How important is a bath?

[MrsPatrickDempsey]

Main bathroom of our home needs renovation. It currently has a smallish bath - the only one in the house. We have an en-suite and cloakroom with no room to fit a bath. We are contemplating replacing the bath with a large walk in shower. It suits our needs as we are not bath people but I wonder whether we may encounter problems selling if we ever move. DH says as this isn't on the cards we should just replace the bath. Thoughts please?

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath. Do you plan to sell any time soon? If not then do as you please, but I do think it could affect saleability.

@GeorgiaGirl52

My en-suite had a large shower and a walk-in tub. For 14 years I used the shower daily and used the tub maybe twice (my granddaughter liked to play in it when she visited). Then I broke my ankle and I couldn't walk for three months. The only way I could bathe at all was to wrap my leg in plastic, sit in the tub and use the hand sprayer. I still cannot stand long enough to get a proper shower and it has been a year. Don't know what I would have done without that tub.

Shower stool is the answer. Very common abroad, and in hospital settings.

In answer to those with kids, mine's been showering since they could walk - baby bath direct to shower.

This thread's brilliant, thanks OP. I miss my walk in shower so much but had been hesitant to take out the totally unused bath and replace with a walk in shower for resale purposes. Now I will! Hurray!

Bath vs shower is cultural. Perhaps the worm has turned.

‘If we ever move’ implies you don’t plan to any time soon, so fit the bathroom that suits your needs.

It would be essential
I wouldn’t look at a house without a bath

I just went through this. My husband and daughter decided we needed a bath as it was expected in a family home, I just wished the walk in shower and no bath. We got both and I gave in.

I hate baths, but I’ve made an effort and used it three times, my husband twice snd my daughter never, it was installed four months ago. The novelty has now worn off and it will not be used again for a very long time.

It looks lovely, it’s a free standing claw foot one, but it is simply a pretty ornament. There in case we ever come to sell and someone wants it. I’m still really not convinced it was the right thing to do and is not just a waste of space and money,

I’d put in what works for you if you don’t intend to sell any time soon.

We’ve discounted 2 what I would class as family style houses (4 beds) that had no bath. The shower rooms were relatively new and we couldn’t justify the cost of ripping out and replacing with a bath. We have 4 & 8 year olds who love a bath and Dh has one at least once a week. I’m not so bothered so if it was just me buying, fine.

My 60 year old mum also loves a bath every night so wouldn’t buy one without.

If you’re not planning on selling any time soon though, do what suits you. It’s your house, not a potential future buyers house.

I personally would prefer a walk in shower over a bath - but only because we have a hot tub in th garden, so the wth rarely gets used these days by me.
However, I use the baths all the time for my two little boys, who absolutely hate the shower, and it's nice for them to splash around it in too with their toys. I would consider buying somewhere without a bath if it was just me and my husband (but only because we have the hot tub), but wouldn't in terms of the children. Not while they're so young anyway. But if you're staying for the long term, do what you want. If I found a lovely family sized home in the right area (we are looking and finding nothing we like), a bath would definitely not be a deal breaker for me - and if I really wanted one I'd just put one in.

I have a bath at least twice a week and definitely wouldn't buy a house without one, or space for one.

We don't have a separate walk-in shower - just one over the fitted bath - could you have that as a compromise? (Although maybe this is sacrilegious to shower devotees!)

Do whatever is right for your family now. We are house hunting and would only live in a house with a bath, but of course we look at houses without baths. As long as we could put one in, and the price of the house allows for this, then I don't see it making any difference.

We spoke to an estate agent about this. We were going to rip out the bath and put in a double shower, as I have a few problems climbing in and out the bath for a shower.

They said not to do it, as it puts off a fair section of people looking for a property. We've had the bathroom redone and kept a bath.

I've spoken to a few people since who are looking at houses and discounted some as they didn't have a bath.

Depends on your house, really. What market is it aimed at?

We've been house hunting recently and, owing to having small children, I considered a bath essential.

I personally wouldn't do it - Baths are very popular & for good reason. Not having one will definitely exclude a high number of future buyers, far less than a standalone shower would (it's comparatively easy to add a shower over a bath).

Thanks everybody for commenting.
It's been very interesting to hear different considerations. The walk in shower suits us at the moment as we have teenagers and yes - no plans to move. I think if and when we do, factoring in the cost of fitting a bath is good advice.

Put in a brilliant shower that is the best you can afford for your family now.

Putting in a bath for when / if you choose to sell can be fine for not much money if / when that happens.

I haven’t had a bath for 15 years. I won’t be taking up half my bathroom to put one in now, or compromising (for me it is an absolute compromise) with an over-bath shower.

I'd not buy a place without a bath. I don't mind having a shower but a soak in the bath is one of life's real and simple pleasures.

Bath lovers in my household. I am the only one who uses the shower and that is occassionally as I prefer baths also.

I would not buy a property where a bath could not be fitted if there wasnt one.

No bath will put some buyers off. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter if you are not moving. And for every potential buyer that would walk away from a house with no bath - there will always be another buyer who doesn't care.

I don't care either way because the very first thing I do when I move into a new house is put in a new bathroom (with a bath 😁) because other people's bathrooms give me the ick regardless of how nice they are.