Before and After: 6 Dream Bathrooms That Free the Tub
Freestanding tubs replace bulky built-ins in these beautiful bathroom remodels
When remodeling a bathroom, the bathtub will be a topic of discussion. Should you ditch it to make room for a large walk-in shower? Should you keep it? Should you upgrade it? If you’re a bathtub lover, and you have room for a separate tub, you’re probably leaning toward the latter. And you aren’t alone. Thirty-seven percent of respondents in a Houzz survey decided to upgrade their tub during their bathroom remodel. Of that group, the majority (43 percent) opted to install a freestanding tub.
To see what that transformation can look like, let’s take a look at six bathrooms that had enough room to replace a built-in tub with a freestanding one. Maybe these examples will give you new ideas for your own bathroom remodel.
To see what that transformation can look like, let’s take a look at six bathrooms that had enough room to replace a built-in tub with a freestanding one. Maybe these examples will give you new ideas for your own bathroom remodel.
1. Uneven to Smooth
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of seven with three dogs
Location: Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego
Size: 210 square feet (19.5 square meters)
Before: Multiple levels of flooring abutted the built-in tub.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A family of seven with three dogs
Location: Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego
Size: 210 square feet (19.5 square meters)
Before: Multiple levels of flooring abutted the built-in tub.
After: A level bathroom floor paved the way for a freestanding tub. By removing the stairs, designer Bonnie Bagley Catlin had room to install a new tub and a larger walk-in shower for the family.
The new layout uses the space better, Bagley Catlin says, and allowed the family to keep the existing windows. In fact, the windows are now highlighted.
Wall paint: Take Five, Sherwin-Williams
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The new layout uses the space better, Bagley Catlin says, and allowed the family to keep the existing windows. In fact, the windows are now highlighted.
Wall paint: Take Five, Sherwin-Williams
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Find a bathroom designer on Houzz
2. Cramped to Spa-Like
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with three children
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Size: 180 square feet (16.7 square meters)
Before: A built-in tub runs right up to the side of the corner shower.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with three children
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Size: 180 square feet (16.7 square meters)
Before: A built-in tub runs right up to the side of the corner shower.
After: A freestanding tub sits between a wall and a new glass-walled shower. The freestanding tub and the glass shower walls make the space feel more open, designer Natalie Clayman says.
The bathroom also got a fresh coat of paint and a fun beaded chandelier during the remodel.
Wall paint: Dewy, Sherwin-Williams
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Shop for freestanding tubs on Houzz
The bathroom also got a fresh coat of paint and a fun beaded chandelier during the remodel.
Wall paint: Dewy, Sherwin-Williams
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Shop for freestanding tubs on Houzz
3. ’80s to Today
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young couple in the video gaming industry
Location: Beverly Hills, California
Size: 168 square feet (15.6 square meters)
Before: The lights, floor tile, clamshell sinks and built-in tub left the homeowners feeling like they were still living in the 1980s.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young couple in the video gaming industry
Location: Beverly Hills, California
Size: 168 square feet (15.6 square meters)
Before: The lights, floor tile, clamshell sinks and built-in tub left the homeowners feeling like they were still living in the 1980s.
After: The large windows and chandelier highlight the new freestanding tub at the end of the long, narrow bathroom. Designer Lindsay Chambers created this new luxe look while still keeping one original component: brass. The brass can be found via the lighting, vanity hardware and faucets.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Browse chandeliers in the Houzz Shop
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Browse chandeliers in the Houzz Shop
4. Bulky to Stately
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young family with kids
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 168 square feet (15.6 square meters)
Before: A walled-in tub took up too much room in the bathroom for the new homeowners.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A young family with kids
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 168 square feet (15.6 square meters)
Before: A walled-in tub took up too much room in the bathroom for the new homeowners.
After: A claw-foot tub was the homeowners’ only request, and designer Sarah Stacey delivered that and more in the remodeled bathroom.
Carrara marble floor tiles replaced terra-cotta tiles. The walls went from painted to tile. And a colorful rug adds a little warmth.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Browse bathroom tile
Carrara marble floor tiles replaced terra-cotta tiles. The walls went from painted to tile. And a colorful rug adds a little warmth.
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Browse bathroom tile
5. Ineffective to Breathtaking
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple of empty nesters
Location: Monument, Colorado
Size: 156 square feet (14.5 square meters)
Before: The homeowners were over this paint color, and wanted a bathroom with more storage and a better layout.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple of empty nesters
Location: Monument, Colorado
Size: 156 square feet (14.5 square meters)
Before: The homeowners were over this paint color, and wanted a bathroom with more storage and a better layout.
After: The new freestanding tub draws the eye to the corner of the room, where the homeowners have a grand view. Plus, by replacing the built-in tub with a slimmer freestanding tub, the homeowners gained space for other bathroom features.
Designer Tricia Turk used that extra space to relocate and enlarge the shower and install additional cabinetry.
Wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; custom knotty alder cabinets: Brooks Brothers Cabinetry
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Designer Tricia Turk used that extra space to relocate and enlarge the shower and install additional cabinetry.
Wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; custom knotty alder cabinets: Brooks Brothers Cabinetry
Read more about this bathroom remodel
6. Clunky to Sleek
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A female professional
Location: Clarksville, Maryland
Size: 128 square feet (11.9 square meters)
Before: The vanity ran up to the edge of a built-in corner tub in the dim bathroom.
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A female professional
Location: Clarksville, Maryland
Size: 128 square feet (11.9 square meters)
Before: The vanity ran up to the edge of a built-in corner tub in the dim bathroom.
After: A freestanding tub sits in almost the same location as the previous tub, but this shape allows for a double vanity and a larger shower.
Designer Elizabeth Lawson also brightened the room with white paint and porcelain tile flooring, making it feel bigger.
Wall paint: Joa’s White, Farrow & Ball; vanity paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Your turn: Have you swapped your built-in tub for a freestanding one? If so, share the before-and-after photos in the Comments.
More on Houzz
How to Remodel Your Bathroom
How to Lay Out a 100-Square-Foot Bathroom
Browse bathroom photos
Find a new bathtub
Designer Elizabeth Lawson also brightened the room with white paint and porcelain tile flooring, making it feel bigger.
Wall paint: Joa’s White, Farrow & Ball; vanity paint: Decorator’s White, Benjamin Moore
Read more about this bathroom remodel
Your turn: Have you swapped your built-in tub for a freestanding one? If so, share the before-and-after photos in the Comments.
More on Houzz
How to Remodel Your Bathroom
How to Lay Out a 100-Square-Foot Bathroom
Browse bathroom photos
Find a new bathtub
Comments (214)
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celestina89
There is no recommended height between the two items. Vanities can range between 29" to 36" with a built in sink. The lower figure is recommended by American Disabilities Act which would accommodate someone in a wheelchair as long as the vanity is open for the person's legs. The upper is for a taller person. Average is 34" but you can have it anywhere in-between for what is comfortable for the people who are using it.
As for tub, they can range from 18" to about 36" measured from floor to top of the tub. It all depends on the type of tub you have. The higher end of 36" is for a Japanese soaking tub.
Some folk like to put a pony wall between a tub and a sink/vanity area. These are half walls and are usually about 3-4' in height. Below are pix of the pony wall between my tub and my sink area. My measurements are: drop in tub with 18" apron, 36" pony or half wall with sink at 30" which was built as a compromise for my father who was in a wheelchair and myself. It is a little low for me, but it has never bothered my use of it. The half wall added a bit of a nice shelve that I designed to go all around the sink area. It has come in handy for displays, my brush/comb and electric toothbrush.
annettepostel