Bath VS No Bath

Hi All,

Just wanting some feedback on how important bath tubs are in your family. Were currently renovating our place and the bathroom is small...it holds a shower, bath and small vanity. Problem is the toilet is on the other side of the house, in the laundry right next to the kitchen so I really want to re-locate it to the bathroom. In order to fit the toilet in the bathroom something has to give...and to me thats the bath. Our kids are currently 4 and 2 and I prefer to shower them (quicker, easier and less fuss) but hubby feels its important for them to have a bath every now and again. So my option is I either ditch the bath or have a shower over bath, which im not really liking. If I didnt re-locate the toilet everything wld fit perfectlty but I think this is more important than having a bath or not. So, what do you think? Would a house with no bath be a deal breaker for you? I'm also thinking in terms of re-sale value later on. What age do kids stop using baths? I understand adults love baths too, I love soaking in one every now and again but in order to get the toilet where I want im willing to sacrafice it. So what would you do and how important are tubs to you?

Thanks!!

Bath for sure. We paid to have one put into our small bathroom. I feel that it's important for young children to have a good soak, a shower just doesn't give a good thorough clean. Definitely a deal breaker.

What size is your bathroom? How about a bath with a shower? Our bathroom is tiny (1.5 x 3.6) and when we renovated we combined shower bath & added in the toilet. I like the bath but if you plan on no more babies & they enjoy the shower then encourage that.

I wouldn't buy a house with no bath.
Can you extend the bathroom?
I actually prefer to have the loo outside the main bathroom. Is it possible to put the loo beside the bathroom?

Definitely depends on whether your house would appeal to a family, if you were to sell.
I wouldn't buy a house without a bath tub.

Baths are important to me for DS. But, there is always going to be something people dont like. The right buyer will eventually come along.

For purely resale value, go with a bath. Majority of families want a bath and I love mine!

You can get small half size baths these days or ones that go in the corner.That might fit better with toilet in there as well. If the bathroom is really small I'd go shower over bath just so you have a bath in there. Although some people really hate them and they are a bugger to clean I think that would be better than nothing.

I wouldnt buy a house without a bath either.

Very important to me!

I love having a bath and dd has a bath. We use it everyday.

I agree with zazou about taking the toilet out of the bathroom and having that separate if at all possible.

Bath. Keep toilet seperate.

I'm another one for having a bath and keeping the toilet separate.

Another for a bath and separate loo. We wouldn't buy a house without a bath (unless we were knocking it down).

I could live without a bath. The layout of the toilet obviously bothers you so probably would someone else too - so relocating could have a positive impact on resale too. All depends how long you are planning to live in it - unless a very short amount of time - I would be tempted to do what suits you - often people like to redo stuff anyway so could put a bath back in if they wanted. I know depending on the layout of the house if the toilet was a long way away from all the bedrooms and through the kitchen that would bother me - fine for a second toilet but if there is only one I would opt for it near the bedrooms even if that meant losing the bath.

I would definitely want a bath - shower over the bath is better than no bath.

BUT, I would also want toilet as close as possible to the bedrooms. I pee a lot during the night. Having a toilet a long way from the bedrooms is as big a dealbreaker for me as no bath.

So yes, I'd probably compromise and move toilet into bathroom (presuming it's closer to the bedrooms than the laundry) and have shower over bath.

Alternatively, turn current bathroom into ensuite (presuming it's next to a bedroom) and turn laundry into family bathroom with european laundry somewhere else ie.washing machine/dryer in a cupboard with no laundry trough and no benchspace.

It all depends on where the toilet is compared to everything else. It doesn't matter if its separate to the bathroom if its still handy to get to most of the time. Personally I prefer toilet separate. But of you have to walk a kilometer to pee in the middle of the night, having it in the bathroom might make more sense. But to me having a bath is pretty high priority. Can you rejig the design somehow? Consider space savers like corner bath & shower, or go for a basin with a smaller footprint.

Or, depending on where the rooms are, you could swap them. It means redoing both rooms but a really well designed laundry is a real selling point.

Alternatively, could you convert the existing toilet/laundry somehow to be more like an ensure, with a shower and basin, which would then allow you to put in a decent sized bath with a shower over the top in the main bathroom.

thanks everyone for the feedback...seems like most of you opted to keep the bath :/ The initial plan was to try to turn the linen closet (which is right next to the bathroom) into a seperate toilet but plumber man thinks its too small along with the fact were on a slab the ideal spot for the toilet wld be against the outside wall which means we have to have it in the bathroom. The other idea is to eat into our main bedroom slightly to gain more space in the bathroom to fit it all in...but im not sure about cost on that.. This is our forever house though so I want to get it right..

Has anyone got a shower over bath? They look like they wld be awkward to bath kids in...and im imagining they wldnt be too easy to step in and out from as they wld have to be quite deep...im not sold on this idea but i see ppl do see bath tubs as being an important part of the bathroom so its something I may need to look into to keep the bath :/

Toilet is at the back of the house..the main bathroom is at the front however the house is not big so no big deal walking to it...its more the fact that its right next to the kitchen that bugs me. I did think of swapping (turning the laundry into a main bathroom and turning the bathroom into the laundry) but id have the same problem cause the laundry isnt big!! and the issie of having the toilet next to the kitchen is still there. bugger bugger bugger!!

