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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to consider buying a house without a bath?

36 replies

Frightchen · 16/10/2013 13:52

I think I am being unreasonable and am pretty much expecting to be talked out of it.

I'm looking to move house; I don't like my current one and for various reasons the timing is such that if I want to move, sooner would be better.

I've found a nice-looking house (well, nice for my budget) with a huge garden, not too far from work/family/friends. The only drawback I can see is that it has a shower room and separate WC. This wouldn't be a problem if it was just me, but I'm planning on TTC in the next year or so, and I'm thinking that a newborn wouldn't need a bath - can clean in a baby bath/over the sink, but once future baby becomes a toddler then not having a bath is going to be unworkable, isn't it?

OP posts:

NotYoMomma · 16/10/2013 13:53

my dds favourote place is the bath. sheloves bubbles and I love bathing her

is it a shower room due to size or could yoy put a bath in.

not having a bath or any room for a bath woukd make me dismiss it and may affect resale in future

quoteunquote · 16/10/2013 13:55

But as you say there is a huge garden which means you can extend, you can change almost anything about a house but it's location.

Think about the possibilities and what could happen.

Pascha · 16/10/2013 13:56

I would buy a house without a bath if I could put one in. If not, I might reject it. Its up to you though, if you are happy without one there's no problem is there? Babies don't need baths particularly, you can use a baby bath to start with and get them used to the shower once they can stand up safely.

bonzo77 · 16/10/2013 13:57

My parents haven't got a bathe. They have a small inflatable paddling pool which they put in the shower, fill with the shower. It's got a plug to empty it.

If you are buying not renting you could put one it if you can afford to.

DidoTheDodo · 16/10/2013 13:57

I wouldn't because I love a bath (and so do most small children) but you have time to alter things and the lack of a bath is not an insurmountable problem.

Tiredemma · 16/10/2013 13:57

We purchased this house in 2011. It only had a large shower, no bath.

We had no plans for anymore children and decided to purchase and get the bathroom done in about 5 years.

fast forward to may this year, I find out quite by surprise that I was 6 months pregnant.

cue frantic desire to have a lovely bath!!

DD was born on 7th sept. I was discharged from hospital on the 9th and the plumber arrived on the 10th to rip the bathroom out.

I now have a beautiful bathroom and I really cant imagine not having a lovely bath to dip into every night after spending the day looking after a newborn!

xuntitledx · 16/10/2013 13:58

I've lived in a house without a bath and didn't expect it to be a problem as I prefer showers over baths however after a year, I felt like I was really missing out and would never live in a house without a bath again!

BreconBeBuggered · 16/10/2013 13:58

I wouldn't buy it myself, but I know of a few childless couples who have taken the bath out of their bathroom and replaced it with a shower, so there are clearly people out there who are happy with just the shower. A toddler would be used to whatever was there.

Boardingblues · 16/10/2013 13:59

We had no bath in our first house, just a shower. We did have a baby bath though and it worked fine for us and DS! There will always be something to change in a house unless you can commission one to your specifications. Go for it if it ticks all your other boxes

Thurlow · 16/10/2013 14:00

Our toddler showers a lot. She enjoys a bath, but a shower is fine too. If everything else was great about the house this wouldn't put me off at all. Kids really won't know the difference.

Though I'm nicking Bonzo's idea about the little paddling pool for my parents bathless house!

TeaJunky · 16/10/2013 14:01

We sold our last house on the buyers condition that we put a bath in.

Could you do that?

AllOutOfIdeas · 16/10/2013 14:01

Sil has managed from dn's birth with just a shower & I have been showering rather than bathing my dc from about age 2 when they got too big to share our tiny bath.

If its the only downside to the house I don't think yabu to buy it.

obviouslyneedsupernanny · 16/10/2013 14:01

I think if I were you I would try and convince myself a bath wasn't that important if I loved everything else about it, but deep down I would know it was a problem. I'm a bath person though and rarely have showers and don't think I could survive long term without hot baths, especially in the winter

morethanpotatoprints · 16/10/2013 14:03

If its your dream house go for it, as long as there is room for a bath.
We moved into a house without one, it was our first house.
My dh learned how to put a bath in, it isn't difficult, or expensive if you DIY.

MortifiedAdams · 16/10/2013 14:05

You could do luxurious boutique style bedroom with fancy bath in.

Famzilla · 16/10/2013 14:05

My friends don't have a bath in their flat. Their DD went in a baby bath until about 8 months, then she would happily sit & play on the shower floor whilst parents were in the shower so sorta got cleaned that way.

Bowlersarm · 16/10/2013 14:05

As long as there is space to put one in, I don't think it's a problem.

I couldn't be without a bath long term.

LoonvanBoon · 16/10/2013 14:06

I'm not a bath person myself & happily lived in a rented house with just a shower room for a couple of years before starting a family. It is very different, though, if you're planning to have children soon - some toddlers are happy with showers, but my two weren't, at all. Possibly it was the noise as we have to have a power shower (crap water pressure). Anyway, I think they were 5 or 6 before they would happily go under the shower so don't know what we'd have done without a bath! Still, you do have time to get one put in. If there's no space / possibility of doing that I wouldn't buy the house myself.

MammaTJ · 16/10/2013 14:08

A little boat fits better than a paddling pool snd this works well! No bath is not much of an issue!

ediepop · 16/10/2013 14:09

If the house is right for you...buy it. But I would definitely, definitely put a bath in. If it would be cost prohibitive to add the bath, don't buy it.

You are right that a newborn can be bathed in a sink or baby bath, but they grow out of that stage pretty quickly, and while you might be able to get an older toddler used to a shower, there will be a fairly long period where they are too big for the baby bath, but too small for a shower.

A friend of mine is in this situation at the moment. She only has a shower, so is still bathing her one year old in a baby bath. Apparently using the shower just means everybody and the bathroom gets soaked, but the baby bath is not much fun either as her son is far too big for it and doesn't have room to play. They are slowly renovating their house; guess what's their current top priority? Yep, putting a bath in.

DidoTheDodo · 16/10/2013 14:10

My MIL has taken the bath out of her house and replaced it with a shower and appears to have reduced the value of her house by doing so.

FoxMulder · 16/10/2013 14:16

I have a bath, but I've never used it and I've lived here 2 years. Having said that, I am pregnant and we are replacing the bathroom and will be putting another bath in for the sprog. Otherwise we would get rid.

I'm with the majority - if everything else about the house is good & there is room to put a bath in then it's not a dealbreaker.

LaRegina · 16/10/2013 14:18

I would only but it if there was the space to put a bath in (a corner bath maybe?). Not just for the DC - but also because there's nothing like a nice long hot bath when you've had a crappy day

RevelsRoulette · 16/10/2013 14:18

Is there space to jig things about a bit so you can have a bath?

Kasterborous · 16/10/2013 14:18

I would hate not being able to have a bath, I love my baths, as does DD. But then she's always had baths, if she'd never had one she wouldn't know any different.

I wouldn't move into a house unless there was a bath in it, or the possibility of putting one in.

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