Any thoughts on what is more desirable: a shower, or a tub/shower combo that includes a whirlpool tub? We are constructing an ADU that we will rent, and I love tubs, personally, but it seems that most people shower, so your input would be much appreciated!
If your marketing to couples, especially for romantic couples, maybe a whirlpool tub. Thatâs a big maybe. Otherwise just a shower, especially if that allows you to have a bigger shower.
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Just remember that anything you add to your listing needs cleaning!
I imagine that a whirlpool tub has greater maintenance.
But it really depends on your target market.
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I did not put a tub in when I built an ADU, too much water to fill it and more cleaning than I prefer.
RR
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If you decide to do a whirlpool-type tub, first look into its cleaning and whether its life could be shortened or damaged if the guest puts oils, salts etc in the water.
Also, consider whether it has some kind of self-cleaning mechanism. If not, water can (and does) collect in its pipes and mold accumulate, so that when the water jets operate some mold comes out. So thereâs extra cleaning or a potential guest complaint.
There are models of jets that are filled with air, that blows out. Some of these are self-cleaning â any water in the jets blows out afterwards. Water does not enter the pipes so if the guest puts in oils or salts, etc, it does not affect the performance of the tub. The tradeoff is that the force of the air jets is not as much as the force of water jets â at least that is what I was told a few years ago.
Finally, look into getting these heated so that if the guest lingers in the tub, the water stays warm.
Consider hand holds and/or shower grabs for safety.
I think a tub/shower tub combo is ideal.
If youâre doing new plumbing, look into separate pipes for the shower head and for the handheld, so that you have more water pressure for each. A rainhead shower hanging from the ceiling is really nice,
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Lots of people donât like those rainhead showers, including me. They donât work for people who donât want to get their hair wet everytime they shower.
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So would that be remedied by also having the handheld?
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Personally, no. I donât want to have to hold a shower head in my hand. I donât know how people soap up with one hand, or wash the soap off with one hand.
If you mean a hand held that attached to a holder on the wall and works like a regular shower head, sure.
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Iâm am on the finishing touches of an ADU enclosing 5 of the bays under my piling home. I went back and forth on this and went with a wet room style shower so there are no doors or curtains to clean and it has a âwowâ factor. I did go with a smaller rainhead that has a separate handheld that can be adjusted to a normal shower head for those that donât like rain heads.
Iâve had two family members stay to test it out before I go live with the listing and they loved the shower.
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Yes, the handhelds that I am thinking of are on a hook and can spray there, at an angle, or be taken in hand.
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When we remodeled our bathroom 3 years ago Iâd spent 2.5 years researching the best tub options possible, because I love a good long soak. Reading several different forums, there are a LOT of people who have had really bad experiences with jetted tubs due to lack of cleaning and maintenance and would never use one that wasnât in their own home. If you really want a jetted tub, air jets appear to be the best option. The big jetted tubs are also really noisy, and almost always require a larger water heater.
After reading about everyoneâs experiences, I didnât want the cleaning issues but wanted a ânormalâ tub w/the deepest water depth I could find. I ended up ordering a customizable tub (HydroSystems Sydney) and couldnât be happier. Very deep, still easily used as a shower even right after my hip replacement.
I donât like rainhead showers at all and it took years for my husband and I to agree on showerhead styles. We ended up with a Delta In2uition b/c you can change the shower pressure and the handheld part snaps into the showerhead. It doesnât look very luxurious but itâs very practical.
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Thank you SO much everyone for your thoughts! I agree that a deep soaking tub is most important! My husband also does not like the rain head shower heads, so I got a rain head with the hand held fastened within it, which has worked out well.
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If you expect families with little ones, then they need a bath tub, so then a combo is good. Otherwise a fancy shower.
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When my kids were little, I had seen so many kids who were terrified of getting in a shower because they had only ever had baths, that I used to take my babies in the shower with me starting from when they were about 6 months old. They still had baths, but I wanted them to also be comfortable with a shower, so I didnât find myself somewhere with no bathtub and a grubby hysterical 5 year old who refused to get in the shower. 
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Me 2, and once they could reliably stand up we went to all showers with me holding the hand held. Our pediatrician said girls should shower, baths should be the exception not the rule.
RR
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We put in an outdoor jacuzzi tub at Tiny Tiki, at great expense. Several guests have told me they booked us for this reason. Yes it is more cleaning but definitely wow factor and the shower inside Gypsy is quite small so a real
- for guests.
Yes we needed a giant water heater but got a really nice one that we can turn to vacay mode between guests. We put in a double ended iron clawfoot and a separate walk in shower in our home and never looked back. That space used to be a bedroomâŚ
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