Goodbye Bathtub, Hello Walk-In Shower
One of the first items to be replaced on a homeowner’s wish list these days involves the bathroom. Sure we all want granite countertops in the kitchen and wall-to-wall hardwood floors throughout the entire home, but when it comes to the bathroom? Give us a massive shower! If you’re considering swapping out an old, outdated bathtub for a new and improved walk-in shower, we have you covered. First of all, if you plan on selling the home at some point, keep in mind that the majority of homeowners want at least one full bath—containing a full-blown bathtub. Removing the one and only bathtub can hurt your resale value. But on the flipside, a secondary bathroom that has been recently updated with a spacious (and let’s face it—kind of luxurious!) walk-in shower can greatly improve the overall value of the home. If you are considering tackling this renovation yourself, keep the following in mind.
Complete Overhaul
Completely replacing the bathtub means removing everything in that space—the tub, walls, even the ceiling and floor, and installing a shower pan, faucet, walls, etc. If you think about it, a complete replacement involves several different aspects of bathroom remodeling: demo, the plumbing, flooring, drywall, insulation, and general carpentry.
Return on Investment
Since the spa shower has becoming increasingly in demand over the past decade, homeowners that are considering selling in the next few years may find this renovation project to have a huge return on investment. Depending on plumbing and your level of upgrades, a conversion could run anywhere from $2000 to $8000 on the high end. Recent studies show homeowners are generally able to recoup the entire renovation amount in the resale of the home.