk-in shower, or demo the closet and do separate shower and tub. I think you can still list it as a full bath with just the shower and if it is done right, it shouldn't detract from your home value. If you know anybody that is a real estate agent, ask them. They could give you a better idea as far as value.
ReplyDeleteDecisions, decisions....thanks for the input Darbi! I'd love to hear how yours turns out!
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