A Genuinely Common Remodel Dilemma
Walk-in showers have become the design trend of choice in bathroom remodels, and a lot of homeowners default to ripping out the tub without seriously weighing the tradeoffs. The right answer depends heavily on the household, the rest of the home’s bathroom layout, and long-term resale considerations — not just current personal preference.
The Resale Argument for Keeping at Least One Tub
Real estate agents and appraisers consistently recommend keeping at least one bathtub somewhere in a home, even if every other bathroom goes shower-only, because buyers with young children or buyers who simply enjoy baths actively search for this feature. A home with zero bathtubs can be a genuine dealbreaker for a meaningful segment of buyers, which matters even if the current owner never plans to use a tub themselves.
Households Where Shower-Only Makes More Sense
For households without young children, where mobility or aging-in-place is a consideration, or where the bathroom is simply too small to fit a comfortable tub and shower combination, a shower-only layout is often the more practical and more frequently used option. Daily showers vastly outnumber baths in most households, so prioritizing the more-used fixture in a space-constrained bathroom is a reasonable practical call.
Space Gains From Removing a Tub
Removing a standard tub typically frees up several square feet that can go toward a larger, more comfortable walk-in shower, additional vanity space, or simply a less cramped layout overall. In a small primary bathroom, that reclaimed space can be the difference between a shower that feels genuinely spacious and one that still feels tight despite the upgrade.
A Middle-Ground Option Worth Considering
A tub-shower combination, modernized with a sleeker freestanding or built-in tub and a quality shower system, lets a household keep bathing functionality without committing fully to either extreme. This is often the more financially sensible choice for a primary bathroom that’s also the only full bath in the home, where flexibility matters more than maximizing one feature.