Without a bath, you'll be limiting your market when you come to sell your property. Regardless of the value of your home, if your property is ideal for families but it doesn't have a bath, it will almost certainly take longer to sell. And the longer your property is on the market, the less it will often sell for.
Resale considerations
Foregoing that bathtub and installing a shower could be the right decision if you're planning to stay in your home for 10 or more years (or age in place) or if you're willing to market your home to a smaller pool of potential buyers when it comes time to sell.
Ideally, you should have at least one bath (in the main bathroom) and change to a bathroom with shower in an ensuite. Even if you don't use the bath often, it is well worth keeping one to maximise the return potential on your house value when it comes to selling your home.
The trend toward fewer bathtubs in new homes and renovations is partly driven by practicality. Andrew Hancock, President of Gilman Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, explains, “Bathtubs aren't disappearing entirely from American homes, but they are evolving into a luxury feature rather than a standard one.”
A: Including at least one bath in your home is crucial for the sake of resale, simply because if you don't you will nearly always deter young families who require their new home include a bath for the kids.
Although not as popular among adults, bathtubs are still the most effective way to bathe young kids and pets. For young families, a bathtub is practically a necessity. Most children younger than 8 have a difficult time using a shower. In addition, baths are much more efficient when cleaning up multiple kids at once.
According to a recent survey, only 23 percent of homeowners actually use their bathtubs on a regular basis. This means that the vast majority of bathrooms have tubs that just take up space. If you aren't using your bathtub, you can have it removed and give yourself a bigger and more comfortable bathroom.
Real estate professionals typically suggest that homeowners have at least one bathtub in the home for the highest resale value: a recent study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) found that over 50 percent of home buyers prefer a master bath with a bathtub and a shower as opposed to just a shower stall.
Many younger homeowners are opting for shower-only bathrooms, valuing the time and space savings over the option to soak in a tub. Additionally, the trend toward smaller, more urban homes with limited bathroom space means that showers often win out.
If so, it might be worth considering adding a full bath or a shower during your bathroom renovation. According to recent data, homes with at least one tub tend to sell for more money than those with showers – and the difference can be quite pronounced in some parts of the country.
Today, even if you bathe alone, you won't get as clean as you would with a good shower. On the other hand, the tub is a more reliable site for stress and pain reduction. Perhaps this last note explains the results of QS Supplies' latest study, in which we found that the world overwhelmingly prefers baths to showers.
A powder room is typically a half bathroom (sans shower and bath) and located on the first level – a perfect spot to duck into before you leave the home, or if guests need to the visit the bathroom.
In larger properties with multiple bathrooms, the absence of a tub in just one of the rooms might not be as detrimental. But if you just have the one bathroom, which is the norm for many homes, removing the only bathtub could significantly diminish the home's appeal to certain buyers.
A half bath is a selling point, adding about $8,000 to $10,000 to the overall value of your home. Removing it can decrease your home's value—particularly if you have too few bathrooms for the number of bedrooms. That said, it may not make much difference if the number of bathrooms isn't a problem.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Many doctors say a daily shower is fine for most people. (More than that could start to cause skin problems.) But for many people, two to three times a week is enough and may be even better to maintain good health.
“There absolutely has to be at least one bathtub in any condo or home. When you sell, you're also selling a lifestyle and having no tub will hinder a sale to most buyers,” she says. Research backs up the anecdotal evidence.
There is no code that requires a bathtub in a residential home.
Replacing a bathtub with a shower can potentially devalue your house, especially if it is your only bathtub and most comparable homes have them. But a luxurious or spacious shower or a bathroom designed for families with young children can lessen the impact.
Increasingly, homeowners are getting rid of their tubs for lavish, high-end showers. Small spaces and homes owned by millennials and kid-free adults are particularly more apt to agree with the bathtub becoming obsolete. They simply ditch the tub.
Resale Value
In a one-bedroom apartment with limited space, a lack of a bathtub is unlikely to put off prospective buyers. However, having at least one bathtub can be an advantage if you have a multi-bathroom home or you want to appeal to first-time homebuyers who are planning a family.
Homeowners are using bathtubs less and wanting a fresh look and style when remodeling. They feel these showers are convenient and provide additional safety. “I think it's easier just to jump in the shower real quick and jump out,” Fielden said.
Generally, she says "you should be showering, bathing or cleansing yourself every two to three days." Though, if you're working out or engaging in an activity where you are sweating a lot, you may have to shower more often.
You'll smell bad
This is certainly a key point for anyone with friends: if you stop washing, it's pretty likely that you'll start to smell bad. Even if you don't sweat excessively, strong body odor will doubtlessly develop and your refusal to shower will prevent you from eliminating it.
"Approximately two-thirds of Americans shower daily. In Australia it's over 80%. But in China, about half of people report bathing only twice a week," according to Harvard Health Publishing. "The daily shower is more about habit and societal norms than health.