Walk in shower vs bath: which suits your home?

Who lives in the house?

Young children are the strongest argument for keeping a bath. Bathing a baby or toddler in a shower is awkward, and a bath is easier to supervise. Older children and teenagers, on the other hand, nearly always shower, and a large walk in shower moves a morning queue faster than a shower over a bath.

Couples and single people often find they have not run a bath in years. If that is you, the bath is taking up floor space for a habit you no longer have.

Keeping one bath in the house

For resale, the safest rule is simple: keep at least one bath somewhere in the house. Many families buying a three or four bedroom home will look for one, and a house with only showers can put some buyers off. If you have an en suite or second shower room, turning the main bathroom bath into a walk in shower is less of a risk, but if the main bathroom is the only one, removing the bath narrows your market.

In a one or two bedroom flat or a house likely to suit older buyers, the opposite can be true and a good walk in shower can be a selling point.

Space and layout

A standard bath is around 1700mm long. A walk in shower with a single fixed screen works best at around 1400mm or longer, so it often fits in the bath's footprint with a little space left for a shelf or towel rail. In a narrow bathroom, losing the bath and its side panel can make the room feel much bigger. In a very short room, a shower over the bath may still be the best use of space.

Accessibility now and later

Climbing over the side of a bath becomes difficult with age, injury or reduced mobility, and it is one of the most common reasons people ask about the change. A low profile tray or level floor, a fixed screen and space for a seat or rail make a walk in shower far easier to use. Planning for that now, while the bathroom is being refitted anyway, is cheaper than adapting it later. The accessible bathrooms page explains those features.

Cleaning and day to day living

A walk in shower with one panel of glass and no door is generally easier to clean than a bath with a shower screen, panel and two sets of sealant lines. The glass still needs wiping to avoid limescale, and a large shower area means more tiled wall to keep clean. A bath, though, is more forgiving if you want to wash a dog, soak muddy kit or bathe a child, which are not small considerations in a family home.

• Young children at home: keep a bath
• Only bathroom in a family house: keep a bath for resale
• Has an en suite or second bathroom: a walk in shower is lower risk
• Mobility is a concern: a walk in shower is easier and safer
• Narrow room: losing the bath can make it feel larger

Is there a middle way?

A shower bath, with a wider end and a fixed screen, gives a better shower than a standard bath while keeping the option of a soak. In a larger bathroom, a separate bath and walk in shower may both fit. Neither suits every room, but both are worth considering before the bath is removed for good.

Need it sorted? Book a walk in shower

If the walk in shower wins, book it through walk in shower installation, which explains the tray, screen and waste work. Send photos of the bathroom and the bath measurements through the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Bathroom Renovations