I used a 60x32 20"h tub with fairly thin sidewalls for a recent remodel, and though it's a bit more of a step into it, I don't find it that much more difficult than with shorter tubs (i'm 5'8"). It's easily worth it to have a deeper tub IMO, and it's good for showering too because the floor is wider, longer, and flatter than in most 5' tubs. I wouldn't fret about resale value; people moving into a small house may not have kids, or the kids may be over 8 y.o. who can usually climb into anything. Or the new owners may want to rip out a tub in favor of a shower. Changing to a shorter tub costs almost nothing compared to the cost of the house, so I can't imagine someone not wanting to buy it because the tub is too tall. I bought enough extra wall tiles so that if a future buyer wanted a shorter tub or a shower, it would be easy to retrofit one without having to retile the whole wall because the tile didn't come down far enough.

I'm looking for more info on it as well rockybird, will let you know what I find. I've fallen for it too, but it is possibly only available in Europe. Your designer might have an idea? It is stunning, imho.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Sophie, I've seen you comment on unneeded renovations so often that having your first comment be "sledgehammer" really says something. Thanks. To clarify, the shower currently spans the entire width of the room, 6'. The second shower head, hidden in the photo, is on the wall that the toilet is on. So what's to the left of the shower is...more shower. ;) I am not a DIY-er. I will pay a GC+subs. My concern is less about my out-of-pocket expense and more about the return on my remodeling dollar. I can be frugal but if it makes sense (like adding grab bars now) then I want to do it. My thought is that I might move in 2-3 years, but I've seen how life plays out. That might stretch out or....it's always possible that I'll never move. Who knows? Current thoughts on design (I'm open to feedback): --demo everything, including drywall (wall has gouges from past owners' DIY attempt to remove old foil wallpaper). GC says new drywall isn't expensive and makes it easier (and cheaper) for plumbers and electricians to work unimpeded. --keep toilet where it is but replace ---Make shower the Walk-in kind with showerhead on same wall as toilet and glass panel to replace the wall that separates the shower from the toilet. GC thinks the glass panel could be wide enough that I would not need a door to the shower; water will not splash into room. --my thought is to close up the window to the other room. It's weird. It's also a metal framed window (I replaced the other metal windows in this part of the house with clad ones, so they look better). --yes, upgrade the vanity, counter, lights, flooring etc. --yes grab bars! Good reminder, enduring. We did that when we remodeled the guest bath. That's the time to do it. My Qs: --should I move the vanity to be on the same wall as the toilet? This will require moving the door over. More significantly, I would lose the storage of the current cabinet behind the door. It's 12" deep. When I googled, I haven't found any suitable replacement. The freestanding linen cabinets tend to be 15" deep. A lot of them have glass panels on top, which is cute, but having the door open onto a glass-top cabinet sounds like a recipe for disaster, esp. in the bathroom with naked feet. Is there any way to recapture the storage? The current vanity is 4' wide, super low, and the drawers are horrible, so a better vanity will provide more storage but can't replace that large cabinet behind the door. --if I move the door, should it be a pocket door? I kind of hate them, but maybe I haven't met the right one. This is the master bath (which adjoins the master bed but does not open directly onto the master bed). I don't want to be woken up at night with my partner jiggling the pocket door or flipping on the light. But maybe there are great pocket doors? --spring for a skylight? The big kind or a sky tube? An interior designer said he recently saw one, in a bathroom, where the skylight in the roof was large but the opening over the vanity was more narrow. So the benefit of the light without a huge hole? (I didn't see pics, so I'm not 100% clear) --anything I haven't considered? Thanks for all your thoughts and comments! Maybe I'll host a toga party to celebrate demo-ing the Roman bath (or maybe they were having a toga party when thought up this idea, lol)

Well it'd be a big deal to me. I use my tub every day. If I check into a hotel -I ask for a room with a tub. That's how important it is to me. Then again, if it's a pretty free standing thing that wouldn't cut if for me. Has to be safe. I'd have a problem with a free-standing. Having said that-the house we bought didn't have a tub in the master, just a tiny shower, and we still bought it. (Then we remodeled, which is a whole another long story. No, it wasn't smart financial decision) We do have a big shower in master bath too now,. i use it as well, but on some days I'm really restricted to the tub. We built it all in a way so it's most safe to use for me. Frankly I cared less about future buyers. So you might stumble upon somebody like me, Or you might not. Or who knows. Now, absolutely no tub anywhere in the house..that'd be a problem. Maybe not for all, but for many. There are times when a tub can come very handy.