a 3000 square foot home should definitely have at least two full baths. You're going to have a hard sell if you don't convert that closet back into a bath. if you can't fit a full tub, then a shower is the minimum you need to add.

I agree. With so much living space, there should be another bathroom. A bathroom with just a shower, is still another full bath and looks a lot better to people.

we have posts here now and then from people who say they wish they didn't have ANY tub; they never use it.

Most people just shower nowadays anyway, though the consensus is that it's smart to have at least one tub (and some municipalities require it).

I think most buyers won't mind that the other bathroom doesn't have a tub. Even if it's the master bathroom. But they will mind, perhaps, that it doesn't have facilities for two people to shower at the same time.

Do you currently have a masterbath and a powder room, or a hall bath and a powder room?

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the replies!!! I am new to this particular forum but I have learned alot already and have a huge list of things to ponder!!

I am happy to hear that the second bath having just a shower is okay or at least suitable. The convert will be very easy and not too expensive since hubby can do all of it himself while updating the flooring.

Dekeoboe- we currently have a large master bath w/ separate shower and whirlpool garden tub. Since we did not put in the second bath, we did add a second (hallway access) doorway in addition to the master bedroom access.

Now this makes me wonder if it would be worthwhile to close this second access back up to allow for a more private feel...and with the added room I think I could add a comfy chair to give it a more spa-like feel. The drawback I see is it will isolate it ALOT which may worry parents needing to bath young ones in the tub or maybe I am reading too much into it. Any thoughts?

Thanks again for the replies!
Stacey =)

Close up the hall access to the master bath. A master bath should be a private space.

As the master will have the only tub, I'd leave the secondary access. People can lock the door for privacy.

I think a home that size probably needs another bath. Add it if you can. If your hubby is dead set against putting in the extra bath, the only alternative is to have a set of professional-looking drawing showing the proposed bath. You describe several other nice features which might attract a buyer, but most will want 2.5 baths.

Will this new bath be on the first floor? If so and there's room on that floor for a bedroom or a room that could be convered to a bedroom I'd go a step farther and make sure the new bathroom was ELDERLY friendly, you will increase your pool of potential buyers.
The baby boomer generation is having to deal with a aging parents moving them into their homes, having a bathroom that was elderly friendly with a bedroom or a room that could be converted to a bedroom will put you miles ahead of other homes in the area.
Go with faucets that are easy for the elderly to turn on and off, built=in seat in the shower, low or no lip on the shower itself, hand rails, rounded corners. It's not that much more dollar wise and it could become a real selling point.

We are pulling out the tub in the middle or guest bathroom. Nobody ever used it. If we have guests with toddlers they can use my tub. We found though that little kidlets love the idea of a hand held shower and the bench in the shower. We also have a regular showerhead but i liked the shower that you can hold as well. We told the kids it was a kiddie shower. Elderly people can't get into and out of a tub, and plump ones can get stuck. Tubs are a selling point in the UK, not necessarily here.

We have a very small master bathroom with a shower stall - I love it and due to my back problems has worked out better for me since I don't have to lift my legs to get into a tub to shower. What ever you do, try to put a 4 ft stall in there. We used to have a 4ft, it got down sized due to a suggestion from my BIL when the floor rotted out. Worst mistake we ever made.

In general, it will be an easier sale if you have that second full bathroom.

But then you could always run into a buyer like me who never, ever uses a bathtub (I shower daily). I'd much rather have a luxury shower stall than a bathtub. Even in the master bathroom.

Sounds like our house we just bought.
In the bedroom hallway there is a small bathroom? just a toilet, vanity sink and shower stall. Right next to it is a doorway into a large full bathroom that has a cheater door into the master bedroom. To my way of thinking my setup should be reversed. The full bathroom should be the main bathroom for everyones use off the hallway and the small shower only bathroom should be for the master bedroom with no other acess..
Very few people I ever talk to anymore use a bathtub, they mostly prefer showers nowadays.
Forgot to mention, our house and the neighborhood was built in the late 50's and all the shower stalls seem so tiny that most people today wouldn't fit in them.. LOL

We bought our current house years back because it had a 2.5 baths vs 1.5. And the extra bathroom is in the master and is a small one with a shower only and access only from the master. I have several children and one tub is all I needed for them - handheld shower is a super idea.

The 1989 house I bought has the fancy large bath with the whirlpool and separate shower as the main bath, while the master is a shower only setup. I thought it was strange at first, but I have come to like it very much. Overnight guests can have a soak or shower, and it is always pristine when we want a bath. Not a waterpik, hairbrush, wet towel or showercap in sight. Always perfect and ready.

Helps that the house is geared for empty nesters and it is usually just the two of us.

So for the OP, I would put in the shower bath, and leave the dual entrance on the other. Let the buyers decide. They may be an empty nest couple who want to use the baths as his and hers, you never know.

Good luck.

you guys were right; we need to add the second bath for resale reasons. The realtor thought a WOW shower would be just fine and hubby took the news very well =)

Thanks again for the help. Keep your fingers crossed for a positive comparison review, which we get tomorrow.

Stacey =)