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Original poster

Would you buy a home without a bath?

192 replies

makingithappen · 27/01/2019 10:50

Just pondering this question.

We will be starting a total renovation soon. It will be our family home for 5-10 years but we will then sell on. We have not used a bath for years - youngest is 11 years old now but obviously did when they were small. So I'm thinking, why install a bath when we could have a lovely walk in shower...

However, would it put people off buying a house with 2 bathrooms but no bath? Or would people just look past it and put in their own bath if that's what they need.

I would love to hear thoughts please.

OP posts:
RomanyRoots · 30/01/2019 19:06

It would only put me off if there wasn't room for a bath.
If the shower took up most of the space and no room for a bath, I would be put off, because we like a bath.

ThanksItHasPockets · 30/01/2019 19:37

If your target market is families then it is likely to put buyers off. They aren’t just useful for small children - sporty older children often take baths too.

If you’re staying for 5-10 years, however, do what is right for you as a family now.

kateandme · 30/01/2019 19:59

if you think it will be for a yoing family.id hate to say it but id really want a bath their for them.i cant imagine no baby/toddler years without that bath time.

XingMing · 30/01/2019 20:29

I would be in the club of people who think a bath is a good option in theory, but I haven't taken one in 20 years. When we redid our bathrooms 10 years ago, we installed a big adult size bath for DH who is very tall. Only one person has ever used it. I prefer a decent shower because I get bored sitting in bathwater. But if you are selling your house to families with smallies, then a bath is probably important. Your choice. I am not convinced it's a deal-breaker either way.

ThanksItHasPockets · 30/01/2019 20:41

By the time you come to sell, the bathroom will be ten years old and a buyer may find it easier to justify replacing it.

legolammb · 30/01/2019 20:41

It would be a no from me. I'd wonder why the owner hadn't put a bath in - whether there was some plumbing issue or assume that it wasn't viable in the property, and the thought of having to do a big load of work fairly soon after moving would put me off

macmacaroon · 30/01/2019 22:01

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath - like a good soak and DCs are small. You're potentially alienating young families from your prospective purchaser pool.

LillianGish · 30/01/2019 22:14

I can't believe you wouldn't have the bathroom/s you want in your own home because you are trying anticipate what a buyer might or might not want in ten years time. For Kirsty Allsop, a washing machine in the kitchen is no no, my dad would never buy a house without a garage, someone on here has professed a dislike for loft extensions, I've seen others say they don't like en-suite bathrooms or open plan living - all house-buyers have their red lines. If you are a property developer you have to try to second-guess these fads and fashions, but surely the joy of owning your own home for a period of time is that you can have it exactly as you want it. I wouldn't forgo ten years of lovely walk-in showers with everyone queueing up to use the bathroom with the best shower in it just to have a bath that may or may not please an eventual buyer when the time comes.

Betty777 · 30/01/2019 23:22

I dont' like baths and never take them myself BUT I think in this country they are popular enough you would be very foolish to remodel a bathroom without them.
People with kids need them
You may find you injure yourself/hurt your back and start to need them
It will reduce the value of your house.

I didn't have one when i was young, but that was in Australia where it was hot and nobody took baths - it was still somewhat embarrassing to me to not have one.........

caoraich · 30/01/2019 23:26

I hate baths and a great walk in shower would be a selling point for me - especially one of the ones with body jets.

We have a decent shower over our bath and the only reason I've kept it like that is because when we bought we were planning on starting a family and figured we'd need a bath. However it turns out its much easier just to shower with my baby.

If we were planning to stay more than a few years we'd redo it but keep the plumbing set up for a bath, making it easy to install one prior to selling. My parents did this- they have a super powerful electric shower set up but it also has a second hose from the mains about where bath taps would be. It will be barely any work to pop a bath and taps in when selling and as a plus point the second hose is really handy for washing the dog, rinsing boots etc.

namechangedforanon · 31/01/2019 00:14

No :(

Ellie56 · 31/01/2019 00:15

We asked an estate agent this question and they said people were definitely put off from buying family houses without a bath.

CatsPawsAndWhiskers · 31/01/2019 00:22

It wouldn't put me off at all as we all prefer showers. The bath has probably been used twice in the last 5 years. If you plan on moving soon, maybe leave the bath but if you are staying put for a while, make your home practical for you, not what someone else may like if you ever move.

BackforGood · 31/01/2019 00:32

Well, I wouldn't want to live anywhere without a bath, so, not only would I need to be able to buy it with enough money off the asking price to be able to refit the bathroom, I'd also need another chunk of money off to make the stress of then re-doing a bathroom, just after the stress of moving worth my while.
Obviously if everything else about the house were perfect, then I'd still look at it, and then it would depend on what else were available, and how much cheaper the bath - free house was.

AwakeNow · 31/01/2019 02:16

No.

Wellpeeved · 31/01/2019 02:19

It would give me pause for thought. Showers are all well and good but I love an indulgent bath and a glass of wine when I need a treat.

1forAll74 · 31/01/2019 03:06

I would only buy a place with a bath, I don't like showers really. having a bath is bliss to me. But I am dying a bit here,as my boiler has broken and I have had no hot water or heating for two weeks or more,so having to boil up kettles of water to have a strip wash at the sink all the time. and it's horrible.

Johnnycomelately1 · 31/01/2019 04:37

Agree with pp re the 5-10 year timescale. If you sell after 10 years then the bathroom will probably need re-doing anyway. Just have what you want. It also slightly depends on how big a cost adding a bath would be relative to the cost of the house - if it's a 750k house then it's a different matter to a 150k house.

Ladymargarethall · 31/01/2019 05:05

We had our bath taken out and a walk in shower put in. We did it because there was a shower over the bath and the thought of climbing into the bath to have a shower put us off.
There is room to revert to that arrangement should anyone wish to in future. Do what suits you.

emzw12 · 31/01/2019 05:19

If you definitely plan to stay for 10-15 years then do what suits you, but if in reality you might want to sell in less than 5 years do what's appealing for the mass market. If your house is a two bed bachelor pad then you'd probably sell it easily without a bath. If your house is a 4 bed family home, chance are the majority of the people who would be interested in buying it would want/need a bath.

NoParticularPattern · 31/01/2019 05:24

I would prefer a bath but actually if space was at a premium I’d take a nice sized shower on the same floor as the bedrooms. Current massive big bear in this house is that it has a massive shower downstairs but upstairs only a bath. With no shower. It’s very annoying not being able to wash my hair upstairs. Hoping to love some things round this year so that I can put a shower over the bath (despite the fact that actually the bloody bathroom is more than big enough for a bath and a shower but for some unknown reason they decided to put in the BIGGEST, most impossible to clean sink I have ever come across instead)

NoParticularPattern · 31/01/2019 05:25

bug bear. Although it’s so annoying now that it’s tiening into a big bear.

kentparent · 31/01/2019 05:33

I love a bath and would definitely want one. All things been equal choosing between two houses I would go for the one with the bath. Having said that if I loved your house, there was room for a bath and you took some money off then it wouldn't stop me. If you are planning to stay for another ten years then do it your way and get a bath put in in ten years time...the bathroom will probably need a revamp by then anyway.

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 31/01/2019 05:41

We have the best of both worlds: a walk-in shower and a 6foot bath with jets. That was down to the previous owner, and while it's about 10 years old, it helped sell the house to us. DGS loves the bath, and so do I after being out on the lorry for days.

C4tastrophe · 31/01/2019 05:57

I’d much rather a walk in shower and a bit of extra space than a bath.
You need to rinse yourself off after a bath anyway.