apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

How many bedrooms do you have? If anyone with a family (or even a single person with a baby) moves in, they may want the tub. Just a thought...

Second the baby and tub requirement.
I don't think it's an issue with a 1BR but a 2BR in PS is the classic first time parent home purchase.

Am I hallucinating that an amazingly similar good question was on here about a month ago? Seems like there were some very good answers within it.

Good point Christy. My place has two bedrooms, one medium size and one small. I imagine that there would be a good chance that it would be a place a new family would consider buying, or a place a new couple would buy and have their first child.

I am involved in the same thing - planning a bathroom reno and going back and forth about what. After contemplating the no-tub idea, I've nixed it to appeal to more future buyers and also because I want a bath myself. My current mulling is over how I can have both a shower and a "soaking tub" (like a Japanese soaking tub--one that's smaller and deeper than a regular tub) in the current space the size of a regular size tub. Is it possible space-wise? Is the cost prohibitive?

Also, I thought a bathroom upgrade would help resale value.

Pixie--
I am also curious to know how people will answer your question. NYC bathrooms are so small--I long for a deep soaking tub as well.

Another question--
I rent and envision moving within a couple of years. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to cover ugly blue tile? I thought of maybe putting something over it to even the surface (but don't know what would work) and then using outdoor paint. I figure the paint should stand up to water if it does to hail and snow. But what can I use to even out the surface first?

Any suggestions?

I should clarify - I am in D.C.

Curtis, I for one never saw that topic because it started in a thread about small tubs that I never read. Found it, read it and then looked at your pics. Very impressive. Your post was a little difficult to scan quickly so I originally missed the part about this being painted. I thought this was real tile!
Thread here
www.apartmenttherapy.com/main/archives/002818.html

WRT to this specific case, as I said, a PS 2BR is one of the most desirable properties for new NYC parents or single parents due to relative value to Manhattan, good public schools, proximity to Prospect Park, great restaraunts, etc. etc. Although ppl do raise kids in studios and 1BR's, a second BR is usually the minimum requirement for most ppl with 3BR's out of most ppls' price ranges. So the 2Br is the sweet spot for new parents.

In our last place we had a tub and a separate shower and my wife often used the tub for the whirlpool. I used it maybe twice but now with kids we use a tub every day to bathe them. There really is no other practical alternative. All this to say that although the other thread did discuss tub vs shower stall, I believe this case warrants a different discussion of issues that never came up in that other thread.

jamie pup, thanks for posting that link. I did a search for the previous thread, but didn't think that was the one.

I can't believe all the discussion about soaking tubs in that thread! I'd never even heard of a Japanese soaking tub until fairly recently, when I saw it in a shelter mag, and noone I've mentioned it to seems to know anything about it (not contractors yet, just random people). The limited searche results I've found on these tubs makes me think they're really pricey.

I say keep the tub -- Park Slope will remain a family-oriented neighborhood for a long time to come, and lack of tub will be an issue for resale. It wouldn't stop me from buying the place, but quite honestly, I would be thinking about resale down the road.

I have a tub, but many of my neighbors have opted to remove theirs and put in a larger shower stall. I love taking long baths, so I probably wouldn't be interested in an apartment without a tub unless everything else was absolutely perfect. Incidentally, my building is almost entirely studios and one bedrooms, and there are no kids in my building, with the exception of one SVA freshman who lives with his mom...

My friend who has a bathroom with a tub and one with just a shower usually washes her baby in the baby bath in the shower stall, because it's easier access for her to reach in, not down, for the baby. Just saying.

wha wha wha? no tub? how can there be life without a bathtub?

I seem to be alone in my opinion here (almost), but for me an apt w/only a shower is a dealbreaker. it'd have to be a super-tiny apt. to justify the lack of tub. without a bathtub, how do you unwind w/ a big glass of red, a pile of magazines and Mr. Bubble?

You can always take a shower in a bathtub
but you can't always take a bath in a shower.

Personally I would look towards a more contemperary tub than opt for a shower alone.

When my family moved into a house in the 70s, the upstairs kids' bath was a funky pink minitub (Kohler, I think) that was about 36" square. It was a decent compromise--the toddlers could still play with the bath toys while a parent surpervised on the (lid-down) throne but the older kids showered. The kicker was that it was't nearly as deep as a tub usually is. While you can certainly bathe an infant in a baby tub within a shower stall, you can do it more comfortably in the kitchen sink or a classic (or new) bathinette. I can't imagine this would work much past 12 mos. though, and I vote for keeping the tub. I've made the same reluctant decision for my own bathroom.

I vaguely recall reading a survey somewhere a couple years ago which said that (at least in the U.S.) women are more likely to prefer a relaxing soak in the tub while men preferred a shower.

