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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 10, 2022 14:15:13 GMT
In the future, I would like to have a remodel of our teeny tiny (but still only full) bathroom. Vanity must be replaced. Tub is worn out. Flooring needs to be done.
This is where I need your opinions!
Would I be absolutely insane to have the tub removed and just a shower installed?
I have zero plans to move house. Probably till i breathe my last.
I hate cleaning a tub.
Especially since no one takes actual baths. One, because the tub is too tiny to use comfortably (teeny tiny bathroom). Two, because most in the family don't enjoy them.
I've also given thought to ease of use for aging family, and myself, when I get there.
So, would it be crazy to not have a tub?
Has anyone had this done? Opinions, experiences, thoughts welcome!
Also, any idea as to where to start looking for a company for a reliable, quality bathroom remodel?
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Post by SockMonkey on Jul 10, 2022 14:29:16 GMT
Honestly, I would ditch the tub. You're going to get lots of opinions about this, but if you have no plans to move, you need that bathroom to be as usable for you as possible. Utilize that space for as luxurious a shower as you can fit, and enjoy not having to clean that tub.
In terms of who to complete the work, the best way I've ever found anyone is by word of mouth. If you're on social media, ask your friends in the area if they have recommendations. See if the home improvement stores have subcontractors, too; We had our kitchen countertops done by Home Depot subcontractors, and they did a fantastic job. But, we hired someone else (word of mouth) to do the tile backsplash, and someone else to do the cabinet painting. But, you may want to hire one general contractor, and usually that person will have their own subcontractors (unless they do all the work themselves).
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 10, 2022 14:35:14 GMT
Honestly, I would ditch the tub. You're going to get lots of opinions about this, but if you have no plans to move, you need that bathroom to be as usable for you as possible. Utilize that space for as luxurious a shower as you can fit, and enjoy not having to clean that tub. In terms of who to complete the work, the best way I've ever found anyone is by word of mouth. If you're on social media, ask your friends in the area if they have recommendations. See if the home improvement stores have subcontractors, too; We had our kitchen countertops done by Home Depot subcontractors, and they did a fantastic job. But, we hired someone else (word of mouth) to do the tile backsplash, and someone else to do the cabinet painting. But, you may want to hire one general contractor, and usually that person will have their own subcontractors (unless they do all the work themselves). I had thought about going through Home Depot. I'm glad to hear a positive review. Thank you for your thoughtful post. I appreciate it.
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 10, 2022 14:35:34 GMT
Ditch the tub. If no one ever uses it and you are not moving, do what you want. I know plenty of people with no tubs in a bathroom. A walk in shower will definitely be an asset in the future, go fo it now!
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Post by compeateropeator on Jul 10, 2022 14:36:26 GMT
I would replace with a just a shower. I would make it a shower that is accessible for seniors and/or disabled. Some kind of (fold down?) bench seating and bars to hold on to.
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Post by SockMonkey on Jul 10, 2022 14:40:29 GMT
Honestly, I would ditch the tub. You're going to get lots of opinions about this, but if you have no plans to move, you need that bathroom to be as usable for you as possible. Utilize that space for as luxurious a shower as you can fit, and enjoy not having to clean that tub. In terms of who to complete the work, the best way I've ever found anyone is by word of mouth. If you're on social media, ask your friends in the area if they have recommendations. See if the home improvement stores have subcontractors, too; We had our kitchen countertops done by Home Depot subcontractors, and they did a fantastic job. But, we hired someone else (word of mouth) to do the tile backsplash, and someone else to do the cabinet painting. But, you may want to hire one general contractor, and usually that person will have their own subcontractors (unless they do all the work themselves). I had thought about going through Home Depot. I'm glad to hear a positive review. Thank you for your thoughtful post. I appreciate it. Yeah, if you're totally renovating, Home Depot is great for cabinets/countertops. I was really pleased with their work. But, you still will need a general contractor for lots of stuff, unless you are a real DIY person. (My husband is really handy; he demoed our kitchen himself, including the granite countertops, and because we didn't move appliance locations, he was able to connect faucet, garbage disposal, etc.). But you'll need electricians, plumbers, etc. if you're doing a total teardown to the studs (which you probably will wind up doing if you're putting in a shower situation). And, have a potty plan! My parents' house has 1 small bathroom, so when they renovated, they had to plan for time without toilet/shower. Luckily I'm nearby and they also have great neighbors. LOL
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Post by pjaye on Jul 10, 2022 14:57:30 GMT
Would I be absolutely insane to have the tub removed and just a shower installed? I only have a shower, haven't had a bathtub for over 20 years. Make sure there's no step into the shower - it should be level with bathroom floor, that way if there are aging people in the home is no trip hazard and they can be wheeled in on a chair if needed. If you are thinking about that now I agree with putting a handrail in and make sure it's large enough for a shower chair.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Jul 10, 2022 15:05:12 GMT
I’m in your same boat. One full bath, one powder room. Other than sink and toilet everything in my bathroom is 1922 original. When we get to renovating I am removing the tub. Nobody uses it and we are also aging in place here. I want a zero entry shower. I also don’t have a lot of room.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 10, 2022 15:06:54 GMT
Would I be absolutely insane to have the tub removed and just a shower installed? I only have a shower, haven't had a bathtub for over 20 years. Make sure there's no step into the shower - it should be level with bathroom floor, that way if there are aging people in the home is no trip hazard and they can be wheeled in on a chair if needed. If you are thinking about that now I agree with putting a handrail in and make sure it's large enough for a shower chair. Those are ideas I hadn't thought of! Writing it all down.
