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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:
fearfultrill · 05/03/2018 19:46

We sold our house with no bath a few years ago very quickly with no problems and it never really occurred that it might be an issue. I'd assume that if it's the right house then putting a bath in is a fairly small changeable aspect - more so than say no garage/garden/wrong sized rooms.

It wouldn't occur to me to be honest!

Downtheroadfirstonleft · 05/03/2018 19:51

LTB
Keep the bath.
;-)

InspMorse · 05/03/2018 19:51

Everyone saying they wouldn't buy a house without a bath - would you buy a house that needs a new bathroom? It's possible to put a bath back in.

Judydreamsofhorses · 05/03/2018 19:51

When we moved we both came up with a list of non-negotiables, and a bath was top of mine. We don’t have children, but to me a bath is a “leisure activity” and I can spend hours in there. DP claims he never has a bath, but actually as soon as he has a cold, it’s the first thing he does. I lived in a flat which just had a shower room when I was a student and would go home to my mum’s for the weekend purely to use their bath.

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 05/03/2018 19:52

I had a friend who re-did her house and removed bath.

A year later they were relocating to Australia and they had to reinstate bath to sell...

I wouldn't consider a house with no bath

StripeyDeckchair · 05/03/2018 19:52

As long as you put in a large shower tray and enclosure not one of those awful teeny ones then a shower is far preferable to a bath. Quicker, uses less water, more hygienic (no sitting in your own dirt).

I would change the bath for a shower in any future house so I'm 100% with you OH.

As for selling, it seems everyone changes the bathroom & kitchen so I wouldn't worry about it.

Olga81 · 05/03/2018 19:56

No bath rules out families with babies/young children, disabled members, elderly family members

I actually regret keeping our bath as it means an overshower bath and it's really difficult for my MIL and other elderly relatives if they come to stay. A walk in shower would have been much more accessible

iamyourequal · 05/03/2018 19:59

Keep your bath! Because:
It’s not the cause of your dampness. This is poor ventilation most likely.
If you are staying put (you say you are) you may have grandchildren soon and baths are much better for young children.
Removing it will definitely devalue your house. People who buy 4 bedrooms houses are likely to need/desire a bath.
So, yanbu but dh is!

Nomorechickens · 05/03/2018 20:00

New extractor, open the window after shower, squeegee the tiles after showering.
Shower cubicles are much harder to dry out

Fletch80 · 05/03/2018 20:01

We used to have a condensation problem in our en-suite. When we renovated it instead of tiles and paint we had PVC panels installed on each wall plus the ceiling. The panels aren't completely flat, they are very lightly insulated, so we no longer get condensation and the room is heaps warmer. No need to ever paint the ceiling again and it is all so much easier to clean, no grout for one thing.

Northernparent68 · 05/03/2018 20:05

What ever you do, please do n’t instal a wet room, they’re prone to leaking.

Snuffalo · 05/03/2018 20:06

I wouldn’t buy your house without a bath unless it was otherwise amazing and priced to allow for me to put one in. But then again I turned one of our 4 double beds into a bathroom with underfloor heating, a massive walk in rain shower AND a massive standalone bath AND a comfy teak spa bed. I spend a lot of time in there. The old bathroom is now a laundry room/airing cupboard.

KatieKittens · 05/03/2018 20:06

I agree with you OP that getting rid of your bath is a bad idea in the long run and not necessarily the answer to the condensation problem. I do think your husband is right to be concerned about condensation. Considering other options together such as an extractor fan is definitely a good move.
Ultimately I do think YABU in the way you write about your husband. You may have a difference of opinion, but to describe him as “banging on” about a “shit idea” is just downright disrespectful, especially if he is anxious about it. How would you like it if he spoke about you like this?

Worldsworstcook · 05/03/2018 20:07

If my DH removes the bath, I’d remove a valuable appendage from him. I love my bath

MikeAlphaMikeAlpha · 05/03/2018 20:07

Don't do it!
I am a bath person but my first home had only a shower (even if it was amazing) and I missed having a bath. I also now rent this place out and it puts off new tenants there not being a bath!
But to be fair if you won't miss it and someone else buys your house in 10 years they could put their own in

RedRosie · 05/03/2018 20:11

(Pops in, should have namechanged)

We've recently got rid of the bath in our en-suite and replaced it with a big corner shower. It's freed up so much space!

It's a two bed modern flat though (there's a second shower room too) and there are no youngsters left at home.

(Am now a pariah).

GiddyGardner · 05/03/2018 20:21

I live in a house without a bath. We have a lovely walk in shower. I never used to get baths often, but every few months, I would kill for a bath and really miss not having one. I wouldn't remove your bath if I was you.

butterfly56 · 05/03/2018 20:41

Upgrading to a more powerful extractor fan will solve the problem and save on a refit of the bathroom.
I agree keeping the bath for your own comfort and relaxation.

I miss having a bath to ease my aches and pains! Smile

JustKeepStumbling · 05/03/2018 22:23

I said I'd never buy a house without a bath and the only one we found we liked had no bath due to previous occupant needing wheelchair access. The very first thing we did was have a bath put back in. We are outdoors people and showers just don't warm you up when you are chilled to the bone or have a bad back

Bluelady · 05/03/2018 22:36

It's easy to say you can just put a bath in. Both of us bath every day, we hate showers, we wouldn't be prepared to put up with weeks without a bath before we put a new one in.

MinesaPinot · 05/03/2018 22:42

I wouldn't consider a home without a bath. I have occasional back problems and a nice soak with some Radox is a godsend. Also, I wouldn't have anywhere to escape to when DH is watching the football on a Sunday! While I park him with the ironing basket in front of Sky Sports, I can wallow in a long soak with my book, radio, wine and a face pack! Girls in work without baths are deeply envious.....

WellLetsSayHesSquare · 06/03/2018 07:47

Our house doesn have a bath. It has space for one though which we thought about before buying.

We have never needed to put it back in. We have one lo who bathed in the sink and now showers in his mamas and papas snug thing. He loves it.

We do give him a bath when we stay with family and he loves the novelty of it.

Our water bill is much lower in this house and the bathroom is so much easier to keep clean.

invitroveritas · 06/03/2018 07:57

From a sale POV If I was considering a house with no bath I would have to factor in the cost of replacing the bathroom into my offer.

Jackyjill6 · 06/03/2018 08:19

Would it help to get someone 'expert' round to your house to give 'professional' opinion (e.g. builder/ plumber/whoever your OH has trust in?)
Or is it that he is an anxious person anyway, and this is what he is currently focussing on even though it is irrational?

Alwayscheerful · 06/03/2018 10:01

You need a more powerful extractor fan.
Ceiling paint will peel off without a mist coat.
Anti mould paint is great for bathrooms.
I agree regarding resale, you need a bath.
Only install a wet room on the ground floor, eventually they leak and your floorboards and joists will rot.