Walk-In Shower vs Bathtub in a Small Bathroom
In a small bathroom, this is rarely a question of taste alone — it's a question of how you live and what you're willing to give up. A walk-in shower can make a tight room feel open and easy. A bathtub can be the one place in the house you fully relax. You usually can't have both at full size, so it helps to be honest about which one your real life will use.
The conventional advice is to keep at least one bath in the home for resale, especially if it's a family house. That's worth knowing — but it's guidance, not a law. If this is your only bathroom and you have a long soak every Sunday, that ritual might matter more to you than a hypothetical future buyer. If you haven't taken a bath in three years, removing it to gain breathing room might be exactly right.
Let's look at the trade-offs clearly, so you can decide based on your home and your habits rather than someone else's rule.
Side by side
Neither column is the “winner” — they’re different trade-offs. The right one is the one that fits your home.
Questions worth asking yourself
There’s no single correct answer here. These are the things actually worth weighing for your room and the way you live.
When did you last actually take a bath?
Be honest with yourself. If the answer is "I can't remember", the tub may be taking up space you'd love to have back. If it's "every week, it's how I unwind", that ritual is real and worth protecting.
Is this the only bathroom in the home?
If you have another bathroom with a bath, removing this one carries far less resale risk. If it's the only one — especially in a family home — keeping a bath somewhere is the safer hedge.
Do you want to stay in this home long-term?
A level-access walk-in shower is one of the kindest things you can do for your future self. If you're planning to stay, accessibility may quietly outweigh both resale and ritual.
The honest bottom line
There's no universally right answer — only the one that fits your home and your habits. If your real life is showers and you want the room to breathe (and especially if you're staying long-term), a walk-in shower is a confident choice. If the soak genuinely matters to you, or it's the only bath in the house, keeping the tub is just as wise. Decide for the life you actually live.
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Start your projectCommon questions
Does removing the only bathtub hurt resale value?
It can, especially in family homes, because some buyers specifically want at least one bath. The common guidance is to keep a bath somewhere in the home. That said, if you have another bathroom with a tub, or your market skews toward buyers who prefer showers, the risk is much smaller. It's a real consideration — but it shouldn't automatically override how you actually use the room, particularly if you plan to stay for years.
Can a walk-in shower make a small bathroom feel bigger?
Often yes. A walk-in shower with a clear glass screen and a floor that runs continuously into the shower removes visual barriers, which can make a small room feel more open than a bath that boxes off one end. A level-access (curbless) design enhances this even further. Lighting and tile choices play a big role too, so think of the shower as one part of an overall sense of openness.
Is a walk-in shower a good idea for ageing in place?
A level-access walk-in shower is one of the most future-proof choices for staying in your home as you age, since there's no tub wall to step over and grab bars can be added discreetly. If you plan to stay long-term, accessibility is worth weighing seriously — sometimes more than resale or the occasional soak. It's a practical kindness to your future self, not a compromise.
What if I want both a shower and a bath in a small space?
In a tight footprint, a shower-over-bath combination is the classic way to keep both, and it works well for many homes — especially with a fixed glass screen instead of a curtain. The trade-off is that you don't get the open feel of a dedicated walk-in or the generosity of a standalone tub. If your space genuinely can't fit both comfortably, it's usually better to choose the one you'll truly use than to squeeze in a compromise that serves neither well.