I have a shower over a bath. Had one in the last 4 houses I've lived in, 2 rented and 2 owned. They work fine, and it's like getting out the bath to get out the shower. You just step out.

I'd rather have a shower over a bath than no bath. Although I would consider having just a shower in the ensuite and just a bath in the bathroom, along with basin and loo. And keep the seperate loo too: always nice not to be interrupted when you're bathing.

LMAO at "European Laundry" - my "laundry room" is... well... isn't. I have a washer/drying in the kitchen. It doesn't need its' own room! Posh houses have seperate washers and dryers, and they're in the utility room.

We have a shower over bath in our main bathroom (also have a small ensuite) and the shower over bath is a PITA and very rarely gets used. We have actually been looking at doing a reno to get them separate this is however sounding $$$$$ but would never dream of not having a bath i think every house needs a bath and would never buy without.

A friend of mine had a shower that you could bath kids in. Not a bath as such but a largish square shower with a deep base - about 4 or 5 inches deep and a plug hole as opposed to a normal drain. Could be an option?

Personally, I would a want a bath with kids & I think taking it out altogether would reduce your market for resale. I've had showers over the bath before & had no issues. I can't see that it would any more or less difficult to bathe kids in than a separate bath.

Could you incorporate the linen closet into the bathroom and make it a shower space? It's probably a bit small I guess?

I used to have a shower over the bath, with a half glass screen that folded back so that when you were in the bath you didn't get overheated or feel claustrophobic.

I would never buy a house without a bath. You don't want to know how much my current ensuite bath cost and the main bathroom has a double bath too. Baths are VERY important in this house ;-)

Like others have said, I wouldn't have an open toilet in the bathroom either.

I'd keep the toilet near the kitchen 'and' put one in the bathroom, then have a shower over bath. That way, a toilet is free if someone is using the bathroom, and there is a toilet close at night for the kids if they needed, it's really no harder to clean a shower-bath than it is to clean just a shower.
I would hate to have visitors over doing number two's in my bathroom, *giggle :)

I had a shower over a bath in my old house and loved it. I could put the plug in and have the kids in the bath while I had a shower, the shower filled the bath. I also agree with Murraycod, have a toilet in the bathroom and keep the existing one, if this is your forever house you'll need more than one toilet as your kids grow up.

For resale value a bath would be better but if you're planning on living in your house for a long time and don't want one, don't put one in. You can always revamp the bathroom if you ever do sell the house in the future.

we bought a house without a bath, and did a later reno to put one in. The previous owners had had one earlier and removed it at some point, as their kids got older. The realestate agent said that not having a bath was a downfall for some potential buyers.

I grew up with a shower over bath, and really like them. I actually wanted to put in an extra showerhead over our bath but was outvoted. You can bath and then turn the shower on to rinse your hair in clean water, or shower off the grot and then put the plug in and relax for awhile, or have kids bathing while you shower in the other end.

When we put our bath in, we extended the bathroom by stealing space from a bedroom, and this room is now a study.

A toilet in the bathroom is a real pain. Nothing worse than someone really wanting to go to the loo and someone is in the shower, one wants to go and the other wants to stay.

As your children get older the time in the bathroom gets longer so the toilet issue then becomes a big issue.

I grew up with an outside toilet. Then when they put in flush toilets they put one closer to the house but still outside and the other in the laundry.

I would never buy a house with the toilet in the bathroom but would buy one if the shower was over the bath with a fold back door.

We have the granschildren here and the bath is so handy whether for a full bath or a quick rinse.

We have just renovated our little bathroom (2.4x1.7m) in order to add a bath. We had no choice but to put the shower over the bath - there are particular baths which are designed for this purpose, which are squarer and wider at the shower end, and it is working beautifully for us. The bi-fold shower screen makes it almost as easy to clean as a separate bath and shower.

We expected that adding a bath would make the room look and feel even smaller, but weirdly, it doesn't, and we think this is because we chose a vanity with a smaller footprint. It is wider, but not as deep, and has the basin protruding forward a bit (itms.) A mirror cabinet gives extra storage space, too. We love it now!

Having the only toilet in the house in the bathroom would be a dealbreaker for me - I hate it!

Re toilet next to kitchen - I'm thinking the issue here is with odour? If you wite a good exhaust fan in to the toilet, either done so it comes on when the light does or with a motion sensor, that can help stop the toilet from intruding past the door. Likewise, a better quality door can help with ..ah... noises.

Since it sounds like you're open to other options provided they give you a good result, would a small extension on the back/side of house give you a bit more wriggle room?

