The Jacuzzi Tub Remodel. Keep It Or Lose It?

 

Should You Get Rid Of The Tub In Your Bathroom Remodel? Still one of the biggest questions.

There is a question that plagues many homeowners when remodeling the master bathroom. Get rid of the tub in favor of a larger shower or not? For some, it is the psychological ideal of soaking in their own dead skin that is such a strong put-off. For others, it is a lifestyle challenge. Many are so busy that as much as they would love to soak with candles and a glass of wine, there just isn't enough time in enough days to justify keeping a tub. For most homeowners, the final decision comes down to what kind of return they will get on the investment? How well will the house sell without a tub in the master bathroom? In today's lifestyle climate, realtors agree that as long as there is one full bathroom, a master bathroom without a tub will not significantly impact the salability of a home. Let's consider why luxury showers are taking the lead in master suites.

ELEMENTS OF A LUXURY SHOWER

Are luxury showers really a luxury or are they addressing health and wellness in a way that feels luxurious? There are some standards that will be downplayed, like multiple sprayers that can work simultaneously, due to water conservation:

• Rainshower heads
• Multiple Body Sprayers
• Handheld sprayer
• Steam Shower
• Chromotherapy
• Bluetooth
• Smart Tech
• Built-In Seating
• Curbless
• Linear Drain
• European Wet Room Tiling
• Luxury Grab Bars
• Quality Materials

Rain Shower Heads

Homeowners are loving rain shower heads as long as they have other options available like a handheld shower head. Often there are multiple settings on a rain shower that allows you to decide what kind of pattern and the amount of pressure makes sense for you. This particular feature also allows users to feel connected with an aspect of nature they may feel is missing. The higher-end shower heads often included LED settings that provide chromotherapy options. Add to that a Bluetooth feature and you can experience your favorite playlist, podcast, or therapeutic music like binaural beats. All of these features work together to provide a holistic approach to wellness in your shower! 

Multiple Body Sprayers

It all comes down to a great water massage. It can feel like having a masseuse on demand. Even better is that you can fluctuate between water temperatures to get into a different modality for even more relief. For those of us living in California, having multiple sprayers can be a challenge due to Title 24 restrictions. The truth is, you can have as many heads as you would like so long as that at any given time you are not releasing more than 1.8 gpm. Lynn manages this by making sure that the valve only allows any combination of fixtures at a time to meet that restriction. Sometimes that can mean customization depending on what you are trying to achieve in your shower. Bigger name manufacturers are becoming savvy to that and designing their fixtures to meet California standards while still allowing for fixture combinations instead of one modality at a time. 

Handheld Shower Head

It doesn't matter if you are a child or an adult child, handheld shower heads will make you want to sing. Their convenience and flexibility are something to be lauded. You can get them with a stationary holder that is permanently positioned or you can get them mounted on a travel bar. Lynn likes the optional height positions you get with a travel bar. They are so convenient for showering while seated, washing the dog, and gently spraying down the baby.

Some travel bars are designed to double as grab bars adding an additional layer of functionality. With so many choices available you will find the style and finish you are looking for to complete your project.

The gang is all here.  Noken, Brizo, Cambria, and Ann Sacks feature fixtures and materials. Moen helps out with smart technology for the shower to save on water and make life a little bit easier. It is easy to forget we left the shower running to heat up. Moen's tech lets you put it on pause, and set it up to your perfect temp and time. Spark pod is one of the highest rated for Bluetooth compatibility in the shower. That said, many other companies, including speakers, have this built-in feature. 

What is particularly fabulous about all of the vendors displayed directly above and to the left is their display of accessibility. Curbless showers often with linear drains to keep the floor level are a must for Forever Homes. Each bathroom is elegant and functional. The bathroom to the left by Carla Aston designs (photograph by Tory Aston) knocks it out of the park with elegant luxury grab bars for safety. This designer dispels any argument that grab bars make a luxury bathroom look like a hospital. Chic and safe these bars make sure that you can grab something sturdy to steady yourself in the slipperiest room in the house. Recovering from surgery, skiing, tennis, or a migraine? No problem. 

The Argument For Replacing The Tub

So there it is. If you rip out the tub and put in a "so-so" shower, it isn't going to be a great selling point. However, if you want to take out the tub either in the master or the guest bath, replace it with something worth writing home about. Make it a luxury shower. Thankfully, you can achieve this on a reasonable budget, not more than what you would spend on a mid-range full bathroom remodel. Agreed, if resale is super important to you then make sure that at least one bathroom in the house is a full bathroom. Lynn's argument has always been this, " It's your house. It should suit your lifestyle and needs. I just don't see the point in keeping a tub that doesn't get used for years and years. Why wouldn't you replace it with features that make sense for you and give you a better quality of life?"

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