@groveraxle Shelves over the tub is a great idea! That picture is great, too - it really helps me visualize what you're talking about. We have one other bath in the house with no tub, but it was redone right before we moved in, and we don't want to tear it out. Resale value isn't the biggest concern for us in our debate about whether to keep it or lose it since we're not planning on selling - possibly ever. One reason we bought this house is for an investment property.

"Resale value isn't the biggest concern for us in our debate about whether to keep it or lose it since we're not planning on selling possibly ever. One reason we bought this house is for an investment property."

Those are contradictory statements. Either you bought it to live in forever OR you bought it as an investment to make money from.

Either way, you probably ought to have at least one bathtub in the house.

We are planning to keep this house and probably never sell it; we are planning to have kids at some point, but could always get a small inflatable tub. An inflatable tub will get old very fast. If you plan on ever bathing a child in the house keep at least one tub or you will be cursing yourself for a very long time.

That is a huge shower. I would be inclined to make it 36" X 72" or maybe 42" X 72".

Still plenty big for two people. Then you could hang the towels on hooks to the left of the shower on that 18" to 24" wall. If you do a glass wall on the shower, you will get more natural light from the skylights.

I would leave the tub.

Then you can make your vanity bigger and have a small area for makeup. Or can you add the makeup area to your bedroom.

Can't see with the pictures, but where is the access for the pump and stuff for the jacuzzi tub? If thta's missing, it would have to be fixed to keep the tub. Jacuzzi tubs scare me, after having owned one. The piping never seems to clear out fully, nice little black flecks circulating, black, mouldy jets, and such. If you have almost never used the tub and otherwise it's for kids, lets move to a nice standard tub in the same spot.

Steal a foot from the shower to lengthen the vanity to 6 feet, and a dual sink format works. Do two 26" tops, split with a slightly dropped 20" makeup area. You have cabinet storage under the two sinks, a glass top pony wall into the shower with niches built in so they stay "invisble" from outside the shower. The controls and shower head on the hall wall, the door there too for easy of starting the shower from outside, and a bench on what I assume is the exterior wall. A handheld placed on the far wall could allow control for shaving and such on the bench, easy cleaning and an effective second head (but would not work with a frameless glass door..in that case, tap the vanity supply for a handheld on the pony wall).

In the makeup area, you could do a shallow cabinet, with a mirrored door, for small item/makeup storage...and have an outlet there too. The only plumbing moves in this case are likely the shower stuff and some vanity adjustments, the rest stays put, saving money.

If you removed the tall storage and moved your sink over, you'd have room for a small makeup area. You wouldn't have to move your sink much, so the replumbing cost would be minor.

I'm not fond of my jacuzzi, either. I dust it most weeks when I clean.

Apologies for delayed reply on these! Thanks for all of your responses.

@littlebug - We would be keeping this house for our future kids to inherit and/or for use as a rental/AirBnB. We are also planning on using the equity to fund future real estate investments as it grows, since this area is by the water and the land value has historically only increased here, despite the bubble collapse in past years. Not contradictory statements, but one wouldn't know that without the background information.

@hcbm - I don't have kids yet, so I don't have a frame of reference, but isn't filling an inflatable tub commensurate with filling a normal tub? Are you speaking to the inflatable part?

@Karenseb - It IS a huge shower - I think it was originally a steam room, but it doesn't function that way anymore. Glass wall is a great idea.

@North Texan - YIKES, I have no idea where the access is. The tub is completely tiled around. I can only guess that it must be underneath in the crawl space. We have the same issues you describe; black bits floating no matter how much I clean it. It's awful, but it is free since it's what we currently have, and it is not a big one. I like your idea of the pony wall and I REALLY like the idea of the outlet in the makeup area.

@Sigrid - Do you regret keeping it? Is it for the same reason that concerns me, that losing a tub will have an impact on resale?

Yes, an inflatable tub would be a big thing if you have a real 2 year running around while you try to inflate the tub, fill the tub, then empty the tub. How will you clean an inflatable tub, dry it and put it somewhere while you try to take a shower. And try holding a 20 pound baby covered in poo, who is sick and crying while you inflate, fill etc. On top of all of this you are exhausted all the time. And one of the things about tubs is kids love them. They like to play swim, with bath toys, bubbles. Bathing kids can be tiring and annoying, but it is also joyous and fun. Please ask anyone who has kids before you decide you don't want a tub. It can be done without one, but why when you don't have to. Also consider possible renters and AirBnB. You are eliminating some potential renters by a lack of a tub. And of course you can and should complete ignore me if you really don't want one. It is your home.

To get everything in there you want will be a challenge. Here is a plan with the tub inside the shower enclosure area to save some floor space. Of course this is a major remodel of this space but again to make it do almost everything you want it to do this might work for you. I like a toilet in its own space. especially if you are planning to have a makeup vanity...it is a must.

Yes at least 1 tub in the house is mandatory with kids around.

The plan below shows a vanity with a stool. It could be exchanged for a linen closet. Depends on your priorities. If you have another space maybe in your bedroom or a guest room for a vanity space then that area in the bathroom can be a linen closet. If you have a large linen closet in the hall near the master suite or a linen cabinet could be placed in your master just outside the bath maybe that is enough for you and you can have the vanity in the bathroom. Just depends on the rest of the home and your priorities.

I left the door in the same place as on your floor plan. I used your floor plan measurements.

Maybe this will give you some ideas....

@Rawketgrl I hadn't thought about putting the tub in the same space! What kind of tub would be best for this kind of setup? The one we have or would it need to be a freestanding, etc.? I really like the toilet hidden - hubs had wanted to do a half wall somewhere to hide the tub and build in more storage in the form of shelves on the wall, but I couldn't figure out where it would go. Also, where did you find that space planner? That layout is great!

Best tub for this kind of setup? Definitely talk to a contractor with experience building a tub in shower enclosure.

A half wall does not contain the "toilet plume"..just saying...

Homestyler.com

Have fun designing your new bathroom!

@Rawketgrl Thanks! As for "toilet plume"...that's what the Poopourri is for LOL

You could get a vanity that is all drawers, no doors, and can store your towels there.

For your toiletries, you could use a recessed medicine cabinet in the wall between the shower and the vanity or a full length recessed medicine cabinet on the wall opposite the vanity. I like North Texan's idea of stealing space from the shower to expand the vanity to accommodate your makeup area.

http://sofiamedicinecabinets.com/products/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=188_198

@pamal66 I really like the idea of a recessed medicine cabinet! That's a great way to combine storage!

Would you use a make-up vanity in the bathroom? I don't bc I have room in my bedroom for a desk/vanity in front of a window for natural light. If you have room in your bedroom you could use that space for something else in the bathroom such as a tall linen/storage cabinet with laundry pullout below, open shelving for towels and such, maybe closed below (laundry) with open shelving above, etc.

@ssdarb That's an interesting thought - I'd love to include laundry, which is currently in our closet. But I would use a vanity in the bathroom 100%, particularly if we were putting in two sun tunnels. I also have a little tri-fold adjustable "outdoor" lighting vanity mirror that I could set up on the vanity to add to the lighting. I would do this in the master, but my full time job requires I get up at 5:30AM, and the sun simply isn't up at that time for most of the year.