We just gutted our master bath and removed the garden tub..installed free standing..but also redesigned the shower and moved a wall….new everything from top to bottom…so happy with the results..but it cost us about $50,000..so be prepared! I am in MI I know prices are different depending on where you live..we used a local construction company..have never used Home Depot.

Home Interiors with Ease - Your bathroom looks gorgeous. I am getting ready to gut my primary suite to the studs, reorganize the space and build a new, larger bathroom. I am debating what type of tub to include. Clearly, free-standing tubs look beautiful, but it seems to me that getting in and out of them would be difficult and especially if we want to age in place. Did you change from an undermount tub to a freestanding tub for looks alone? Are you happy with your new tub from a function standpoint? I really am leaning toward an undermount tub for ease of use, but I don’t want my sparkling new primary bath to look dated as soon as it is done. I would appreciate your thoughts about this.

My free standing tub is very easy to get in and out of…the higer sides makes it easier to hold on my old lower undermont garden tub we tore out was low so not as easy for me to hold on.…like this so much better I am 65 things are not as easy as they used to be!

Home Interiors… Thanks for your response re: the freestanding tub being easier to get in and out of. I wouldn’t have thought that to be the case, so I will have to test some out before making a final decision.

We replaced all of the copper piping in a 1979 house , as have all the neighbors (multiple builders). It is our understanding that imported copper piping was used that was flawed. It is a widespread problem from what we understand. This may not be the only leak you develop.

Home Interiors, could you share the make and model of your tub? I’m hoping to redo my bathroom this spring. Thanks!

The W house…we did this 72” but I think it is available in 66” too…. we like that it goes to the floor no dust bunnies underneath!

A new shower pan and shower tiles and new tub requires gutting your bathroom. You are not just making small aesthetic changes. You can't tile over old shower tile. You have to gut it. I don't know any where in which a new shower and tub can be done for $10k, unless you get one of those pre-formed shower units.

Alcove tubs, while not fancy or the new bling, will look more up to date than a free standing tub will in 20 years. I presume in another 12-15 years freestanding tubs will begin to look really passe. An alcove tub will not.

Do not hire Lowes or Home Depot to install a bathroom. Hire a good local contractor. This is going to cost money.

@ Home Interiors with Ease - I love your herringbone bathroom floor. Great!

The whole point of a free standing tub is to have it not be attached to walls. One of the cruxes of aging in place is to have surfaces on which to steady your balance and leverage your weight. When you stand up in your freestanding tub, what do you hold on to when lifting your leg up over the side of the tub? What do you hold on to when you get out of the tub? Just trying to imagine how a free standing tub is doable for an aging in place situation.

Kendra..the sides of the freestanding tub are at a height that is easy to hold onto as you get out….the front of mine has a slight lower curve that is not hard to step out of…we had a garden tub it was low and the surrounding tiles made the front wide and nothing to grab…..so much harder to step out of ..…..we are so happy we switched..we are in our mid 60’s…freestanding tubs have been around forever so classic.

Oyyyy! We had an occupational therapist who specializes in home design consult on our bathroom. I see her cringing at holding on to the side of the tub while you get out. Holy smokes.

We gutted our entire bathroom because the tub was freestanding (well two sides with no walls, which in my opinion was free standing because it was too much of a fall risk.)

I cannot recall seeing freestanding tubs in a modern day bathroom prior to this current trend. When you say they have been around forever, are you meaning like a clawfoot tub?

Any style freestanding tub ….has morphed over time but all styles seem to come around over and over…clawfoot to the floor metal trough..legs or to the floor…we just cant get enough! trend started in the 1900’s..they also increase property value!…really depends on how mobile you are….I would never bath my 92 year old mom in it…not even a regular tub…showering for elderly is best..easy in and out..hand rails inside and out…also keep in mind I would not have a freestanding tub the only tub in my home if that is the case you need a low tub for baby baths and children for sure..the freestanding tub is a luxury item. we gutted our bathroom back in the late 80’s and added a freestanding tub tore out the big built in garden tub…it was the top item the new home owners raved about when we sold it….if a hazard for you yes agree dont get one.

@mabsy Here is a link to a transcript of a great podcast on universal design and freestanding tubs. They consulted with 12 universal design experts, all of whom gave them a negative review. Here are some of the replies.

https://universaldesign.org/podcast/015-freestanding-tubs

“It’s hard to get out of the tub without slipping”, “Transfers in and out would be next to impossible”, “Not functional for wheelchair users without adaptive equipment”, “Does not seem very functional”, “Tubs will likely be situated far from walls and potential grab bars”, “They have very thin sides”, “There’s a high step clearance”, “No handhold placements”, “It looks slippery”, “The colors of the inside and outside of the tub are the same, so figure-ground is an issue”, “It eliminates access for people with disabilities and limitations”, “Sitting on hard surfaces would potentially damage the skin and start muscle spasms”, “And it’s too deep to lift myself in and out of easily”

Although some of those issues are ones you may never face - such as needing a wheelchair - very few older adults do, and you are not talking about making your home wheelchair accessible, universal design goes far beyond that to think about things the greatest number of people might face. For instance arthritic hands - super common. Grasping thin objects like the wall of a thin tub would be difficult. Bending down to hold on to the edge of a tub - having our head lower than your torso while moving in a bathroom is a recipe for dizziness and increases the risk of falling.

