Bathtub Necessary?

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Jonno Yeo, 26th Feb, 2017.

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Bathtub Necessary?

  1. Yes

    14 vote(s)
    73.7%

  2. No

    5 vote(s)
    26.3%
  1. Jonno Yeo

    Jonno Yeo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    13th Jul, 2015
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    Location:
    Melbourne VIC
    Quick one,
    Currently renovating a 3 bedroom unit in Preston VIC.
    110 Sqm approximately so not huge.
    Bathroom will be 1.7x3m in size.

    Can either have a larger single shower or a shower bathtub combo.

    Thoughts?

    Current Plan:
    Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

    Would remove bathtub and have a shower with glass panel there.

    Families? Thoughts?
     
    Jonno Yeo, 26th Feb, 2017
    #1
  2. WestOz

    WestOz Well-Known Member

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    WestOz
    I'd keep a bath.

    Didn't say if can modify plumbing but with 700mm door you could possibly put a separate shower where the basin is, swing the bath around so under the window, loo in top right corner, basin where loo currently is.
     
    WestOz, 26th Feb, 2017
    #2
  3. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I voted yes, but it really depends on the demographic of the area your property is in. In the areas of our IPs we definitely have lost tenants due to not having a bathtub... even though we rarely get families renting. Perhaps it is because of no bathtub that we don't get families renting?

    Our own bathroom is 3m x 2.1m and we have a 900mm x 1200mm shower, a toilet with in-wall cistern, a narrow(ish) wall hung basin and a stone tub. We chose a sliding glass shower door so there is no door swing issues. Our main door to the bathroom is a cavity slider. It doesn't feel cramped.

    If your pool of renters will not expect a tub, you could forget it. I had never had a walk in shower before, always a shower over the bath. I love having a separate shower now.

    I reckon you could fit a small bath into your room, separate from the shower.

    If you look at this photo, you can see the bath finishes short of the front edge of the basin. I sit my scales between the bath end and the wall and walk into that area. The basin is further along the wall (but not easy to see in the photo). We could have gone with a longer bath, but wanted some room at the end of a basket or set of scales and just to feel less "chock a block".

    I just took a tape measure into the room, and the width from the wall behind the toilet to the front edge of that basin you can see bottom left is 1.7m. So you could fit a short bath, a 900 wide shower with sliding door and if you choose a narrow basin.

    I guess if it is a family area and you need a bath, it would be tight. If a bath isn't a necessity for either rental or resale, I guess a shower is better than shower over bath, but if you cannot fit them separately and need the bath, then shower over bath is the other option.

    I think having a roomy shower is important. We have a 900 x 900 shower downstairs and my 6' son is not enjoying it after having 900 x 1200 upstairs. I'd never go back to a shower smaller than 900 x 1200 and I'd never go back to a shower over bath.



    fullsizeoutput_163f.jpeg
     
    Last edited: 26th Feb, 2017
    wylie, 26th Feb, 2017
    #3
    EN710 likes this.
  4. Ross Forrester

    Ross Forrester Well-Known Member

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    No bathtub = no kids.

    So no parents, no hopeful parents, no single people who think they might be a parent one day and no parents who hope one day that they will be grandparents.

    Go the shower bathtub combo.
     
    Ross Forrester, 26th Feb, 2017
    #4
    andrew_t likes this.
  5. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I just put in pretty much our own bathroom design but into the smaller room. It still works, and I just pulled different items from a bathroom planner. I was careful with pushing mirror cabinet and shelf into one wall, pushing cistern into the opposite wall. I made sure there was enough space to move in the room and dry ourselves without dropping the towel into the loo, or feeling cramped.

    There is no storage in this but you could use a wall hung basin that doesn't go to the floor to make the room seem larger, or wall hung racks on the walls at each end of the bath for towels etc.

    In our bathroom, we were lucky to have a large cupboard opposite the shower which holds everything we need and more. Without that, we would have used a linen cupboard elsewhere and just kept spare towels in the bathroom on some sort of shelf.

    I planned ours with the Reece planner but couldnt load it just now and used this one instead. I didn't worry much with size of bath etc for this quick sketch.

