Showers and bathtubs each have their fans. The right answer depends on your taste, your physical needs, and your plans for the home. If you’re thinking about resale, knowing which fixture adds more value is genuinely useful.
Questions to ask before your bathroom remodel
How big is your bathroom?
If your bathroom is too small for a tub, a compact walk-in shower may be your only realistic option. A larger room offers flexibility and may even fit both. See our small bathroom design ideas if space is tight.
Who will use the bathroom?
If a family lives or will live in the home, baths are a near-must for bathing children. Walk-in showers, on the other hand, are far more accessible for older adults or anyone with mobility needs.
What’s your preference?
Long, luxurious soaks or quick, efficient showers? Your honest answer points to the right choice.
Are you staying long-term or selling soon?
If you’re staying, prioritize what suits your lifestyle. If you’re selling, choose what fits your local market. Your real estate agent can advise on what buyers in your area expect.
Bathtubs
Bathtub benefits
- Family-friendly: easier to bathe small children
- Resale value: keeping at least one full tub in the home protects appeal to family buyers
- Designed for relaxation: a long soak is an experience a shower can’t replicate
- Lots of models: built-in or freestanding, plenty of options
- Bath-shower combo: if space is tight, a shower over the bath gives you both
Bathtub drawbacks
- Space requirement: many small bathrooms can’t accommodate one
- Water use: baths use more water than showers
- Accessibility: lifting your legs over the side is hard for some users
Walk-in showers
Walk-in shower benefits
- Ideal for smaller bathrooms: compact models fit where a tub won’t
- Accessibility: no step over a tub wall, which suits aging-in-place needs
- Fast to use
- On-trend: many buyers see them as more high-end and aesthetically pleasing
- Pairs well with luxury features: see our luxury bathroom upgrades
Walk-in shower drawbacks
- No soaking option
- Resale value risk: removing your only bathtub may make the home less attractive to family buyers
Tub-to-shower conversions: a Baths R Us specialty
One of the most common projects we handle is converting an old, unused alcove tub into a walk-in shower. This is a smart move when:
- You don’t actually use the tub
- A household member has mobility challenges
- The tub is taking up space the room would use better as a shower
- You have another full tub elsewhere in the home (for resale)
In a single day, our W2 install team demos the existing tub and surround down to the studs and installs a custom-fit US-made acrylic walk-in shower with a low or zero threshold. Lifetime product warranty.
A note on resale value
For most homes across our service area, the rule of thumb is to keep at least one full bathtub somewhere in the home. If you have multiple bathrooms, converting a secondary one to a walk-in shower is usually a net positive for value.
Whether you want a bath or shower, Baths R Us can manage your renovation
At Baths R US, we serve Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana as our core service states, with expanded service into Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Over 25 years of experience, W2 install crews, lifetime product warranty, and a Full Bathroom completed in just 3 to 5 days. Schedule a free consultation with one of our design consultants by filling in the form on our website or calling 866-503-6174.
