Do you need a bath?

[Nowthereistwo]

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

We have a 4 bedroom house with 2 x showers and NO BATH!

I would get rid of the bath. We have a lovely big walk in shower and I love it. Baths, to me, are a waste of time and water. Not had a bath in over 20 years.

Lots of houses by us only have showers as the bathrooms are fairly small so not enough room for a bath and separate shower and they all seem to sell with no problem, quite a few to young families.

Two of our neighbours only have a shower and have children ranging from 2 to 15. They all manage fine. Also a lot of European countries only have showers so they obviously manage with children too.

Showers over the bath are awful

I have a bath (in a tiny bathroom) and hate it. Going to rip it off to replace it by a big shower.

@Advocodo But a 4 bedroom house would generally be a family home. I'm sure people can manage fine with just showers once the children reach a certain age, but with younger children, you need a bath. Not having one will reduce the potential market once you come to sell. Unless they want to redo the bathroom at that point, then I would not lose the bath now.

I have a bath almost every day, and wouldn't buy a house without, but if you are there for ten years plus, do what suits you and your family.

But you don't "need" a bath just because you have young children. Several of my neighbours have young children and only a shower and manage fine. Also, as I already said, many European countries only have showers and, obviously, lots of them have children.

Your pre-teen girls might appreciate a bath to soothe cramps in the not too distant future.

@mydogisthebest I'm not disputing the fact people could 'manage' without a bath, it's just not the easiest or preferred option in this country with small children.

We tended to use the shower until DH had surgery (cancer) which required him to keep the site dry for some weeks. We were then very grateful we had a bath.
And then I recently had eye surgery- don't get water in your eyes for two weeks. Again, hurrah for the bath.

You just never know.

Also if you have family members or friends with young children it’s a big issue.

I much prefer baths in winter, think I've only had one shower this year! I'd try and make the shower downstairs fabulous so you can keep a bath upstairs, or if there is room for a bath downstairs then put in a luxury shower upstairs.

But if neither of those are an option then do what works for your family, especially as you plan on staying a long time. I'd be tempted to make it so that you could remove the shower tray/enclosure and reinstate a bath, without having to replace the actual shower. That way if you do sell it wouldn't be such a big job for whoever buys it if they really want a bath.

It's really not

How do you cope with it then? I have had a to buy a blow up bath to put in the bottom of the shower. It will only fit in our ensuite so visitors have to bathe children/babies in that in our ensuite. It's really not easy for anyone concerned.

PILs didn't have a bath when mine were toddlers.. they used a a little paddling pool in the shower until they were 2ish then went in the shower.

Planning your whole house around an overnight visitor maybe having a small child is madness.

In a family house you definitely need one bath, it could put off future purchasers otherwise.

Both of our bathrooms were re-done last year and we put a bath in each. The one in the DC's bathroom hasn't been used once! Slightly frustrating as, if we'd thought about this, we might have been able to do some clever planning and put in a stud wall and turn it into two shower rooms which would have made mornings less stressful.

I love a bath and if buying somewhere without, I'd be factoring in having to redo a bathroom to put one in into any offer I made. It wouldn't stop me from buying completely.

Resale-wise, it might anyway be more of a factor to only have small bathrooms in a 4 bed (this is our current situation), so we are wondering whether to try to make the upstairs one bigger, as we have to renovate the bathroom anyway. But it will be a hassle. Is there any way you can move a wall to increase the size of the bathroom?

A bath was a deal-breaker for me, both when I was renting, and when I bought.

When you're bone-cold, or feeling unwell, there are few things nicer than a hot bath.

I'm amazed none of you like a bath, OP. What about if you have flu to warm your bones? Or after a really strenuous workout to soothe muscles? Or after a stressful work day to unwind and read a book and sip a glass of wine?
If you're not reselling soon, get the bathroom you want but I'd hate to be without a bath.

Not OP but there are no circumstances in which I’d want or enjoy a bath. I actively hate them.

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath, unless I had money to put one in straight away. I have one every day for medical reasons, but even before my problems, I had one most days outside of summer.

Well, not if you have grandchildren!

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath. But if you aren't concerned about selling then do what suits your family.

Nothing like a hot bath to ease aching muscles, you can prise the bath out of my house over my cold dead body.

I'm house hunting currently and i'm absolutely put off by homes that don't have a bath.