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Shower or a bath or a shower/bath?
Mr Whippy - 15/10/15 at 01:53 PM

Yeah I know this site is about cars but I’m building some 2 bedroom houses which have the room for either a shower or a bath but not both so I was wondering these days does anyone use a bath? I know we only use ours for the kids but a 2 bedroom house would not normally what you’d have if you have kids. Tbh my kids love the shower anyway so is a bath more an unimportant relic from the past which takes up loads of space but hardly ever used?

What do you think -

[Edited on 15/10/15 by Mr Whippy]


swanny - 15/10/15 at 01:58 PM

a few years ago when i was selling a two bed terraced house the estate agent told me it might be an idea to get a bath with an over shower re instated, as people preferred the option and its keeps your market as big as possible.


Mr Whippy - 15/10/15 at 02:03 PM

hmm I just takes up quite a bit of the room, they need to invent a vertical bath


lsdweb - 15/10/15 at 02:07 PM

If you're building to sell, how about giving the option to the buyer(s).


swanny - 15/10/15 at 02:07 PM

http://www.firstbathrooms.co.uk/ideal_standard_space_1200mm_x_700mm_bath_-_no_tap_holes-p-3230.html


Slimy38 - 15/10/15 at 02:10 PM

I never use a bath, but I'd also not use a standard shower as I find them very claustrophobic. Bath with shower above it works for me.


tegwin - 15/10/15 at 02:10 PM

I really dislike shower-baths... I have never seen one that looks good and doesnt leak...



I had to install one in my house when I rennovated it because when I come to sell it, it will make an ideal family home... If I was planning to stay here it would have just been a proper shower...leaving room for a car parts store in the corner of the bathroom or something...


Mr Whippy - 15/10/15 at 02:13 PM

What about a bath sunk into the floor of a wet room with a wooden grating you lifted up to reveal the bath and also has a shower nozzle on the wall? that would be cool and work

The 3 houses are for my two very young daughters and my sisters daughter for once they have grown up enough to be kicked out but in the meantime will be rented to pay off the mortgages. My folks have kindly given the kids the land and I’m building these houses now my own house has been paid off.


jps - 15/10/15 at 02:25 PM

The bath is handy for more than just having a bath! It's where we wash out paint brushes, I clean my filthy cycling clothing and just last week - where we hosed off puke covered bedclothes when my son got hit by a vomiting bug...


David Jenkins - 15/10/15 at 02:36 PM

I have just had my tiny bathroom converted to shower only - I never used the bath, and standing in it having a shower was inconvenient. Now I only have a decent-sized shower cubicle, basin and WC - and have a lot more floor space.

It might go against me if I ever choose to sell the house, but we're in no hurry to move. We've been here for about 30 years so far!


David Jenkins - 15/10/15 at 02:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
hmm I just takes up quite a bit of the room, they need to invent a vertical bath


The Japanese have had them for centuries!

Japanese tubs


ReMan - 15/10/15 at 02:44 PM

I had this quandry some years ago newly in this house and with a minging bathroom with a shower over bath under window (looking over the front of the house, basically the worst combination

In it current format due to the small size there was no other option to re-arrange the bathroom so it was either re-fit exactly the same or take this decsion.

We'd got no kids under 5, so figured that a really good shower would be better than any slippy, leaky, curtainy, electricy bath over shower anyway

So we fitted a large quadrant in a different corner of the room and with a proper power pump thing off the hot water

In summary never regretted it as with a choice of a bath or shower in normal life 99/100 we'd shower for speed and egfficiency and its a really nice shower.
The only time we miss it is in a blue moon and perhaps holiday, go walking or something an on a break, get wet and its nice to relax in a bath.

HTH


loggyboy - 15/10/15 at 02:44 PM

We have 2 young children in a 2 bed so a bath is essential for younger ones. When we redid bathroom we found a nice wide bath, effectively a shower bath. Its a normal length (1700) bath and is 700 wide at one end (along wall with toilet and basin) with a kink along length out to 800w. It has a nice flat bottom with tight radius at bottom maximising standing space. It also has a lip along the edge so a shower screen can sit nicely against it and guides water back into bath


swanny - 15/10/15 at 03:13 PM

in no way meaning to be rude, but.....

if the houses are for three girls its worth bearing in mind that although average age for first baby born has risen in recent years 25% are still born to under 25s i think. if the family want to provide long term assistance to the girls (which is a bl**dy brilliant idea by the way) a house with a bath seems like a good idea.


nick205 - 15/10/15 at 03:25 PM

To my line of thought a bath is a waste of space, fit a shower and move on.


