A hot tub might help sell a home. A whirlpool bath, I'm not so sure about. Most whirlpools get little or no use during their lifetime, according to one study I read.

Wait! I just reread your post. It sounds like you are asking about a jetted tub, but are considering leaving out a tub altogether. That's two different things.

Not having any tub in the master will hurt resale with some folks. Having a large walk in shower will help with some folks. Push pull, in my opinion.

Our plans were drawn to include a soaking tub in addition to a shower in the master bath. When we saw the price of the tubs and considered the fact that we never have time for baths and also were putting in an oversized tub in the lower bath, we skipped the tub and filled that space with cabinets. I am happy with it because it fits our lifestyle and we spent the tub money elsewhere.

The problem with re-sale is that people are impressed when they see the big bath tub. You are selling the dream of relaxation. They don't remember at the moment that they'll never use it. They see it and think "I want to live this lifestyle." Reality doesn't matter because this is all about sales.

This is a tough call! I would post this in the buying and selling homes forum. They might have some good advice.

We've had discussions about jetted tubs before and many thought they were not worth the extra dollars in terms of resale, only worth it if you are a tub fan like me. (I use it a minimum of 4 nights/week.) As for no tub at all, that would definitely hurt resale in my honest opinion.

Phoggie, I don't really know if you need a master tub for re-sale. I just was just curious to know if you had considered installing one of those tubs that has a hinged door on it (aimed specifically for senior citizens).

My hubby and I will build a retirment home, maybe in a decade or so. I am one that uses a tub (double jacuzzi) and when I build my retirement home I will probably consider a tub more specificaly made for seniors. Just a thought.

neesie mirrors my thought - getting a tub with a door. I'm not even near my senior years and I've thought about getting one of those!

Alas, when we build in a few years, we've opted NOT to have a tub in our master, but two separate showers instead. We debated about a super-big shower instead of two separate ones, but in the end we like the idea of having two separate showers. so that's what we're doing. I'm not worried about resale, since this is the house we've been planning for and dreaming about for YEARS and we have no intention of ever selling it while we're alive.

But I HAVE also thought about getting one of those japanese soaking tubs - they just look heavenly. But I don't know if I'd really use it enough to make it worth the expense. As someone else said, I'd rather use the "tub money" towards something else I would use more often.

We have purchased a claw foot tub for our master. We both take showers. My thought was that the tub would look nice and yet we would still have a tub in the master should we ever sell the house. What do you think?

Good move.

Just one comment on free-standing tubs -- they can be a pain to clean under/around. Depends in part where it's located, how close to a wall, etc. Something to consider.

We have a large, 4' x 8' double shower, plus a large whirlpool tub, and I use that tub at least 4 times a week!! I have osteoarthritis, and find it helps the ache tremendously. When we built the house 18 years ago, I was athletic and agile, and loved using it then just to help ease the aches and pains from an overly strenuous work and sports day.

For someone like me, who loves to soak, I'd not buy a house without a tub in the master bath......

I am also considering a claw foot tub in our next house. We've had jetted tubs in three houses now and never used them more than a couple of times a year. It is a huge dust catcher IMO! However, I also feel that it would hurt resale value to not have a tub at all and figure a claw foot would take up less space. I also thought that it would be easier to clean around.

Beware, why do you feel that they would be difficult? And what do you think would be the best clearance?

I agree with all the previous posters that a jetted tub is more trouble than it's worth. Cleaning is tedious and time consuming. We just sold our house with one. The first thing the new owners did was replace it with a soaking tub.
On the other hand, the house we've moved into while we rebuild, has only showers in both baths. Showers are okay, but I really miss having a tub! And I'm certain having no tub will hurt the resale of this house.
When my parents built their retirement home, they shared your thoughts about the necessity of a tub in the master bath. And, like you, they were concerned about resale. They decided to put a nice tub in the guest bath that shared a wall with the master bath. In framing, they framed for a door between the 2 baths and covered the opening with sheetrock. The new owners will have the option of opening the master to include the tub area. With a short wall added, the former guest bath would become a powder room or a small shower could be added.
If your plan allows, that might be an option.

Thanks for all of your thoughts. I think we are going to just put in a large shower in the MB....and someone would only have to go around the door to the other bathroom and it will have a tub. DH said that if the buyer REALLY is set on having a tub in MB, it would not be hard to bump out the wall to include one in there.
We figured we will save $10,000 to be used for something else (I'm thinking "new furniture"!!)

$10,000, just by leaving out a tub? Was it going to be gold plated???

WOW! That's some tub!

LOL....no, it wasn't going to be gold-plated. That included the cost of the tub, heater, extra plumbing, hardware, was going to bump out the wall for it, so that saved a lot of construction cost and changing the roof-line, etc.

We have no tub in the master bath. We do have a hot tub, and there are two other tubs in the house upstairs. I enjoy the large space in the master bath. We never used the old tub in our old house so to me it isn't a problem.

JMO - but if you are concerned with resale I would put in a jetted tub. I use mine several times a week.

If you read the Buying and Selling forum, you should consider that you will be cutting out some (? how much) of the buyers by not having a tub. We have both shower and tub - even though the tub gets little use, I'm not sure I would buy a home without one (I lived in a home without one and missed the tub). Also, look at the Buying/Selling forum - most buyers are not in the financial position to consider a $10K remodel off the bat - so that would not be a positive selling point.