By Janeé Williams
The extinction of the bathtub is well on its way with this up and coming trend. Say bye bye to the fiberglass bowl and hello to a bigger and better shower. It could be the spa experience you never had.
The Trend:
Many homeowners are seeking to remodel their master bathrooms in conjunction with removing their bathtubs and extending their showers, searching for a more spa-like sanctuary.
“The older homes are looking for more space and a place to sit down, the newer homes are looking to separate their tubs and extend their showers” says Bob Kay, owner of Kitchen and Bath Factory.
Many homeowners are choosing to jettison their old tubs in favor of a more open floor plan, while ditching hassle of stepping over the side of a high-walled tub/shower. Instead, they want to create their own personal spa and escape for a while. “Many people want to re-design and personalize their bathroom but they can’t do that with a big bulky tub in the way,” says Justin Schopp, co-owner and bathroom professional at Moss Building and Design.
Kay says many people are realizing they are no longer interested in a bathroom that combines an epic shower and bathtub in one.
“You go in the master bathroom and see a big bathroom with a cool whirlpool and cool shower and after a while you get bored and you want a bigger shower,” says Kay. “What we see people doing is making the tub into an island-type tub. It’s free-standing like you would see back in the old cowboy frontier days and it’s really cool to look at.”
The focus is on enhancing the shower for homeowners. It’s all about the “showering experience” says Schopp. If homeowners can get rid of the bulky shower it allows them more flexibility to add design and amenity.
“This makes room for more shower heads, body sprays or rain showers,” Schopp says.
Why have homeowners decided to make this decision?
Many home owners want the best shower experience possible. “It’s all about the spa feel for the owners,” says Schopp. “This could range from multi-functional shower heads, hand showers and steam showers or you could take it to the next level with digital showers and radios within the shower.”
The extended shower can be made to fit not only your personal needs but your design needs as well.
Age Group:
You’re probably guessing that older homeowners with kids off to college and retirement around the corner are the only people looking to extend their showers. Your wrong. The age range is very wide. Kay said people from their mid-20s to their 50s are all interested in extending their showers.
For the younger crowd it’s the new thing to do, for the older crowd an extended shower is a benefit for aging in space, Schopp says. Bigger showers can provide the option for seats or handlebars to be placed within the shower to make it easier to get in and out of the space.
Benefits:
For design, it allows you to customize your bathroom. You can play around with different types of tile and colors to create a space specifically for you and you have more space to move around.
Cost
Price varies depending on what you’re asking for. Schopp says it can be as low as $5,000 to as high as $10,000.
“Is it a shower where you are just trying to get clean in or are you trying to open up the doors of your bathroom and say, ‘Wow this is my life.’ It all depends what the owner is trying to get out of the shower,” he says.
Resale value
“It’s a wow effect,” says Schopp. “People want your shower. Not only will you get back your value, it will be a high percentage and it will sell quickly. Because of this the re-sale does really well for the market.”
