For BuyersFor HomeownersFor SellersReal EstateRemodeling and style trendsSeattle real estate May 17, 2011

Increase Your Home's Value with a Spa-Like Shower

Recently,  I wrote a post about whether it’s important to have a 5 piece bath, meaning a bath with a shower, tub, 2 sinks, and a toilet.  I asked the question because a past client was thinking of moving his laundry upstairs to the master bath in place of the tub.

His goal:

To put a wine cellar in the laundry room on the main floor and move the laundry up to the master bath.   He wanted my opinion regarding the importance of the tub.  I put the question out on this blog and on Facebook.  On Facebook, people said the tub was a dust collector.  Personally, I agree with that.  My tub is a dust collector, too.

My answer:

But is the eastside of Seattle ready for homes of a certain caliber to not have a master bath tub?  Looking at it from a professional point of view,  the master bath in homes newer than 1980 and more expensive than $500,000 should have some pizazz.  The master bath is considered the hallmark of peace and privacy, a retreat if you will.  It should make a statement.  Buyers are going to expect that.   When evaluating homes they’ll take the difference in a master bath seriously.

So if the wine cellar becomes a “gotta have” feature and the tub ultimately goes away, then the homeowner should install a terrific shower in its place.  A good sized shower with a spa-like feel could be the ticket to overcoming any objections regarding the lack of the master bath tub.  In fact, given all the feedback I’ve gotten on and off line about the unimportance of the tub, it would not surprise me at all if the sumptuous shower becomes the “gotta have” piece of the master bath.  Will there be some people who object to the lack of the tub even if they don’t use it?  Yes, there will be people who feel they must have the tub either to use or for resale value.

What do you think?

Tile shower spa

(Photo from Flickr, Golom Designs)