Another negative about free-standing tubs: They stand some 5-8" above the floor, so when you step out, you must step OVER the edge AND DOWN to the floor. It's somewhat disorienting ... especially for children or the elderly.

Some freestanding tubs do not allow the water to retain heat as long as built-ins. I agree with the above.

Free-standing may be difficult to clean and get in and out of? That makes sense. But I'm very excited about the design and appearance of some free-standing tubs. We're also elevating our tub a few inches so we can see the backyard & mountains better while soaking.

rfox09 - we're also building new house and have the below tub on order. I'm not promoting this particular brand or MTI tubs; this is just what we happened to order. If comparing design and looks with drop-in's the free-standing can look pretty cool. https://mtibaths.com/products/tubs/boutique/228/

Quality freestanding bubble-air tubs are considerably more expensive than drop-in types. All a matter of style over practicality. For that reason alone, I'm doing one for our master, none in the other six full baths.

Marat relaxes in his freestanding bath...

Cast iron holds heat the best. (And to think when I was a renovator, how many 19th C. cast iron baths I sent to the recyclers!)

Freestanding tubs are usually more expensive because of the plumbing (I couldn’t believe the cost of the tub fillers when we were building!) but I adore how they look. I haven’t found cleaning to be difficult at all. It probably is more difficult to get in and out of...but we aren’t old (yet, lol) plus we arent soakers anyway. We use our shower daily.

IMO a cast iron tub is not nessessary in this century where we have unlimited hot water. If your space is similar in size to your inspiration pic you will not have enough space for a free standing tub. They are expensive for no real purpose other than looks I would do a drop in a nice soaker depth keep all the plumbing easy and much easier to clean since getting behind a free standing tub is a real PITA.

They are expensive for no real purpose other than looks

And certainly looks are not a factor in anything else in our housing, clothes, transportation, landscaping, animal companions, food, mating choices, even modern prisons.

I went with a freestanding Tub with a faucet deck. This allowed me to use a standard tub faucet and save the expense of a free standing faucet.

HI -- Only have a free standing tub , if there is room all around to clean the floor easily . Other wise then a builtin tub would be best . Free standing tubs seem to be a current trend but what people fail to understand is you have to have a side table or some place to set your shampoos and bath aids . They look nice but can be impracticable . If you have a builtin /drop in tub then you have the option of having air and water jets .

We've opted to go with a drop in, with a nice surround. It's less expensive, plus I can make the back wall into a shelf for all the bath necessities and a book or two.

I'd have preferred porcelain over cast iron, but the budget wouldn't stretch for that, either. I'm not a fan of acrylic, but it'll do for now.

(not my house, but an inspiration)

I wanted a free-standing so I could be like the 'cool kids' ;-) Practicality and familiarity won over and I went with the same deep soaker tub I had in our last house, which I loved there and love in the new house. Your second pic above is really lovely - not sure how much of that is your inspiration or if it's just how a tub would be located in your build. If that recess is not an exterior wall it's a very nice way to get some display/storage space. From experience, if you do a built in, make the tub deck as narrow as you possibly can so the step-over is easier. This was my goal - didn't quite get it and have a narrow ledge, lots of hemming and hawing about why it's not practical blah blah blah..... but clearly it can be done

If you have a builtin /drop in tub then you have the option of having air and water jets .

These options are also available on some freestanding tubs--for instance-- but often at a higher price.

I have a free standing. I really don’t understand why so many state they’re hard to get in and out of. My free standing is no more difficult than the deck tubs I’ve had. In fact, it seems easier actually (it probably depends on the style of tub). Maybe when I’m 90 I’ll think differently, but I’m no spring chicken and there is zero issue with entering and exiting the tub. One thing I would say though is that the space around our tub is fairly decent (so no problems with cleaning around it due to a cramped space)....so....I would not recommend one if it’s going to be crammed into a space with only inches surrounding it. And your inspiration pic to me looks a bit too cramped for a free standing.

As far as deck tubs are concerned, if I was going that route, I would get an under-mounted one similar to the one in Holly’s photo. A drop in tub with a big bulky lip around it IMO does not make for easy access to the tub and is very uncomfortable to sit on or maneuver around if you want to sit on the deck while entering or exiting (especially if the deck is fairly narrow).

