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Original poster

Do you need a bath?

135 replies

Nowthereistwo · 25/02/2025 23:13

We (2 adults, 2 pre-teens girls) live in a 4 bed with a small bathroom and downstairs shower room. We're thinking about upgrading the upstairs bathroom - potentially without a bath.

Currently we have a power shower over the bath and considering whether to have a separate shower and smaller bath or a large shower unit.

Our neighbours have a separate shower and bath but it looks cramped in and they say noone uses the bath. They put the bath in for resale purposes.

Only our 9yr old actually likes a bath, the rest prefer a shower. Also we are committed to the house for 10 years whilst the kids go through secondary.

I want to have a statement shower and really use the space. Also my DH is 6ft3 so needs room to move in the cubicle.

WWYD

OP posts:
SirDanielBrackley · 26/02/2025 09:11

We had ours taken out since everyone used the shower. Apart from its usefulness as a large laundry basket, we don't miss it.

wherearemypastnames · 26/02/2025 09:16

Small Children bath is useful although mine loved the shower

Sone people love having a bath - it's their thing so If you plan to Live there decades you don't need a bath

If you plan to sell in 3 years, leave the bath as it really puts sone people off -although it it was easy to see where the bath could be reinstated it shouldn't matter

Topseyt123 · 26/02/2025 09:17

Advocodo · 26/02/2025 09:01

Will add, last time I had a bath was almost 38 years ago just after I had given birth. A family member has just had a new bathroom too and only has a shower as at their age they find a bath difficult to get in and out off.

This is the thing.

As we are getting older we find it less easy to get up and down out of the bath. I even have a small stool to sit on in it on the rare occasion I do have to use it and even that still isn't easy. Showers all the way now.

My parents had the bath removed from their bathroom many years ago and there has just been a shower cubicle in there ever since. Much easier as they aged and became more infirm. They'd not have remained able to use a bath easily.

MiddleAgedDread · 26/02/2025 09:20

If you're planning to be there for 10 years or more then do what suits you. If you don't use the bath then take it out and have a good sized shower cubicle. My parents debated taking their bath out for years and have finally taken the plunge (pun entirely intentional!) due to mobility issues and needing a walk in shower. If they were to sell the house it's pretty clear that there's space for a bath should someone wish to change it. It wouldn't put me off a house if there was space for a bath and only a shower, but I wouldn't buy somewhere that didn't have space for one.

Pinkdreams · 26/02/2025 09:21

If the time comes to sell I think it would be an off put for potential buyers

Kbroughton · 26/02/2025 09:29

If you never use the bath and your life will improve and you are not looking at selling any time soon, lose the bath. I could never lose my bath, and when we were buying last year, I stipulated no houses without baths! We accidently went to see one and walked out, and actually you can see from this page there are a lot of people who would be the same, but there will also be people like you and if you live in a desirable area then it may not be an issue. In any case, everything sells for the right price! If you are staying in the house for a long time and your life will vastly improve then do it.

Cattreesea · 26/02/2025 09:32

I bought a small terrace with a bathroom that only has a shower.

I thought I would miss the bath and would want to reinstall it but honestly it is fine as it is.

I have sensitive skin that can get dry and itchy quickly and a shower is better for me than a long bath. Also it obviously uses less water which means lower bills.

I am also in my mid-50s and I think it will be easier to get into the shower than have to negotiate going over a bath as I grow older.

I did look at these removable baths though as I thought it might be nice to have in the summer in the garden! and might still get one :).

Kbroughton · 26/02/2025 09:33

Cattreesea · 26/02/2025 09:32

I bought a small terrace with a bathroom that only has a shower.

I thought I would miss the bath and would want to reinstall it but honestly it is fine as it is.

I have sensitive skin that can get dry and itchy quickly and a shower is better for me than a long bath. Also it obviously uses less water which means lower bills.

I am also in my mid-50s and I think it will be easier to get into the shower than have to negotiate going over a bath as I grow older.

I did look at these removable baths though as I thought it might be nice to have in the summer in the garden! and might still get one :).

Edited

OOOHH what is a removal bath? I would LOVE to have a bath outside!

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 26/02/2025 09:57

I need a bath and I've been put right off buying places without one

However if you're just upgrading for yourself and don't care what your son prefers then you do you in your own home!

GasPanic · 26/02/2025 10:00

There are only two relevant things.

What is right for you and what affects the resale value of the house.

What is right for you no one else's opinion matters.

