Are Bathtubs Necessary in Multifamily Housing Design?
Perspectives on bathtubs fluctuate wildly from person to person and even within one person’s life. At certain times and in specific circumstances, a bathtub is invaluable and at others, a seldom-used luxury. For example, a parent with a toddler often won’t buy or rent a home without a bathtub because using one is simply the easiest way to bathe a small child. But for someone living alone without children or pets, a five-piece bathroom isn’t needed and a stand-alone bathtub may be an inconvenience that gathers dust. The necessity (or not) of a bathtub is also heavily dependent on the personality of a resident. For some who don’t need a bathtub, they may want one; there’s no denying a deep soaking bathtub is synonymous with spa-inspired bathroom design. With all this in mind, how does a multifamily housing professional make the decision of whether or not to include a bathtub in multifamily home design? We have the answer.
Know Your Target Residents
First, why is this important? Why not just include bathtubs just in case? Many avoid the question of whether or not bathtubs are needed by choosing the shower and bathtub combination. This is often the safest choice and there are plenty of faucet choices that are ideal for a combination like the built-to-last Central Brass Two Handle Tub & Shower Set, Model# 0997. But, there are plenty of reasons to go further. It’s very possible that your units will be more desirable if they have well-designed showers without a bathtub at all, even in secondary bathrooms. After all, bathtubs take up space and in the case of senior housing, may actually get in the way.
So, assuming you do want to answer this question, begin with who will be living in the multifamily housing you’re building. If you’ve done adequate research into the area you’d like to develop and your target market, including predictions of future changes, you’ll have a good idea of who will be buying or renting the condos or apartment homes. Once you have that knowledge, you’re much closer to answering the question. Below are major resident categories and their statistically likely bathtub preferences.
Families (with Young Children & Older Children)
A family for our purposes consists of one or more adults in a household with one or more children. The key to whether or not a family is likely to want a bathtub in their apartment or condo lies in the age of the children. While a baby is best bathed in a portable bathtub, from the time they can sit on their own until they are around six years of age to eight (according to most health authorities), a child will need a bathtub for bathing. The determining factor for when a child can graduate from a bathtub to a shower is maturity. By the age of 8, most children are ready to do a decent job of getting clean on their own and won’t require a parent to bathe them in a bathtub. Although a stand-alone bathtub or a tub and shower combination isn’t very important here, having a hand-held sprayer is. A handheld shower head is highly sought out for its convenience in bathing small children. Even Roman tubs can have a handheld shower head. For example, the gorgeous Pioneer Two Handle Roman Tub Set With Handheld Showerhead is made for bathtubs without a shower. Plus, it’s as stylish as it is functional.
Seniors and Students
Seniors and students may not seem like they have a lot in common, but limited space is often a common factor. Housing specifically for the elderly tends to be short on space and student housing often is as well. A key difference is that nursing homes and active senior living will, by necessity, be more focused on meeting or exceeding ADA requirements. These types of multifamily housing will often have zero-entry roll-in showers with benches to avoid the barrier of a high bathtub ledge to step over or that will prevent a wheelchair from entering.
Students don’t often request or expect bathtubs (rarely do they have the time or space), and, unless they are in family student housing, young children are often not living with them. Pets, who are also often bathed in a bathtub, are rarely allowed in student housing. The conclusion is that for units meant for seniors or students, bathtubs don’t top the list of desired features.
Young Professionals (Singles or Couples)
The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that, “about two-thirds of dog (65.6%) and cat owners (60.4%) owned their homes” in their 2023-2025 survey. This is significant in that it shows us that condo owners are very likely to own pets. Young professionals who feel they have enough stability are likely to be homeowners and they have the income to make that dream possible. They are likely to want a bathtub for more reasons than just pet ownership, however, this demographic is also more likely to want luxury bathroom fixtures, including a separate bathtub. Again, this is a great example of a situation where a handheld shower head is a great choice. But, with so many mid-range or luxury multifamily buildings including a pet washing station in a common area, a tub with a floor-mounted faucet is also a great choice with a wow factor. For this layout, we recommend a faucet such as the Pioneer Motegi Collection Single-Handle Floor Mount Freestanding Tub Trim Set, Model# 4MT910T.
Affordable Housing Residents
Affordable housing has come an incredibly long way in the last ten years with so many buildings and communities resembling their luxury counterparts more and more. Space is nearly always at a premium, however, and nearly half of affordable housing units have children residents (43% according to Child Trends). In that way, affordable housing residents fit the bathtub-need profile of our families section above. For those units not occupied by children, a bathtub may be seen as a necessity for washing pets as affordable housing is much less likely to have dog-washing stations for resident use. Also, the price of pet grooming has soared in the past few years, pricing it out of the range of lower-income households. For those residents with neither a child nor a pet, space is likely a huge consideration and they may prefer a shower-only bathroom. However, since most affordable housing homes have one bathroom according to the National Association of Home Builders, choosing a bathtub and shower combination is the best choice.
Wrapping it All Up
When deciding whether or not to include a bathtub or bathtub and shower combination in your multifamily housing design, look to the demographics of potential residents. The choice will depend on who you expect to live in the homes you design or build. With over 100 years of combined experience, Pioneer, Olympia, and Central Brass design residential and commercial bathtub faucet solutions are bar-none, delivering style and performance to the multifamily housing industry for decades.
We’ll Save You Money and Time
There are many ways to the same destination. This saying applies to multifamily housing builds just as much as to anything else in life. The ultimate goal is save as much money as possible while delivering a great finished project – that’s simply showing smart business sense. But, finding a one-off deal or sacrificing quality isn’t the only way to get a healthy ROI. We have a better way.
Pioneer works with professionals every day to develop specification packages and plans that save our valued partners both time and money, sometimes in surprising ways. It’s our goal to ensure your project meets or exceeds its expected outcome. We want to get to know you and your company and show you how we can save you money. Please reach out via our website form or call us at (800) 338-9468.
Some of Our Most Popular Bathtub Facets and Shower Sets for Multifamily Housing:
