So, Whereâs the Tub? A Close Look at the Dumbest Bathroom Trend to Date
So, Whereâs the Tub? A Close Look at the Dumbest Bathroom Trend to Date
Tune in to HGTV these days, and itâs more than likely youâll spot some flipping duo ripping out a homeâs humble bathtub to make space for a large, luxurious shower.
This got me wondering: Why?
Sometimes, these flippers go so far as to remove the only tub in the house, all for the sake of a spacious shower. I was truly baffled. For starters, what about the hordes of homebuyers with young kids? You canât very well bathe a baby in a shower.
And while most adults might shower more often than they bathe, I, for one, enjoy sinking into a tub on occasion. And Iâm hardly alone. A recent survey by Bath Fitter found that around half of Americans take a bath at least once a week, and that 54% would bathe more often if they had the time.
Because letâs admit it, a long soak is a beautiful thing. Why remove that possibility from your house?
Apparently, flippers have their reasons.
Photo by Devine Bath & KitchenÂ
Why banishing the tub from the bathroom is a big trend
I get it from an aesthetic point of view: Thereâs nothing glamorous about a workaday tub with a ho-hum curtain pulled across itâor worse, a shower door with dated, opaque glass that rattles on the track.
âA walk-in shower turns a bathroom from an eyesore room into one thatâs more aesthetically pleasing,â says Kara Harms, a design blogger at Whimsy Soul. That luxe spa feeling you get when youâre at a fancy hotel is exactly the vibe that folks want every day, especially after a years-long COVID-19 pandemic and other grave uncertainties in the world.
For flippers, the drive to remove tubs is all about the money, honey.
âFlippers know that a large, well-designed shower is more of a selling point than a master tub with a small shower or a shower-tub combo,â explains Briana Ellis Hoag, owner of Ritual Architecture.
âBathroom remodels usually have the highest return on investment in a home, and a big shower can help your homeâs resale value,â adds Carolyn Gagnon, a real estate agent with Compass in New York City.
And while families might be turned off by no tub, thatâs OK, since many flippers are more interested in attracting buyers who are either younger (who donât need a tub) or older (who donât really need a tub either) and wealthier to boot.
âPeople who are remodeling homes, though specifically flippers, are keen to remove tubs because of how they perceive their target buyer,â says Hoag.
But itâs not just the moneyed set that expects to see the âshower onlyâ amenity.
âThereâs also a good portion of homebuyers in the midrange market that donât utilize tubs, especially in the master bathroom,â continues Hoag. âTheyâd rather have that space for a large shower thatâs used on a daily basis.â
Photo by Harth BuildersÂ
Another perk to showers? Theyâre better for older folks.
âWalk-in showers are rising in popularity because theyâre more accessibleâa tub means you have to step in and out, which not everyone can do easily,â notes Harms.
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Weâre aging as a nation, with the number of folks aged 65 and older slated to more than double in the next 40 years, reaching 80 million in 2040. Whatâs more, many are choosing to age in place in homes that they then must retrofit to meet their needs. Swapping a shower for a tub fits perfectly into this trend.
Photo by Bender Homes LLCÂ
But hereâs why banishing the tub may be a bad idea
Yet many architects and real estate agents alike urge homeowners to keep at least one tub somewhere in the home for practicalityâs sake.
âWe always suggest keeping at least one tub in the house since itâs great for kids, grandkids, and pets and also for resale,â says Pamela OâBrien, principal designer at Pamela Hope Designs.
âI donât think itâs wise to remove all the tubs from the bathrooms of the house, as there are many families entering the market with young children who will need a standard bathtub,â adds Hoag.
For homeowners who are determined to have their shower, there is a workaround.
âYou can buy a shower tub for kids that goes on the bottom of the shower floor,â says Harms. That way, âthereâs no need to build an entire room around bathing a child.â
Plastic tub inserts like the one pictured above ($24, Amazon) certainly do fix the problem. Still, this problem wouldnât exist in the first place if you had just kept your tub.
Photo by PARKinteriordesignÂ
If youâre willing to hold on to a shower-tub combo you own, there are other bells and whistles to consider in a bathroom remodel that could earn you back some money.
âNewer, high-end amenities like radiant flooring, vanity mirrors, better lighting, tiling, faucets, and countertops are just a few examples of additions that could bring more to your wallet,â says Gagnon.
I, for one, will never trade my tub, and chalk this up to a rage that, like so many others, will one day have multitudes shaking their heads and clucking, âRemove the tub! What were they thinking?â
As all trends tend to do, this one will eventually disappear down the drain of home design fads where, in my mind, it belongs.