We are doing the same thing....Our only bathroom in our ranch style house has no tub, only a walk in shower. I thought about the resale value but then someone said to me 'Make your house so that it is comfortable for you" and that is what we are doing. We find a shower is much better for elderly, or handicapped so went ahead with it....not sorry we did.

As with anything real estate related, it’s mostly going to depend on your market and a local agent can give you the best advice. That said, the general consensus seems to be that as long as one bathroom in the house has a tub then turning others into a wall in shower isn’t a big deal or a deal breaker when it comes to resale. I believe that the concern in losing all tubs relates to potential resale to families with young children and not having a place to bathe them - whether that’s a hall/shared bath or a master bath with tub and without at least one tub in the home, it may limit your audience. IMO, I think it makes complete sense to update an in law apartment to a walk in shower, but you might want to rethink doing it in the home’s other bathroom if that’s the only bathroom with a tub. Technically a bathroom with shower, sink toilet is referred to as a 3/4 bath, which is still better than a half bath/powder room with just a sink and toilet - but others may not agree.

Also add a grab bar to the shower.

Two or three grab bars!

Where I live a shower in a bathroom does not devalue a house as long as somewhere there is a tub. As an older person I happen to like to have a bath so for me I would not love only a shower . Maybe ask the MIL .You can get some really nice tub/ shower combos from Maax at a decent price.

There are numerous threads on this subject which you can search.

I just replaced the tub/shower combo in my master bath with a wonderful walk in shower and I couldn't be happier. I don't take baths and even if I did, my experience with seniors is that most can't manage to bathe easily or safely in a tub because of issues of getting up and that swinging your feet over the edge becomes increasingly problematic. I had an operation several years back and I was glad I had the option to use the shower in the guest bath.

As for resale value, I would think as many people prefer a great shower as a mediocre tub/shower combination.

In terms of the actual shower, mine has a built in bench which is great and I have two grab bars installed - one at the entry door and one in the middle that can serve for safety at the bench. I also have two hand held shower heads - one by the regular shower head and one by the bench.

Helen, can you give some details on your tub/shower conversion? We're wanting to do the same. Did you gain anymore space? The guy we've talked to said the tub/shower unit takes up more "wall space" than a shower so it would be a little bigger. Did you put in a shower door or is it big enough to just walk in and water can't spray out? Did you use tile or a pre-fab unit? Can you give us an idea on costs? Sorry - lots of questions. :)

Just do a walk-in shower & don’t look back. Much better, bathtubs are notoriously risky for older people to navigate safely.

@Deborah Lee - I will take some pictures later and post them to show the finished results.

My new shower feels quite a bit larger because the actual floor area is larger than the floor area of the tub. Obviously it's not as large as someone who has a massive master bath but I am working within the confines of a small bathroom in an urban high rise :-) In terms of size, it's a significantly nicer experience than the tub/shower both aesthetically and functionally.

I have a frameless shower enclosure with a door and I wouldn't want something that didn't have an enclosure. My shower gets nice and steamy while I'm sitting in it and relaxing on the bench.

Mine is a custom tile job as I opted for that based purely on aesthetics as I wanted a bit of a vintage feel - this is a photo of my inspiration shower.

As for costs, it would be hard for me to break it down as my costs were somewhat inclusive as my tile work included my master bath and guest bath so there were two showers and I also had tile on my floors and ceiling that were part of the line item for tile installation. The costs also included building the shower (i.e. framing and waterproofing properly) plus the rough plumbing as well as fixtures for the shower. I also had work done in a high rise condo in a high cost of living area (Los Angeles) so all of the construction work was more expensive than it would be in a single family home.

Some people advise against having a built in bench but I am SO glad I had one installed. Having a free standing chair takes up a lot of room in the shower - you have to clean around it - and if you don't want it in the shower, you have to store it someplace. One of my great pleasures is relaxing on the bench while my conditioner is working. As I posted, I had a hand shower installed by the bench as well as at the other end so I can relax while I rinse out my hair or whatever.

I really can't imagine how anyone would prefer a mediocre tub/shower combo to a great shower. As I posted, in terms of resale, I would imagine the universe of people wanting a great shower far surpasses those who want a bath - especially a mediocre bath.

ETA - And my shower floor is infinitely safer for me to navigate than the old tub. I had to have a disgusting rubber mat down because it was slippery. Also the interior of the tub had sloped sides so the actual area to put your feet down was fairly small. My new shower has small tiles with lots of grout so it's not slippery and my feet have a very secure footing.

This is NOT my shower LOL. It's was my inspiration. I will post pictures of my shower later as the workmen are in there installing the wall mirror :-).

The old tub/shower resale debate...

I always tell my customers - if you are staying in the home for the next 15 - 20 years or more, do what you want! Purple tiles, black walls whatever makes your heart warm!

If you are getting out in just a few years, have a chat with a realtor and do the best thing...

Good luck!

Wow - it's beautiful! This replaced a shower/tub unit? It looks bigger.

Helen, what a beautiful shower! Handmade tiles?

I have the very same experience with tub floors. The curve of the side/bottom of my old tub caused me knee and foot pain. This greatly decreases the "floor space" of a tub considerably. This is something I don't think I have ever seen anyone else address. Thanks!

I took out a bathtub/shower combo in favor of a shower, despite it being the only bathroom in the house. My house was built in 1928 and the tiny bathroom was largely original. I gave up a hallway linen closet to add a couple of more feet to the room. I have a frameless glass enclosure, a small niche and two nice-looking grab bars. It was crazy expensive -- $25k for an itty bitty room, using mid-grade finishes, and that was four years ago. The shower was the big cost escalator since it is a non-standard shape, done by hand with only one guy at a time able to work in the small space. The cost was hard to swallow but it was the right decision for me. Good luck with your project.

We have only a shower in our master bath. But we do have a tub /shower combo in our guest bath.

This has worked very well for us, as we have family members with young children who need a tub.

For other guests, they have the option of a bath or a shower, depending on their preferences.

Tub/shower conversion is a very good idea especially for the elderly. If you can make it barrier free it will be even better. Yes there is a cost to changing your tub into a shower. 1)drain pipe needs to be changed into 2 " ,2) waterproofing,3)floor under the tub needs to be fixed.Overall there is more work to be done in a shower walk in than tub shower.

The shower with some grab bars and a bench would be a good option. Good Luck!

Might consider a triangle bench - any tile shop has them, or Amazon like this one click me

This is what we did in our main bathroom when we removed the tub. our 43 year old daughter has Down Syndrome and unsteady on her feet.

And this is how it turned out!