SteveWallace - 15/10/15 at 03:30 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy

The 3 houses are for my two very young daughters and my sisters daughter for once they have grown up enough to be kicked out but in the meantime will be rented to pay off the mortgages. My folks have kindly given the kids the land and I’m building these houses now my own house has been paid off.


Probably telling you what you already know, but IIRC tax law on rental property is about to change to mean that you cannot count your mortgage interest as a before tax expense. I.e. you will end up paying income tax on the rental income before you use the cash to pay mortgage interest.

For some people who already have rental properties, this means that they will be running at a loss or have to increase the rent. And this from a government that claims that they want to make rental property more affordable for tenants.


ravingfool - 15/10/15 at 04:14 PM

quote:
Originally posted by SteveWallace
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy

The 3 houses are for my two very young daughters and my sisters daughter for once they have grown up enough to be kicked out but in the meantime will be rented to pay off the mortgages. My folks have kindly given the kids the land and I’m building these houses now my own house has been paid off.


Probably telling you what you already know, but IIRC tax law on rental property is about to change to mean that you cannot count your mortgage interest as a before tax expense. I.e. you will end up paying income tax on the rental income before you use the cash to pay mortgage interest.

For some people who already have rental properties, this means that they will be running at a loss or have to increase the rent. And this from a government that claims that they want to make rental property more affordable for tenants.


I'm pretty sure that is exactly the idea with this, but you have to add in the other steps.

1. make houses less attractive as an investment purchase,
2. less people will take out a mortgage to fund BTL (and some will sell investments),
3. heat taken out of the market in terms of price of property to buy,
4. more renters will be able to climb onto the slippery ladder,
5. rental demand reduces,
6. rental prices reduce.

If you have the cash there will still be nothing stopping you from buying a property to rent out, you just won't have such an easy time leveraging additional debt to finance BTLs or it won't be financially viable at all.

Reducing demand in the housing market and rental market has got to be a good thing otherwise those without homes will never be able to buy. I agree with the principle and I think it's completely stupid that you were ever allowed to deduct your debt costs before calculating income. On the other hand this comes at a bad time for me because otherwise I would have been looking to join the club in the future.

I don't think anyone can really be too unhappy about this if you think about the health of the housing market for the future. The previous system was just enforcing inequality between the haves and have-nots. For anyone whose rental properties will become unprofitable as business interests then it's hardly the end of the world, surely you should be happy to sell, presumably make a capital gain at that point, and then reinvest elsewhere. Value and return on investments is never guaranteed but successive governments have been making very strange decisions related to housing stock in this country.



Going back to the OP, long term I would have thought the most practical solution is a simple bath and shower combo unless it's for a second bathroom in which case a single shower is fine.

[Edited on 15/10/15 by ravingfool]


Simon - 15/10/15 at 05:27 PM

Couple of packs of wet wipes should do.

ATB

Simon


David Jenkins - 15/10/15 at 06:06 PM

Or a quick rub-down with a damp woman...


macc man - 15/10/15 at 06:22 PM

As I install bathrooms for a living, I can speak from experience and I spend most of my time removing baths to install showers.
Most folk do not worry about the resale issues and opt for the convenience of a shower. I recently refitted my bathroom and although I installed a freestanding bath,it is unlikely to ever get used as we both prefer the shower. Go with your instincts and do not worry about what the herd thinks.


Irony - 15/10/15 at 06:35 PM

I have a rental property and I have just had a meeting with my accountant. The new tax law on rental property depends on your wages. A workmate of mine earns a lot more than I do and he is going to have to pay double the tax on his rental property as I do.

You need to seek professional advice about this. If I get a payrise I might transfer 99% of the property to my low earning partner.

A house without a bath is next to useless for people with very young children.


Staple balls - 15/10/15 at 06:45 PM

Proper wet room > Good size shower > showerbath > bath.

Ultimately, the bath option is probably best for young kids, but everyone else, a decent shower that'll rip 3 layers of skin off is the way forward.


SteveWalker - 15/10/15 at 09:11 PM

We've just removed a bath with a shower over it and replaced it with a shower cubicle. We did this because the bathroom is small and it made for a better layout. I do miss being able to relax in a hot bath once in a while though and the kids can't use bath toys any more. If you did go for a bath with shower, a good quality, glass screen makes a huge difference over horrible, sticky, leaky curtains.


talkingcars - 15/10/15 at 09:19 PM

Definatly fit a bath, great for relaxing or pampering, and a shower for a quick wash.

