When homeowners sit down with our design team, one question comes up in almost every bathroom consultation: should we keep the tub or convert the space to a walk-in shower? It sounds like a simple either/or, but the right answer depends on how you live, how long you plan to stay in your home, and what the rest of the house offers.
We have been remodeling bathrooms across Central Ohio since 1982, and the walk in shower vs bathtub conversation has shifted noticeably in the last several years. Here is what Columbus homeowners are actually choosing, and how we help our clients decide.
The Shift Toward Walk-In Showers
In our recent projects, the majority of primary bathroom remodels now include a large walk-in shower as the centerpiece. A few reasons keep coming up:
- Daily reality. Most adults shower. When clients track how often they actually used their tub in the past year, the answer is usually once or twice, and the decision gets easier.
- Space. Removing a rarely used tub frees up real square footage for a double vanity, built-in storage, or a shower with a bench and full-size niche.
- Planning ahead. Many of our clients intend to stay in their homes long term. A curbless, zero-entry shower with a handheld sprayer and blocking for future grab bars is one of the smartest aging-in-place investments you can make.
- The spa factor. Steam units, rain heads, body sprays, and heated floors have turned the shower into the most requested luxury upgrade we build. A recent Dublin project paired a curbless steam shower with a sauna and a coffee bar, and it functions like a private spa.
The Case for Keeping a Bathtub
Bathtubs are far from obsolete, and for some households they are non-negotiable.
- Young families. If bath time is part of your routine, a tub in at least one bathroom is essential. Little kids and walk-in showers are a tough match.
- Genuine soakers. Some clients truly unwind in a tub, and for them we design around it. A freestanding soaking tub can be the sculptural focal point of the whole room.
- Character homes. In neighborhoods like Bexley, Clintonville, and German Village, a classic clawfoot tub suits the architecture. We recently completed a Grove City bathroom where a clawfoot tub with brass fittings sits beside a glass shower, and the pairing feels right at home.
What About Resale Value?
This is the question behind the question, and our guidance is consistent: keep at least one tub somewhere in the house. Buyers with young children, and buyers planning for them, will look for it. As long as a hall or secondary bathroom has a tub, converting the primary bath to a spacious walk-in shower will not hurt you with Columbus buyers. In many cases a dated fiberglass tub-shower combo swapped for a beautifully tiled walk-in shower is exactly what makes a primary suite feel current.
The calculus only changes when a conversion would leave the home with no tub at all. In that case we talk honestly about your timeline in the house and your likely buyer before removing it.
Getting Both: Wet Rooms and Tub-Shower Pairings
The best answer to the walk in shower vs bathtub debate is often both. When the footprint allows, we design wet rooms and open layouts where a soaking tub and a zero-entry shower share one glass-enclosed, fully waterproofed zone. It reads as one generous space rather than two competing fixtures, and it keeps every option open for the next owner.
Questions We Ask Before Recommending Either
- When did you last actually use your tub?
- How long do you plan to live in this home?
- Does another bathroom in the house have a tub?
- Is anyone in the household thinking about mobility, now or in the next decade?
- What does your ideal morning routine look like?
Your answers usually make the decision for you. You can see how other Central Ohio homeowners have answered it in our bathroom remodeling photo gallery.
Talk It Through with Our Design Team
Whether you are leaning toward a curbless shower, holding onto your soaking tub, or hoping to fit both, our design-build process starts with how you actually live. As an employee-owned Columbus company, we handle design and construction under one roof so the finished bathroom matches the plan.
Schedule a consultation or call us at (614) 459-7211 to start the conversation about your bathroom remodel.