Your views on an ensuite - new design planned.

[KatyWhatsit]

Would welcome some thoughts. We are going to refit our en
suite for the 2nd time .

It's a LARGE room- around 14 feet long and 6 wide. But one end has a bit taken out for a cupboard ( water tank.)

This means we can't get a bath and a separate shower cubicle no matter how much we were to re-arrange. The bath is non-negotiable because it's a good selling point to have 2 baths and make use of the large space for the en suite.

I'd love an oval style bath- freestanding on the long wall- with the tap unit standing on the floor. www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Gabella-Contemporary-Freestanding-Bath---1790mm/p/161783?reccs=pdpsimilar

Q is- if you were to buy the house ( we will sell at some point) would it out you off not to have a better shower in an ensuite rather than a hand-held hose?

The only other option is to stick with what we have which is a shower above the bath on the wall.

There is a P-shaped bath and shower over it in the main family bathroom.

For speed in the morning I’d want a proper shower - I’m sorry.

I don't think two baths is a good selling point. I would much prefer a really nice en-suite with luxury shower.

Baths are great when kids are young and I would always want one in the house, but we now have teens/pre teens and everybody showers. A good shower is far more important than a bath.

I too would prefer a shower cubicle in en suite - especially as you only have shower over bath in main bathroom.

I think if your main bathroom has a bath in then the en suite shoukd have a nice big luxury shower.

I'm not sure having a second bath but no proper walk in shower is a good selling point.
We have a large en-suite and have a nearly triple size walk in shower with a pumped (increased pressure) water supply and its fab.

Agree with others, once the kids were able to shower themselves, our bath was never used, bar one time when the washing machine broke down.

I agree with the above, two baths aren't a selling point. A bath is, in the main bathroom, but an en-suite for me should have a nice shower. If you've got the space then make it a big one and perhaps use any leftover space for more storage - that is a selling point!

I'd prefer a luxury large walk in shower.
I'd rip out the bath you describe and replace with a shower.

I agree with PP about the shower being the most important thing in a master bedroom en-suite. My DSIS has a bath in her massive en suite and I don’t think they’ve ever used it!

there's no reason not to put in a decent quality shower above the bath - you don't need to have a poor quality "just a hose" you can also get good quality shower enclosures that fit above baths. you can still make showering a luxury experience.

as you have another bath I would choose the bath for the en suite to be more comfortable for showering in. I would get an omnitub plus which is a bit wider than many baths so would be more comfortable to stand in while showering, and also has a flat base rather than curved.

Thanks.

I think the selling point is that the bathroom is large and it has potential 'wow' factor. Our neighbours put in a large shower and it looks quite ordinary and wastes a lot of space in the en suite.

I adore a bath- I have one nightly and for me the en suite is my little haven with candles etc- but also have a quick shower every morning and the fact there is no cubicle doesn't bother us ( DH has a shower 2 x a day too.)

I accept all the points but guess I'll have to do what suits us then if /when we sell, people can start again.

Definitely a huge walk in shower!!! Huge shower head and lots of built in storage and a guest heated towel rail! All better for an entire suite than a bath!

I will offer an alternative viewpoint - in a couple of the places I've lived in, the en-suite had the bath and the main bathroom just a shower, and as the primary bathers in our house are me and dp, this was perfect - I could have a long, quiet bath without interruption.

In another the separate shower broke, and we were using a shower over the bath, which I expected to find annoying (following other houses) but tbh was completely fine - it was electric showers that are annoying, a decent shower over bath is fine.

Having said that, I wouldn't go for a handheld unit, that would be pointless. How about a nice, big head fixed to the ceiling - it would match the standup taps, exposed chrome pipes up to it as a feature?

