Will Replacing Tub with Shower Impact Home Value?

It’s time to redo the tub/shower after 34 years. We built this 3 bedroom Cape as a young family. The children are grown and I am a widow and have no need for a tub. I would like a nice…

It’s time to redo the tub/shower after 34 years. We built this 3 bedroom Cape as a young family. The children are grown and I am a widow and have no need for a tub. I would like a nice tiled shower with frameless, sliding barndoor type glass doors. BUT this is the only tub in the house (other lav has sink and toilet only).
Window and baseboard placement make this the only space to put the shower.

While I plan to stay here for years to come I wonder if removing the only tub is a mistake. The house is perfect for a young family and I assume kids still get baths, not showers. Is there some other device parents of infants and toddlers use to adapt a shower space (temporarily) for bathing the little ones?

Or should I just do what I want for myself and let future owners down the road put a tub back in the same space if they want?

Our Answer

Hi Betty Jane – I understand that removing the tub is tempting for all the reasons you stated, but unless this is a retirement community where low-threshold showers are a plus, I do sense it could have an impact on your home’s future value. While it would still be a “full” bath, and even though 95% of the time people take showers instead of baths, it’s a core element that I think most homebuyers would expect to find. I suggest you stop in a local real estate office and ask the broker what he/she thinks. They will have a good sense as to what buyers are looking for in your particular neighborhood.