Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get rid of my bath

168 replies

Harveypuss · 05/03/2017 12:44

Posting here for traffic really.

We have decided to revamp the main bathroom in our house. We also have two small shower rooms in the house, which are used regularly.

We are considering ripping out the bath (with shower overhead) and replacing it with a large walk-in shower. It would look great, I'm sure and nobody in our family (us & two teenage kids) ever use the bath. I think the last time the bath was used was when our kids were babies.

However, I've had people tell me having no bath in the house at all would cause problems if we wanted to sell the house in the future (no plans currently, but you never know).

I'm now questioning my decision. What do you think? Do any of you only have showers in your properties? My husband thinks we should just go with it and doesn't see the point in paying out for a revamp and installing a bath that will just not get used, whereas a large walk-in shower would.

Would welcome your views! Many thanks.

OP posts:
SantinoRice · 06/03/2017 07:01

I see OP has not been back Grin

OP, it depends on your area, I reckon. If you are in a 'good schools' area and your potential buyers (however far in the future) are the kind that would have babies, then taking the bath out is a bad idea. Because although you can put one in again, can you imagine what a PITA moving into a new house with a baby & immediately having to redo the bathroom & washing the baby in the kitchen sink would be.

But, obviously, you could just speak to your estate agent before you put it on the market and see if they thing you should stick a bath in.

Basically, not putting one in might cost you £2K. Up to you.

Lazyafternoon · 06/03/2017 07:21

If you've got a couple of other shower rooms taking out the shower sounds daft. One of my relatives recently bought a house that was great, apart from they'd ripped out the shower and replaced with a shower. The previous owners had grown up children. My relative has 2 toddlers. She said it was a massive regret moving in before getting the bathroom redone and bath put back in. Huge expense and palava in other wise fine house
So yeah - I can see itd put lots of people off if you wanted to sell. Facing having to redo bathroom straight away will be a big negative. It's not just families with young families, older families with grand kids staying or anyone who likes baths!

fairweathercyclist · 06/03/2017 07:50

I thought most people ripped out the bathroom and kitchen when they moved into a new house?

Do what suits your lifestyle.

Baths are easy to reinstate - it's crazy not to buy an otherwise suitable house because of something that can be changed so easily.

fairweathercyclist · 06/03/2017 07:51

(we changed our bathroom but still have the original kitchen, 13 years later. We've lived with the previous owners' kitchen longer than they did!)

Original poster
Harveypuss · 06/03/2017 08:11

Many thanks for your responses. A mixed bag of opinions, it seems!

It is a large room but not quite large enough for a bath and separate shower, so I am going to just check out what options there are for a decent shower over a bath as well before proceeding. I know you can get some weird & wonderful shaped baths these days, rather than the bog-standard oblong type.

We'll be spending a lot of money on this refurb, so ripping it out in a few years isn't really an option. We need to make the correct decision for us now and stick with it.

It's been great reading your views. Thank you for responding Smile

OP posts:
thegreylady · 06/03/2017 08:15

We removed the bath. I much prefer the big walk in shower. I suppose we could put a bath in again if we wanted to.

frenchfancy · 06/03/2017 08:32

If it is a large room you may be able to put in a smaller bath and then a shower, post the dimensions of the room and see if someone can suggest a layout.

Oysterbabe · 06/03/2017 08:41

5 pages in and OP hasn't been back.
It really depends on how long she plans to live there but it's clear from the responses that it would put off a lot of potential buyers.

purpleleotard · 06/03/2017 08:47

Diss like baths.
Rip it out

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 06/03/2017 08:49

Good plan OP.

It does depend on how long you intend to live in the house. MIL only has a large shower which works well for her as she gets older. It's most likely that her descendents are the ones who will worry about resale!

Conversely, DM finds that at least 30 minutes in her bath in the morning soothes her arthritis ready for her to start the day.
She doesn't have a decent shower in the main bathrooms, which would put people off, but her bathrooms will inevitably be ripped out promptly by anyone buying so that's not worth her concern. The entire house is "in need of modernisation".

JessieMcJessie · 06/03/2017 08:59

How do people have the time to have baths every day? I love a luxurious walk in shower. Over bath showers just don't compare, high stepping over the bath edge and feeling constrained when you are in there. Big showers are better when you are old as you can put a stool and grab rails in. Our baby has had several showers already in ours in his little bath chair (he's 6 months old) and I doubt we'll use the bath (in another bathroom) once he can stand by himself. Remember that if you come to sell and it's causing problems getting viewings or putting off those who don't want to do work you can put one back in yourselves. But in the meantime why make your life less pleasant on the basis of a distant possibility of a sale?

JessieMcJessie · 06/03/2017 09:01

Oh and my top tip for a walk in shower is put the controls so you can reach them without having to stand under the water stream; that way you can get the temp perfect before you step in.

BreezyThursday · 06/03/2017 09:01

I'm currently living with a bath but no shower; ugh. Would love a big wet room to avoid all the screens and curtains and seals which inevitably break or go disgusting.

In-laws replaced bath with large shower cubicle. Mostly fine for them but was awkward when we stayed with toddler. The house is on an estate of very similar houses - so if buyers had similar options it might be a decision maker if they were to sell.

In our last house we had a 'normal' but extra wide bath without curved sides so it was really good for showering in.

DesignedForLife · 06/03/2017 09:05

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath. However if you're really settled there go for it, but be prepared to put a bath in if you want to sell.

NurseP · 06/03/2017 09:23

No bath here. Babies go in the shower with me or kitchen sink! Less water, less gas, less time! Works for us! X

Notso · 06/03/2017 09:32

I hate baths. We also have a big ugly jacuzzi bath I want to get rid of but DD and the two small DS's like baths.

kel1493 · 06/03/2017 09:59

It wouldn't bother me personally, but then again the last time I had a bath was when I was 17 (now nearly 24), and that was only because I had chickenpox so couldn't shower. My last proper bath was when I was a child.
However having child means I couldn't live in a house without a bath.
Agree it could be a problem if you ever wanted to move.

heron98 · 06/03/2017 10:05

I have no kids, nor do I plan to have any, but I would be put off by the lack of bath. I like to have one a couple of times a week and am not a fan of showers.

brasty · 06/03/2017 10:46

Baths are invaluable for various conditions that are soothed by hot water.

StarryIllusion · 06/03/2017 18:44

How do people have time for baths every day? I'm faster in the bath than a shower. Takes me ages to wash my hair in a shower as it is very thick and the water just runs off it, leaving the underneath dry. In the bath I just lie down and submerge my head. Much quicker. I can be in and out of a bath in 10 minutes flat if I need to while a shower takes me at least half an hour.

Originalfoogirl · 06/03/2017 23:14

Don't see it as "ripping it all out". All you would have to do is remove the shower tray and enclosure and put in a bath. Really easy to do. Half a day's work, if that.

brasty · 06/03/2017 23:15

And add more tiling.

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 06/03/2017 23:17

How do people have time for baths every day

Easily. And if I could have two a day, I would.

Baths are proof of the existance of God.

KarmaNoMore · 07/03/2017 08:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Astoria7974 · 07/03/2017 08:21

I personally wouldn't buy a house without a bathtub in it. This isn't because of any kind of shower snobbery (I prefer showers) but because it gives you an indication of the size of your bathroom. Stalls are for tiny bathrooms.

Swipe left for the next trending thread