Best tub style for combo shower/tub in bathroom remodel

[ryanjg117]

We are about to remodel a bathroom which is fairly narrow (49") but long-ish (12'). We will be entirely gutting the bathroom and removing drywall to do a proper waterproofing, install new electrical, and re-work the plumbing as well.

Part of this remodel will be busting out a wall and installing a combo tub/shower as shown below:

(Removed pic - see below for latest designs)

In the picture above, you can see I was originally thinking about building a base for the tub, as the plan was to go with a soaking undermount tub, and not have this be a shower as well. But plans have changed and this will indeed have to be a combo.

The problem with the current tub, and the reason it's never used for actual soaking, is that the bathroom is too narrow to comfortably relax one's head (and I hate the idea of using the back wall as a headrest). This is why, as you see in the picture above, I'm considering extending the wall near the tub (right now this bathroom is just a 49"x12' rectangle).

My question - what's the best tub option here, which would give us good spacing around the tub but especially off the back (headrest) end, yet would still be suitable for predominantly shower use? I know I could stick with an undermount design here, or a drop-in, but I'm concerned about water build-up from the shower and how to manage that. A granite slab would be totally flat, and could be angled so that all water runs down the side, but that doesn't seem like a great solution. I like the idea of undermount because clean-up would be easy (versus drop-in where you have a lot of places for water to puddle). We would probably be using a standard shower curtain here, though I could be convinced of doing something different (half glass partition nearest the shower) if someone has a creative idea.

 

[squall_line]

Assuming this is all to scale (I have no reason to believe it isn't), what about putting the tub along the long wall?  With a 12' long bathroom, surely there's room for a tub/shower running lengthwise in the room.  A glass partition would help keep the entire room from feeling claustrophobic.

If it wasn't going to be a combo, you could use a walk-in style tub with a seat, rather than try to extend one's body and lay in it, but I feel like a walk-in style tub would make for a less-than-ideal shower situation, although you might have room for both a tall/deep tub with a separate shower stall next to it.

Just spit-balling.

 

[tjbnwi]

At 49” look for a tub before you do anything. The way it is framed you’ll need a 42” tub.

Putting the tub on the back wall is not an option, a 30” wide tub leaves only 18” finished for a walk area.

Tom

 

[denovo]

Some drop in tubs allow you to add a tiling flange to the sides to avoid the area where water can accumulate.  If you are able to change the size of the bump out then you can make it the same width as the tub and have a tiling flange on three sides plus a bit on the forth side with 49" of the tub accessible. 

 

[ryanjg117]

Sorry, I should have noted the wall bump-out is 14" as I have it in my drawing. So we would actually have about 73" of depth in that part of the bathroom. I really like the idea of an alcove tub rather than an undermount, and I think I might have figured out how to make it a big more comfortable for baths - check out this picture.

In my head, that "back box" wouldn't be as tall.

But I'm not seeing how this would/could work with a shower curtain.

 

[Bob D.]

73" ?

49+14=63

 

[ryanjg117]

73" ?

49+14=63

D'oh. My bad. Bathroom is 59" deep, not 49" as originally indicated.

I'm resigned to not bumping out the wall and just putting a three wall alcove tub here (60x30").

However, this bathroom shares the back (long) wall with the master bathroom which has the same 59" depth limitation. I'm now thinking about stealing ~12" of space from this guest bathroom so that we can install a more spacious tub in the master bath. For that (second) remodel, I think my question will be similar: can I install an undermount tub and still use it as a combination tub/shower? Wouldn't the granite or quartz slab above the tub need to be angled such that water would run back into the tub and not pool?

 

[Bob D.]

Does it have to have a tub?

You could make a killer shower in that space.

 

[Packard]

Realtors suggest that at least one bathroom in a house have a bathtub.  Lacking a bathtub will eliminate families with small children from the buying pool. 

From a marketing point of view, one bathroom should have a tub.  You can have more than one tub in the house, but one is the minimum recommended.

 

[Sparktrician]

Lacking a bathtub will eliminate families with small children from the buying pool. 

Well, that's one way to keep a neighborhood quiet!  [big grin]

 

[Bob D.]

Realtors suggest that at least one bathroom in a house have a bathtub.  Lacking a bathtub will eliminate families with small children from the buying pool. 

From a marketing point of view, one bathroom should have a tub.  You can have more than one tub in the house, but one is the minimum recommended.

