Needing new bathtub. Completely lost.

So I currently have in my new house an "all in one" bathtub/shower, and that's the only type of bath/shower I've ever had, so when looking for a new one I'm very lost.

The bathtub/shower is in poor shape. Here's some pics: My Crappy Bathroom. Heh. – This New House


This link was pretty helpful: How to Choose a Bathtub | Bathroom Design - Choose Floor Plan & Bath Remodeling Materials | HGTV


There's


All in 1 Bath/Shower
Drop In Bath
Freestanding & Clawfoot
Corner Bath (With Skirt?)
Regular Bath (With Skirt?)

If I read correctly, the "skirt" is the part where the bathtub reaches the floor, unlike the "Drop In" baths, which have nothing. I dont want any of that, since I dont know how to build a platform.

So I've narrowed it down to


All in 1 Bath/Shower
Corner Bath (With Skirt?)
Regular Bath (With Skirt?)

I feel like the all in 1 bath/shower would be the easiest solution, however I'm having an EXTREMELY hard time finding anything about these online. Most everything is drop in or freestanding...

So I've considered a Corner/Regular bath w/ Skirt. My main preference is to have a BIGGER bathtub... Big enough for 2 (larger) people to fit halfways comfortably.... Also so I can soak better. I've read that Regular baths that are deeper are indeed called "Soaker" baths... but they dont seem to be "bigger".

A corner bath seems to be larger and maybe more of what I need, but im not sure if it would fit, so I've been looking just for a slightly larger rectangular one. Some of them are labeled as "Spa" and are bigger... but I don't necessarily want the jets. (They would be nice, but with my luck, break easily, so I'd rather just not take that chance!)

So lets talk about the Skirt bath. I'm assuming that these can be used in conjunction with a shower head sticking out of the wall? I'm assuming that I will need to tile said walls prior to putting the bathtub in. Also, do I tile the floor once the bathtub is out? (I have no idea whats under there)

What sort of tile do I use? What would be the cheapest? I then assume that once everything is tiled, the new bathtub goes in and we caulk the sides to be waterproof.



Ive also thought about doing something like this... Just tiling off EVERYTHING, and somehow... making it able to be a bath too? Like build an extra side UP on the other side of the "shower"... or would that be super duper hard too?


What happens if the bathtub isnt as long as the space though? Or is all spaces about universally the same size? I dont have access to the house right now till the bank does its appraisal... but I feel personally like it is a smaller bathroom than normal.

It could be made a bit bigger if you close off one of the doors (theres 2 doors)

One of the doors goes to the master bedroom, the other to a hallway.

How would you go about closing off that door and making it blend in with the rest of the wall? This seems a little extreme and prolly a little hard.

I eventually want to put new wall & floor tile in the whole thing... should that be done at the same time as the new bathtub? Im not sure if I'd have enough money for both, but would it be like, significantly easier if we did?
Do you even put tile in a bathroom for the walls? Im not sure. Ive never owned a house before even, lol.

What about Vinyl flooring? Thats cheaper than normal tile... I think? This website seems to have good prices... Biscuit's LVT - Premium Luxury Vinyl Tile - CCA

Sorry for like 9004 questions! This needs to be as easy and painless and as cheap as possible.

I dont mind so much colors or designs... Just need something for it to be "slightly newer than the 60s" with a bathtub that isn't gross! LOL.



Thank you guys so much!

 

Welcome to the forums!

Just to be clear, do you plan on gutting the bath rm and doing a full remodel? What size the the room? Where will the larger size tub go? Removing the tub requires at least a partial gut job. One piece tub/shower units only work with new construction as it would be next to impossible to get the unit in the room once the walls are erected. You can buy tubs and surrounds that come in sections to accommodate the doorway.

Waterproofing is done under the tile! If you just relied on the tile/grout to keep everything dry you'd wind up with damage when the grout developed any cracks.

 

I don't think you fully appreciate the extent of work involved in remodeling a bathroom and it may be more than your competence level. A poorly installed water resistive barrier can have devastating effects on the sub-structure.

Looking at your pics. I don't think you have room for an over the counter, oversized tub. The alternative is to basically construct a tiled tub in place which requires a great deal of preparation to ensure waterproofing. Furthermore, the substructure may not be adequate to support the additional weight. All that is determined by gutting (taking out) everything you have down to the studs and subfloor - or more. And you haven't even tackled plumbing issues yet.

As Murphy says..." If anything can go wrong...it will". So be prepared. Bathroom remodels are not for the amateur or faint of heart.

 

Oh I understand how much work it is.. I plan to have a plumber do most of it, but, as a graphic designer i didnt want to be /that/ person...

The person like "Hi, I want a business card." and then thats the extent of what they know about what they want as I face palm.

So wanted some recommendations on what to check up on first a bit before I meet with the guy.

Thanks for the suggestions~