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Tub vs. Shower

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Tub or Shower?

Today on Inman News Illyce Glink had a very entertaining column .... bath or shower...It started out I believe with a question from older people who wanted to take out a bath tub in their home and replace it with a shower. Would this ruin the value of the home? Should they crawl over a tub each day to preserve that value or have a convenient walk in shower installed? A question about value of real estate, of the value of bathroom fixtures turned into a question of bath vs. shower?

You gotta love the letter from a Texas appraiser with the sentences: "Baths are fine as a method of getting cleaner than before, but you are seated in water that is polluted by skin flakes, dirt, deodorant, makeup and whatever. After stepping out of the bath and toweling off, some pollutants remain all over your body."

Ick...all over your body?

and

"Showers pound the body with clean water that immediately runs off down the drain carrying what ever can be loosened. Thus, after toweling off you are cleaner."

OK!

Trulia.com (a national search site) put out a trend report this week. The average home listed in Columbus (just on their site I believe) had 2.9 bedrooms and 1.8 baths. That's averaging! I like Trulia.com but their 2.9 bedrooms and 1.8 baths tickles me.

Our Central Ohio multiple listing service (agent to agent information re: property, that becomes the ads (listings) consumers read on the internet search sites..(MaureenMcCabe.com, HERRealLiving.com, Trulia.com, Realtor.com etc where you see homes) the bath count goes, 1 bath, 1 1/2 bath, 2 baths, 2 1/2 baths, 3 baths.... we don't have .75 baths as some markets do and no .8 bathrooms..

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Posted by Maureen McCabe Central OH Homes on 01/11/2007 06:32 PM

Comments (36)

Bathrooms in the Home Improvement Channel

truliacom, bathrooms, inman news

Originally posted at: Columbus Ohio real estate : Tub vs. Shower

This post has been included in Ohio Information Franklin County, OH Information Columbus, OH Information

36 Comments on Tub vs. Shower

JAN

2007

Maureen - hmmmm......interesting question - I would say it's probably okay to take out the tub and replace with walk-in shower as long as there's another bathroom that has a tub. I say that strictly for resale purposes, based on my own market.

I've never heard of a .8 bathroom - what is that? We list our baths like your MLS does - 1, 1 1/2, 2, etc.

Ann

Well,

our MLS has a very different concept of bathrooms: 1, 1.1, 2, 2.2, 3, 3.1 or 3.2, 4.1 or 4.2 or 4.3

The number after the decimal point is a half bath...defined as a sink and toilet.

So, if I show a home with 2.2 baths...means 2 full baths and 2 half baths.

Eights and quarters? Nope.

It's like saying the average family has 1.9 kids. Can you really only have .9 of a kid? No, they're just averaging all the numbers.

Are you saying above that their currently is no shower head like as in a combination tub and shower? Is it strictly just a tub? If it's only a tub, heck yeah switch it to a shower. If it's a combo, I'm not sure the value would change to make it a standup shower only.

lol @ Eileen, I love the decimal points. I am a firm believer in showers, always have been but......if you take out all the bathtubs, what will parents do to bathe their little ones. So keep one in

Eileen, the Dallas MLS is the same way. I'm about to list a house with 5.2 baths; 5 full baths and 2 half baths.

I missed that you had crossed 100K!!! Yippee!!! I have been kind of AWOL this week, so it slipped by. Congratulations.

I had a listing with 3 baths - one on each floor - but no tubs. The sellers had had the condo built and since they didn't care for baths, they had only showers put in. During open houses, people didn't notice it at first, but then the light bulb went on and they would say, "there's no tub". Showing feedback came back with the same comment. Even if no one ever takes a bath, they still want a tub ... just in case.

JAN

2007

We have .25, .5, .75 and full baths. The quarter bath is usually a toilet in an old house basement with no walls around it. The half bath is a sink and stool. The 3/4 is a sink, stool, and shower. Only a sink, stool and bathtub qualifies as a full bath whether there's a shower in the tub or not. I wonder, too, about the conversion to a shower. In our market, full baths are more viewed as more valuable but I'd love to read stats on how many people shower vs. tub bathing!

