Do You Need A Bathtub In Your Home?

Most people have grown up in or currently have a residential situation where there’s a bathtub present in one or more bathrooms. But if you’re considering some bathroom reconstruction for your home, is a bathtub something that you really need? The majority of homeowners take a bath far less often than they do a shower, so having a shower stall in many cases is actually sufficient for the task.

But is that enough? Is having a bathtub essential, or is this something you can do without?

The Sales Question

In terms of resale appeal and value, it’s always recommended that a home have at least one bathtub somewhere. This is especially important for families with young children or people who own pets since sometimes bathing dogs and cats is necessary.

You’ll find that it’s more difficult to sell a home with no bathtubs present to the general market, but at the same time, there may be specialized buyers that will prefer this setup as well. On the other hand, it’s also possible to have too many bathtubs in a home, as if you have multiple bathrooms and they all have bathtubs, some buyers might not like this either.

Your Personal Needs

For people that bathe rarely, it may make more sense during a bathroom reconstruction to simply remove the bathtub. One primary reason people do this is to reclaim the space and have more of it in a bathroom. The removal of a bathtub, with replacing a shower stall, for example, means that it’s possible for bathroom reconstruction to have a larger vanity counter. For people who put a premium on grooming and make-up application, this may be a much more important factor than having a tub that is only occasionally used and takes up a large amount of space in the bathroom.

For the elderly, there may be another important reason to remove a bathtub. If mobility is becoming an issue with using a wheelchair or walkers now in play, taking a bath unassisted may no longer be possible. If this is the case, removing the bathtub and installing shower stalls, especially if they are walk-ins with no step, are much easier to use and clean.

The Time Factor With A Bathroom Reconstruction

If you plan to live in a home for five years or less, it’s probably best to keep a bathtub somewhere in the house so as not to hurt your resale chances. However, if you’re living in a home for a decade or more, or if you are moving house as part of a retirement situation, having a home without a bathtub may become a more efficient and convenient solution. In some cases, it could mean the difference between an expensive remodel to keep staying in the home or having to move to another house or a retirement community.

Always remember that it’s your home, and you want to be comfortable in it. If you find that your bathroom could take better advantage of the space without a bathtub, take that into consideration during your bathroom reconstruction to have the home you want.