I don't have any input in this since I have NO good advice...but I just wanted to say that we've been in your situation (except we're building a new house, which I don't think you are). What kind of tub to get for people that take showers (we will use our tub for the cat litter box). Need to have a tub in the house...grrr. I hope you get the answer you need.

If what is exposed on the current tub is 29.5", a 30" tub should fit fine, but I am puzzled by the 58.5. That may be an issue. I actually think I've seen some 59" tubs out there, but I don't recall where.

Re the tubs you're looking at: I happen to have the Kohler catalog in front of me (we're tub shopping!), and one you mentioned is 30 and shallow, and the other is deep but 32. (If there is a decent traditional tub, 30" but deep out there, somebody please tell me!) I've seen the Mirabelle 30 and can say that it packs a whole lot of bathing space into small dimensions, but (1) it's really modern, so if your look's not modern it could be an issue, and (2) there have been problems with it -- search this site and the web for info.

For resale purposes, if there's only one tub in the house, I would think that, ideally, it should be deeper than 14 inches. (My wife would be unhappy with a 14-inch tub.) But if you're having trouble finding something that works, I wouldn't sweat it. Most buyers probably wouldn't think about it, even if they take baths.

I doubt it is worth it to add a lot of expense and hassle to the job just to get a bigger tub solely for resale purposes.

Re bathing kids, our current tub (which we unfortunately need to replace) is 18 inches and it's great. I've also never given it a thought when showering. Stepping into it would only be an issue for people (whether small kids or adults) who should have assistance anyway. I'm not sure re 20 inches. (But, re kids: Just don't get glass doors! Our old house had them and they're terrible for bathing kids.)

I have the 30x60 Bellwether tub and love it for my bathroom that will not be the primary bathroom. The tub is shallower than many, so ideal for kids. I have the Bellwether that is the updated version. The original version, while deeper (and slightly wider I believe), has a wacky slanted front similar to the back rest area, making the bottom length uncomfortably short and requirering a longer tub filler to reach into the tub. The updated version is longer on the bottom. I love the clean contemporary lines without gimmicks. I love the cast iron too.

I kept the tub feature in my newly remodeled BR that is off of my kitchen. I had thought of putting in a W/D. But my adult son had such fond memories of bathing there as a child while I worked in the kitchen, and able to keep an eye on him.

Here is a picture:

The measurements are fine- I asked my contractor the same thing. You need to subtract the depth of the tiles and there are ways for them to get it in there. We will replace our tub with the Kohler Villager, it is shallow, as we only shower, but deep enough for future owners w little kids to bathe them easily. Good Luck!

s8thrd - you mention no glass doors...were you referring to sliding glass doors? I agree those sound like they would be difficult with kids. We were planning on installing a 1/2 glass door on the tub, which would be hinged, do you think that would be ok?

To "firsthome": We had sliding doors, which were a pain for two reasons. The biggest issue was of course that you can only expose about 45% of the tub, at one end or the other. The secondary issue was that when bathing kids you naturally lean on the tub edge without thinking about it, and if there's a metal ridge there you can't do that comfortably. But that wasn't as big a deal.

dollymibella, I got your email but apparently can't reply because of your settings. Here is the info on my floor that I emailed to you"

Yes it is slate that I had special ordered from Home Depot. It is not the stocked slate. It is slate from Brazil and is very evenly cut and gaged. It came in 12x12 and larger if I remember. I bought the 12x12 and recut them down to 6x12. I had Mongoct help me figure out how much I needed to remove from the cut so 2 tiles + extra grout space would equal a 12x12. You can do herringbone in different ratios but I didn't know how to plan for that. You also have to have a stiffer floor for stone. Porcelain or ceramic doesn't need to be as stiff. So you could go to the John Bridge forum and they have a calculator called "Deflecto" to rate your floor for stone or ceramic tiles (link is at the top of their page). my floor is extra beefy as we originally had 21" on center joist and needed closer ones. We put new joist in between each of the existing and came up with about 9 or 10" on center.