A tub to shower conversion is something that should be considered carefully, as it takes a considerable amount of time and money to achieve, if nothing else and it would definitely take double the amount of both of those things to revert.
To help you ponder your decision, there are several aspects you can look at, such as how often and for what reasons you use the tub, how much the conversion will cost and how much money it will save you in the long-run. However, there are some advantages and drawbacks to showers that can easily be pointed out and are common to most cases.
It is undeniable, for instance, that showers are more sustainable, and as you only use the water you actually need, instead of filling a whole tub. It is also quite true that they are much more practical and time-efficient, as you can start right away, without needing to wait for the water to warm up and, again, fill a whole tub.
On the other hand, a shower can never provide the comfort and relaxation that a full bath can, and it is certainly more challenging to bathe small children or animals in it. On top of that, it is a common belief that houses which do not feature a bathtub are harder to sell, so it is important to have that in mind before you go through with a conversion.
However, if you have your mind made up about having a tub to shower conversion, there are some good news for you. For instance, if your existing bathtub is already enclosed in an alcove, you likely have already most of the work done for you, as the dimensions are pretty similar, there are water sources in the area already, and the installation is pretty easy, only taking a couple of days.
Aside from being simple to achieve, these conversions don’t even need to be done by professionals as there are ready-made shower kits on the market which any handy man can easily install in a couple of days.
The bad news is, if you have a standalone bathtub, which is not placed in an alcove, you will pretty much need to go through a whole bathroom remodeling process, which includes finding a new water source for your shower, changing the flooring, and installing the actual shower, which is something that needs to be done by a professional, and might not be quite cost-effective – take a look at our custom bathroom guide.
At the end of the day, the question of whether you should or not convert your bathtub into a shower depends as much on preference as it does cost. If your bathroom has ideal conditions for the conversion to begin with, it is a fairly easy decision to make, but if not, the investment may be too great, and one which may not pay off in the long-run.