When we recently did our bathroom (toilet is in bathroom and is only one - shock horror :-) - but if you have a two bed flat that is pretty normal) - we went and looked at some open for inspections of similar size properties for ideas which was useful because the best thing depends on the size and type of property - is all very well people saying toilet in bathroom is no go but it really depends on size and location of property as to what people expect. Also if is your forever house do what suits you and adapt for sale later, fashions change so can do what best suits time (eg in our size type property fashion is open plan to make bathroom look spacious but we chose to keep the shower screening wall for cost and privacy - because that suits us if were selling in near future would do different)

DH never been in our bath, me may e three times in four years, and kids get used to whatever.

I'm not a bath person and I think kids can cope - they can have a bath in a baby style one in the shower recess when they are little and I think kids having showers is great for them learning to put their head under water.

It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Having a shower over the bath is more likely to be a deal breaker. It would really bug me having to step in and out of a bath every day. I've lived in places like that and I hated it.

I definitely would want a bath, and it would be a deal breaker for me. I've had a shower over bath before and really liked it, especially for small bathrooms as you can have everything and its such as space saver!

I wouldn't buy a house without a bath. Or with a toilet in the same room. Ick. You cleanse in the bathroom, and toilets aren't a place of cleaning, if you get what I mean.

Plus, it's just annoying. Especially when you have teenagers hogging the bathroom with half hour showers and you're busting!

I have no problem with a toilet in the bathroom, I grew up in homes like that, so it has always seemed normal to me and I actually find it practical. I do think a second toilet is almost a must these days and with it's own hand basin, nothing worse than tracking through the house to wash your hands.

I hate the toilet being off the laundry. Seems odd going into a lovely house, only to have to go through the laundry past the dirty undies to go to the toilet. Plus, there is always the dilemma of wash hands in the laundry sink (if there is soap and a towel) or traipse through the house looking for the bathroom.

Have no problem with a shower over the bath. I prefer it actually. One less thing to clean and really practical to share a shower/bath with the kids.

To me a bath is neither here nor there. Did up our last house, it was small and only 2 bedrooms, so was more suited to large shower than a tiny bath. I think whatever is done needs to suit the house itself and the potential buyers.

Personally, I *have* to have a bath. After having a couple of rentals without one, it was one of my only "must have"s when we were looking to purchase.

I literally didn't go an inspect ANY homes without a bath (as we didn't want to buy a place and then have to reno it to get one in ... much easier just to find and buy a place that already had one, IYKWIM).

Toilet away from the bathroom would be a bit annoying (I like it when they're side by side) but I'd sacrifice the convenience for the bath any day of the week.

I grew up in a house with a shower over the bath, and thought it was weird that some other houses had separate showers. Actually, until I was about eight I didn't realise you could even HAVE separate showers/baths :rofl: It was only when my uncle redid his bathroom that I saw one for the first time, I was fascinated!

So yes, it's definitely "do-able" ;)

ETA: Forgot to add, I never lived in a house with the toilet in the bathroom until I was 23, and even then it was in an ensuite. If you don't count ensuites as bathrooms, then I've never had a toilet in the bathroom at all. I prefer detached toilets anyway. Bathrooms are for getting clean, why would you have a dirty smelly toilet in there?!

I have a bath with shower, as someone else mentioned our bath is a little wider and it's great. I think it helps we have good water pressure. I bathe the children every night with no problem. Sometimes I'll be having a shower & they can come in and sit in the bath with me and I put the plug in and fill it up. They think this is fun!

Hmmm...you have all given me a lot of food for thought!! :wall: I personally don't love the idea of the toilet in the bathroom...but it was my only other option when plumber man said it wld be extremely costly to try to put the toilet in the linen cupboard...how expensive i dont know but I might pursue this with him to see just what were talking. Having just the one toilet in the laundry bugs me, firstly cause its right next to the kitchen...and secondly cause of the fact that guests will have to go thru my messy laundry to get to the toilet..and then im sure they will just use the laundry sink to wash their hands. I'd much rather have the toilet next to the main bathroom but on its own. If I can manage this then I can have the bath, shower and vanity in the main. It would probably mean id have to have a slider door instead of a normal door but id be willing to do that if it meant i cld get a bigger vanity. I did think if I re-located my toilet that I wld get rid of my toilet in the laundry and extend my laundry but from what everyones saying its probably a plus having a second toilet. Gah...ok will see what plumber man says..fingers crossed its not too costly...I think in the long run that wld give me a better selling point than no bath at all....thanks all...will keep u posted on the outcome...if their is one!!

Have you considered a bi-fold door, rather than sliding? Can work quite well.

Can you put the shower in the linen cupboard?

It might be worth looking at the toilets that have a basin above them, if you keep a toilet separate. The basin is built into the top of the cistern, so the 'flush' button makes the toilet flush (of course) and the refilling of the cistern is done via the spigot where you wash your hands. When the handwashing water goes down the plughole it refills the cistern, if you know what I mean. It's very space-efficient - takes no more room than a normal loo, and it means that not only do people not have to search for a basin, but the handwashing water gets reused (very green) and the fact that flushing gives you washing water encourages those who might otherwise not bother to wash their hands.