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lavawalker1
Full Member
Posts: 488
Jul 9, 2021 21:41:57 GMT
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Post by lavawalker1 on Jul 10, 2022 15:12:38 GMT
Right now we have a separate shower and tub in our master bath. I’d LOVE to have no tub and use the space for a bigger shower, but I’ve had lower back issues for 8-10 years, and just need a tub to soak occasionally. And DH who hadn’t used a tub in 20ish years had an issue where he had to do daily soaks for a couple weeks, and will probably have to do again. So, we’ll always have a tub….
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 10, 2022 15:13:10 GMT
I’m in your same boat. One full bath, one powder room. Other than sink and toilet everything in my bathroom is 1922 original. When we get to renovating I am removing the tub. Nobody uses it and we are also aging in place here. I want a zero entry shower. I also don’t have a lot of room. Yeah, our toilet in new (within 5 years), but the sink/vanity is from the 1940's, and the tub is original 1910. I just want the room that every family member uses several times a day to be nice.
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Post by pjaye on Jul 10, 2022 15:13:57 GMT
That's one of the main issues with people going home after orthopedic surgery, if they have a walker they can't get into the shower, and if they are using crutches it's too dangerous.
A friend of my mother's also tripped over her shower step and fractured her tibial plateau and then needed a knee replacement. It may look nice and keep the water in to have a step around the shower but it's so impractical when people get older. Oh - and make sure the floor is non slip when it's wet!
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Post by katlady on Jul 10, 2022 15:16:53 GMT
I agree with everyone else, ditch the tub. A nice luxurious walk-in shower would look great and be very functional! I see so many beautiful showers on the internet these days. I can’t wait to redo ours.
Since it is a tub space, you can have a nice deep/long shower. My Aunt redid theirs where a tub used to be. Her shower is long and has no doors, just a half wall on the end where the shower heads are. The water stays in and doesn’t spray out.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jul 10, 2022 15:16:53 GMT
I vote get rid of the tub.
I like a shower only. Preferably with a built in bench, to sit and shave legs.
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Post by lisae on Jul 10, 2022 15:20:24 GMT
I would remove the tub and put in a shower with a fold down seat, grab bars, and handheld sprayer. You can get more attractive bars than the standard hospital type. It can be attractive and still ready to age in place.
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Post by mom on Jul 10, 2022 15:27:28 GMT
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 10, 2022 15:32:57 GMT
If it works, I would have the shower be the same footprint as a tub. That way, someone could reinstall a tub in the future and not need to tear out walls and such.
If you plan to stay there, a home should be functional for those who live there.
We stayed at an Airbnb 2 weeks ago that had a glass shower open on one side—no door. Water went everywhere in the bathroom, just from the splashing. I was surprised as it was a large shower. I’ve used other showers without a door with the same issue. So do your research before deciding on that!
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Post by Lexica on Jul 10, 2022 15:51:53 GMT
Another vote for installing a shower instead of a new tub. I've lived in my house 44 years now and while there is only a shower in the master bathroom, there is a tub in the upstairs extra bathroom. I have never in all these years taken a bath in there.
The only time I have ever used that tub for bathing was to put my son in to bring his temp down when he had a fever. I would fill the tub with tepid water and give him a paint brush and muffin tin filled with colored foam bubbles (food coloring and whipped soap) and he could spend an hour in the tub mixing his "paints" and using the tile of the tub surround as his easel. He would be so involved in what he was doing that he didn't mind me pouring the tepid water on him to rinse off the soap bubbles. Doing this would bring his temp down and keep him happy. It has never been used for routine baths.
