Bathtub downstair and shower upstairs

rach_k

I wouldn't buy a house with the bath downstairs and the shower upstairs unless I could take the cost of moving the bath upstairs off the price.

My thinking is that baths are generally long and relaxing - upstairs things - for me.  A shower is quick and functional so less of an issue to be downstairs, plus it sounds like there is room to dress in the downstairs room so you don't have to dash off to the bedroom in your towel.

I'd just install a nice shower over the upstairs bath, personally.  Then you have the best of both worlds.

TBagpuss

Unless you expect to be there only for a very short time, I would do whatever will work best for you as a family. 

If you do decide to move things around, take photos of the current lay out, so that if/when you come to sell, you can show people that there is in fact space to have a tub in the upstairs bathroom if they want one. I think that if the space and the basic plumbing is there it's probably not going to hugely affect the price either way. 

Maybe live with it for a bit and see how much your family uses each room as they are. 
I *Personally* would probably prefer an upstairs tub, I don't like downstairs bathrooms, and feel that having the main bathroom near the main bedrooms usually works best, but that said, if your family are all old enough to bathe unsupervised, and the majority prefer showers to baths, then for your household having the main bathroom have a shower rather than a tub may meet your personal needs and preferences best. 

[Deleted User]

People will have different opinions depending on what suits them. So if having a bath upstairs is more convenient for you, then just go for it. 

davilown

Jeepers_Creepers said:

I don't know anybody who has a bath downstairs. Nope - it's upstairs or noway. Not even folk who live in bungalows. cough

Am I missing something - what is 'wrong' with having the bath downstairs and the shower upski, if the two rooms suit this layout better? Folk mostly have showers these days, and bedrooms are usually located upstairs (yours too, bighead?), so where's the best place to locate your shower? Yup. Up.

And those who enjoy having a bath usually want to enjoy it, and that would usually be far nicer in a roomy room than in a closet just large enough to squeeze in to.

Swap away

I just can't see how this would negatively affect the house's value. I know what I would prefer, by a mile, no question; I hate bathrooms where the bath is shoehorned in tight between two walls, with barely enough remaining floorspace to stand between it and the pottery.

It'll cost to do the work, tho'.

Bighead, what size is the current shower? And what size are you considering for the upstairs room? I'd strongly recommend going pretty much as large as is practical - now that will help your house sell; nobody likes a small cubicle.

We live in a bungalow (we’re not that old either (early 40’s) but we have an en-suite and a bathroom. Guess which rarely gets used - yep the bathroom. 2 years since refitting it, the baths is about to be shown the door and a rather large shower is going in.

Sistergold

I don’t see why a swap will affect value of house? It makes sense to put the bathtub in the bigger bathroom. I would swap it if I were in your position. 

There are houses with downstairs  bathrooms and no bathroom upstairs, they are still bought and sold. If I were viewing a house the only thing that will put me off is no bathroom at all upstairs. 

macman

OP is I assume American, where showers have long been more popular than baths? Whereas us Brits have a persisting affection for a long hot soak.
I wouldn't worry about the long term effect on value, if any. Arrange it how you would prefer it-changing it back for a future buyer is not a deal-breaker.

Scotbot

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Do you actually use the bath, and if so how often?  If not the ideal would be to get rid and fit the shower upstairs first, to have a second shower.  There's no point in ripping out the downstairs shower just for the sake of it.  If you decide that a bath is a necessity at a later date, you can then fit one downstairs.  It will be cheaper too, as you'll initially be remodelling one room rather than two.  

That will put off family buyers, showering toddlers is no fun. Much better to just install a good shower over the bath, cheaper too

I have just replaced a bath with a shower for my mum. Surprisingly expensive with all the plumbing, shower tray , screens and retiling the kit alone was 1.5 k