How important is the garden tub?

[hotzcatz]

Two houses ago we had a separate shower house and that overlooked a gulch and there was a ginormous soaking tub in the shower house. You could sit in the tub and look out the window or up at the TV mounted in the corner of the ceiling. As well as there was a board that could be put across the tub so your dinner or laptop could sit there. My DH spent hours in that tub so when we moved to the next house we had to get a big hot tub and then build a big back deck for it. Now, we've moved to the next house and that doesn't have either the big soaking tub or a hot tub, so probably next year we will get another big hot tub as soon as we prepare a spot for it.

Water here is inexpensive, so a big tub is great. I'd not want one in an area with expensive water, though.

[nightcrawler]

I wouldn't even want one if I had a house, I don't even use a regular bathtub.
Id rather a walk in shower.


It uses too much water, and who has time to lay in a tub, I know I don't.


Maybe it is a regional thing, but no one up here (NY area) really has them.

[ebbe]

Those tiny tubs some new homes have seem worthless to me. A full size soaking tub and a separate shower is nice but there is nothing wrong with a large whirlpool tub either.

[charmed59]

I need a large soaking tub or whirlpool tub. Preferably big enough for two. We use ours everyday. Then again, our master is 12x16, so we have a huge multi head shower and a separate two person whirlpool. Apparently, whomever built this house liked bathing in twos.

That said, in looking for a new home, if there is room in the master to remodel and add a soaking tub while keeping the shower, I'd be fine with that. So if you are just using the tub area for a bench or storage or ironing area, I wouldn't cross that home off my list. If you have a enormous shower that could be taken out for a normal size shower and big tub I'd think about that house too, but it would be less enticing to me.