Advice please - free-standing or built-in bath?

[maumau]

What do you guys think? Is a built-in bath old fashioned?

We're redoing the bathroom and $$$$$$ is WHEWEEEE bébé but don't want a built-in just to cut the price. I'd rather renovate the room without a bath and add a free- standing bath in a year or two if that's preferable.

Do you make use of the bath a lot in your house or do you all shower?

There is a bath in the cottage if we want to use it.

 

[blunt]

Our ensuite has a free standing and our passage bathroom has a built in, both modern, just the ensuite had the right space for it whereas the passage bathroom didn't have the space for a free standing.

Made sure both are large, I'm not sure of the difference in price as we renovated the entire house, can't remember the bath prices.

If your bathroom has the floor space for a free standing it does look good I think. They aren't all styled like something out of the renaissance either if you (like me) don't like that particular look.

We use the bath quite often.

 

[Emjay]

Problem is that the free standing bath is not so expensive, it's the attachments that become very pricey.

I would save and wait until you can renovate with a free standing bath. It would be best as well in case you need to change any plumbing. Your newly renovated bathroom will look like an eyesore until you place a bath in it.

Plus, what happens if you have to sell in a hurry? I always keep my home in a sellable state.

 

[maumau]

Thank you both.

As Blunt says there are gorgeous free standings available so I think I'll go with that.

Good point MaryJane about not letting the house look bad, very difficult to keep up with maintenance etc.

 

[Kalle]

be careful with a freestanding bath if your bathroom is rather small.
You need SPACE for a freestanding bath or it will look rather silly or you create dirt traps you can never clean if you shove a freestanding bath into a corner.
I went with old fashioned enamel baths ( in a modern design! ) instead of this plastic garbage you get everywhere.

 

[greg_SA]

I'd go with a built in bath, unless you have a big budget, and a big bathroom.

 

[P924]

be careful with a freestanding bath if your bathroom is rather small.
You need SPACE for a freestanding bath or it will look rather silly or you create dirt traps you can never clean if you shove a freestanding bath into a corner.
I went with old fashioned enamel baths ( in a modern design! ) instead of this plastic garbage you get everywhere.

This. Also, don't bother with a freestanding bath unless it is a stone or volcanic ash bath (ie Dado or Victoria & Albert)

 

[PotatoGuardian]

I went with the freestanding bath because I thought it might have been cheaper than installing a built in bath (I was probably wrong). I thought it would probably cos a lot to built around it and re-tile and worried I might not have enough space.

Anyhow free standing bath is in as of Monday. True story about nooks and cranny's that are tough to clean.

Total job cost me 20k incl tiler to re-tile the ones they knocked up and the tiles. I still need to repaint now which will cost another 2k incl paint

 

[FrankCastle]

I went with the freestanding bath because I thought it might have been cheaper than installing a built in bath (I was probably wrong). I thought it would probably cos a lot to built around it and re-tile and worried I might not have enough space.

Anyhow free standing bath is in as of Monday. True story about nooks and cranny's that are tough to clean.

Total job cost me 20k incl tiler to re-tile the ones they knocked up and the tiles. I still need to repaint now which will cost another 2k incl paint

View attachment 361098

Should've gone with built in.
Free standing usually has legs for easy access underneath and stands further away from the wall, sometimes even perpendicular rather than parallel.

 

[PotatoGuardian]

There isn't space underneath, it's flat on the floor. Maybe it wasn't the best idea but whatevs can't change it now. It's nice and high so it's awesome to bath in

 

[Colin62]

Do you make use of the bath a lot in your house or do you all shower?

I use the bath for my dog.

 

[Kalle]

There isn't space underneath, it's flat on the floor. Maybe it wasn't the best idea but whatevs can't change it now. It's nice and high so it's awesome to bath in

jeez. You'll have a lot of trouble to get the space between the wall and the bath clean.

Say hello to your new roommates the "dust bunnies"

 

[PotatoGuardian]

It doesn't look it but they left enough space to run a broom through there and I have a hand vacuum so it will be cool. Hindsight is always 20/20