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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Houses without a bath tub

185 replies

Reel9 · 28/04/2018 22:19

A lot of houses seem to only have showers these days and no bath tub.

This is a definite no no for me, I like baths and surely it would be hard to wash children with just a shower.

It’s so frustrating so see a nice house with just a shower. Sure, could always put a bath in but not something I wouldn’t want to redecorate the bathroom immediately after moving in.

Would you buy a house without a tub?

OP posts:
POPholditdown · 28/04/2018 22:51

I did. I prefer to have a big walk in shower. I don’t know what to do in a bath. Whenever I’ve tried them in the past, I spend more time filling it than sitting in it as I iust get bored.

InTheGhetto · 28/04/2018 22:52

Outside the UK in a country (or city, at least) that hardly does baths (or the space for them - in the inner city area the bathroom is often guest toilet size, with the showerhead aimed over the leg space in front of the toilet!).

We just moved and I have a toilet room which is quite small but with room for two people to be in there at the same time comfortably (though it's rare there'd be call for that...) and a shower room which also has the washer and dryer in it. There wasn't much choice in flats that appealed and which also had a bath, and I wanted this flat far too much to care about a bath. I've only had a bath when visiting family over the last 5.5 years anyway. I think there'd be space enough if we knocked through between the two and moved things around a little, but I think I value having the rooms separate too much.

fruitlovingmonkey · 28/04/2018 22:52

I wouldn’t buy a house with only a shower over the bath and no space to change it. I like to have both, but separate.

londonrach · 28/04/2018 22:57

No. its as basic as a cooker. A family house needs a bath.

CocoaGin · 28/04/2018 22:57

No I'd never buy one, and we check holiday lets/hotel rooms very carefully as I can't bear not having a bath. Where the hell would I read my book Grin

EthelHornsby · 28/04/2018 22:58

I got rid of my bath (with shower over) to put in a lovely big walk in shower. I hate baths

ArchchancellorsHat · 28/04/2018 23:00

I hate baths. There was one in my flat when I moved in and the first thing I did was get it out and a proper shower put in instead. I cannot understand the appeal of baths at all.

ToadOfSadness · 28/04/2018 23:00

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath. However, I would want a bathroom and a shower room. Wouldn't be messing about with plumbing things in, it would need to be done already.

PinkBuffalo · 28/04/2018 23:02

I had the opposite problem when looking at houses in that they all had baths but no shower!
I have dyspraxia and a big walk in shower like some PPs are describing would be best. No climbing in/out of bath.
As if is, I will have to save up for this when I move as the house I'm buying has shower over bath ( at least it's got that!)

Thundercatshoooo · 28/04/2018 23:04

I would never buy a house without a bath, again. We bought our hour 2 years ago, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and it was a case of nothing else suitable on the market so we bought it. It had no bloody bath, a bath was on the "must have" list!!! Annoyingly the bathroom is pretty new and has a huge shower the size of a bath?! We now have a toddler and a baby and it's nothing short of a pain in the arse. It would have been so useful when I was in labour too, a nice soak would have been fab.

We'll be having a bath put in soon, just need to organise it and suck up smashing up a perfectly nice bathroom!

SweetCharityBeginsAtHome · 28/04/2018 23:04

I’d buy a house with only a shower room as long as there was space to install a bath and enough headroom in my budget, but I wouldn’t dream of staying in a hotel or holiday let without a tub. I wish the holiday cottage search engines let you specify - it’s such a pain finding the perfect cottage and then finding in the small print that it’s only got a shower.

TheoryPractical · 28/04/2018 23:05

I was very disappointed to stay in a hotel recently with only a shower Sad.

I couldn't live without a bath. Pure relaxing fantastica. Helps relax painful muscles too. Plus I have my best ideas in there.

I also notice more properties to rent have tiny little bathrooms with showers only. Its just the relentless march of utilitarianism IMHO.

lavendargreen · 28/04/2018 23:27

I'd prefer a bath, but it wouldn't be a dealbreaker IYSWIM.

tillytrotter1 · 29/04/2018 00:06

When did we start having 'tubs' in the UK??

Heratnumber7 · 29/04/2018 00:07

We don't have a bath.

Our bathroom is small. About 2 years ago we realised none of us (me, DH, 2 x DDs) could remember the last time we'd had a bath, so we replaced the "tub with shower" in the family bathroom with a big shower cubicle. We have a second shower in our en suite. Haven't missed the bathtub yet.

witchofzog · 29/04/2018 00:12

Am I the only one who wants to know more about the mysterious button labelled ozone?Grin

19lottie82 · 29/04/2018 00:15

Meh. I don’t understand all this I would NEVER buy a house without a bath, EVER!
It’s rare to find a house that ticks every single box. If you find a house you really like and the only thing wrong with it is there is no bath, then put one in! Unless it’s a really odd layout, or has bizarre tiles, you prob won’t even need to redo the whole bathroom, unless you want to.

Maggie87 · 29/04/2018 01:43

I wouldn’t buy a house without a bathtub unless all I can afford is a small house.

I don’t have baths, but a tub is useful for cleaning stuff and as you’ve mentioned, for cleaning children. Usually, if a house doesn’t have a tub, it is because they cat fit one in, so I wouldn’t bother considering the house if I were you

SenecaFalls · 29/04/2018 02:38

When did we start having 'tubs' in the UK??

Maybe we aren't all in the UK? Wink

I have never lived in a house without a bathtub. Soaking in a hot bath is one of my favorite ways to relax. In fact, I am doing it right at this moment. So I would not want to buy a house that didn't have one. On the other hand, as DH and I have grown older, we are thinking that at some point, we may want to have an accessible shower installed in one of the bathrooms in place of the tub.

Battleax · 29/04/2018 02:40

When did we start having 'tubs' in the UK??

“Bath” is more usual, but “bathtub” is also U.K. English. “Tub” is reasonable when you’re trying to be clear and get tired of repeating “bathtub” Smile And obviously tun is fine in US English.

LinoleumBlownapart · 29/04/2018 03:02

We live abroad, baths were all torn our in the 80's and you rarely see them now. The only places that have them are apartments specially aimed at the British expat market. People here think they're unhygienic and a waste of water, including my foreign DH who never uses them in the UK.
We have a large walk in wet room shower and a baby plastic bath tub was used in there until they could shower at about 3 years old, I couldn't imagine the faff of a bath now but I have to admit I do enjoy having baths in the UK.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 29/04/2018 03:03

I wouldn't buy a house with no bath, or no space for a bath.
I turned down a house once that did have a bath but it was so short - you could only sit up in it! Nope.

I love my bath. My MIL had hers taken out - can't deal with that at all but luckily I don't have to stay at her house as she only lives 15 mins away.

Battleax · 29/04/2018 03:18

Everyone will get old and rheumatic and put them back in again.

Orangecake123 · 29/04/2018 05:17

I live in a rented flat with only a shower. I'm craving a hot bath with lovely bath bombs. DXX

EmmaGrundyForPM · 29/04/2018 05:26

Pre kids we lived in a flat with no.bath and it was fone but I did miss having baths.

Now, we have a bath and shower in the main bathroom and a shower in our en suite. I shower most of the time but occasionally have a long hot bath which I love. I wouldn't be prepared to live in a house without that option.

However if you are planning to live in your house long term then you need to do what works best for you as a family. If you'd rather take the bath out and put in a shower then do so.