Baths, showers or both

[Gabe]

Hi,

We are developing plans for two, three bedroomed gites and would welcome views on our bathroom plans. We initially planned a master bedroom with ensuite to include sink, toilet and a bath with shower over and a separate bathroom with sink, toilet and shower (but no bath).

What do people think ? Should we just have showers ? Should we have two baths etc? Also do we really need bidets ?

Gabe

[Dunton4]

I think if you just opt for showers you risk limiting your potential market.  For example, I think families with small children would want a bath, so unless you want to specifically exclude families with children, I would advocate at least one bath, preferably in the main bathroom.  Many young children (mine included) hate showers.  For what it's worth, we are preparing our three-bedroomed house and we are planning to have a shower in our en-suite bathroom ( a sanctuary for the adults?!) and a shower over bath in the main bathroom serving the other two rooms.  I think you then have all options covered.  Don't know about bidets - we're not planning any, but not sure if you are targeting French clients whether they would expect them?

Sue

 

[Nick Trollope]

I was chastised by some stupid Woman on another forum (you know, the one that alludes to intelligence where all the "where am I?"s hang out), for suggesting that children dislike showers. We couldn't stay anywhere that didn't have a bath - it is impossible to get Daniel (now 5) into a shower.

I don't know one French family with a Bidet. The only Brits I know with Bidets have bathrooms in Barratt houses built in the '80s! And none of them have that very useful little shower in the middle.

I bought a house (in the UK) where both the bathrooms had Bidets blocked up with toenail clippings - what do you do in yours, folks?

 

[Maddie]

I don't market at any particular group and just have showers.  I've had at least four families this year with kids under 7 including a 6 week old baby and not one has made any mention of a bath or the lack of one!  Still, we do have a rather nice big pool for those kids that have to splash around in warm water!!!

Come to think of it I've never stayed in any self catering accommodation with a bath! 

In these days of water shortages people holidaying really ought to learn to adapt to their surroundings, even those with small children.  Time to teach the kids what fun it can be to have a shower!

[CatherineS2]

When we bought our house it only had one "bathroom", and that had no shower, just a bath. (This in a house that sleeps up to 8 people). 

My children hated showers when they were toddlers and I thought that this would really limit us so I planned to put in a second bathroom. However, we have never had any problems letting the house - 32 weeks booked in 2004, and 33 weeks so far this year. We have had many families with children and they have been fine with it. I have provided a plastic baby bath for those with children under 9 months and this has been used  a couple of times.

We are planning to upgrade our bathroom next year, and although it is a large room with plenty of space, I don't think I am going to bother to put in a bath... just a snazzy much bigger walk-in shower.

(By the way, I ALWAYS point this out to people who enquiring with young children, just to be sure that they understand that there is no bath. The last thing I want is for people to turn up not realising that this is the situation and to be disappointed. I am only aware of two people who have then not booked as a result - and they have said that they may contact us in a couple of years when their children are a little older).

So, if your house is desirable enough in other ways, then I don't think it necessarily has to be a major issue. I suppose it kind of depends where you are situated and how easy it is to let.

Good Luck!

 

[nimportequoi]

We only have one 'bathroom' in our 3 bed house which has a shower, no bath. If it had a second 'bathroom' I would definitely have a bath. However, just having a shower has never been a problem and a baby bath is always provided for babies. I was thinking of taking out the bidet, and putting in a bath with an overhead shower. However, now I'm not sure if this won't cause problems for older people with mobility problems as it is a lot more difficult stepping into a bath than a shower cubicle.

Another advantage of showers is that they use less water, so it is more environmentally friendly and costs the renter less!

I think Catherine S is right, there are a number of different factors involved in choosing a rental home and if everything else is right, the bathroom setup won't be a major issue.

[CatherineS2]

Good point Susan about showers using less water - our water is heated by an electric water heater and if we were to install a bath then we would also need to replace the water tank with a bigger one - more expense for us, and more electricity being used by the guests to heat the water.

[Russethouse]

Well, I hate to rain on the environmentalists parade but it has been reported that recent surveys show that many adults are just not quick enough in the shower to make the 'shower only' choice on the criteria of water usage.(wash hair, rinse hair, apply conditioner, wash body, rinse body, rinse conditioner - you have just 3 minutes....)

Of course young children often share a bath too....back to the drawing board

[Dunton4]

And sometimes the not so young too, Gay

[Russethouse]

Oh no - I'm shocked

[Owens88]

Our Gite has a bath with shower over. It gets used by skiers/walkers and people who want to 'lounge' so I wouldn't dream of taking the bath out even in our recent bathroom rework.

However. We did have a bidet. At least two of the french plumbers who gave quotes assured us that they don't put bidets in new-build nowadays.  So we took it out and added toilet in the space.

As I recall when we had young children a bath was more than just cleaning them, it prepared them for bed.

John

[Gabe]

Thanks for all the replies,

To be honest I certainly have always preferred having a bath in the many gites that I have rented and personal experience has been that it can be easier with smaller children. However I do take the point about water and energy usage, which was one of the main reasons for the question in the first place. Once again thank you..

Gabe

[JJ]

We run one 2 bed gite, it was always tight for space, so it was always going to be a shower room.

We have had 19 weeks let this year with lots of families with children of all ages. Not one has mentioned the lack of a bath, we do however supply a baby bath.

I agree with lots of the other poostings, in particular re the water shortages.

I also have two girls aged 7 and 8 who like showers and baths alike.

Long live showers, one of the greatest imports from the continent ever.

 

 

[Iceni]

John got his original back injury as he slipped getting out of a bath after having a shower - there was water on the floor, he did not see it and 'skidded' did not even fall over. When we let out a flat we were advised never to have a shower over a bath - they tended to get water everywhere and were more likely to get water damage to any rooms underneath than 'proper' showers and baths without showers.

I am not that old but I simply cannot get out of a bath without help, so if we cannot find somewhere to stay that has a shower we don't go. We are putting a bath in the en-suite but also a corner shower with a seat and base which has a plug and overflow so you can fill it up with water. It is big enough to be a bath for small children and a shower for those of a more crumbly age - oh and it has loads of nozzles etc - which will probably get as much use as the nozzles on the downstairs shower does.

Sorry, not much help.