@Home Interiors w Ease, made a good distinction that it can be a good luxury item to add in a home where there is another more functional tub that is more universally usable. If you have a large home and can fit multiple bathrooms with different kinds of needs in them, then you could enjoy the bonus of a less than practical tub for aging in place.

I think Mindardi is always upset, but I do appreciate their strong voice, it makes me feel less aggressive, so thanks for that!

If you aren’t ready to spend 10K+ on this project, then repair the copper and leave it alone. There is easily more than 10K of expense there, just in materials. A master bath averages twice what a hall bath averages. And those average almost 30K, with professional labor. Save your money to tackle it right.

Freestanding tubs are a current fad. They went away when built in tubs were introduced the first time, because built in are WAY easier to clean. Misplaced nostalgia are what brought them back. But since no one ever uses them, it’s an expense for nothing. If you want a tub to use, get an undermounted one, that you can actually get in and out of.

Putting in my freestanding tub allowed me to get rid of all the tile overload to build it in…now I have so much more space and can fit a much needed chair…everyone has different needs..I am enjoying my decision and using it.

Thanks everyone! Got busy and just now able to catch up. Thankfully it was a tiny pin hole leak. We think it was caused by me holding on to the spout through 33 years of using the tub. I’m a bath person so love the bath. My husband patched it for now and panel was replaced. That will buy us time to save and plan. Someone mentioned me not being able to tile over existing tile, lol! I don’t remember saying I’d even consider that. Not sure why that was mentioned. I thought everyone knew that is not a thing to do especially around water.

I love the look of the free standing tubs but now I’m wondering about getting in and out safely the older I get. Someone asked what is there to hold on to, my counters come right up next to the tub. Now I’m thinking, the drop in garden tub might be the way to go for us, as far as when we get older. I think they look nicer now than the one I have from 1992. I still love the look of free standing though. We’d obviously remove the tile in shower and pan. I’m trying to look at the costs of it but no way am I spending 50K. We also need new shower doors. We need new counters and sinks and faucets but not the actual vanity. Thanks for the input and Home Interiors with Ease your bathroom looks lovely!!

S Carr - Please share a little more info about replacing all of your copper pipes. We will be gutting most of our 1975 house for a remodel. All or our pipes are copper. I thought that was a good thing, until I recently read that copper pipes don’t last forever. You also said that most of your neighbors replaced their copper pipes. That sounds like an enormous and costly job. Were you and your neighbors getting lots of leaks? What caused you to decide to replace all of your copper pipes? If you don’t mind sharing, I would appreciate knowing what the total cost for that project was. Thanks!

Copper pipes in alkaline concrete slabs get pinholes in them. Especially if there's acidic water running inside them. They have a finite lifespan. Sometimes less than 15 years. There are whole neighborhoods around here who have to replace copper run in slabs, and run it through attics and walls instead. With PEX.

Make sure there is enough space around the free standing tub to comfortably clean and retrieve the soap bar.

Minardi - Good to know! Several years ago, the pipe for our main water supply, which is in our concrete foundation, developed a slow leak. It took several days and a lot of digging to determine the source of the leak. I didn’t realize that that probably happened, because the pipe was buried in the concrete. Fortunately, I think most of ours are not in the concrete foundation.

Our damaged copper pipes were not in concrete. As we talked to other people, we found that copper pipe pin hole leaks were common from the that era at least. It's been 15 yrs so I can't remember all the details. We replaced all the copper pipes as the thought of future water damage is a nightmare. It was expensive. The actual cost depends on the size of your home, the amount of copper piping and ease of access.

I would hate to be doing it with today's prices, but we live in a very desirable neighborhood.

We noticed a leak coming from under the panel that covers tub. My husband took panel off. It’s a tiny pin hole in copper pipe. It’s 33 year old And time to update. We aren’t ready to spend 10K plus on the bathroom.

Given your description, you were smart to fix the pipe. You didn't seem to be unhappy with the bathroom, and all you NEEDED was this small fix.
They are an alter to the idea of bathing

Altar, not alter.
Adding value is the most ludicrous statement I've ever seen.

Really? I've seen at least half a dozen things more ridiculous already today, and it's not quite noon.

Clearly, free-standing tubs look beautiful, but it seems to me that getting in and out of them would be difficult and especially if we want to age in place.

Free standing tubs (clawfoot or modern) are lovely, but they are 1) more difficult to clean around and 2) less user-friendly than other tub models in that they don't have a place to set a drink or bottle of shampoo on the side + because they're more difficult to enter /exit. If you're thinking of a shower-over-tub, while it's technically possible, those around-the-tub shower curtains are insane.

A new shower pan and shower tiles and new tub requires gutting your bathroom.

False. We changed our hall bath from a tub to a walk-in shower + we replaced our master walk-in-shower with an updated walk-in-shower -- did not "gut" either bathroom. Just the bath /shower areas. We left the rest of the bathrooms intact.

You can't tile over old shower tile.

Oh, yeah, that's just common sense.

Do not hire Lowes or Home Depot to install a bathroom. Hire a good local contractor. This is going to cost money.

But Lowes or Home Depot will cost even more. Those big boxes are going to get their money.

I have to wonder if 10-15 years from now, a lot of people will want to replace these free-standing tubs with a deck-mounted or under-mount tub with at least a small ledge around it.

S Carr - Thanks for the head’s up regarding copper pipes. We are gutting our house soon, so now would be the time for us to do it, but I dread finding out what the cost will be. This cost of our project is quickly getting to the point of being out of reach, so we’re going to have to make some hard choices.