Bathroom remodel- no tub? Resale value?

[miztressuz]

there's two ways to 'hurt' resale value. one is monetary (ie decrease the selling price) and the other time. by not having a tub you have limited the demographics that would consider the house - not that you would never sell it but it might sit on the market longer. i'm sure there are other older people who would consider the large shower a good thing but it might take longer to find them. likewise, those with new families may ask for a dip in the selling pricing knowing that they would be ripping out the shower to put in a tub.

if those risks are acceptable (and it seems like they are), go with the shower if that's easier for the current occupant. i say this all the time to my in-laws, it's your house, your money, use it how you enjoy it and leave it to the next guy to figure out. either they'll like what we did and buy, or they won't and move on. as long as something is functional and not in need of immediate repair, I don't think the hit to resale value will be significant.

as for the double sink, again, as long as it's not taking up needed space (like grandma can't move around with the cane, walker, chair, etc with it there) keep it. it's much easier and cheaper for a new owner to remove the sink and associated plumbing, than for them to add it. with only 1 full bath it will be a selling feature to have a double sink. if you want more counter space just have to make a cover for the other sink (kind of like those burner covers for the stoves) so there is a flat surface to use.

if you're really concerned find someone in the real estate field IN YOUR AREA and ask. you could be in a prime location for seniors to relocate and it'll actually improve your chances of selling with the shower rather than the tub. but each location is different.

 

[miztressuz]

Would a bathroom that does not have a tub still be considered a full bath? If not, that could affect the appraisal value.
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a full bath is a sink, a toilet, and a cleaning area, either a shower or tub or shower/tub combo. 1/2 bath is sink and toilet only.

there is something "3/4 bath" that's popped up lately (last 7 years or so that i'm aware) but it's a ridiculous term, IMO. generally it's been used to describe a bathroom without a tub (shower only). you may see that in real estate ads, however, AFAIK, appraisals are still only using full or half bath distinctions. so even with only a shower, the OP situation would be a 1.5 bath house.

 

[indimom]

IMO, safety first, especially for an elderly individual, living alone. I'd install a shower with a seat.

You can always put a tub back in before the house is sold someday. It doesn't sound like anyone is "depending" on the sale of this house in the near future, so I would see no reason to make a decision based on resale value.

A few hundred dollars in added expense (putting in a shower now and replacing it down the road with a tub) is not worth risking her independence if she is injured getting in and out of the tub.

 

[Sinderelly]

I would do all improvements with her safety and beneft in mind. You can always change it later if need be.

For resale benefit for our purposes. The bathtub abd double sinks are very important and we are two adults. I use the bath tub every night before bed and my husband uses the shower. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Pigeon]

I'd keep the tub and the double sinks if resale is a consideration.

 

[prncess674]

I would quit worrying about who may or may not purchase the home in 5 years time. If one sink is all she needs then just leave the plumbing in place and you can easily have a hole drilled and second sink added if needed for resale.

If Grandma needs a walkin shower, then by all means put one in. When the time comes to sell you can always replace it.

Another thing to consider is how much is the house really worth? Is it in an area that is being gentrified and being inhabited by young families, or is it still targeting an older community? Is it a small house in an area that most people are tearing down older homes in order to put in a McMansion.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

No tub is a deal breaker for me. We are currently renting a home without a tub in the master and I thought it wouldn't bother me, but it does.

Dual sinks keep a happy marriage here. LOL Dh has to shave every day...

 

[PatMcDuck]

We are at that place with my parents. My mom needs a walk-in shower, but they only have the one bathroom in the house. We found that Home Depot sells a door you can have installed so you can walk in and out of your tub. Dad and I think its a great idea, mom is still thinking about it.

I read somewhere you have to be careful with those walkin tubs. they drain slowly or something, and you have to sit there in the dirty water until it is all drained so you can open the door to get out?

I maybe be wrong, but it seemed like it could be an issue.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I agree, removing the tub or one sink would hurt resale. If she needs more counter space just make a cover for one of the sinks.

As far as the tub vs. shower, I would think that one of the low sided tubs with a door might be an option? They are expensive, but still might be less or equal to the cost of doing a shower now, and then a tub later. It might also bring added value to someone older looking to purchase the home.

I would think that if they had a low profile tub with a door, that might be the best? That way your mom who mostly showers could use the door and a younger person who uses the tub could just step out of it they way they normally would. That would avoid any slow draining issues, keep a tub in the bathroom and keep your mom safe?

If you must decided either / or...I would vote for keeping mom safe! If she is still worried about resale, just tell her that her medical bills would be greater than any tub replacement later.

Edit: I guess adding a door to the existing tub would be my choice, since the current tub is probably low and I would think adding the door would cost less?

