If you’re stuck between trying to choose between a walk-in shower and a bathtub, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common plumbing-related dilemmas for homeowners when they are constructing a new bathroom or remodeling an old one. There are obvious pros and cons to each choice, but before we get into that, let’s go over some of the important questions you should ask yourself when you’re met with such a situation.
Do You Have a Tub already?
If you already have bathtubs in your home, most realtors would advise you against pulling out all the tubs from your property and replacing them with showers. Especially if there’s only one full bathroom, it is useful to have a combination of both a tub and a shower.
However, if you have more than one bathtub installed already, consider the following:
You could replace the tub in the guest bathroom with a shower to create more space for getting ready and changing clothes.
It’s wiser to keep or even update the tub installed in the master suite as it enhances the resale value of your property. However, if you don’t use the tub at all and it’s your forever home, which you’re not looking to sell, you could very well replace it with a sauna or a luxury shower.
How Much Space Do You Have?
An average bathroom takes up a space of about 40 square feet while a typical tub will take up 15 square feet of it. You don’t want your bathroom to be cramped up. After all, a bathroom is a room in the house that provides relief; it shouldn’t induce stress and a feeling of being uncomfortable. Therefore, a shower is usually the right thing to have in bathrooms with limited space. Walk-in showers will free up space, making your bathroom more spacious and the bathing experience more relaxing.
Who Is Using This Bathroom?
This could be either your household or potential buyers’. Young and busy people favor a walk-in shower over a bathtub. Similarly, the elderly and disabled will find walk-in showers to be more useful because of the ease of getting in and out. However, those families with babies would prefer a bathtub as they’re easier to bathe your little ones in. So, if you’re looking to grow old in your current property, a shower is a must. On the other hand, you should aim to have at least one bathtub if you’re planning to start a family.
What about Energy Efficiency?
Not everyone is concerned about the energy efficiency when it comes to choosing between installing a tub or a shower, but if you are, you should know that the average bathtub will use 30 gallons of water compared to the 20 gallons of average consumption by a shower. Energy efficiency happens to be a priority for homebuyers these days, so installing a shower instead of a tub will not only save you money but also enhance the competitiveness of your property.
What Is Your Budget?
It will cost you about $3000 on average to install a bathtub. A walk-in shower, on the other hand, is almost twice the investment as it costs around $6000 on average. Walk-in showers are trendy and in popular demand these days, so they obviously come with the added advantage of enhancing the resale value of your property. However, if a walk-in shower is beyond your budget and you still need a shower, a standard shower isn’t such a bad option. You can install one for about $3500.
A Few More Things You Should Know
To be able to make the right decision, it is important you’re well informed. Below are some of the things you should know about showers and bathtubs.
Both Come in a Variety of Styles
You will find tubs that may be claw-foot, freestanding (not connected to the wall), whirlpool (have built-in water jets), soaking, and more. The same goes for the showers; you can have showers that come as stalls - with or without curtains or doors, the walk-in category, and more.
Both Come in Multiple Material Choices
A range of materials is used in constructing these bathing options. There are high-end tubs made of enamel-coated cast iron as well as ones made of affordable acrylic. The same goes for a shower; you’ll find showers that are made of anything from fiberglass to natural stone.
Both Offer Therapeutic Water Flow Options
There is a general misconception that only bathtubs afford the option of therapeutic baths. That’s not exactly true as there are therapeutic water flow options in both, bathtubs and showers. While whirlpool bathtubs are known for their massaging blasts of water powered by built-in water jets, showers have their own options such as waterfall or rainfall showerheads that have therapeutic effects of their own.
Baths Are as Clean as Showers
Speaking of misconceptions, there is one that is widely held by the hygiene conscious individuals among us. A lot of them are of the mindset that the baths are somehow unhygienic as the water doesn’t constantly drain as you bathe. However, this is not true.
Hygiene experts claim that baths are as hygienic and clean as the showers can be. Furthermore, the steam in the bathtub helps to open up the pores and cleanse the dirt even better than a shower can.
Showers come in DIY friendly options
Installing a tub or a custom shower is something that is best left to the pros. However, there are shower options that you can install yourself at home. Walk-in shower kits or prefabricated shower stalls are easily available across depot stores. You’ll have components such as the drain, walls, base, and the shower heads that can be put together within a day.
The decision at the end of the day is going to be yours. However, with all the above information, you’re equipped to make the best-informed decision. If you need any further help figuring out the right option for your needs or if you require professional services to construct or remodel your bathrooms, acquire our dedicated plumbing services to take care of all your plumbing needs.