There are lots of good reasons to want to ditch your bath. Firstly, with energy prices the way they are, it’s appealing to need less hot water to stay clean and preserve your personal hygiene on a daily basis.  Second, there’s the issue of space.  For most of us, space is at a premium in our home, and the temptation to make our bathroom look or feel bigger by getting shot of the tub can be overwhelming.

The “should we ditch the bath?” dilemma is something most of us face when we’re considering a new bathroom, and that’s why we’ve put pen to paper to share our thoughts on the subject.

Is yours a one-, or two-bathroom household?

If you are fortunate enough to have more than one bathroom in your property, then possibly having a bath in one, and a walk-in shower in another can satisfy everyone’s requirements and give you the best of both worlds. However, where there is only space for one bathroom, great care should be taken as to whether you choose to remove your bath or not.

This, of course doesn’t take into account situations where someone in your home has issues with mobility.  For people who struggle to access their bath or have safety concerns about getting in and out of the bath, a walk-in shower, would be advisable.

The wet room appeal

Why are we so drawn to shower rooms?  Perhaps we’re drawn into the idea because of the ads we see for luxury apartments that come with a wet room rather than a bathroom? Maybe that’s what’s caused wet rooms and walk-in showers to become so popular, in particular amongst young professionals and couples without children?  Who knows?

However, if you live in a house that has a smallish bathroom and you’re tempted to ditch your bath and convert your bathroom into a wet room or invest in a walk-in shower only, our advice would be this – think carefully before you go this route.

Why?  Because…

Parents with kids expect a bath

What we’re finding now as we discuss baths vs showers with customers is that most people with a young family want a bath, ourselves included. And of course, for those individuals who sincerely enjoy soaking into a bath at the end of the day, even a fancy shower won’t cut it.

With that in mind, while you mightn’t even be thinking about selling your house at the moment, if your home is likely to appeal to couples with young children, it’s worth bearing mind that they’ll expect a bath.  Parents of babies and young children need a bath.  It’s where they’ll find themselves most evenings, either before or after feeding time.  It’s where lots of photos are taken, toys are played with, and special moments are created.  It’s also a place where young, toddler siblings happily share a space and splash each other.  That’s why keeping a bath if you can, is a good idea.

There are few things more relaxing than a bath

Even trendy, young, single professionals enjoy a bath from time to time.  How many Instagram images have you seen of bath bombs and beautiful bath settings – even from young, single influencers?  Yes, there’s a lot to be said for a relaxing bath after a busy day or week, which is another good reason to keep the bath.

So, the conclusion to this question is very much decided on a case-by-case, or customer-by-customer basis.  No matter how much research you do, you’ll discover that removing a bath from the household may not necessarily decrease the value of your property but could potentially (and in some cases severely) decrease its desirability.

Our closing thoughts are that if you have no plans to sell your property in the near future then you most likely won’t need to give much consideration to a prospective future buyer. But if you feel that a move may be on the horizon, in most instances, it would be advisable to make your bathroom as one-and-all friendly as possible.

This one’s a bit like the question “how much chocolate is too much chocolate?” ….. there’s no right answer! If you’re debating ditching your bath and opting for a shower only, why not reach out and let’s explore your options together?  You might be surprised at what you can squeeze into a small space with the right planning 😉