If I absolutely needed a tub for some reason, I would look at installing one of those walk-in tubs.
As for a recommendation for a company to do the remodel, do you have any good friends that are realtors? My realtor has been amazing with sourcing the various companies that have been getting my house ready for sale. He has a great working relationship with various types of contractors, having used them on many of the homes he is readying for sale.
Now I admit, mine was particularly bad because I had a nasty leak that ruined a good portion of my downstairs, necessitating the removal of moldy walls, all of the downstairs flooring, and rebuilding everything. Most of the work has been completed now and we are at the stage where the new flooring will be installed and final touches done. I am now having the upstairs fully recarpeted while we are waiting for the downstairs flooring to come in.
Without the realtor recommending the various companies, I don't know how I would have accomplished any of this work. And the bonus of doing this is that these contractors want to keep me happy because they know the realtor is checking in with me regularly to make sure everything is being completed quickly so we can get the house on the market. If they want more work from him in the future, they will do a good job and do it quickly.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 10, 2022 16:07:13 GMT
Make sure there's no step into the shower - it should be level with bathroom floor, that way if there are aging people in the home is no trip hazard and they can be wheeled in on a chair if needed. If you are thinking about that now I agree with putting a handrail in and make sure it's large enough for a shower chair. . We remodeled our master bath 5 years ago with a focus on "aging in place". The shower was replaced with a larger one with a zero-entry floor. While we did not install the safety handrails, they can be added down the road. The other thing we did was forgo the built in bench and bought a teak shower bench instead. It allows you to move the bench where it is needed, or totally remove it for a walker, wheelchair or shower chair. Other things to consider is installing a showerhead and a separate handheld wand. That wand needs to be on a bar so that you can raise/lower to the right height. If installing niches (highly recommend) have two installed - one at standing height and one at seated level. We also used a linear drain grate that is on the side of the shower, which keeps the main shower floor level and smooth. You will definitely want to install an ADA height toilet. I can recommend the Toto Drake which is an excellent toilet and affordable. For cabinets, use all drawers on the lower cabinets which will give easier access to contents, especially if in a wheelchair at some point. All of this work paid off last Sept when DH came home from being in hospital 6 weeks with Covid (delta). He was able to have much more independence with personal hygiene from the start. We used a designer to draw up our plans, then a general contractor to do the work. The designer had already done aging in place bathroom remodels for her mother and mother-in-law so was a wealth of information. Look for someone who has experience with that. Also make sure your contractor and his plumber have experience installing a zero entry shower. They can be done in a residential home, but will take a bit more work. ETA: Here is a photo of the shower. You can't see it but there is a second niche on the backside of that pony wall at seated height.
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Post by epeanymous on Jul 10, 2022 16:48:28 GMT
If you don't take baths, ditch it. I have only a (large) shower off of my bedroom; I hate it, because I do like to take baths, but no one else in my family does and they all love it.
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luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,428
Jun 26, 2014 2:34:35 GMT
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Post by luvnlifelady on Jul 10, 2022 16:51:44 GMT
We just moved into a house that only has a shower (and small stall). I don't necessarily miss having a tub but I do miss having a bigger shower enclosure. I'm getting used to it though after just being here two weeks.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,418
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jul 10, 2022 16:56:30 GMT
The apartment we are moving into next week has two bathrooms, and both only have a shower. We currently have a bath with a shower over it, and it's a pain - quite literally when I needed knee replacement surgery and could barely get in and out of it. I can't remember the last time either of us had a bath.
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Post by ntsf on Jul 10, 2022 17:04:19 GMT
I just did my second bathroom remodel in 10 yrs.. (different houses). I installed handbars in shower (replaced a tub) and next to toilet. I did not get high toilet, as recommended above, because I am short and I am uncomfortable on a high toilet. a toilet is an easy change if someone wants that later. I put in hand held shower head and top rain shower head on one end of shower and controls on the opposite wall. the glass shower door opens both ways.. so I just reach in, turn on shower, and wait til the temp is right. no vinyl trim on shower door.. it just rots and fails. tile all the way to the ceiling.