I was under the impression there were two baths since he mentioned a master bath and a guest bath. Or I would not have made the comment.

 

[Packard]

Realtors suggest that at least one bathroom in a house have a bathtub.  Lacking a bathtub will eliminate families with small children from the buying pool. 

From a marketing point of view, one bathroom should have a tub.  You can have more than one tub in the house, but one is the minimum recommended.

I was under the impression there were two baths since he mentioned a master bath and a guest bath. Or I would not have made the comment.

I saw that too.  But no indication that the other bath has a tub.  That is why I mentioned it. 

In the master suite (oops! I mean the "main suite"), they often call these "soaking tubs" and are considered a luxury.  If you have room for one, a nice feature. 

There is no prohibition against having bathtubs in every bathroom.  But for older adults, a walk-out shower is safer to use; even safer are the new curbless showers.  If I had a choice between a walk-out shower and a shower/bathtub combination, I would take the walk out shower.  If you plan on living in the house until you are 65 or older, then this is a consideration.

 

[mino]

That room arrangment is screaming for:
- a corner tub
- moving the toiled to the left, you can also squeeze a bidet there
- placing a (double ?) sink right in front of the door

Do not loog at storage places. First address the tub/shower, sink(s), toilet, (bidet) as good as possible. The look where to place storage cabinets (if any). Doing it ther otherway around is kinda lika building the house form the roof.

First the functionals, then the functional storage, i.e. glass-cabinet above sink or "active" towels placement, last the non-functionals like general cabinet storage etc.

EDIT: drawing attached
View attachment 2

 

[ryanjg117]

As usual, I've completely changed my mind multiple times on this project--but the good news is, I haven't ordered any fixtures yet! And I think I found a way to make this long room work better, pics below.

My latest changes:

• Not bumping out the wall for the tub
• Keeping the vanity where it's at right now (along right short wall)
• Placing the alcove tub along the long back wall, adding a half-wall to divide it and the toilet
• No electrical yet, but I am planning for one near the toilet (yay bidey)

Features/benefits:

• Full side access to the tub (mostly important for bathing the kids)
• Lots of wall space opposite the tub for towel hangers
• Not modeled, but current location of ceiling fan and floor vents won't need to be changed

What I'm unsure about:

• This design will require an outswing door, which based on my internet search seems to have varying degrees of controversy. Most complaints seem to be either privacy related (like, you would be able to kick the door closed if someone tried to enter, lol?) or that it negatively impacts accessibility of the outside walkway. The design of our hallway/landing is such that the open door doesn't obstruct walking paths at all, so I'm really not concerned about this.
• The recessed medicine cabinet with integrated LEDs look cool, but I'm thinking it might be a fad? And maybe it doesn't go with the conservative styling of the fixtures, which are mostly Kohler Forte. It's expensive, but includes two outlets inside which is handy for storing electric toothbrushes and would help minimize clutter. Also, with lights integrated into the mirror, I skipped the typical over-mirror lighting, but I'm wondering if that looks conspicuously absent now?
• Floor joists run parallel to the short walls, so I'm guessing I'll need to be lucky about bath drain and toilet drain location? I can flex the "headrest box" to account for this, but I don't have too much free space until the toilet starts to get too close to the vanity.
• Confident in doing most of the work but haven't tiled an alcove tub before. I was planning to use a waterproofing membrane like Kerdi first. Mainly concerned about finishing the tile to an acceptable level of quality here. I know I'll need bullnose tiles for those outside 90 edges.

Ignore the colors/textures for now. Everything is to scale, including the fixtures.

View attachment 1

View attachment 2

View attachment 3

View attachment 4

View attachment 5

View attachment 6

View attachment 7

 

[squall_line]

I like the design.  It helps me re-visualize the tub that I need to replace, although I don't plan on doing the work myself.  I'm hemmed in by existing MCM tiling throughout the entire bathroom right now, which I am loath to remove or change, as it's one of the reasons we bought the house.

Also, with lights integrated into the mirror, I skipped the typical over-mirror lighting, but I'm wondering if that looks conspicuously absent now?[/list]

I've long hated above-the-mirror lights; they're almost completely worthless for shaving and makeup application.  I had a built-in medicine cabinet with wall sconces at eye level in the past which worked out incredibly well for shaving, but it was a tiny bathroom so it was enough light for the whole thing.  Fad or not, the lighting method is sound as far as making the mirror usable as a mirror.  Plenty of places have had that style of lighting provided by fluorescent bulbs in the past, so it's maybe not as "fad" as you fear.