Well, you could do something like this, but make that bottom bit of molding wide enough to be a step. ;-)

I would do an undermount tub so it is easy to clean and wipe any water around the rim into the tub. Freestanding looks nice, but I tend to go for practical over looks and since an undermount tub can also be made to look nice you're not sacrificing much for less cleaning issues and better functionality. An undermount also allows for sitting on the deck so you can have a wide deck as you can sit on it to get into and out of the tub.

Loved the look of my freestanding tub but it was so hard to get out of it. i always pictured myself slipping over the side - laid flat out on the floor - naked and waiting for help. Trust me - no one would want to stumble upon that scene. Haha!

We had an old clawfoot tub in our earlier years and while I really like the look of them, it was a big pain to clean under. Recently sold a house that had a built in with surround. Loved it. Kids loved it too! A couple years back, I sprained my ankle pretty bad, but was still able to hobble to the tub for a soak.. Sit, pivot and you're in! Also provides space to set all your bath items. The one thing I would have liked, that we didn't have, is a hand held sprayer. Would have made it nice to aid in cleaning or rinsing.

It is more difficult balancing a wine glass on the edge of a freestanding tub.

Mark Bischak LOL! That's the one thing I don't like about my 100 year old cast iron tub - there isn't a place to put the wine glass!

However, I really like the tub and I'm amazed how long the water stays hot. It's probably a little bit more difficult to get in and out of versus a built in tub though. I have at least 14" clear all the way around and it's not hard to keep clean at all.

For every problem, there is a solution!

And the solution for the bar of soap that falls between the tub and the wall is . . . to have another glass of wine.

I had a clawfoot tub in our last tub and loved it for looks, loved it for soaking, but hated it for everything else. Ours was in a remodel and in a bay window bumpout. The space behind it wasn't spacious enough to clean easily and cleaning under it was also a bit of a pain. And yes, no place to put the wine glass or soap dish or anything. I'm very tall so I had no issues getting in and out of it. I think if I had the kind with a pedestal base and more room around it, I would have liked it more. In the new build, we opted for no tub at all but if we had I think I'd have done something similar to Holly's photo.

If accessibility is ever an issue, and it can be at a very young age just with a broken limb, then get the tub with the deck. Nothing is going to make a tub work for a 95 year old bedridden person, but for those who just lose a bit of muscle strength and have a few issues with balance, a free standing tub is a LOT more dangerous to try to use.

I think one reason why I find the freestanding easier to get in and out of is that a tub with a deck takes a much wider stance when trying to climb into it if you decide you don’t want to sit on the hard cold marble/granite and pivot in. Also, tub walls are normally sloped at the bottom, so requires an even wider stance, whereas with the freestanding, it’s basically a very narrow tub wall to step over so you’re in with no gymnastic splits necessary. And for me, being only 5’2”, this does make a huge difference.

I find drop in tubs awkward to get into. Maybe that's because I've had freestanding for the past 25 years? That was one of my apartment requirements when I was younger, and I have no regrets about installing a new one in our house last year.

My only advice if you get a freestanding is to get one with a rolled edge. I tried the sleek, modern tubs in the showrooms, and I found them uncomfortable to get in and out of.

Our new build, Master bath, we purchased a free standing tub, it on an angle & have enough room behind it for cleaning. The one hint, is to think about fixtures, as I used brushed nickle for the hardwear & lighting, but the tub filler in BN was 3x the cost of chrome>> so hubby purchased.chrome>>which I will switch out at some point. It does have the hand shower on it.

Our previous home had a 6 ft jetted soaker tub with a surround & it was comfy to use.

I used to have a drop-in with a tile surround and went with a freestanding in my new bath. I don't agree at all that freestanding is hard to get in/out of. I found stepping over the tub deck much more problematic. Now I can step almost straight down instead of on an angle and slipping is not the problem it used to be. Plus I can easily grip the edge of the tub for support.

I also don't think I agree with the problem of cleaning. My old tub deck was difficult to clean - reaching into the back corners was a pain. If you leave enough space on all sides, cleaning around a freestanding is fine. I'm not sure why one poster thinks cleaning the back side is an issue. Really? Its a vertical surface that should not be exposed to water splashing or a dust collector (like my tub deck was). How often do you really need to wipe it down?

