Advice sought - Converting a full bath to just a shower stall

[wahoowad]

My house has 3.5 bedroom / 2 baths (the .5 bedroom has washer/dryer in it, but is as big as other bedrooms). I use the master bedroom downstairs and want to update the 20 year old full bath (fiberglass shower stall looks faded and dated). I am considering installing a nice shower stall as a replacement for the tub/shower unit but wondering if that might look like a downgrade to prospective buyers (if I sell soon)? It would certainly look better than what I have now, but would it sell better? Wondering if I should just replace it with another tub/shower unit? We take showers 99.5% of the time so it would work fine for us. It is a rather small bathroom, just room for a vanity+sink/toilet/tub-shower.

I wouldn't mind a new tub because I could probably get a slightly larger/deeper one to match my slightly larger body, but think I like the shower stall idea better.


Thoughts?

 

[jqgs214]

Been contemplating the exact same thing. Nice large shower stall with some body jets. My problem is its the only bathroom and hence the only tub.

 

[wahoowad]

If I had just moved to the house then I would do it and worry about resale consequences later. But I'm thinking more and more about selling so resale is important to me now. Wish I had done it years ago.

 

[myzamboni]

We just pulled a jacuzzi tub with shower out of our master bath and installed a subway tile full length shower stall with a bench at one end. It makes the bathroom look bigger, and since we still have a tub in the 2nd bathroom, it made the decision easier.
We got rid of the jacuzzi tub because we never used it as a tub and the jets were a @&*%!@$ to keep clean. In addition, our hot water heater could only fill it about 1/3 before running out of hot water.

Here's the before

 

[myzamboni]

Here's the after:

 

[wahoowad]

Trying again (post lost)

Thanks, myzamboni, good response. I did not consider the added benefit of a perceived larger room. I like that.

Did you custom tile those walls or are they prefab walls?

 

[myzamboni]

They are not prefab. They had to do the mesh and mortar routine to 'true the walls as they were slighlty bowed. The triangle shelves are awesome. They stay out of the water path and hold alot of stuff. We also did not do a glass wall/door, but went with a curtain and liner (much easier to keep clean).

 

[Burn-1]

If I had just moved to the house then I would do it and worry about resale consequences later. But I'm thinking more and more about selling so resale is important to me now. Wish I had done it years ago.

Wahoo, I would say that it would depend on what the trends in your area are. If you're in one of the eastern counties of Virginia which are having a lot of economic development and there a lot of new jobs filling the demand for housing I would think keeping the tub would make the house more saleable as this is desirable for families with younger children. But if you're in an area where there are substantial numbers of retirees and empy nesters moving in then building a shower particularly a walk-in or otherwise elderly accessible type with a bench or seat would also be valuable. In fact given an aging population, some of those features are going to me more important as there is a big trend toward Aging in place in real estate so consider that as well.

 

[11 Bravo]

Wahoo.......I would consult some real estate agents about re-sale and get there opinoin. There are some great pre-fab kits out there now that don't look so "pre-fab"......

 

[Hogwildz]

I will be putting a 3rd bath in in the near future. I have a big bathroom with a big tub, blah blah blah.
The 3rd bathroom, which will be MINE will have a sink, toilet and 48" or 60" shower. I haven't took a bath since I don't remember. I am getting the shower stall with the corner seats though. Got to prepare for when I am an old fart.

Oh, and the place I sold last year before moving here had 2-1/2 baths. The master bathroom not large, maybe 9' x 5' came with a 36" shower stall, and I sold it with the same. The other bath had a tub, so no biggie. No problems selling that place, and the shower was never mentioned or an issue. I agree, more spacous looking and less cluttered always help sell. But as the other gent said, as a couple realtors.

 

[senorFrog]

These unit's are pretty good...

http://www.maax.com/en/

The higher end stuff you'll find in plumbing supply stores. Not Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[Gooserider]

I would tend to say that you should have at least one BR with a tub, or preferably a tub/shower, but the rest would be no problem if they were showers instead. I don't have a particular use for a tub as bathing equipment, but there are times when a nice hot soak can be a good thing...

Gooserider