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Hello! We recently bought a new 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo and we are looking to remodel the master bathroom. It currently has a shower/tub combo with a jacuzzi, but we were thinking of replacing that with just a nice, tiled, walk in shower. (I attached pictures of our current bathroom and an idea of what we would want instead)
I'm afraid if we do this though, it will hurt the resale value of our place (and we will probably sell it in 3-5 years). However, we do have another full bathroom with a shower/tub combo (as well as a half bath)...so if we did remove the tub in the master bath, there would still be a tub in the house.
Furthermore, if we did decide to replace the tub, we would move the jacuzzi tub/shower from the master bath into the other bathroom so we still had the jacuzzi.
Personally, I think the cheap fiberglass shower/tub combos are awful to take a bath in for an adult because they are so small, so I would much prefer a walk in shower. I know that it would hurt resale value if we didn't have any tubs in the house because people like them for their kids and whatnot, so I'm wondering if you think removing this tub/shower combo from the master bath would hurt resale value.
Hello! We recently bought a new 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo and we are looking to remodel the master bathroom. It currently has a shower/tub combo with a jacuzzi, but we were thinking of replacing that with just a nice, tiled, walk in shower. (I attached pictures of our current bathroom and an idea of what we would want instead)
I'm afraid if we do this though, it will hurt the resale value of our place (and we will probably sell it in 3-5 years). However, we do have another full bathroom with a shower/tub combo (as well as a half bath)...so if we did remove the tub in the master bath, there would still be a tub in the house.
Furthermore, if we did decide to replace the tub, we would move the jacuzzi tub/shower from the master bath into the other bathroom so we still had the jacuzzi.
Personally, I think the cheap fiberglass shower/tub combos are awful to take a bath in for an adult because they are so small, so I would much prefer a walk in shower. I know that it would hurt resale value if we didn't have any tubs in the house because people like them for their kids and whatnot, so I'm wondering if you think removing this tub/shower combo from the master bath would hurt resale value.
You have shower people and you have bath people. I am a bath person and I would not buy a house that did not have a bathtub in the master bathroom, but the majority of Americans out there are shower people so it really would not matter to them.
Why don't you just put in a better shower/bath combo and make everybody happy.
I don't think a really nicely done walk in shower would affect resale anymore than leaving it as is would, but yes you might consider doing a nice combo reno if you wanted to play it safe.
I'm seeing a lot more walk in showers in master bath renovations these days. I like it. If we had two full baths I'd definitely consider it too.
The condo market is NOT like single family homes. The timeline and range of options that buyers will tolerate is inversely propotional to price -- thus HIGH END condos (like in desirable high rises) are expected to be "cutting edge" or they sell for a step discount to someone willing to "gut renovate" the place.
If you "just bought" and are planning to "sell in 3-5 years" you are basically SETTING YOURSELF UP TO LOSE MONEY...
LOW end condos are a different animal all together -- there is an enormous glut of condos pretty much coast-to-coast and people are not paying "extra" for any of 'em as the only folks that buy are the 100% cash buyer investor types.
SO my advice is:
A) IF you are dreaming of a high end condo (because neither photo 1 nor 2 strikes me as even midrange for a master bath) and want to be kinda trendy / hip go right ahead and pull out the combo unit for a nice walk-in shower. If you decide to sell down the road and some other trend is hotter be prepare to "take a bath"...
B) IF this is a low end condo you bought cheap go ahead and yank the combo out and put in the walk in shower you want. If you try and sell before prices bounce back at least you will come out cleaner from the shower...
C) IF this is a low end condo that you paid big money before the bubble burst best to cut your loses. Your money is down the drain.
I've noticed more customers in the new homes world that are opting for a 5ft shower stall ilo seperate tub and shower. While I don't have any experience in the re-sale market I'll throw out this nugget of information....."There's a house out there for everyone".
I definitely wouldn't consider it a "high end" condo. It's in the suburbs in a development of about 30 units. I would probably say it's midrange (at least the rest of the condo - the bathrooms lack something to be desired)...but we got it for a steal. It was in foreclosure, and comparable units are selling for $80K + in the same development...so we have a little wiggle room in terms of remodeling.
The way I look at it, a bathroom with a tub/shower is considered a full bath. A bathroom with just a shower is considered a 3/4 bath.
So by that, removing the tub automatically puts you at a disadvantage on paper right off the bat. Folks looking for a 2 bath means they'll start the search with a 2+, not a 1.75+.
If you do it for your own enjoyment it probably makes sense, but it is VERRY easy to get carried away, spend too much money and then try it justify it as an "investment" -- judging by the tight space in your "current" picture you are never going to be able to attract "high end" buyer with current configuration and even just upgrading the shower still leaves you with a single wash basin, narrow access and no "privacy" around the commode. Higher end master suites have more space, dual sinks and a toilet area separated from the rest of the space...
If you SHOP CAREFULLY you might be able to get a nice shower with professional installation for under $5K, but honestly it is very easy to spend even triple that --it would not make economic sense, but I agree that you will not "turn off" buyers so long as there are other bathrooms with a tub in the unit...
I agree with Chet. So long as you keep it within a budget that would qualify as simply improving your own enjoyment of the place, rather than as some kind of equity booster, then you'll be fine.
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