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Tub-to-shower conversion: yes or no?

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  • Tub-to-shower conversion: yes or no?

    Our apartment building was bought out recently by a new company. They are doing considerable fixes and upgrades. One of the options being offered is to convert the tub into a walk-in barrier-free shower, with a "step" of about 2 inches (obviously to keep the water from flooding the bathroom ... and the bathroom below that one ....)

    I don't have any mobility issues (not yet, anyway!) and am undecided about whether I want this done. My biggest reason for voting "yes" is that I never use my tub AS a tub anyway. It's a standard-sized tub and for somebody who is 5'5" (as I am) it's just not possible to relax in it ... I always find myself sliding forward and then, slowly, under the water.

    Has anybody here ever had this done? How did it work out for you?

  • #2
    I have the opposite issue - I'm 6 foot 4 or so, and I haven't been able to properly lie down and relax in a tub since my early teenage growth spurt. ^_^

    I changed mine (a few years back) in this way specifically due to mobility issues and I love it. It's so easy to just walk into and out of the stall, and if you're always standing anyway, it won't hurt. Just make sure that your new shower curtain goes all the way to the floor in order to help avoid said flooding issues. You may even want to look into one that is weighted at the bottom or get a set of waterproof weighted magnets.

    I strongly recommend grab bars - I have a horizontal one centrally located above the center of the back wall (I grab it while showering as needed) and vertical bars at either end - conveniently close to the john, so I use it to sit and stand from there. We all get to the point, eventually, where such things are a godsend, so it might be wise to go ahead and get it done now, even if the person who ends up needing it is the tenant after you, etc.

    PS Get a showerhead with a hose so you can detach it from the main structure. Makes things easier for people both big AND tall!
    "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
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    "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
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    • #3
      Quoth EricKei View Post
      I strongly recommend grab bars - I have a horizontal one centrally located above the center of the back wall (I grab it while showering as needed) and vertical bars at either end - conveniently close to the john, so I use it to sit and stand from there. We all get to the point, eventually, where such things are a godsend, so it might be wise to go ahead and get it done now, even if the person who ends up needing it is the tenant after you, etc.
      I totally agree and if an attached bench is not an option, there are plenty of shower stools on the market.

      I'm trying to see things from your point of view, but I can't get my head that far up my keister!

      Who is John Galt?
      -Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

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      • #4
        Quoth EricKei View Post
        I'm 6 foot 4 or so, and I haven't been able to properly lie down and relax in a tub since my early teenage growth spurt. ^_^
        So am I. I have soak tub. It is about 20" deep. Slight bend in the knees and my head is underwater. Only problem, my hot water tank is not big enough to fill it.

        They make walk-in bathtubs.
        Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
        Save the Ales!
        Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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        • #5
          Quoth csquared View Post
          So am I. I have soak tub. It is about 20" deep. Slight bend in the knees and my head is underwater. Only problem, my hot water tank is not big enough to fill it.
          Years ago we got a whirlpool tub. It took two cycles of the hot water heater to fill. When that hot water heater died we installed a tankless hot water heater. It is wonderful.
          "I don't have to be petty. The Universe does that for me."

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          • #6
            If I had a tankless hot water heater, you'd never get me out of the shower.

            Ok, maybe for dinner.
            Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
            Save the Ales!
            Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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            • #7
              Quoth csquared View Post
              Only problem, my hot water tank is not big enough to fill it.

              They make walk-in bathtubs.

              If I had a tankless hot water heater, you'd never get me out of the shower.
              The local Y has some of those walk-in units. They're nice. I don't think my water heater could handle it, either - I'm lucky to get ten minutes of hot water in the shower! I've talked to my bro (my wee apartment is on his property) about a tankless heater in the past, but he ixnayed the idea. Been a few years; maybe he'd consider swapping it out now...? I'd love to be able to take a nice, long shower again.

              I have a low-clearance shower stall instead, with the aforementioned grab bars. I don't know how I could live without them now.
              "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
              "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
              "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
              "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
              "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
              "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
              Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
              "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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              • #8
                We had it done in our condo a few years ago. Best decision ever! Even though we didn't have mobility issues, the shower is so much easier to clean and use.
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                • #9
                  Tell me your opinion after you do it.
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