The cost of floor mounted faucets is high (some tubs can take deck mounted faucets), and there may be higher install costs for the tub itself, but how much does it cost to build a tub deck and buy/fabricate the material to cover the deck?

The need for a small table or someplace to put things is something to consider. I opted for a tub that had a small ledge that could have accepted a tub mount filler but I use it for my soap, etc. I planned to get a side table but never really found it necessary.

I wonder how many people who are critical of freestanding tubs have ever really had/used one. My new bathroom seems so much more spacious and open with the freestanding tub compared to the tub deck.

^^^ I have seen some folks have some limited success with using steel wool to "brush" the chrome and turn into into something close to what you want. Might be worth a try.

I think many are not using the tub deck in the correct fashion on a drop in tub. :) You place a folded towel on the deck, sit on it, and swivel to place both of your feet inside the tub, then use the grab par to assist in stability while you position yourself. No one should EVER be trying to one legged step from the floor to inside the tub over a tub deck! No wonder you find trying to take a giant step into it unwieldy! That's not how you're supposed to do it. :) And the seat aspect of the deck is what makes it a much better choice.

A free standing puts your feet at different levels when stepping up and in, or out and down. That is one of the BIG contributors to slip and fall. It's also difficult to place grab bars in a close enough proximity to aid in stability as well. That is a big issue, as even young people occasionally need grab bars. It's one of the easier modifications to a bath that lets you use it longer even when it isn't really accessible.

I am a Certified Aging in Place Specialist, so choices that make it easier to age in place are what I always suggest. It may not be a priority for some, but at least it's a point to consider that they might not have otherwise thought about. None of us are Benjamin Button, aging backwards into youth!

Cooks kitchen....your method just does not work well with a drop in that has an average sized lip. Many decks have a fairly small place to sit in the front (see the inspiration pic the op posted) along with an annoyingly large lip....it just doesn’t work well. With a deck tub, under mount is really the way to go unless you have a nice 10” surface in front of the lip.

Crap! I hit "freestanding" and meant to hit "drop in"!! Way way too hard to clean with a freestanding. Drop in is always my preference. Unless you have a maid/cleaning service there every day.

I don't know if it's the fact that I have an ample posterior or what, but I've never had an issue with the sit and swivel method, no matter what size the tub deck might be. Even the skinny ones. I have lost a towel into the tub on a skinny one, but I was fine with dealing with that.

On the other hand, I have about broken a leg trying to step out of a decked tub straight onto the floor. And that was 20 years ago, and the last time I tried to do that!

I'd be curious as to what difficulties you encounter in trying the sit and pivot? I wouldn't want to recommend that to someone who found it difficult.

Cooks.....here’s just a sampling of some very typical drop in tubs. There is just no way to comfortably sit and swivel with such a small deck and large tub lip that digs into the back of ones legs and backside. Getting out of the tub is particularly difficult. I’ve lived with various tubs like this for decades and would never choose this type of set up again. So....from what I’ve experienced, IMO under mount or simple free standing with rolled edge is safer and much more comfortable,

I love the look of a freestanding tub, but I like being able to do more with a drop in tub! Candles, decor, etc on the edge definitely can perk up a bathroom, especially with some unique tiling.

My husband is disabled and uses a tub most days. This picture doesn’t have the grab bar yet but it will.

Trying again

We had an undermounted built-in tub and it was fine, though I did not like the large step it had in front of it (which was apparently popular in the early 90s). When we remodeled, we put in a freestanding tub. Because I occasionally sat on the tub deck to floss my teeth, I got a freestanding tub with a wide rim that I can also sit on if I want to. This wide rim makes it easy to get in and out of the tub because you can easily use the "sit-and-swivel" method mentioned above. It also provides a space to sit shampoo bottles or a drink, if desired.

I don't know if our bathroom has what people consider the optimal amount of space for a freestanding tub, but there is enough room for the Roomba to go completely behind it to clean the floor and enough space to easily run the mop behind the tub, so I have not had any troubles cleaning around it.

Before

After - Freestanding.

Before - Built in

After - Freestanding (We stole some space to expand the shower as much as possible without moving the window, but still have enough space to walk beside tub and shower to get to window. It was hard to get to windows before.)

The lip on my drop in tub is only about 1/2 inch high. It's easy to sit and slide or step over.