Ann: The Trulia Trend report took averaging seriously, they studied 15 markets. I think with more people aging ... the baby boomers we will all see bathrooms that are converted to shower only, convert back or price it for the whole market (people with kids, people who don't mind being "seated in water that is polluted by skin flakes, dirt, deodorant, makeup and whatever.")

Eileen: The 1.1 has to do with being set up for statistics, not how people talk about baths traditionally.

Carole: Elderly people, disabled people should risk climbing over a tub every day so that when they resell if the buyer has kids... I think Glink's point (this is a two part series) is going to be, yes it affects value,. convert it b4 putting it on the market, or price it for not having a bath...

John: I like reading her column but it is usually pretty dry... I got a kick out of today,

Maureen: It was very quiet. Eddy M noticed right away but that was it. I posted a bunch of stuff I had in drafts yesterday to get over the mark. What no opinion about a house must have a bath tub! Or about sitting in water with skin flakes, deoderent, makeup etc. It must have been a woman appraiser... the makeup... I thought of it as a male when I read it.

Donna: I think the premise was a bath tub would have a shower head... in fact the Texas appraiser went on to talk about that but I thought he got confusing and I wanted to stay focuses on what was in the water...."skin flakes, dirt, deodorant, makeup and whatever...." Stepping over the tub for some disabled people or elderly people is difficult.. the woman who wrote the column wanted to know about value... It is the 1.9 kids kind of averaging... statistician, not real world...

Elaine: They should have done one bath... for resale, of course. Did it effect the price they got? Time to find a buyer of similar mind?

Bonnie: I take a bath every year or so... so sore muscles or something but I think houses should have one bath but what if it is a little one story with one full bath? Yeah it makes it hard to resell but it is safer day in and day out for an elderly person to get showered. Resale "Even if no one ever takes a bath, they still want a tub ... just in case." People with kids definitely want one.

I agree they should have put in at least ONE tub, but they dealt directly with the builder and didn't bring me into the loop until I listed their previous home. Yes, it did affect the sale ... it expired after being on the market for 9 months! They took it off the market for the winter as they don't "really need to sell". The sad part is the home has tons of upgrades and the showers are all huge with upgrades, but the only tub is a laundry tub. Not quite the same thing unless you want to give a dog a bath.

The Murph gets his bath in my soaking tub - that's the only time it gets used. He's too l-o-n-g to fit in the kitchen sink. ;-)

Thanks for the comment(s) Elaine... I am more comfortable with bath vs. shower than other debates.

Maureen - CONGRATS on crossing the 100,000 mark!!!

Ann

Thanks Ann. I sclipped across the line while no one was watching this week by blogging, I had a bunch of drafts saved.... I have more points from inviting than from blogging though.

Tony Marriot is taking bets on who of about 6 will cross the line next... I think it is 6 men on his list.. Tony, Brian Brady, my hero for local blogging Lawrence Yerkes, Jim Lee... I can't think of whom else is on that list.

This could be the answer. A tub when you need it and a walk in shower. This works for handicapped accessibility. You have both.

www.HomeRome.com

Baltimore,Md.

JAN

2007

Thanks Margaret I have seen them advertised... but never seen one in person.

Maureen, Congratulations on the 100K mark. I have more points from inviting than from blogging though. Fabulous that you have more points by invitation. We know how much effort it takes to get someone to join. Just read my last post:Is a NEW member like a NEW listing?

www.HomeRome.com

Baltimore,Md

Thanks Margaret I have read it. I have meant to ask you to add it to the Active Rain 'Welcome Group.'

http://activerain.com/groups/Welcome

Inviting, welcoming and encouraging are so important to a network like Active Rain IMHO.

Maureen, I have just added it to the Welcome group. This is the first group that I have joined. Thanks for the encouragement!

www.HomeRome.com

Baltimore,Md.

JAN

2007

OK, I might be in the minority here but I LOVE baths. Who says we need to be that clean anyway? ;)

The English love their baths and it is quite common to have a bath and no shower in a home (or only one of those handheld shower thingamagiggies). When I first moved there I HATED having to take baths only. My first house had an electric shower and it more like spat out water at me the pressure was so bad. I was terrified I'd get electrocuted.

BY the time I left 5 years later I was a bath loving convert. My husband and I took a bath together almost every evening. Now all four of us bathe together. Jolly good fun!

