People considering a bathroom renovation often have to deal with or ask the question of:
Should I keep the tub or should I make it into a shower?
This is one of the most important choices one could have to make facing a bathroom remodeling project.
From my perspective, as a General Contractor that has been specializing in Bathroom Remodeling for 14 years, I would like to offer a few common elements that I found to be helpful in working your way to making the “right” call.
If it is not important for you to soak in a Tub or you’re not a “tub person”, a walk in shower could be just the way to go for the following reasons:
It’s roomier and a shower feels bigger. On the same square footage, the leg room and shower pan size is greater than the bottom of the tub. A walk-in shower offers more room inside the same square footage.
Many homeowners have tripped coming out of their tub when they were fatigued or just too tired of climbing in and out of the bathtub, so a “tub to shower conversion” is just the right change to make. A tub conversion can transform any cramped tub into a spacious shower.
Getting in and out of a walk in shower is a lot easier than a tub. The normal size curb of a shower is about 5” which requires almost no effort getting into. Stepping over the 17” typical wall height of your tub will require much more effort in addition to also having to hold on to a safety grab bar.
Choosing to remodel your bathroom first, gets you the most bang for your buck because it is not expensive when compared to remodeling a kitchen and profoundly impacts the quality of your life on a daily basis. Remodeling your bathroom is quick and easy, taking only a week from start to finish.
Some homeowners are concerned that the sale value of their home might be reduced if there is no tub. This is a valid issue if you are about to sell the house in the next 4-5 years. If not, having a shower is a huge improvement that you will enjoy and most people who will put an offer on your home will feel the same way. When there are small kids in a house and a tub is a necessity, installing a tub in a wide enough shower is an easy project to do. You can have it done for 2-3k with out having to re-tile.
Written by Avi Gat and edited by Temogen Amato