I'm redesigning my house now. We will have four bathrooms, only 1, the main family/guest bathroom has a bath and separate shower cubicle, the others will have shower rooms as they're all en suite - multiple people have showers at once rarely
Do two have a bath at the same
Time. If I was having another bath I'd have something really fancy in the bedroom as a feature /romantic look 👀 ... but I don't think that's for me

Personally in my master bedroom we will have a long shower room of similar dimensions you describe, we're having a large walk in shower at the end (ours will be about 6 feet wide too) then a loo and two sinks - not too sure how they'll fit exactly as still awaiting architect drawings but I think a large shower with a large ceiling rain shower head - something a bit wow

The kids are just getting plain shower cubicles and loo/ sink

I think one bath is a good selling point, not two.

@Micke I like the idea of an overhead shower from the ceiling- but that may depend on water pressure and if it involves a pumping system.

But what about the splash factor with that? The shower would go over the bath for sure, but wouldn't the water go everywhere?

I think the point I'm trying to get over is that for us, when we bought this house- modern, 20 years ago- 2 baths was a boon. We could still shower, but I could also lie in the bath without being surrounded by rubber ducks and kids' stuff.

We feel it gives the house something 'extra' as most houses now have en suites but they are a tiny shower cubicle tucked in the corner of a bedroom. This is a large room and everyone goes 'wow!' when they see it. It also means we have the whole of one side of the house, away from the family bedrooms.

I want to keep the wow factor and not make it into 'just another' boring en suite which most modern 4-bed houses have.

But I do take the point.

For the standing alone style, a nice heavy shower curtain does the job - the right length, perhaps that double layer thing so it looks pretty - I prefer them to screens in hard water areas anyway, because screens are just always covered with lime scale splashes, whereas a curtain you can bing in the wash.

"How about a nice, big head fixed to the ceiling -"

I hate these kind of showers. I prefer a removable shower head so that I can direct it to specific parts of my body.

You definitely need a good shower. Much better than another bathroom, regardless of 'wow factor'.

A really good shower for me would be MUCH more of a draw.

Our en suite has a fixed ceiling shower head and a directional one. It's a big luxurious walk in shower. However, op you like baths yourself - so get a bath! It's your house now so don't be thinking too much of what hypothetical purchasers in years to come May or may not like!!!

We have just fitted a rainfall shower in our new en suite and it’s fab! There is a separate hand held shower you can use too and the enclosure is very spacious - I think it has a wow factor!

If you want a bath, put in a bath, but don’t do it because you think two baths is a selling point. I only bathe, never shower and I still think an en-suite should be a nice shower and the family bathroom a bath.

Wow factor is a point that’s debatable. 6 ft wide is narrow. It’s not an ideal shape. It might be difficult to make that wow with a bath crammed in.

I have a proper free standing bath (2 actually) and you cannot fit a wow shower over one. It’s impossible. My holiday home has a large bath with a hand held “shower” and it’s not a shower. If it was, water would go everywhere. You have to sit in the bath to sluice yourself down. It only works to rinse off after a hot day at the beach! As it’s on the ground floor, and not en-suite) this works.

It’s far more wow to have a beautiful shower
in an en suite. A big shower. Not a cubicle! A decent large walk in shower.

However if you have the time for a bath every night and are happy using that amount of water every day, then go for it. The hand held shower will be next to useless though. It won’t help you sell a property if potential buyers feel they have to rip out a new bathroom. My large en-suite cost £16,000 to fit, 8 years ago. Fortunately it’s still wonderful!

I understand the luxury of 2 baths, but I think you'd be doing more "damage" not having a walk in shower, an en suite bath is a luxury, but a walk in shower is (I use this VERY loosely, I just mean in the context of this conversation) a necessity, you roll out of bed and into a steaming hot shower in the morning (well I do!) I wouldn't want to climb over a bath first thing the morning but I happily cordon off our bathroom for a relaxing bath (toys are tidied away in a box!). I do take your point though but I'm not sure it'll have the impact you're expecting if like this thread most people expect a walk in shower. If it's just for yourselves and you're not worried about value I'd absolutely do what's best for you.

We have a shower unit within the bath - it has an above shower head and a hand held one too. There is a glass wall (not a curtain) at the side of the bath. If you go to a decent bath store they can sort this issue.