Home Remodel: Do, Don'ts, Advice

[::: :::]

We remove more tubs than we install in the remodels we do.

That said, lots of people subscribe to this real estate “wisdom”

My question to you is: who is this remodel for? You or some mystery buyer?

Construction is expensive. You’re going to spend more than you expect/want to. And the ROI isn’t going to be there if you plan on selling inside of 5 yrs.

And further, most likely any prospective buyer is likely to want to change whatever you do either way, so why have that hamstring your project?

If you are selling in 5yrs, just suck it up and deal without the improvement or design the remodel as a fluff/buff: cheap as shit with “amenities” that the new owner will have to upgrade anyway.

Her expertise is selling. You aren’t selling yet. Until then, don’t waste the space in your house on a tub that won’t get used. Do what makes your family happy & let her sell the shit out of it when it comes time.

[Timberridge]

Who has time for a bath anymore?

Except maybe these guys...

[nickwm21]

Having a tub in your bathroom is cheaper than going to marriage counseling.


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[AK47bp]

I think she's right sadly. No tub takes out every buyer that has small children. Thats a lot of buyers. Showering with a kid or bathing in some makeshift basin tub gets old FAST.

That and a young couple looking to start a family.

The sink works for a few months but then what?


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[Supermoon]

Agree with ::: ::: to some extent. It all depends on what your timelines are and your uses. If you’re going to sell soon, I would add the tub and aim some of the upgrades towards resale. If not, then who cares. 7-10 years down the line you’ll either. Be re-doing them before you sell or selling at a price the new buyers can redo it.

On the other hand, I never take baths, but find lots of uses for our bathtub. In a secondary bathroom I think keeping the tub future-proofs your life in a way. What if you have guests with small kids? Or break your foot and can’t get your cast wet for a few weeks? Or need to soak bear piss out of a tent fly?

[Ted Striker]

My lovely wife is violently against the idea. She's a dirt merchant and is convinced resale will go into the toilet.

My wife is a dirt merchant as well, and she agrees with yours. To paraphrase what she said, not everyone wants a bathtub, but it will be a dealbreaker for those that do. And you can't list it as having a "full bath".

eta: also, what skidog said

[Garbowski]

Agree with the bathtub it important for resale- not necessarily value but turning people away. So be prepared to cross your fingers or put it back in. We use our dishwasher as a cabinet, but I'm not going to remove it along with the plumbing and electric.

And you can't list it as having a "full bath".

This could be a potential problem in the future if redfin/zillow algorithm lumps you into the 3/0.5 category instead of 3/2 and everyone thinks your price is nuts compared to what they saw online.

[Timberridge]

Here's what people want.

https://www.therobinreport.com/what-...ic-priorities/

Be careful, the little shits can drown in one if left unattended for a few mins.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

WTF, I can't rely on you people. Parents have to be flexible. Use a wash tub for those crumb snatchers when you're not hosing them off in the yard. Kids have it too fucking easy nowadays.

Selling is not on our radar, but we're not getting any younger. We've got a prime piece of dirt so anyone buying this hippy house should think seriously about scraping it and building something that wasn't pieced together from leftover crap at jobsites. I know I would.

[glademaster]

Agree with the bathtub it important for resale- not necessarily value but turning people away. So be prepared to cross your fingers or put it back in. We use our dishwasher as a cabinet, but I'm not going to remove it along with the plumbing and electric.

This could be a potential problem in the future if redfin/zillow algorithm lumps you into the 3/0.5 category instead of 3/2 and everyone thinks your price is nuts compared to what they saw online.

A bathroom with a shower is considered a 3/4 bath.

[toast2266]

Think of the drunks!

Way easier to piss in a bathtub than a sink.

[nickwm21]

A bathroom with a shower is considered a 3/4 bath.

I’ve never understood the algorithm used to define what a 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 bath is.

