I have a cast iron clawfoot (I know you said you weren't interested in those specifically) which we love. My husband is 6'5" and has trouble fitting into regular sized tubs; the clawfoot is deep and he can get a good soak. We looked at the Victoria and Albert tubs, but decided on the clawfoot because we found a great deal on a used one on craigslist and it matched the period of our house (1910 bungalow). Neither of us miss having the deck. We are struggling with finding storage, but that is a general issue we are having with the overall bathroom, not specific to the tub. When reading I'll just put my magazine, book or paper on the floor next to the tub. It's not that inconvenient to lean over and pick it up again over the edge of the tub. I don't have any problems getting in and out of the tub, and I've had foot surgery like you would not believe. I've had my ankle, leg, and foot surgically reconstructed 9 times in the past 6 years. While I'm no longer on crutches, I am significantly disabled (makes many DIY projects very difficult for me). I also have very poor balance and suffered nerve damage during one my surgeries so have no sensation on the bottom of my foot. I was warned that all of these issues would make it difficult for me to get in and out of a clawfoot tub, but I just hold onto the opposite side for balance and have no trouble. I have good days and bad days, and on bad days I sit on the edge of the tub and just swing my legs over. I don't think using the clawfoot tub is any more difficult than a regular shallower tub. This was my foot last year, you can see that it was pretty messed up. Even though I had a regular tub during this procedure and only recently got the clawfoot, I'm still recovering from the surgery.

does your bathroom have another heat source? if not, i'd say i'd still want a heater for the odd chilly morning. my shower is in RI and having the ceiling heater (as well as the central heating) keeps us from having to turn up the heat for the whole second floor 'to get it to run' while showering.

Thanks for the replies. Firstly, @Patricia Colwell -- I hear your concerns, here, but all the same, this is a very large shower, as I stated, it was built for a woman who was disabled. I can easily fit a 57" wide tub into it, and fit the drain over the shower drain, or use a flexible connection to do so. Secondly, it's not that I'm "not willing" to do the work. It is that I am on a budget, thanks, and I'm looking for ideas. That's all. Thirdly, it's not the look. It's the configuration. I don't want to lose the ability to have a standing shower, and I want to add a tub. In reality, this will be better, as this shower currently leaks water onto the floor even with the curtain setup it currently has. My consideration in keeping it a shower, was to install glass doors -- which I may still do, but I would rather have a tub. This won't turn the bathroom into a "wet room". @Nancy in Mich -- thanks for the thoughts. A few things. Yes, I am aware of going in through the back of the shower -- there is a very small broom closet behind this shower, in which the copper runs to feed the water. The issue here is that all of that copper is already welded, and these are not your normal 1/2" screw-in connections. If they were, I would run splitters off of them, setup a freestanding filler faucet, and then keep the shower portion that is already in the wall. But, I cannot do that, without cutting the pipe, and etc. That's not my fault, that's how the house came to me. So in essence, yes, I get it. I realize that I am asking for something that doesn't exist in a retail product fashion. It seems silly to me that it doesn't, but, whatever. And to clarify, this shower is a built-in, not something which can be done by cutting through drywall. If I decide to go harder on this, I have to remove the entire shower. Not into it at this time. Anyway, thanks, I'll go looking

I always hear complaints in these discussions about freestanding tubs being hard to get in and out of, but that's not been my experience in the 8 years we've had one. I'm guessing your tub isn't "raised" up on feet? That's what makes them difficult -- you're stepping out of the tub and also down. I would probably want to maximize the shower space Yes, I'd like to see the shower expanded to 60" in one direction. Watch the door on the WC. It swings in towards the toilet. In case of emergency Forget emergencies -- the door won't work on a good day: It's a small toilet closet with an inswing door, which means you will have to scootch your body up against the wall to open/close the door. Realistically, you're going to leave the door open -- and that means you'll be looking at the mirror above the vanity while you're, um, "going". I like the angled tub - you can put a corner table behind it with a nice tall plant. Agree. The current drop in tub is a 72" but that includes a lot of wasted space with the effective tub size being somewhere around 64-66". I'm a small person, and I'd say an efficient tub is 60". I have no desire for a tub with a larger footprint (in fact, I see it as a negative -- more time to draw water, more surface area means it cools off faster). But I definitely like a deeper tub. Don't overlook extras: I like tubs with armrests and integrated grab bars. And do not forget where you would but towel racks and hooks I was going to ask where you'll hang your towels. I think that matters more than whether you angle the tub or not. This is one idea i liked (penny tile). I adore penny round tile, but definitely get a good installer. Inefficient installers murder penny rounds.