Q: Dear Ed: I am in the planning stage for my new bathroom. Space is a little tight, but I want a separate shower stall and soaking bath. What are some basic style options for the soaking tub that I can look at to see what can best fit my bathroom layout?
— Jerry, Washington state
A: Different-style soaking tubs usually require different types of installations. So do some homework and choose the tub install option that can best fit your bathroom floor plan. With that said, I’ll go into a few popular soaking bath choices.
1. Corner bath
For smaller bathrooms with separate tub and shower fixtures, a corner install tub may fit best to open up a little extra space. Like the name says, they are designed to fit snugly into a corner space and many include finished front aprons.
2. Drop-in or undermount baths
These tubs are designed to be installed into a custom-built base. The undermount type is installed under the finished base top, and the drop-in type has a finished rim and drops into the finished base opening.
3. Freestanding bath
These beautiful soaking baths are self-supporting, cosmetically finished inside and out, and very flexible as far as choosing an installation location.
However, a freestanding bath is far from “free.” These are usually high-end fixtures and in the end may soak up a good portion of your bathroom budget.