If my house has a bathroom in the master with 2 sinks + pooper + shower tub combo, another bathroom with a sink + pooper + shower, a urinal in the garage, and a bush in the side yard I often piss at - what’s the bathroom count on Zillow?


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[RootSkier]

1 full, 1 3/4, 1 1/2, and an open-plan outhouse.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Think of the drunks!

Way easier to piss in a bathtub than a sink.

This is a legit consideration.

[ötzi]

I dunno we've built two houses now that don't have tubs in the master and it's been fine. The first house we sold last year and it took a while to sell but we never heard a word about the lack of tub. In both houses we did put a tub in another bathroom just in case we needed one for something

[glademaster]

I’ve never understood the algorithm used to define what a 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 bath is.

If my house has a bathroom in the master with 2 sinks + pooper + shower tub combo, another bathroom with a sink + pooper + shower, a urinal in the garage, and a bush in the side yard I often piss at - what’s the bathroom count on Zillow?


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I've only ever seen one "1/4" bath, and that's an unofficial term: it was a room off a bedroom with just a toilet in it. No sink, tub or shower. When I first walked into the room (with the homeowner about 3 steps behind me) I didn't even think before blurting out "wow, this is utterly disgusting!" I didn't apologize, because it's true.

The break down is:
1/2 bath = powder room = toilet and sink
3/4 bath = shower, toilet, sink(s)
Full bath = tub, toilet, sink(s)

In addition to classifying bathrooms that way, we also do fixture counts in each one.

[ötzi]

My working theory is build what you want, not what some theoretical future buyer might want. You're the one spending the money and living there, so get it how you want it.

[old goat]

Lots of things you can do with a tub besides wash kids--wash the dog, wash a sleeping bag, duvet, or delicate quilt, run a retractable clothesline across it for stuff you need to drip dry (especially Hawaiian shirts--no tub and you rule out Boogaloo Bois buyers), store water so you can flush the toilet while the plumber has the water turned off, dye a white MSR climbing rope (OK that was decades ago), make gin (before I was born but maybe Prohibition will come back), take a nice relaxing soak with essential oils, take pictures of your wife taking nice relaxing soak in essential oils to post on TGR when Ullr needs pleasing. I'm sure I could think of more.

[dan_pdx]

I've only ever seen one "1/4" bath, and that's an unofficial term: it was a room off a bedroom with just a toilet in it. No sink, tub or shower. When I first walked into the room (with the homeowner about 3 steps behind me) I didn't even think before blurting out "wow, this is utterly disgusting!" I didn't apologize, because it's true.

The break down is:
1/2 bath = powder room = toilet and sink
3/4 bath = shower, toilet, sink(s)
Full bath = tub, toilet, sink(s)

In addition to classifying bathrooms that way, we also do fixture counts in each one.

But what would you call it if the house had a full bath and two powder rooms? Is that 2 bathrooms?

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Don't get me started on Zillow.

[EWG]

But what would you call it if the house had a full bath and two powder rooms? Is that 2 bathrooms?

You are thinking too much. Do less.

[glademaster]

But what would you call it if the house had a full bath and two powder rooms? Is that 2 bathrooms?

I can't speak for Zillow (but I will say fuck Zillow) algorithms, but in my jurisdiction, the Certificate of Occupancy that we would issue for the house in your hypothetical would list them as "one full bath" and "two half baths."

[splat]

So if I have a tub/sink /shower, it's a full bath. But if the guest bath remodel I'm just finishing has a tub/shower, combo it's a 3/4 bath?

[glademaster]

No, the tub is what makes it a full bath. Tub/shower combo = full. Shower stall (no capability to fill and soak) = 3/4 bath.

Oy, building code semantics. This is what my life has come to.

[Vt-Freeheel]

So if I have a tub/sink /shower, it's a full bath. But if the guest bath remodel I'm just finishing has a tub/shower, combo it's a 3/4 bath?

Don't forget the toilet.