S/O: Houses, make or break: Tub in the Master Bath

I consider tubs, particularly the free standing ones, a negative in the master bath. First, I don't see how people get in and out without killing themselves (HA) and since I don't take baths, they take up space and are just one more thing to clean.

More importantly, if you are selling within a couple of years, what changes you make matter. otherwise, love the house you are in and enjoy it the way you want it.

I prefer no tub and a large shower. My new place has a 5' shower and I love it.

We remodeled 3 years ago and the first thing on the list was to get rid of the giant tub. It was nothing but a dust collector. We already had a really large shower, so I replaced tub with a big makeup vanity. I’m a little worried for when we sell, but there are 3 other tubs upstairs.

I feel like as long as a house has one bathtub go for it.  I feel a house should have one tub for little ones.. doesn't have to be some big jetted thing. A shower like you are describing is much more appealing in my opinion.

I don't have a master bath. But I think a free standing bath is fine if you enjoy having one. We have an old fashioned tub/shower combo and I'm happy with that right now. I'd only want a free standing tub if I also had room for a separate shower, though.

I love old houses and so I've been in many of the older houses in town over the years as we have been house hunting at different point in time, and there are still a decent number of homes in my town with no upstairs bathroom at all.
And I have to say, the idea of having to head downstairs and through 3, 4, or more rooms to finally use the bathroom makes me want to cry. So the main bathroom being just outside my bedroom door is okay with me.

I just saw a house listed locally that has no upstairs bathroom, AND it has a walk-though bedroom, so whoever uses that room literally has 6 rooms and a flight of stairs between them and the bathroom during the night or first thing in the morning.

I’d dump that tub in a heartbeat in lieu of a giant shower especially since there are others in the house. We have a big soaking tub in ours that we literally haven’t used in over 7? 8? years, not since it was easier to wash DD’s long hair in the shower. It takes a ton of hot water which always cools off too fast, it’s a hazard getting in and out of it, it’s a hassle to clean plus I don’t like taking baths in general.

Our master has a pretty big shower that the previous owners remodeled around 2000, and why they didn’t go the extra 12-18” deeper (there was space for it) that they could have and added a bench I’ll never know. It’s literally just wasted space behind the door that’s not big enough for a drying rack or anything else, and there’s already a big linen cabinet in there too. It’s so dumb.

I’d go for big, with a bench or seat, zero entry, with no doors or curtain to clean. But that’s just me.

Yes, it would be a deal breaker for us. We both use it almost every night. We are doing a remodel of both bathrooms, making a walk in shower only in the guest, but a shower and free standing tub in the master. I love a good soak!

Jetted tubs are a no no though, unless it’s brand new. I’m not a germaphobe by any stretch of the imagination, but those give me the heebie jeebies.

I recently remodeled my master bathroom. Got rid of the tub and had a beautiful large walk in shower installed. One of the best decisions ever.

We have a similar setup and have talked about making the same change for years.

The only thing that holds me back (aside from $!) is that I have used the tub a handful of times after surgery and when feeling ill. I've needed help getting in and out, so it's not ideal as we age for sure, but those soaks were beneficial. If we stay, pretty sure we'll eventually make the change.

Our last house, which we lived in for 23 years, had a huge jetted tub. Never used it once. Only filled it before we put the house on the market to make sure it still worked. We also have a tub in this house, will never use it.

So I don't care if the master has a tub, but I know some people will.

Not a deal breaker. I haven't taken a bath since I was 6 or 7? I would much rather have no tub and a nice walk-in shower. Baths are kinda nasty IMO.

A freestanding shower, no tub was on my wish list for the en suite when we were househunting. It didn't happen and we have a tub/shower combo. I had a big garden tub a couple of houses ago and while it was fun for small kids, it was a pain to clean and honesstly didn't get much use. I wouldn't do a free standing tub again.

IF you're looking to sell soon AND your house is likely to sell to families with young children, making sure there is at least one tub in the house is a good idea. Otherwise, do what works best for you

It's not a dealbreaker for me, as long as I have a tub somewhere I can occasionally soak. We don't have one in our master but we have a freestanding in our kids' jack and jill. I hate jetted tubs either way. I'd prefer an oversized shower with multiple heads. Our master has a large corner shower with 7 shower heads, each with an independent valve. Perks of owning a plumbing company.