When home prices fall, more homeowners choose to stay put, wait until the market rebounds and remodel, rather than sell. One of the best ways to improve the value of your home while you’re waiting for a market rebound is to remodel the bathroom.
If you don’t have to the money to do a complete bathroom remodel, replacing the largest fixture (ie, the bathtub) is an excellent way to give your bathroom a bit of a new look without spending a lot of money. The following information will help you select the best bathtub for your needs.
The 4 Types of Bathtubs
Although it might seem like the choices are endless, there are basically four styles of bathtubs :
1. The cast-iron tub: This is very heavy and is about five-feet in length. These can be found in junkyards and old homes around the country. They are relatively inexpensive, usually in the neighborhood of $200-$300. In fact, it can cost more to move one than it does to buy one.
2. Enameled steel tub: This bathtub is finished with a ceramic-glazed material and is priced similar to the cast-iron tub. It comes in a variety of colors.
3. Fiberglass tub: This style of tub is very popular in new construction, for three reasons:
- It is easy to install: It can be installed on a platform, or in the floor itself
- It is versatile: This bathtub is more modern than, for example, the cast-iron tub because it comes in different shapes and sizes. And, it has the modern price tag to go along with it; it can cost a few thousand dollars
- It has spa features: one of the reasons this bathtub can be so expensive is that some come with spa features (eg, multiple jets)
4. Molded plastic bathtub: This is an extremely popular option for the “tight budget” bathroom remodeling project. Why? Because it has the heft of a cast-iron tub, but is more lightweight.
This bathtub also comes in a variety of colors, and can come with a full shower-tub combination with built-in walls. And, you can get all of this for just a few hundred bucks.
Whether you’re doing a full-scale bathroom remodeling project, or are just changing the main fixtures, consulting a licensed contractor can help you decide on the best way to tackle the project.
