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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not want a bath?

169 replies

LouLou789 · 03/08/2020 20:50

Twelve years ago we had our bath taken out and a high quality shower cubicle installed. The room is fully tiled. It also enabled us to put a loo in the bathroom (there’s already a loo in an adjacent room)

It is still immaculate as we’ve maintained it well and replaced the shower head and unit as needed.

House now on the market, it’s a 3 bed semi In a quiet cul de sac and would appeal to a couple wanting a family home to bring up their kids. It’s had plenty of viewings (been on the market 5 weeks) but no offers and several people have mentioned the lack of a bath as a problem.

Of course we are looking for a new home ourselves, but we fully accept we will have to do at least some work on any new house to make it right for us, including changing a bath to a shower room. We’ve had a plumber round to our current house tonight and it would cost 2k to reverse the conversion and the work would take a week. We intend to make this info available to potential purchasers and would therefore fully expect them to knock this amount off any offer. Our agent, however, thinks people won’t want the upheaval of the work and might ask us to install it ourselves as a condition of sale. What do you all think?

YABU = Just put a bath in, and get on with it

YANBU = Leave it as it is, you’re panicking

OP posts:
madcatladyforever · 04/08/2020 13:49

People will moan about anything to get a few quid off the price. I didn't like the bath in my current house because it's so massive I could really drown in it. I've just put a smaller one in. No big deal.

honeygirlz · 04/08/2020 13:52

Don’t most people want to get their own new bathroom in? I was a bit squicked out by other people’s bathroom stuff when buying home. I guess if it’s immaculate then I would be fine with it.

Meggie2008 · 04/08/2020 14:27

I'm viewing a property today that doesn't have a bath. The first thing I'd do if I got it would be to put one in.
The fact that there isn't one there wouldn't stop me buying if I liked it enough, as long as there was space to get one.

SueEllenMishke · 04/08/2020 14:32

Don’t most people want to get their own new bathroom in? I was a bit squicked out by other people’s bathroom stuff when buying home. I guess if it’s immaculate then I would be fine with it.

Not everyone can afford to do that right away......

StripeyDeckchair · 04/08/2020 14:37

I would take out a bath & put in a large shower so think your bathroom sounds great.
People always change bathrooms & kitchens, however nice they are so I'd leave it as it is and let the buyer do whatever they want to the house.

blackcat86 · 04/08/2020 14:40

Ridiculous. I have no bath and a toddler. We have great fun with washable body paints on the shower base and i just shower her off afterwards. I think its sensible to be mindful that it may limit some buyers but I wouldn't be paying out £2k and having my bathroom ripped apart to 'correct' a non issue. Once someone else owns it they can do what they like.

Sonders · 04/08/2020 14:41

Like others, I probably wouldn't have bought a place without a bath, partly because of needing to have the capital up front, but mainly because moving house is a pain in the butt, and getting a new bathroom is a pain in the butt, and I can only handle one pain in the butt at a time.

I would put in the cheapest bath/suite you can - that way you're ticking that mental 'have a bath' checkbox, but not spending £££ on something the new owners might eventually replace.

Franticbutterfly · 04/08/2020 14:42

We rarely use our bath and our youngest is 6. I wouldn't "need" to have one already installed.

ChristmasFluff · 04/08/2020 14:57

It really depends on the rest of the house. If I was looking for a doer-upper, I'd not care what you'd got.

If I was looking to move in and not do work, I wouldn't touch it.

If your house is generally pretty smart and you are appealing to the 'ready to go' crowd, it is probably part of the lack of appeal to anyone so far.

lakesidesummer · 04/08/2020 15:02

Family member recently put a bath back in their house to sell it but didn't spend 2k.

It will put a fair few families off not having a bath but not everyone will care.

vikingwife · 04/08/2020 15:11

Having a bath is the closest I get to meditation - no bath = dealbreaker & am a childfree late 30s.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 04/08/2020 15:20

I hate baths. I find them so uncomfortable and boring. My house has a bath because DS is still young but I'd happily live in a house without a bath. I'd prefer a lovely big shower.

