Roll top baths in small bathrooms...yay or nay?

[NoveltySlippers]

Hi all

Am trying to decide whether to get one of those roll top baths with a flat end which can be sealed flush against the wall, and is designed for showering in.

Question is...in a small bathroom and against the wall, is their impact lessened / do they just look a bit sad / small / not worth the extra expense?

Am thinking in terms of adding extra saleability to the house further down the line.

Or anyone have one in a small bathroom and had good results?

Sorry probably no help atall but I'm considering this too. I love the look but still need a shower screen as I hate shower curtains and have no room for a separate shower.

Maybe something like this pic?

Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing I'm thinking of! Problem is our bathroom is even smaller than the one in this pic looks to be. So you wouldn't be able to admire the bath from afar and just wondering if, up against the wall, the whole luxury, roll top bath experience would be kind of diminished.

The nice trad shower fittings needed and posh glass screen all add up to make it significantly pricy.

Would buyers be swayed by a bath like that or just not worth it?

Our only other alternative for the space is an acrylic P shaped bath, and not sure what people think of those? (Never had to redo a bathroom before!)

IMO you need to be able to walk round them. You have to clean thoroughly underneath and behind them.

Spending lots of money on kitchens and bathrooms will not impress buyers, because their taste will be different so they will want to chuck it in the skip and get something else.

Hmm, that's interesting. I thought about the cleaning aspect, but wondering, could those long feather duster type things not reach (or does it get muckier than that due to moisture / humidity in the room...).

Re taste - that's interesting too. Because I was thinking roll top baths are almost universally cooed over - but maybe not...?

Oh no! Hadn't even thought of potential knee-capping as one of the cons - will have to add it to the list!

Our new roomba manages to get under the bath.

If that helps at all?

Thanks Nigella, I'm not sure what a roomba is but will google - sounds helpful!

What about the visual aspect if yours is up against the wall? (Sorry, sounds rude!)

We have a 1500mm slipper bath in our en suite, a nice racetrack shower curtain rail and a bath shower mixer. We mostly shower and its perfectly roomy in there, but I love having a bath in there. Our en suite is pretty diddy.

Our bath is about 5cm out from the wall, and looks great. We have wood panelling up to waist height. Although there is a shower attachment, we have a separate walk in shower, so it is never rarely used.

A roomba is one of the robot hoovers. They are so tiny they can get under beds, baths, sofas. It's a whole other thread, but it is very addictive seeing the amount it lifts.

Hmm, thanks. I missed the room a memo!

I guess the issue is if it's the only bathroom in the house (which it is). And wondering how practical for DC it is. Still undecided!

Roomba, I meant. Tsk!

I wouldn't, my parents have one like that. The legs have broken and needed replacing, and it gets horrid underneath quickly. Also nowhere to stand shampoo etc whilst you use it

For a small bathroom I would get one that is fitted but goes wider in the middle maybe, you can then add shower in middle. And build storage in at either end if space

I wouldn't, a fitted one looks so much more sleek in a small room. I find they're a bit style over function. Where do you rest your shampoo, glass of wine etc. We have one in the main bathroom which looks lovely but I still miss the proper ledge you get with a fitted bath.

I also hate cleaning of any sort and I particularly hate cleaning behind the roll top bath. Have a weekly cleaner but after a few days its all a bit rank behind the bath (3 DCs, 2 muddy boys and a girl with long hair).

I had one when I was young but the bathroom is huge. With a separate shower etc. a roomba would not work. It gets quite dirty in the bathroom and you need to be on all fours to properly wipe the floor. Not sure how it would work in small spaces. We had three side access.

Hmmm - thanks all, very useful. Am starting to place a foot in the 'nay' camp now. Definitely don't like the idea of hard to reach muckiness and I myself am a prolific hair shedder!

Anyone have any suggestions for sleek alternatives that would go with period features elsewhere in the bathroom?

I love the idea of a bath that is bigger in the middle Artandco but along the length of the bath is a false wall so all the business stuff needs to be at the end.

