Walk-In Shower vs. Bathtub: How to Decide in Your Remodel
It's the most common fork in the road in bathroom remodeling: keep the tub or convert to a walk-in shower? We have this conversation almost weekly, and the right answer depends on your house, your family, and your timeline in the home.
Here's how we walk clients through it.
The One Rule About Resale
Keep at least one tub in the house. That's the guidance we give, and most Twin Cities real estate agents will tell you the same. Families with young kids filter for a bathtub, and a house with zero tubs cuts out a meaningful slice of buyers.
But that's one tub in the house, not one tub per bathroom. Look, if your hall bath has a tub, converting the primary bath to a big walk-in shower is a resale positive, not a negative. The tub-to-shower conversion only gets risky when it's the last tub standing.
When the Walk-In Shower Wins
You never take baths. Be honest. If the tub's last use was 2019, you're maintaining 15 square feet of storage for a paddleboard.
You're thinking about the long haul. A zero-threshold or low-curb shower is the cornerstone of aging-in-place design. Stepping over a 15-inch tub wall is the single most common bathroom hazard for older adults. If this is your forever house, build the shower now with blocking in the walls for future grab bars. It costs almost nothing during a remodel and saves a second remodel later.
Your bathroom is small. In a 5x8 bath, replacing the tub with a glass-walled shower transforms the room. We covered this in our small bathroom ideas post.
Accessibility is a today issue. For anyone with mobility challenges, a curbless shower with a bench and handheld sprayer isn't a trend, it's independence.
When the Tub Stays (or Gets Better)
Kids under ten. Bathing toddlers in a shower is nobody's idea of fun. If you're in the young-family years, the tub earns its space daily.
You actually soak. Bath people are a minority, but they're committed. For them we'd rather upgrade to a quality soaking tub than sneak in a shower conversion they'll regret.
It's the only tub and you may sell within 5-7 years. See the rule above.
You've got the space for both. In larger primary baths, a freestanding tub plus a separate shower remains the premium setup. Just be sure you'll use the tub, because a never-touched $4,000 soaker is the most expensive dust collector in the house.
What Conversions Cost
In the Twin Cities market, a straightforward tub-to-shower conversion (same footprint, new tile, glass, fixtures) generally runs $12,000 - $25,000. Curbless designs cost more because the floor structure has to change to create the slope. Full bathroom remodels with a conversion included land in the $20,000 - $40,000 range depending on finishes.
Beware of the one-day conversion outfits advertising $5,000 swaps. That price buys an acrylic shell glued over your existing surround, and it usually looks like exactly that.
Still Torn?
This decision is easier standing in your actual bathroom than reading about it. Book a free consultation and we'll look at your layout, your family's needs, and your other bathrooms, then give you a straight recommendation. We work across the metro, including Eden Prairie, Savage, and Eagan.