Piglet89 · 04/08/2020 15:22

@blackcat86 that’s you.

However, If the market seems to be telling you it doesn’t want your house because it has no bath (assuming no other big issues) and you were desperate to sell, you’d probably be wise to consider installing a bath.

BoingBoingyBoing · 04/08/2020 15:41

Not having a bath in a house - especially one families are going to be otherwise interested in - is definately going to put some people off.

Some people are not going to want the hassle of finding tradesmen and the disruption even if you do reduce the asking price of the house, so I would just suck it up and put a bath in.

OneForMeToo · 04/08/2020 16:08

I’d much rather a lovely large shower than a bath with a over bath shower and I have three children.

HerNameWasEliza · 04/08/2020 16:27

Ridiculous. I have no bath and a toddler. We have great fun with washable body paints on the shower base and i just shower her off afterwards. I think its sensible to be mindful that it may limit some buyers but I wouldn't be paying out £2k and having my bathroom ripped apart to 'correct' a non issue

Except lots of people do consider it to be an issue? Obviously not an issue for some but clearly is for the majority. I don't think it can be considered a 'non issue' just because you say so!

BogRollBOGOF · 04/08/2020 16:36

We do the DIY ourselves and bought this house for the potential rather than because it was perfect as it was either superficially or in layout. We've literally moved walls to create an efficient layout for the master room rather than just painting it and using it many years earlier.

I love baths. Maybe not frequently, but if I'm needing to relax and ease out sore muscles, the bath is unrivalled. It is also a good place for children to play as well as wash. We shower them for functional reasons now they're bigger, but no bath would still be missing out.

As long as there was clearly capacity for a bath, I would consider it. I'd rather replace a tired bathroom to achieve that than put up with many years of a sound, recent bathroom that might not be my taste because it would be wasteful to replace it as a priority.

It's possible that the choice between a bath/ second toilet is a turn off as it is normal to see a toilet in a main bathroom now., so people would see it as losing the main toilet rather than the gained one.

Bluntness100 · 04/08/2020 17:09

Op I think you have the answer, as your home is being marketed at folks with young kids, the lack of a bath could be a deal breaker for many. Especially as some may never have done it before and think it’s really expensive and a lot of hassle.

Our house as said, wouldn’t be aimed at this demographic, but again it is something we need to think about, but I think if you’re aiming at young families then likely a bath would be a benefit.

LakieLady · 04/08/2020 17:16

I'd be reluctant to buy a house without a bath, and I only bathe a few times a year. But apart from the issue of bathing small children, they're also great for bathing dogs!

But if it was otherwise perfect in terms of location, surroundings and garden, I'd suck it up.

Submariner · 04/08/2020 17:21

I love my bath, but I think it's madness for you to choose a bath and go through all the mess and hassle when you don't know if it will be to the buyer's taste. I agree with PP who says you sell your house as it is and it's up to the buyer to make changes if they buy it.

BluebellsGreenbells · 04/08/2020 17:25

I have teens. I still wouldn’t by a house without a bath. We have two in our current house and two showers.

Everyone likes a bath occasionally and it’s helpful washing the dog, blinds from the kitchen, sports gear! Girls easily sit on the side to shave legs etc

Notadramallama · 04/08/2020 17:31

I'm in the process of buying two houses, one for me (single, no kids) and a rental. I wouldn't view anything without a bath for either.

JustBumblingAlong · 04/08/2020 21:50

I absolutely hate a bath, apart from one my husband ran for me after my second DC I don’t think I’ve had one for 20 years. My husband will have a bath occasionally but both my DC shower and have done since toddlers. I wouldn’t discount a house for the 2ish years they would prefer a bath, I’d just use one on the floor of the shower.

imissthesouth · 04/08/2020 21:58

YANBU, every house needs something doing to it when you move in; new or old. However it might hold people back from wanting to buy the house. Give it a few more weeks and see how it goes?

nocoolnamesleft · 04/08/2020 21:59

I forgot the other reason - can't have a nice relaxing read in the shower.