My wife loves to lie in a hot bath for hours with a good book and a long drink.

My 21 year old daughter will pamper herself in the bath and then shower to wash her hair.

I have a form of artheritus so enjoy a soak when the bones are weiry.

For speed in the mornings we all dive in the shower, if we had the space we would have a cubicle and a shower but we don't so we have a folding screen over the bath.

I bet if you ask most women at least 50% would like the options.


SteveWalker - 15/10/15 at 11:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by talkingcars
For speed in the mornings we all dive in the shower


It must be pretty crowded in there!


cliftyhanger - 16/10/15 at 08:46 AM

quote:
Originally posted by SteveWallace
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy

The 3 houses are for my two very young daughters and my sisters daughter for once they have grown up enough to be kicked out but in the meantime will be rented to pay off the mortgages. My folks have kindly given the kids the land and I’m building these houses now my own house has been paid off.


Probably telling you what you already know, but IIRC tax law on rental property is about to change to mean that you cannot count your mortgage interest as a before tax expense. I.e. you will end up paying income tax on the rental income before you use the cash to pay mortgage interest.

For some people who already have rental properties, this means that they will be running at a loss or have to increase the rent. And this from a government that claims that they want to make rental property more affordable for tenants.


I have just found this http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/buytolet/article-3153541/Profits-slashed-wealthy-buy-let-landlords-Budget-crackdown-mortgage-tax-relief.html and if that is correct (I realise this stuff seems to change fast) you still get tax relief at basic rate, but if you are lucky enough to be a higher rate tax payer the relief will taper down over a few years to 20%.


Barlidge - 16/10/15 at 04:46 PM

It sounds like it might be some years before the intended occupants move in so maybe fit what suits the rental market with a view to a new bathroom when they move in.


morcus - 17/10/15 at 09:35 PM

As others have said, ask around you local letting agents and see what the rental market currently favours. I rarely use the bath but not having one would really weigh against a place I was looking to rent as it gives you far more options.

Saved space in a bathroom is lost space, as its in a bathroom its not really useable. for a couple of years I rented a house I shared with two other people that had two huge bath rooms, on was the size of the third bedroom and the other was at least half that again and it was just wasted space as anything you stored in there would either get damp or get damaged by people using the room.


Mr Whippy - 20/10/15 at 11:49 AM

lots of very interesting info there, thanks, I'll wade through it!


mcerd1 - 20/10/15 at 12:36 PM

My fiancé's last flat was a new build 2 bed in Edinburgh that had been clearly built with the rental market in mind (or at least the buy to let market)
The pro's answer seems to be to build both:

a bath in the main bathroom (with the option of a shower over it, pipes and wiring already in place but somehow still a £1000 for a cheap electric shower )
and a double size shower in the ensuite off the master bedroom

I guess they wouldn't go to those lengths if they weren't making money - this is the same developer that only painted one side of some internal doors to save money! (barratt)

I've seen a lot of new and renovated houses around here recently that have the same idea and they seem to sell

It wouldn't hurt to have a good look around and see what's being sold or rented near you and try to use that to work out the 'value' of these options

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
We have 2 young children in a 2 bed so a bath is essential for younger ones. When we redid bathroom we found a nice wide bath, effectively a shower bath. Its a normal length (1700) bath and is 700 wide at one end (along wall with toilet and basin) with a kink along length out to 800w. It has a nice flat bottom with tight radius at bottom maximising standing space. It also has a lip along the edge so a shower screen can sit nicely against it and guides water back into bath


^^ I've done something very similar

mine is a cheap 'L' shaped bath that's got quite square corners - its 1675x700, but 850mm wide at the shower end
http://www.betterbathrooms.com/baths/shower-baths/l-shaped-shower-baths/1675mm-right-hand-square-shower-bath-excludes-panel/

mine doesn't have the fancy shaping to help keep the water in (I wish it did) and the screen that came with it isn't amazing either, but I have an answer - these chrome trim bits for cars
http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/p-1920-self-adhesive-chrome-strip.aspx

I've stuck it around the edge of the bath just outside the shower screen to create a lip to stop the water escaping and the shower screen has a very basic seal on it to help shed the worst of the water.
I didn't silicon it around the edges to seal it up (as it was experimental and didn't want it to be too much work to remove it) and it does need it to seal properly - I'm going to redo it and the rest of the silicon in the bathroom as soon as I get any time.....


[Edited on 20/10/2015 by mcerd1]