 

[mike_aa]

[member=51886]ryanjg117[/member]  I really like your design, but I have two comments about the door.  It appears that the sight line when the door is open is the toilet.  Is there a way to address that? Maybe the tub location could be flipped to the other side so the door won't open directly on the toilet.  The other comment is concerning the swing.  Can you use a sliding recessed door instead?  Or one of those sliding barn doors?

Thanks, Mike A.

 

[scb_yyz]

Having gone through this, and now living with it for a while..  a few ideas come to mind..

- ensure you have really really good drain flow. Go oversized if you have the option. If you've got girls or freaky people in the family, you'd understand.  Hair is my nemesis.
- think about removing the shampoo shelf at the 'head' of the tub. Doing so will enable a glass door fit if needed, and it removes a water collection area which could create more maintenance and cleaning work for you. Grout cleaning etc..  thinking long term.
- plumb a separate tap/outlet for the hand shower.. and perhaps move it to the back instead of having all the flex pipe at the front
- consider in-floor heating..  now's the time
- consider heated towel rack.. now's the time
- sound insulation and a solid (sound deadening) door..  some things are best not heard.
- you can spice up the mirror wall by doing something interesting with the tile, such as pebble tile etc.
- put a timer on the fan, and if you're able, think about a silent remote-motor fan, which really is alot quieter.
- tile the baseboard, way easier to clean, and helps contain spills.
 
If you're thinking of a glass slider instead of a shower curtain, then be aware that the slope of the back rest of the tub, and the door opening location, if at the head end, might cause a situation where it's tricky getting in and out.  Although deep tubs seem nice, they are a pain to get in and out, with glass sliders.

Best wishes for your Reno.

 

[Packard]

I cannot tell from the images, but the minimum space on either side of a toilet is supposed to be 15".  The second drawing shows some other recommended clearances.

 

[cpw]

• • The recessed medicine cabinet with integrated LEDs look cool, but I'm thinking it might be a fad? And maybe it doesn't go with the conservative styling of the fixtures, which are mostly Kohler Forte. It's expensive, but includes two outlets inside which is handy for storing electric toothbrushes and would help minimize clutter. Also, with lights integrated into the mirror, I skipped the typical over-mirror lighting, but I'm wondering if that looks conspicuously absent now?
  • Confident in doing most of the work but haven't tiled an alcove tub before. I was planning to use a waterproofing membrane like Kerdi first. Mainly concerned about finishing the tile to an acceptable level of quality here. I know I'll need bullnose tiles for those outside 90 edges.

  I am a big fan of recessed medicine cabinets, the outlets are great if you have an electric toothbrush that needs charging but you want to keep hidden away.  I didn't pay for the LED lights, instead using a regular fixture above the medicine cabinet; but would not skip the recessing.
  
  Instead of Kerdi membrane, consider 1/2" Kerdi Board.  It is very easy to install and then tile over, without needing to use thinset to adhere the membrane to the drywall.  You just need to use the thinset to waterproof the seams and screws; so you don't need to worry too much about getting the membrane flat and without bubbles, etc.
  
  Also instead of bullnose tiles you can use Jolly, Quadec, Rondec or non-Schluter equivalent profiles to have a finished edge on your tiles.
  
  On Youtube Sal DiBlasi and Landberg Tile have good videos.  Sal has great videos just showing you how to do things, sometimes sped up sometimes not, so you can just watch someone who is really good at tile do it and understand some of where he spends his time and attention.  Landberg Tile has a lot of good design and tool unboxing videos, but doesn't spend quite as much time on the technique.

 

[squall_line]

- put a timer on the fan, and if you're able, think about a silent remote-motor fan, which really is alot quieter.

Unless you have a wife who prefers a loud fan because it makes her feel more private while she's in the restroom.  I'm not even sure if insulated walls and a solid door would be enough to convince her otherwise.

A thought about the soap dish molded into the wall: what's behind that wall?  If it's an exterior wall, you'll have little to no insulation between the elements and the tile and this is not recommended if you are in a freeze-ready area.  If it's an interior wall, make sure it's thick enough to accommodate without impeding on the other side.