Bathrooms are of great importance. One feels happy after a good bath and has become an important space in the house. However, designing a bathroom is a challenging task. Anyone who plans to do a bathroom redesign in an average size home comes across the dilemma – bath tub or shower enclosure? So, do shower cubicles have any other advantages over bath tubs apart from saving space in the bathroom? And are there any disadvantages of having a shower enclosure in place of a bath tub? Here are some advantages and disadvantages between bath tubs and shower enclosures -
Pros of Bathtubs-
1. Wonderful for relaxing sore muscles.
2. Ideal for bathing small children.
3. Available in wide variety of design choices such as style, size, material, tile surrounds, etc.
4. Provides plenty of features such as air jets, whirlpool version, etc.
Cons of Bathtubs-
1. Takes a lot of space and uses a lot of water.
2. It is difficult for older/injured people to get in and out of the bathtub.
3. Time consuming to fill a bath tub and bathe.
4. Expensive
5. You need to invest in a water heater with sufficient capacity to fill the tub with hot water.
Pros of shower enclosures-
1. Uses less water than bathtubs.
2. Convenient and quick.
3. Shower enclosure price is cheaper than bath tubs and are easier to maintain.
4. Easy access for people with mobility issues. They can also be equipped with grab bars, benches and non-slip tiles.
5. Easy installation
6. Offers several high end features such as jets, rain showers and steam options.
Cons of shower enclosures -
1. Inconvenient of people with children.
2. Require a bit of maintenance to keep them away from getting visible lime and calcium stains.
3. Leaks are a pain to repair. They must be fixed and glued properly, and allowed to dry leaving you with no way to bathe for a longer duration.
However, it is difficult to design a bath room and one should utilize the entire space to make the bathroom more attractive and useful. This is true for modern bathrooms that are often too small with barely any space to install a bathtub. Keeping the pros and cons in mind, choose what suits you and your lifestyle the best.