"Jolly good fun! "... this is a PG blog entry Jessica... ;-)

Ilyce had the tubophiles (those who love a bath) in her column this week and I wanted to do something with those but I think I missed my opportunity for quotes... since it wasin Inman. Older women who have their hair done at the salon are proponents of baths... people who have always bathed seem to want to keep a tub even if it is hard for them to get in and out.

Reading the seriees in the column was fun. I guess I thought in the second column where all the shower power people responded that the house in question was going to become tubless. I had read the first column in the series but did not have strong feelings... I thought of it as they should remodel their home however they are comfortable with it and not worry now about resale if they are in a position to afford the modification that fits their need. The second in the series with the strong advocacy for showering tickled me.

FEB

2007

I am a bath woman from way back. Love the bath. Would never buy a home without a tub, unless it had other redeeming qualities that could not be resisted.

APR

2007

Maureen, I am still trying to figure out the .8 bath. hmmm

. 25 would be a sink wouldn't it? Maybe .8 is a sink with a drain but not running water? Or an old fashioned wash basin? The pitcher and the bowl? Bonnie Erickson has run into bathrooms without a sink (tub and toilet only) a couple of times lately.

JUL

2007

So for the states with no 3/4 bath classification, if I have a house with a guest bath which includes a double vanity sink, toilet and large 4X6 walk-in shower...you call this a half bath?

Mark, in my area, what you described would be a FULL bath because there is a shower. Showers and Tub are the same thing as you can get clean either way, so it's a full.

Nope. re: Mark's "So for the states with no 3/4 bath classification, if I have a house with a guest bath which includes a double vanity sink, toilet and large 4X6 walk-in shower...you call this a half bath?" In my area what you'd describe is a full bath in mls too,

a half bath is a toilet and a sink in my market and I am sure most. I don't think "states" determine how baths are counted... I think it is more local than that but I could be wrong.

FEB

2008

My husband and I have been wondering if we should eliminate our bath tub and just have a shower? Our bath room is very small and we would love to maximize the space by removing the tub and just having a shower. It is very rare that we even use the tub. Not a fan of bathing in my own filth.

After reading the comments on this subject I have been left with the impression that is pretty much up to the individual making the decision. However, you may have to pay the consequences if you decide to sell your house. By that I mean, the no tub feature may not be appealing to buyers.

Question: Did the individuals that had the 3 baths ever sell or even sell below value considering that the home did not have any tubs in it?

JAN

OK people, relax about the decimal point system. .2 doesn't mean 2/10's of a bath. The decimal is being used instead of a slash to abbreviate the feature. You wouldn't think that a 3/2 house is a house and a half would you? It's not 3 divided by 2. It's 3 br and 2 ba.

JAN

Hey CS thanks for the comment but I think Eileen covered your point with "So, if I show a home with 2.2 baths...means 2 full baths and 2 half baths." waaaaay back in January 2007.

MAY

most of these responses have absolutely nothing to do with the post!

Jon... hmmmm Margaret and I got a tad off the topic of baths but the rest all seem to be on the topic of how baths are counted or whether a house needs a bath tub, or whether one loves or hates baths. Sorry if it does not work for you, there's plenty more to read here but thanks for stopping by....

JUN

Name: Email Address: Subject: IP: Message:

Josef Erlebach

josef

Tub versus Shower

98.97.30.70

Hi Maureen,
you have a very interesting blog. Thank you for doing that.
i was just wondering if there are any statistics on the Tub versus shower issue. Thank you
Josef

Above sent via contact form on AR

the links to the results are in the post. Kinda

This post is from January 2007 and it is still fun to see the comments. BTW, if you have just a toilet but no sink, we call it a flush...seen sometimes in basements.

Flush? ooooh I call that unsanitary... I was someplace recently where the owner of the home was there and said the 1/2 bath sink was so small... Never mind it should not be repeated. Probably at a condo downtown at City Hop.

I see people reading this post (or parking on it anyway) all the time.

SEP

I see buyers who think they want a tub in the master, and then when the rest of the house is great, including a tub in one of the additional baths, they jettison the requirement.

It seems that bathrooms without tubs also tend to be very cramped, and that the tub is sometimes less important than having a little bit of elbow room, including separate vanities.

And, there is really no substitute for a good-sized shower. We just removed our tub to enlarge the shower. We like it much better now.

NOV

:-)

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