Tune in to HGTV these days, and it is far more than likely you’ll spot some flipping duo ripping out a home’s humble bathtub to make place for a substantial, magnificent shower.
This got me wanting to know: Why?
Occasionally, these flippers go so far as to take away the only tub in the property, all for the sake of a roomy shower. I was actually baffled. For starters, what about the hordes of homebuyers with younger children? You simply cannot really nicely bathe a toddler in a shower.
And when most older people may well shower more frequently than they bathe, I, for one particular, get pleasure from sinking into a tub on situation. And I’m rarely by yourself. A recent study by Tub Fitter located that all-around half of People in america acquire a bathtub at least when a week, and that 54% would bathe extra generally if they experienced the time.
Because let us admit it, a very long soak is a lovely thing. Why get rid of that likelihood from your house?
Apparently, flippers have their causes.
Image by Devine Bath & Kitchen area
Why banishing the tub from the lavatory is a major pattern
I get it from an aesthetic stage of perspective: There is almost nothing glamorous about a workaday tub with a ho-hum curtain pulled throughout it—or even worse, a shower doorway with dated, opaque glass that rattles on the monitor.
“A walk-in shower turns a toilet from an eyesore area into 1 that is much more aesthetically pleasing,” suggests Kara Harms, a design and style blogger at Whimsy Soul. That luxe spa sensation you get when you’re at a extravagant lodge is precisely the vibe that people want just about every working day, particularly following a several years-very long COVID-19 pandemic and other grave uncertainties in the globe.
For flippers, the travel to take away tubs is all about the dollars, honey.
“Flippers know that a big, very well-made shower is additional of a providing level than a learn tub with a tiny shower or a shower-tub combo,” clarifies Briana Ellis Hoag, owner of Ritual Architecture.
“Bathroom remodels generally have the maximum return on expense in a dwelling, and a big shower can help your home’s resale worth,” provides Carolyn Gagnon, a true estate agent with Compass in New York Town.
And though people could possibly be turned off by no tub, that is Alright, considering the fact that a lot of flippers are a lot more interested in attracting prospective buyers who are possibly youthful (who don’t will need a tub) or more mature (who really do not seriously require a tub either) and wealthier to boot.
“People who are remodeling residences, nevertheless exclusively flippers, are eager to clear away tubs mainly because of how they understand their focus on purchaser,” suggests Hoag.
But it is not just the moneyed established that expects to see the “shower only” amenity.
“There’s also a fantastic part of homebuyers in the midrange market place that never use tubs, specially in the master toilet,” continues Hoag. “They’d relatively have that house for a big shower that is applied on a everyday basis.”
Another perk to showers? They’re better for more mature people.
“Walk-in showers are climbing in attractiveness due to the fact they’re far more accessible—a tub usually means you have to move in and out, which not absolutely everyone can do very easily,” notes Harms.
We’re ageing as a country, with the number of individuals aged 65 and more mature slated to additional than double in the upcoming 40 decades, achieving 80 million in 2040. What’s additional, several are choosing to age in put in households that they then should retrofit to fulfill their requirements. Swapping a shower for a tub fits beautifully into this trend.
Photo by Bender Households LLC
But here’s why banishing the tub may be a undesirable notion
Still several architects and authentic estate brokers alike urge house owners to preserve at the very least just one tub someplace in the household for practicality’s sake.
“We always suggest maintaining at the very least one tub in the house since it is excellent for little ones, grandkids, and pets and also for resale,” claims Pamela O’Brien, principal designer at Pamela Hope Types.
“I never believe it is clever to take away all the tubs from the bathrooms of the home, as there are lots of family members moving into the market with young youngsters who will want a common bathtub,” adds Hoag.
(Amazon)
For property owners who are determined to have their shower, there is a workaround.
“You can obtain a shower tub for youngsters that goes on the base of the shower floor,” claims Harms. That way, “there’s no want to establish an complete place around bathing a baby.”
Plastic tub inserts like the one pictured over ($24, Amazon) absolutely do resolve the difficulty. Nevertheless, this problem wouldn’t exist in the initially location if you experienced just saved your tub.
Photograph by PARKinteriordesign
If you are eager to hold on to a shower-tub combo you personal, there are other bells and whistles to think about in a lavatory remodel that could earn you back some revenue.
“Newer, substantial-close amenities like radiant flooring, self-importance mirrors, greater lights, tiling, faucets, and countertops are just a few examples of additions that could convey additional to your wallet,” says Gagnon.
I, for a single, will in no way trade my tub, and chalk this up to a rage that, like so many some others, will a single working day have multitudes shaking their heads and clucking, “Remove the tub! What were being they contemplating?”
As all traits are likely to do, this one will inevitably disappear down the drain of dwelling structure fads exactly where, in my head, it belongs.