 

[pixiewings71]

We bought our house without a tub in the master bath, we remodeled after a major fire and our master bath still has no tub. We have a killer shower with 2 shower heads tho. We also have (and purchased the house with) 2 sinks in the master bath. Our hall bath also has a shower. I would keep the dual sinks and simply put in a shower for her, you can always do another remodel when the time to sell comes. You might be surprised at how many adults don't care about a tub, I mean if I had one I'd use it but I don't go to the hall bath for a tub soak, I just shower......

 

[kirstenb1]

I personally would not buy a house that didn't have double sinks in the master bath (or space to remodel for double sinks). My DH and I get ready for work at the same time so we get a lot of use out of ours. I would not care about the bathtub and actually one of the big selling points of the house we bought a few years ago was the walk in shower - no shower curtain to deal with getting stuck to your body or having to constantly clean! But, everyone is different.

In your area, would a bathroom that does not have a tub still be considered a full bath? It may be considered 3/4 bath and that could affect the appraisal value.

Have you seen these?
http://premiercarebathing.com/walk-in-baths/?gclid=CLbC59Hm5q4CFcHJKgodhxOshw

http://www.bathingsolutions.com/rn5-walkin-tubshower.html

I'd love one of these no matter what my age. A can't recall how many times I've banged my toe on the side of the tub getting out of the shower at our old house. But that could be because I'm not a morning person and still slightly asleep when I get into the shower. lol

No double sinks would be a no-go for me too. Matter of fact, when we built our home, both dh and I were working. I not only wanted 2 sinks, but I swapped out the garden tub for a standard tub/shower combo, so the bathroom has 2 sinks and 2 showers. Made getting ready for work easy and peaceful.

 

[disykat]

a full bath is a sink, a toilet, and a cleaning area, either a shower or tub or shower/tub combo. 1/2 bath is sink and toilet only.

there is something "3/4 bath" that's popped up lately (last 7 years or so that i'm aware) but it's a ridiculous term, IMO. generally it's been used to describe a bathroom without a tub (shower only). you may see that in real estate ads, however, AFAIK, appraisals are still only using full or half bath distinctions. so even with only a shower, the OP situation would be a 1.5 bath house.

I'm not sure why you think it's a new term. Maybe in your area? My parents bought what was called a 1 3/4 bath home in the 1960's. I remember asking "what's a 3/4 bath?"

I don't think it's a ridiculous term at all. It's actually quite descriptive. It perfectly described the little baths off the master in homes of that era. However, now with the advent of large, more luxurious showers, it doesn't really do justice to those.

 

[prncess674]

I don't think it will always hurt resale. It may hurt resale if the bathroom had one of those closet sized stand up shower, but you will be removing a full size tub so you can easily build in a nice luxurious full size shower. Maybe build in a bench, have lots of cubbies on the walls and then put in one of those luxury shower heads that has a two heads, one on a detachable sprayer and one affixed to the wall. Not only will the double head be helpful if she were to be disabled and need to shower seated it also enhances the shower experience.

 

[cornflake]

If I were remodeling a house to flip, I wouldn't take out the only tub. If I'm remodeling so my grandma can use her own house? Heck yeah I'd yank the tub.

In general, yeah, no tub may be a thing. However, it's a small thing, and it's so not important when compared to your grandmother's comfort and safety.

So.... I'd say tell her that the new trend is for big double showers with bench seating and they're very desirable (which is totally true, just most people also have a tub in a giant bathroom or have another bathroom with a tub) and show her some magazine pics with big showers so she won't worry about it.

 

[cats mom]

Would you buy a house that didn't have an actual bath tub? Ours hasn't been used since the kids turned 4 or so.

Thanks for any advice!

As a matter of fact we did buy a house without a tub once.

It was a custom home and the folks who built it opted to go with showers in all 3 baths because they just weren't a tub family (their kids were all teens) But we had little ones at the time, so it was a problem for us.

It was an incredible house with a lot of upgrades; but it sat for much longer than the norm in that market, and we definitely got price concessions because of the tub issue.

Basically we came up with a fair price based on comps, then we got estimates on how much a bath remodel w/tub addition would cost and we deducted not only that amount, but a bit extra for cushion as well as for inconvenience, from our offer.

All that said, I don't think making that change for the safety and comfort of the homeowner is a bad thing, I'd just expect to either do another remodel before selling, or be willing to price it accordingly.

 

[hugApug]

I think that safety should rule out in this case. It only takes one slip or fall for medical bills to pile up, and something like that is much more likely with a tub.

If in the future you find that buyers are avoiding the property because of its lack of a bath, get a contractor to price out the cost of installing a bathtub, and offer that exact amount of money as cashback to a buyer. Buyers love getting cash back at closing, whether or not they actually use it to install a bathtub. The cost shouldn't be too high, and it might help get your re-sale value back up.