Would one of those P shaped baths look okay with tongue and groove and a period style sink? (Struggles to visualise.....) Or are they considers the height of nafness? (No idea about bathroom trends...)

considered sorry, bloody phone

I wouldn't. I ahve a friend who has one and it dominates the rooms and has little practicality - no ledge for bottles etc.

Our bathroom is small and instead we went for a double ended bath (have kids - no arguments over who gets the tap end) with shower over. Smaller bathroom specialists, rather than the nationwide chains, have access to a wider variety of sizes both in legth and width. I think we went for a shorter than standard length (not by much but enough to make the difference to hwve a shelf unit or not) and slightly narrower than standard (again only by a few centimtres but it made all the difference).

We just have an oblong steel shower bath this one with a tongue and groove bath panel and a shower over. A vanity shaker type unit sink and a traditional (Burlington) low level WC. Our taps are a little more modern as it's not full on Victoriana but it looks sort of sympathetic to an older house. It's not what I would call "sleek" but just a variation on a normal everyday bath.

If it's your only bathroom and you have DC I would go for practical as it will only get worse. You need storage, and to limit the places that splashed water/worse substances can go, and easy to clean. Ideally with a pressure washer!

This sort of thing is a practical version of a traditional look for a family.

We have one of these (roll top, fitted against the wall.) Bathroom not massive, but I think it looks great. We don't have any trouble keeping it clean or anything, and there is room in the corner for a few bottles of shampoo. (Glass of wine has to go between the taps or it does slide off into the water!)

We got ours from the bathstore about 5 years ago and the only issue I have with it is that the finish (acrylic glaze?) has crackled badly under the hot tap. Our water is particularly hot, but I'm a bit about it. Would have made sure we always put cold in first if it had been flagged up as a possibility.

I have a roll top one from Bathstore in my main bathroom but we have 3 en suites as well so this is more a statement in the room and definitely has no shower. I don't think they work well with showers because the glass screen is a problem to keep watertight. I have Kaldwei baths in a Victorian flat we own and they are really good quality and sit against the wall at 2 ends, ie in a corner. The glass shower screens fit like gloves and do not leak. Duravit also make excellent baths.

If this is your only bathroom, have a white heavy duty acrylic bath (steel can feel cold) with a well made shower screen. I disagree with Piglet John in that a beautiful, well designed bathroom and kitchen do sell houses. I cannot imagine anyone buying my house and ripping everything out! However, don't overspend on a mid priced house but if you intend to stay, go with decent quality. An older house does not need an older style bath or bathroom. It needs a functional, practical, attractive and decent quality one. Also consider Grohe taps with decent, easy to use, controls for the shower. I also hate pedestal basins as they are grotty to clean behind and you can see all the pipe work. Have a wall hung basin with cupboard/drawer underneath for storage and a towel shelf below that. In a small bathroom it is important to maximise storage. Again Duravit have the best choice. They also do a mirror cupboard with storage for shampoo, lotions, bottles etc.

Nay nay nay. We had a roll top bath in a small bathroom in our previous place - it's one fo the main reasons we ripped out the bathroom and redid it.

It got very grubby underneath and a shower screen wouldn't fit properly due to the rounded lip of the bath. So had to have shower curtain which I hated.

You can get ones with a flattened lip so as to fit a shower screen better, but by the time you've got a straight end so it can go against the wall, and a flattened lip, you've lost a lot of the prettiness of a roll top bath IMO.

I'd suggest a normal bath with tongue and groove panelling on the sides, like in RaisingSteam's photo. With a good shower screen. Not a P shaped bath as that would mean an acrylic side panel which is not very period-y. Just choose a wide-ish bath (75cm+) and one which has plenty of internal volume, ie the sides are cut quite steeply and deeply, so that there is space to shower in. We are getting this one for a bath with shower over, it has one straight internal end and one curved so the shower goes at the straight end, and lots of internal volume.