Freestanding tubs add a certain “wow” factor to any bathroom, but when push comes to shove, we all need a shower. Rather than install a brand new shower, a capable DIYer can add a shower to a freestanding or claw-foot tub. Continue reading to see the benefits and how you can add a shower to a freestanding tub. See More AboutFreestanding tub costsShower ideasDIY bathroom According to our shower installation cost estimator, the national average for a new shower is $2,689, but large, luxurious showers can run a homeowner up to $10,000. Likewise, if you wanted to add a shower-tub combo, be prepared to spend somewhere between $2,500 and $3,686. On the other hand, if you already have a freestanding or claw-foot tub available, one can easily add a shower for less than $500. If you do not feel comfortable adding a shower to your freestanding tub, click here to connect with a bathroom contractor near you. 1. Turn the water off. Close the tub’s shut-off valves.

Try turning on the water and make sure it is in fact off. 2. Use a wrench, preferably an open-ended adjustable wrench, to disconnect the water supply lines and faucet. We have to attach a new faucet that doesn’t only connect the bath, but the shower head as well. There may be a few connections to unscrew. Totally remove the old faucet from the tub. 3. Connect all parts that come in your tub-and-shower assembly, but do not attach to the freestanding tub just yet.Safety 1st Infant Car Seat Cover Replacement Make sure you do not attach the new faucet to this new assembly. Running Shoes With Built In SocksYou will most likely have to add the faucet first and then attach the assembly to the faucet and freestanding tub.Chandelier Light Bulb Changing Tool

4. Attach the faucet to the freestanding tub. Add some plumber’s putty on the backside of the faucet handles on the threaded fittings. These handles will not be seen. Once set in place, tighten the lock nuts with that same adjustable wrench. Make sure the new faucet is installed nice and tight with the tub. Then, connect both the hot and cold water lines. Once again, tighten each bolt, lock nuts and compression fitting with your wrench. Scrape away excess putty. 5. Add the shower riser to the new faucet. Use Teflon tape and wrap it around the edges of the shower riser. This tape will make sure water flows smoothly from one section of the shower rod to the other. When completed, thread the shower riser into its designated position. Make sure it is level. Either way, you will have to add a support rod that connects the shower riser to a wall. 6. Attach the shower riser support rod. Most wall supports come in prefabricated lengths. You will most likely have to cut it to fit your new shower-tub combo.

Hold it up against the wall, perpendicular with the hole designated for this support rod. Determine where the wall support needs to be trimmed and mark that point. Use a tube cutter to cut it to length. Screw the wall support range into the wall (preferably with a drill) and then connect it to the shower riser (screwdriver). 7. Add mounting bracket to the back wall and/or sidewall to attach the shower-curtain ring. Make sure your brackets are mounted into wall studs. Assemble the shower-curtain ring. Attach one end of the shower-curtain ring to the shower riser you just installed and attach the back to the wall bracket. Likewise, also attach the shower ring to the sidewall as well. Hang a shower curtain from the ring as well as any other shower accessories your heart desires. 8. Attach the shower head and try it out. Finally, attach the shower head to the riser. Open the shut-off valves, turn the water on and admire your work. Not sure what shower head to install?

Check out 11 Perfect Shower Heads For Your Master Bathroom. To see each and every step, watch our friends at This Old House put it all together. If you already have a freestanding tub and want to add a shower, rather than installing a new shower, save some money and just add a shower to your existing tub. With all the supplies and materials in place, this project should take no longer than five hours. As always, if you need any help, click here and get connected with up to four bathroom remodelers near you.If you can afford the $50,000 price tag, a bathroom addition is a reasonable investment, although your new bathroom will recover only about 52% of your initial investment at resale, according to the “2015 Remodeling Impact Report” from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.Nevertheless, you’ll probably give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. In fact, a bath addition gets a perfect Joy Score of 10 — a rating based on homeowners who said they were happy or satisfied with their project, with 10 being the highest rating and 1 the lowest.

But there are some important considerations you should make before you take the plunge, especially if you know you’ll be selling the house in the near future.The good news is that buyers love bathrooms. “You can almost never go wrong adding a bathroom,” says Tucson builder Greg Miedema, former chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers. “We never hear someone say, ‘I have way too much bathroom space — could you turn one of mine into a closet?’”But if you’re looking to recoup the cost through resale of the home, or improve your prospects of selling, do your homework carefully, says certified appraiser Melanie J. McLane of Jersey Shore, Pa. “Say you have an older row house that sells for $70,000 on a good day,” she says. “If you add a $30,000 bath to that house, you’re not going to have a $100,000 house. You’re going to have a $70,000 house with a really expensive bathroom.”A general rule of thumb is that you should only undertake a major remodeling project if you plan to stay in your home at least five years.

Each situation depends on the local market, McLane says.Here’s how to evaluate your potential return:Buyers tend to prefer that the number of bathrooms roughly equal the number of bedrooms, according to the NAHB. Additions that bring bathrooms in line with bedrooms will likely return a bigger portion of their investment.The most valuable bathroom addition you can make is when you start with only one bath in the house — a second bath makes a good impression on buyers and can be the difference between selling a house and having it remain on the market.Another important area of balance is showers vs. tubs. For maximum resale potential, you need one of each in your house — young children need a tub for bath time, and aging buyers (including the massive Baby Boomers market) often prefer a shower when stepping in and out of a slippery tub becomes less appealing. An addition that gives you the shower or tub you’re lacking is a smart choice.Both Miedema and McLane suggest adding a full bath (or a 3/4 bath, which has a shower stall) rather than a half.

“If I’m going to go to the trouble and expense of getting carpenters and plumbers in there, I’m adding at least a shower stall,” McLane says.NAHB data suggest that an additional half bath increases a home’s value by 10.5%, but an additional full bath increases the value by 20%. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll recover the total cost of your remodeling investment. You’ll likely get back only about 52% of the cost of a bathroom addition project when you sell your home.Because national percentages on return of investment can’t capture all the variables that affect your home’s value, it’s best to call a REALTOR® or appraiser to see if your neighborhood can support an increase in value. “If your house is already one of the nicest in your neighborhood, think long and hard before you add a $40,000 bath,” McLane says. “You may be facing diminishing returns.”It’s also critical to find out what buyer expectations are for a home of your size in your particular location if you know you’re planning to sell within a few years.