Bath with shower, or separate?

[Baystard]

Re-designing our only bathroom, which is an odd shape. There isn't an ideal way to incorporate a bath and a walk in shower.

Currently there's a not-ideal corner bath (small) and a not-ideal corner shower cubicle (small and the curved front is a pain). I can't work out a better way without other not-ideal compromises (making the basin tiny, or opening the door out into the corridor).

However...it's only an awkward bathroom if I try to have a separate shower and bath. If I just had a bath with a shower over the top there's plenty of room, in fact I could have a huge luxurious bath in that space.

Is a separate shower really necessary/better? Less concerned about the aesthetics than the practicality and comfort.

Personally I would go for the two separately. 1) cost of using them. A bath being a luxury to fill! 2) easier to get in a shower rather than using a shower that’s over the bath. - unless you want to add handles, but then it starts to look ‘ ‘grannyfied’ iyswim.
but if you do not have the space, then I would stick with a really nice shower and no bath instead.
Have what’s right for you, as you have to live with it and use it daily.

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 thanks for the advice. I prefer a shower but DH likes a bath. Looking at omnitubs now, they're smaller footprint but very deep so might be a decent compromise.

You can get those baths with slightly wider square where shower part is so that a glass screen fits there easily and a very good quality shower .

Usually I think a separate shower is better but not a small pokey one.

So if I were you I'd go for the two in one designed bath with shower

Why is it the odd shape and can you use the odd shape to take space from another room?

On shower safety of climbing over a tub rim I would vote for a stand alone shower

I find a bath with shower over it much easier to clean as you can rinse better!

Unless you have any kind of mobility issue over the bath is fine but as suggested look for one that is a better shape.

If the room is big enough then of course separate is nice but I wouldn't do it if it means hitting your elbows every time you put shampoo on.

I'm also guessing there's no way to take any more space off a hallway or to rehang the door so it doesn't cut into room?

I had a similar dilemma. I had decided to go for just a lovely walk in shower, but because the bathroom floor is solid concrete I would have had to have quite a raised shower, which I hate, so I went for a shower over a bath instead. I got an 800 wide bath, I think it's 1800 long and a really nice glass door, one piece, not folding. It looks nice & at 800 it's wide enough.

I wouldn't go for a small one of each, shower over bath is better.

the P shaped baths seem quite a good idea for the shower part, you'll need to get DH to try one in a showroom, they didn't look terribly comfortable to me, but they weren't the right shape for my bathroom anyway.

If you’re going to be living there when you’re older I’d go separate. You don’t want to be climbing into a bath when incapacitated.

Separate is ideal if you have the space – no need for a shower curtain or a useless, doesn’t-keep-the-water-in screen on the bath; more space in the shower. But it sounds like you don’t have the space: I wouldn’t want to compromise with a tiny basin, for instance. Our bathroom is minute with shower over bath and we still have to have a Lilliputian basin, and DP behaves like a hippo in a birdbath with it.

I’d opt for shower-bath in your circumstances, but the biggest beast you can, go all out so the showerer has space to shower and the bather has room to luxuriate, while you’ve still got a decent-sized basin and a door that opens inwards. (Again, we have the door that flings out onto the landing and threatens to knock someone down the stairs.)

Alternatively could you do a Japanese bathing tub/very deep but short slipper bath type thing? How tall and foldable is DH?

Show us a floor plan?

I'd go with shower over bath, our bath which is enamel has slightly raised grippy spots in the end you get in and out of which really do make it much safer (no one has fallen in 20 years getting in and out daily). Those tiny curved corner cubicles are not much fun to shower in.

We've got a bath with a shower over in the family bathroom - we've got an ensuite with just a walk in shower.

I like a bath every now and then so wanted to keep one. We went for a nice looking shower above and a foldy screen as it's an awkward space. We put in a nice non granny looking grab bar. It's quite a step in and out - but everyone seems to manage.

It was the best compromise for us.

We had a P shaped bath in a different house - and that worked well. It also seemed to be a slighter less tall bath that helped getting in an out.

Practically it works well.

I occasionally think we should have just got a walk in shower and forgotten about the bath - and then there's those nights I just was to soak in a bath and it's lovely.

Shower over bath - when we are old we'll get it taken out and put a big walk in shower in. For the time being we'll keep it.