This is how I feel. I'd like a tub (and I do now) but I'd prefer space for storage and if that means sacrificing the tub, I'd do it happily--and I probably will, if I get the chance. Weirdly, everyone who comes over comments that they think my shower stall (which is separate from the tub) is really cool. It's weird because it's not a very nice one, imo, but it seems to strike a chord with people.

I meant, "and I have one now"
I have officially become incoherent.

I've decided against certain apartments because they were shower-stall-only. I very rarely take baths - maybe once or twice a year - but I want to have the option. I do love luxurating in my shower, though.

Most shower stalls are tall and narrow and feel cramped to me... and shaving your legs in a standard shower stall is impossible because you can't get away from that contant stream of water washing the shaving cream from your legs.

And since we are on the topic - Fiberglas stalls and tubs are AWFUL and the hallmark of a cheap builder. I once lived in a place with an oval 'garden-style' fiberglas tub and not only was it impossible to keep clean, it creaked terribly. (Of course the hot water heater's capacity was too small to sufficiently fill the tub - poor planning by the builder - but I digress.)

Any movement sounded as though the tub was going to crack under the weight of an circus elephant. And I could hear the same sound coming from the three neighbors' bathrooms that backed up to mine.

Porcelain-enamel-over-steel forever!

Terry and anyone else with tile-you-can't-stand issues - I raised the same question a few months ago elsewhere and got some interesting answers.

www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread_show_one/thread_id/1724/index.cfm

I must confess I did nothing with the info, due to a combination of my ongoing unemployment forcing reduced fundage for home decor/somehow getting used to the colors. I just don't notice it anymore. (Never dreamed I'd feel that way last January, though. Back then all I saw was blood-blister red when I walked into my bathroom.)

Good point Fiona about bathing babies. Must admit I was thinking of toddlers but did not say it. We adopted toddlers so we never did the baby in the kitchen sink thing but I know plenty of ppl that did ;)

Quick additional thought on resale. Despite what I and others have said about PS being stroller central, I don't think replacing a tub with a shower will decrease resale - mainly because a place in PS is so desirable. It will simply lower the potential number of buyers but there will still be plenty of buyers for 2BR apts in PS with or without a tub. I'm sure you will find buyers at the same price as an equivalent place with a tub - it may take a little longer but then again, the first person to see it may not care about a tub and offer ask straight away.

I hope that makes sense after my dire warnings.

oops - resale value

Dear Anne--

Thank you so very much for the information. I shall look into special tile paint as suggested.

Also, best of luck in finding a new job. It's tough to be laid off--be sure you are not alone! I've been laid off twice since 2001 and so have so many other people I know.

I can't speak to your financial situation, but with time on your hands and the importance of taking care of yourself and giving yourself a treat during this transition, you might consider going ahead with your project. You deserve it! Also, painting will be therapeutic for you.

The fist time I was laid off, I went to Janovic Plaza and told them flat out what had happened. They discounted the paint (for my foyer), gave me a bunch of freebies, and called to ask how my project went.

Best of luck! And thank you!!

I think the shower only option is fine. The target is going to be either singles or couples. No families will buy the place. I'd bet over 80% take a shower almost exclusively.

Japanese soaking tubs are great, but I bet most NYers never soak at home. Don't people go to health clubs or something. In Japan they have great public baths and hot springs.

Karen S - you obviously don't know Park Slope.

jamie pup-

Thanks! I really wish I had managed to get that bathroom published somehow before I moved, but oh well.

Terry-

Every apartment in my 1937 building was originally outfitted with peach-and-black tiles and pinky-peach fixtures, although over the years many have been replaced with white. Mine are still original, and I love it. I shall, however, eventually have the tub "re-glazed" in the same color which really means new, serious epoxy paint.

However, some people in my building have hated the peach and black, and have either ripped them out, OR they actually have the bath tub AND the tiles re-glazed white! If you're renting, you probably don't want to spring for the $300-400 for that, though.

If you're a good painter, you might have some fun with painting them yourself, though. Might be a good idea to check with your super or your landlord about whether they object to it, though, if you're renting.

I have taken out my tub in the bathroom and want to put down tile on the floor and walls do I have to put that rubber mat down? If so how do I secure it to the floor and walls and what do I do to it to lay tile down?

I have a tiny bathroom, 4' x 4.5'. I want to replace the tub with a shower to give some more room and modernize. The shower can be no wider than the width of the tub, that is 29".

I can't find a manufactured shower stall that small. Can anyone help? Or do I need a custom built?

Thanks,
Jeff

I'm an interior designer in Manhattan, specializing in apartment renos - a couple of comments: 1. a bathroom renovation, like a kitchen renovation, is always going to improve resale value, especially if you take into consideration what the market will bear for comparable renovated units and budget accordingly (eg no point in installing marble tile if your comparables have ceramic) 2. removing the bathtub is not a good idea for resale, and we always dissuade clients from doing this. As many have commented, PS buyers are even more likely to want a bathtub, particularly in 2-bedroom units. Hope that helps!