I was very happy with subway tile variation and hexagon floor tiles.. cheap, classic and lasts forever. I put in a mirror over sink, then installed a telescoping make up mirror for close ups (I have walls on both sides of sink ..outside toilet area)
heated floors..think about storage.. where to hang towels? where to store extra tp? we did not build in any seat in shower, but it is large enough to accomodate a shower chair--I know cause my dh broke his leg right after the remodel. also, I would rather have one sink and counterspace in a small space, rather than two sinks. you need a place to put stuff down on counter..like soap, maybe contacts, maybe other small stuff like toothbrush. or waterpik.
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Post by happyOCgirl on Jul 10, 2022 17:25:28 GMT
I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel right now. I am installing a 1956 pink cast iron tub that I got for free. I just wanted to say if you had vintage or antique tubs, sinks, and sometimes toilets, please don’t send them to the landfill. There are people out there who want them! Mine do not have lead in the finish, which is another consideration. I have always wanted a colorful mid century bathroom and am so excited for how it’s turning out. Have fun with your remodel!!
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Post by Skellinton on Jul 10, 2022 18:03:32 GMT
I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel right now. I am installing a 1956 pink cast iron tub that I got for free. I just wanted to say if you had vintage or antique tubs, sinks, and sometimes toilets, please don’t send them to the landfill. There are people out there who want them! Mine do not have lead in the finish, which is another consideration. I have always wanted a colorful mid century bathroom and am so excited for how it’s turning out. Have fun with your remodel!! Yes, please check with your local community to see if there is anyone who salvages fixtures and such. We have some amazing non profit stores in our area that alter, fix or just sell things from the dumps or salvages them. Even if you think it isn’t anything anyone would want, it might be worth a check. The less stuff sent to the dump the better. I agree about removable bench. My aunt is disabled and the fold out seat was unusable to her, she still had to use a moveable one because it needed to be closer to the glass door frame for her to grab as she couldn’t use the grab bar next to the bench because it was on her “bad” side. You are wise to think about future mobility issues.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 10, 2022 18:11:03 GMT
Agreed! We installed them in both bathrooms during remodel and they are heavenly! The added cost to the project was under $2,000 for each bathroom.
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Post by Linda on Jul 10, 2022 18:13:36 GMT
If I absolutely needed a tub for some reason, I would look at installing one of those walk-in tubs. I would think very long and carefully and read lots of reviews - everything I've heard is that they aren't nearly as good as the advertising suggests - you have to get in before it fills and wait for it to drain completely before getting out and that can get pretty chilly I would think sitting in there all wet as the water cools and drains. LavenderLayoutLady - I would 100% trade the tub for a shower. In fact that's on our to-do list for the ground floor ensuite for aging in place but also because I already have mobility issues that make it harder to climb over the tub edge. We do have additional upstairs bathrooms that have tub/shower combos but even if we didn't - a stand alone shower is really important to me. We'll probably have a long/narrow shower using the existing tub/shower footprint because the en suite barely has room to turn around in it
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 10, 2022 18:19:59 GMT
We'll probably have a long/narrow shower using the existing tub/shower footprint because the en suite barely has room to turn around in it We did that for my mom about 5 years before she died. Made it zero entry along with all the other features I mentioned earlier. The one thing we did differently was to install a shower rod and curtain. Doors would have made it more difficult to get her walker into the shower and the curtain worked just fine.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 10, 2022 18:21:33 GMT
I have a friend, she, her DH, two boys 13 & 23. They have a small bathroom lower level with stall shower. They just installed large shower(removed tub) upstairs ..
No tub in house at all..
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Post by Lexica on Jul 10, 2022 18:21:38 GMT
If I absolutely needed a tub for some reason, I would look at installing one of those walk-in tubs. I would think very long and carefully and read lots of reviews - everything I've heard is that they aren't nearly as good as the advertising suggests - you have to get in before it fills and wait for it to drain completely before getting out and that can get pretty chilly I would think sitting in there all wet as the water cools and drains.LavenderLayoutLady - I would 100% trade the tub for a shower. In fact that's on our to-do list for the ground floor ensuite for aging in place but also because I already have mobility issues that make it harder to climb over the tub edge. We do have additional upstairs bathrooms that have tub/shower combos but even if we didn't - a stand alone shower is really important to me. We'll probably have a long/narrow shower using the existing tub/shower footprint because the en suite barely has room to turn around in it I absolutely didn't think of that! No, I would not want to sit in a tub waiting for it to fill or to drain! I had just seen them advertised as an option for a bathtub for seniors. And if you really need a bathtub as a senior, what other options do you have for a usable bathtub?
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