Re the resale value, if you are staying for 10 years then what you do now is not that relevant as probably in 10-15 years you will need to put a new bathroom suite in anyway and you can change back to a bath again if you so wish if you feel the resale value is compromised. It's not a one way ticket to bathless oblivion. What you want for the next 10 years is more important.

Re the presence of a bath affecting the resale value, yes, it cuts down the size of your pool of buyers, people who would like to have a bath but neither have an ounce of vision or want to go to the expense of reinstalling one after they have bought the place (these people are probably the same ones who think putting pink throws on the sofa make a house worth 50k more than market value).

jellyfishperiwinkle · 26/02/2025 10:08

We have gone shower only but it would be easy for someone to put a bath in if they wanted as the space is still there and it's a straightforward job. DM being able to have a shower was more important than anything affecting the resale value of the house anyway and the fact it has a large family bathroom plus an ensuite and downstairs loo would be a good selling point.

It's not an investment, it's where we live and we need to make it work for us now not think about what buyers want in the future. Plus houses in this street always sell like hot cakes for the full asking price anyway.

And lots of older people and anyone with poor mobility would prefer the walk in shower so it could actually be a positive feature for some people.

Zimunya · 26/02/2025 10:08

I'm a complete outlier here, but I have never understood the British love of baths. Showers are more economical, use less bathroom space, easier to clean, use less water. You're not lying around in your own dirt in rapidly cooling water as you are in a bath. If it was me I would take out the bath and have a spacier shower in a heartbeat. But I get what PP are saying about resale value. However, you're living in the house now, and will be for at least 10 years, so that trumps what may, or may not, happen in a future sale.

Gekko21 · 26/02/2025 10:12

I would do what is right for you and your family now but be prepared to install a bath prior to listing it for any future sale. So you may want to plan your bathroom accordingly so it would be easy to replace the shower with a bath without having to completely redo the bathroom.

Printedword · 26/02/2025 10:14

We had our main bathroom reconfigured about 10 yrs ago to sep shower and slightly shorter bath tub from shower above bath. It's recently been given a refresh. During that the chief plumbing guy repeatedly expressed the opinion that he'd not bother with a bath if it was his house. Personally, I like a bath and enjoy one about once a week.

TwoRobins · 26/02/2025 10:29

Truly I couldn't live without one. Just not a shower person unless I have to.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 26/02/2025 10:38

Baths are my absolute favourite leisure activity! I shower in the morning to clean myself/wash my hair, but a long bath with bubbles and my Kindle is heaven. I would never buy somewhere without a bath (as a student I lived in a rented flat with only a shower for a year, and never again).

My DP has to my knowledge had a bath once in the ten years we’ve lived in this house, when he had flu, so he wouldn’t care either way.

changedusernameforthis1 · 26/02/2025 10:41

We moved into a house with just a wet floor shower a few years ago and I really hate not having a bath.

We bought a folding bath from Amazon for the kids, but having a real bath that doesn't require so much setting up would be amazing.

If we ever need to move again, we won't go somewhere without one. Didn't think we'd miss having one this much.

BeaAndBen · 26/02/2025 10:43

If you’re planning to live there at least 10 years, do what YOU want.

Bugger resale - think how much value you will get out of having what you actually want for all those years.

If, when selling, it’s an obstacle, factor in the cost of installing a cheap bath into your plans.

TickingAlongNicely · 26/02/2025 10:44

Make your house work for you. We got rid of the bath as we appreciated a decent shower more.

Icanttakethisanymore · 26/02/2025 10:51

I wouldn't get rid of a bath is someone in the family was using it regularly.

Quossisoandso · 26/02/2025 10:55

You will make your house more difficult to sell, in the future, as many people want a bath.

DeepFatFried · 26/02/2025 10:57

Honestly, if I liked a house, wanted a bath and there was room in the bathroom to install one, it would not put me off a house.

Especially as new bathrooms are high in the list when people move, and the OP’s would be 10 years old by then.

But I would prefer to buy a house with a great shower than one with a bath. And I hate showers over the bath.

sanityisamyth · 26/02/2025 11:01

I love a bath. It'd be the first thing I'd put in to a house if it didn't have one.

CoolPlayer · 26/02/2025 11:03

I’m sure if you don’t have a bath you think you want one, we have one and honestly it’s the shower all the way! Talking about getting it swapped out for a walk in shower due to space but nervous we will miss it (even though nobody likes it) lol