All advice / Planning and cost
Why this decision matters more than most fixture choices
The shower-or-bath question is one of the first layout decisions in a bathroom renovation and one of the hardest to change later. It sets the floor plan, the plumbing positions, the waterproofing footprint and the way the room feels to use every day.
There is no universally right answer. The choice depends on who uses the room, how much space you have, whether you plan to sell, and what you actually do in the bathroom on a weekday morning.
When a walk-in shower makes the most sense
A walk-in shower suits bathrooms where space is tight, access needs to be easy, or the household simply does not use a bath. In a compact room — say 1.5 by 2.4 metres — removing the bath and fitting a full-width shower opens the floor plan and gives more room to move.
Walk-in showers are also the stronger choice for accessibility. A curbless entry, a built-in seat and grab bars make the room safer for older adults and anyone with limited mobility. If you are planning to stay in the home long term, this is worth considering now rather than retrofitting later — our accessible bathroom guide covers the full range of features.
From a cleaning standpoint, a frameless glass shower with wall-to-wall tiling is simpler to maintain than a bath surround with grout joints, silicone seals and hard-to-reach corners.
When a bathtub still adds value
If there are young children in the home, a bath is practical — bathing a toddler in a shower is awkward at best. Families with children under five or six generally benefit from keeping at least one bath in the house.
A freestanding bath in a larger bathroom can also serve as a design centrepiece. In rooms with higher ceilings and enough floor area, the bath anchors the space and adds a sense of proportion that a shower alone does not.
For resale, the general guidance is to keep at least one bathtub in a family home. Buyers with children expect it, and removing every bath from a three- or four-bedroom house can narrow the buyer pool. If the home has two bathrooms, converting one to a walk-in shower while keeping the bath in the other is a common and practical split.
Space and layout considerations
A standard bath takes up roughly 1,700 by 750 millimetres of floor space. A walk-in shower can work in a smaller footprint — as little as 900 by 900 millimetres, though 1,000 by 1,200 or wider is more comfortable.
In a bathroom under four square metres, the bath often dominates the room and leaves little space for the vanity and toilet. Replacing it with a shower and reclaiming that floor area can make the whole room feel larger and more functional — see our guide to small bathroom renovations for more layout ideas.
Layout also affects plumbing. Moving the waste position from a bath to a shower (or vice versa) is straightforward in a full renovation where the floor is being stripped and re-waterproofed, but it adds cost if you are trying to do it as a standalone job.
What about a shower-over-bath?
A shower-over-bath is the compromise most Australians grew up with. It gives you both options in one footprint, which matters when the bathroom is too small for separate fixtures.
The trade-off is that neither function works as well as a dedicated version. The shower screen is usually a single panel rather than a full enclosure, water hits the bath surround at an angle, and stepping over the bath edge is less accessible than a curbless shower entry.
If the room genuinely cannot fit both a separate shower and a bath, a shower-over-bath is a reasonable solution. If it can, dedicated fixtures will feel better to use and look cleaner.
Cost difference between a shower and a bath
In a full renovation where the room is stripped back anyway, the cost difference between installing a walk-in shower and installing a bath is mostly in the fixtures and the tiling area, not in the labour or waterproofing — both need a compliant membrane either way.
A freestanding bath adds the cost of the bath itself (typically $800 to $3,000 depending on material and brand) plus the floor waste and mixer. A walk-in shower adds the cost of the shower screen (a frameless panel runs $600 to $1,500 installed), the showerhead and mixer, and any niche or seat tiling.
The layout decision should be made before the quote, because it affects the floor plan, the tile quantities and the plumbing positions. ETR's packages start from $18,000 for a Basic renovation in a small bathroom, and the fixture choice is part of the selections process.
How to decide
Ask four questions. Does anyone in the household need or regularly use a bath? Is this the only bathroom in the home? Are you planning to sell within a few years? Is the room large enough to fit both comfortably?
If nobody uses the bath and the home has more than one bathroom, a walk-in shower is usually the better use of the space. If young children are in the picture or resale is the priority in a single-bathroom home, keep the bath.
The on-site measure is the right time to work through this. The room dimensions, the plumbing positions and the household's actual use all feed into the decision, and the written scope locks it in before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Does removing a bathtub hurt resale value?
It can, if the home has no other bath. Families with young children generally expect at least one bathtub. If the home has two or more bathrooms, converting one to a walk-in shower while keeping the bath elsewhere is a common approach that suits both accessibility and resale.
Is a walk-in shower cheaper than a bathtub in a renovation?
In a full renovation, the cost difference is mostly in the fixtures and tiling area. A freestanding bath and a frameless shower screen are in a similar price range. The bigger cost factors are the room size, tile selection and plumbing positions, not the shower-versus-bath choice alone.
Can I fit both a shower and a bath in a small bathroom?
It depends on the room dimensions. A shower-over-bath fits both into one footprint but compromises both functions. Separate fixtures need a room of roughly six square metres or more to work comfortably without feeling cramped.
Are walk-in showers better for older adults?
Generally, yes. A curbless entry, a built-in seat and grab bars make the room safer and easier to use. If you are planning to age in place, a walk-in shower is the more practical long-term choice.
When should I decide between a shower and a bath?
Before the quote is written. The choice affects the floor plan, plumbing positions, tile quantities and waterproofing layout. At ETR, this is settled during the on-site measure so the written scope reflects the agreed layout.