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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DH keeps banging on about getting rid of the bath.

127 replies

MrsMaxwell · 05/03/2018 18:16

Ok not a third world issue here.

Have a 4 bed house (4th bed is attic conversion with en suite shower room and toilet).

Have tiny main bathroom (Victorian house semi) where most of us shower none of us have baths on a regular basis.

OH gets quite worked up and anxious about stuff and the bathroom gets really steamed up we have tried various things to overcome this but OH is paranoid the ceiling is going to come down (the paint keeps peeling off).

He wants to get rid of the bath and I guess turn it into a wet room with the extractor directly above the shower.

I don’t have baths but I just think this is a really bad idea as it’s handy for washing things out by hand, will devalue the house and in the past I have had back problems (major surgery) where baths helped, and occasionally people (we have 3 kids living here and two have partners regularly staying and 3 step kids stay a lot) just want a bath.

OH reckons we’ll be here at least another 10 years (I do not) and I just feel especially from a resale POV this is a really shit idea?

OP posts:
Idontdowindows · 05/03/2018 18:33

Replace the ceiling and the extractor instead.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 05/03/2018 18:33

Don't get rid of the bath!

I've just moved into a house with no bath and I spend about 1/3 of my life planning how to have one in my life. I've joined a gym just so I can sit in the hot tub.
In stranger-germ soup.

Yes obviously the house sold but for way less than the valuation. about 1/5 less.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 05/03/2018 18:34

Would it be worth having a proper damp expert (not someone selling chemical injections but more like a proper damp detective type) or a decent builder to have a look to ease your DP's anxiety?

Paint will peel, depending on the paint, but that's different from the plaster or ceiling going.

SallyOMalley · 05/03/2018 18:35

There's a house round our way that has been on the market for months. Quite unusual, as most go quite quickly. It looks nicely decorated, got a modern kitchen and a large garden. We're in a typical family area so it's a bit surprising. Now, there could be lots of things wrong with it, but one thing stands out: no bath.

Thelampshadelady · 05/03/2018 18:36

We bought our house and it had no bath. Not a problem. We are just going to reinstate one this summer because we are starting a family and will make life easier in the future. We paid the same for the house regardless of bath situation.

Graphista · 05/03/2018 18:37

No bath rules out families with babies/young children, disabled members, elderly family members plus lots of people just like having baths sometimes.

I've seen a couple of houses near me where the owners converted to wet rooms... Then try to sell. One a 2 bed one a 4 bed. The 4 bed took a hell of a hit compared to a same size house in same street at time of selling and was for sale for almost 18 months.

"If you dont or rarely use the bath then it cant be the bath causing the steam and damp. Seems daft then to remove something that isnt the cause." This too.

PickAChew · 05/03/2018 18:37

Showers are much steamier than baths. Why can't he just leave it as it is but fit a better extractor?

Bratsandtwats · 05/03/2018 18:38

My current house has no bath, just a shower. Big mistake. I'll always have a bath in future.

There are other ways he can sort out the damp problems.

TwitterQueen1 · 05/03/2018 18:40

lynmilne65 a tad harsh methinks Wink

However, I agree with (nearly) everyone else. MUST HAVE A BATH!

Dog bathing, people bathing (note priority), washing big things, washing small children....

GerdaLovesLili · 05/03/2018 18:40

I need a bath. A soak in a hot bath gets rid of all my aches and pains in a way a shower can't. I wouldn't buy a house without one.

Original poster
MrsMaxwell · 05/03/2018 18:40

The shower is in the bath but he seems to think if the steam is contained in a shower cubicle it will produce less steam Confused

I think a better extractor and a plumber or damp expert are really good ideas.

OP posts:
SunnyCoco · 05/03/2018 18:41

Get a better extractor, open the windows, and make sure you’re using proper bathroom paint on the walls and ceilings.

If you hardly ever use the bath, it’s not the cause of the problem

HaudYerWheeshtBawbag · 05/03/2018 18:46

What you have is classic signs of condensation, not dampness, dampness starts from the ground upwards, and unless you have an issue with your roof causing water penetration then you need to ventaliate the room more, taking the bath away or enclosing the shower is not going to help this, you need to have heating on, ventilation (so windows, doors and extractor fans) will help to combat this.

I also would not be looking at a property without a bath.

DinosaurFarmer · 05/03/2018 18:46

God my DH keeps going on about doing the same. His reasoning is that as our bath is a funny size (deep/narrow/short) and neither of us use it because of this we should get rid it and just have a bigger shower cubicle. The fact that we have 2 small children, one of whom is completely shower phobic and screams blue murder when water gets on his face doesn't seem to register with him! Have repeatedly pointed this out to him as well as the potential devaluation of property/limiting of potential buyers. I may just show him this thread instead of wasting my breath next time he starts banging on about it Grin

MummyCuddlesSolveEverything · 05/03/2018 18:47

We've always discount anything without a bath, it's not even worth going for a viewing as it wouldn't work for us. Young dc, and I love baths!

Work on the damp problem instead

Rosamund1 · 05/03/2018 18:47

Maybe spend the money on a good dehumidifier.

lubeybooby · 05/03/2018 18:47

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath unless it clearly had space for one and a fuckton of other redeeming features to cheer me up while I had one put in. Family houses need family bathrooms too from a resale pov.

passionflower50 · 05/03/2018 18:49

We got rid of our bath couldnt ait for it to go but i so wish we had still got it mow x

dingdongdigeridoo · 05/03/2018 18:51

We rent a place without a bath. It’s annoying. I really fancy a bath sometimes but just don’t have the option. It’s annoying when you have aches and pains or just want a soak. And 6 year old hates the shower so it’s always a faff.

A similar place on our street has been for sale for about 2 years now. Nice house, reasonably priced, but no bath. The price has been cut twice.

73kittycat73 · 05/03/2018 18:52

Having lived in a place with only a shower, I really miss baths. I wouldn't buy a house without one.

GardenGeek · 05/03/2018 18:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

eurochick · 05/03/2018 18:53

Keep the bath. Get a better extractor. Repaint using bathroom paint or tile the walls to deal with the steam.

Kikashi · 05/03/2018 18:54

We have a wet room and a small bathroom and a downstairs cloakroom.
Everyone uses the bathroom even my DP who insisted he loved the wet room when we viewed the house (we all hated it). He prefers the shower over the bath. There is underfloor heating in the wet room but it is still cold in the winter and everything gets wet from the shower spray - the sink, the towels , waste bin, the floor drains okay but stays damp - I HATE IT. Complete white elephant. The shower head could well have legionella in it from lack of use.

The small bathroom gets very damp from over use and has no window - even with a better extractor and dehumidifier we still get a bit of paint peel around the extractor. When I get some money I plan to get rid of the shower in the wet room and have a bath there instead

Don't get rid of your bath - quite a few flats I have seen have shower rooms and they always take longer to sell than those with even shorty baths..

Albertschair · 05/03/2018 18:55

I can't imagine any parents of small children wanting to buy a house without a bath. I wouldn't. And a 4 bed house is a family house.

Plus there's no way it would solve the problem.

Save the money. Buy a better extractor.

Get the ceiling paint stripped then repaint with proper bathroom paint (was the plaster properly sealed when first painted? )

ToadOfSadness · 05/03/2018 18:55

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath.

As for the steam issue, paint has peeled off above our shower.
No paint has peeled off in the bathroom. Both are used daily.

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