    If you push the cistern into the wall cavity, you save another 20cm of much needed space and look for the toilet that takes up the least room from wall to edge.

    Bathroom 2D Planner | Free Bathroom Design Tool | bathstore

    Screen Shot 2017-02-26 at 10.38.46 pm.png
     
    wylie, 26th Feb, 2017
    #5
  6. datto

    datto Well-Known Member

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    Yes definitely need one

    In my household the tub doubles as an extra bed. Throw in a few blankets and a pillow and voila an instant bed!

    My mate Stork swears its the best night sleep he ever had even though he's 2m tall.

    We found him crashed out in the back yard so we picked him up and threw him in the tub with his legs hanging over the side. He was in the exact position the next morning lol.
     
    datto, 26th Feb, 2017
    #6
    vbplease and Marg4000 like this.
  7. Davothegreat

    Davothegreat Well-Known Member

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    Sydney
    We have 2 kids (eldest is 5, youngest is 6 months old) and when we renovated our bathroom 4 years ago we did away with the bathtub. No regrets at all. Not sure if I'd go tubless at an IP as many parents are convinced that you need a tub but you don't. And I'm usually the one who bathes my kids so I'm not oblivious to how it's done without a tub. We have a walk-in shower that's large enough to sit down in... 850w x 1200d with no door, just a frosted glass side panel.
     
    Davothegreat, 27th Feb, 2017
    #7
    vbplease likes this.
  8. Momentum

    Momentum Well-Known Member

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    Collins St, Melbourne
    Like the others have replied, no need for a bathtub. I've just pulled mine out and will replace it with a 780 x 1250 shower. I don't think anyone takes a bath these days and kids have showers too.
     
    Momentum, 27th Feb, 2017
    #8
  9. Jonno Yeo

    Jonno Yeo Well-Known Member

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    Melbourne VIC
    We ended up going for a double bath and also shower in the room.
    Just finished ~2.5 weeks of renovations and it's finally done, just waiting for fitting things now.
     
    Jonno Yeo, 16th Mar, 2017
    #9
    Perthguy likes this.
  10. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Photos please? :)

    Many of us love before and after photos if you have them.
     
    wylie, 16th Mar, 2017
    #10
  11. Jonno Yeo

    Jonno Yeo Well-Known Member

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    Definitely have before and after photos!
    I took photos at almost every stage :)
    I will wait till everything is fitted before posting them though!

    Dad and I did most of it so it was an experience for me (he has done renos a few times)

    All up, all inclusive this room cost us about $8500 start to finish, including all trades (sparky/plumber).

    The savings of doing it yourself really do pay off!
     
    Jonno Yeo, 17th Mar, 2017
    #11
  12. neK

    neK Well-Known Member

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    I voted no bath.
    I have two toddlers.
    I have a bathtub. I've never used it.

    I use the baby bath or those round flexi tubs from bunnings - saves me water and is quicker to fill.

    I use to think having a bathtub was important, and compromised with the shower over bath, but I'm not a fan of that anymore.

    But for the shower only, it would need to be at least 1500 x 800 (900 x 900 is useless and I can't fit a baby tub and me in there).
     
    neK, 17th Mar, 2017
    #12
  13. Jonno Yeo

    Jonno Yeo Well-Known Member

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    Melbourne VIC
    The amount of 'Yes' swayed me to just have one.
    If it were me i would have just gotten rid of it for a more spacious bathroom.

    We managed to fit a 1500mm bathtub, and next to it a 1700x750mm shower (went 750mm because you have all the sideways area next to the bath which makes the shower area feel quite large)

    The layout is a bit more cramped, but still plenty of usable space! And i can still fit my hydronic heater there, win win!
     
    Jonno Yeo, 17th Mar, 2017
    #13
  14. WestOz

    WestOz Well-Known Member

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    They must be little tackers atm, when a few years old they love having baths, especially together with toys & bubbles, and find it real funny when mum/dad carry on about water all over the floor etc.

    Whilst I only do it a few times a year I also like relaxing in one whilst watching a movie on laptop.
    Find it odd the corner square spa tub with overhead shower isn't common
     
    WestOz, 18th Mar, 2017
    #14
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