Good Questions: Remove the Tub?

Hello AT,

I am having a dilemma. I am remodeling my small bathroom and I want to remove the tub and replace it with just a shower.

I am getting mixed remarks from people telling me that if I remove the tub it will bring the value of my apartment down (I own a co-op).

Any opinions?

Thanks! Kelly

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Dear Kelly,

We say if you have one bathroom, keep the tub, but if you have two, go for the shower in one of them.

Beauty is the main thing.

As far as resale value, we think it is the beauty of the bathroom that will sell your place. If they don't like it, they will probably gut it and redo it anyway.

Anyone else??

Comments (1)

I've read through all of these messages so far and they are definately two distinctly different camps here posting.. the Pro's and the Nay's...

My two cents is this... if its a Coop or Condo in NYC.. and it is a studio apartment... get rid of the bathtub and go shower instead. This is exactly what I am planning to do right now. Studio's are not generally purchased by large families. It's a one person or two person (starter) situation. It is *possible* you may lose some potential buyers, but it is *also possible* you may gain some potential buyers from this decision. If I were buying another studio apt, I would definatly give MORE weight to a better looking bathroom WITHOUT a tub, over a mediocre bathroom with a tub (and would pay more for it as well). In the last 20 years I have taken maybe 3 baths total. To devote that much square footage to something that is utilized that rarely is just insane in my opinion. I dont' care about the person buying my apartment after me, they can make their own decisions. In a Manhattan Apt where very square inch counts (especially in the case of studio apartments), going the "spa resort" route is a fun fantasy but not very realistic and at best you can accomplish a "I wanted to do a spa look but it didn't work" effect and have a cramped UNSPA feeling bathroom. Part of the SPA feeling is the luxorious room (square footage) of empty space around you as you relax and do not feel cramped. I'm sorry, as much as you want to pretend you can get a true SPA experience in a 8X5 bathroom, its not going to happen (unless you're building for Barbie and Ken in miniature).

Make the *best use* of every inch you have... you do not have the luxory of devoting a ton of space for something that you use once in a blue moon. Compromise on Form/Function and Space and come up with something that best suits you. Like I said above, maybe you will lose some interest, but you may also gain new interest from other buyers who would pay more for a bathroom that makes sense rather than a bathroom that is cramped and trying to be something it can never be.