Soaked (Finally)

Check this off the list of Things-I’ve-been-mentioning-for-a year-and-can-finally-shut-up-about: This house now has one big bathtub. (Technically I’ve only really been pining after it since it was delivered five months ago, so you got off easy.)

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Feel free to give me some grief about how I haven’t made any progress on that tile for oh, two or three months now. On the other hand, finished tile or no… I think we can say it’s a marked improvement from where it was at in December.

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As for the tub itself, this is a Kohler Escale model. I thought it might actually be too large to bathe in comfortably because I was used to my little clawfoot version, but I can tell you that it’s awesome for soaking in, even for, uh, vertically challenged people like me.

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Also I really love the lines of the tub with the concrete. The only problem is that it is a little reach to turn on the water, but the alternatives were putting it at either end (limiting the direction you can lay) or on the other side of the tub, but then you’d have to crawl around it. I think I made the best decision given the alternatives, but if I ever have to do this again in another house (stranger things have happened) I might go with the freestanding version.

Really I’ve been using installation of the tub (and the thought that I’d be spending an obscene number of hours soaking away in there reading books and listening to the crackling fire) as a metaphorical “finish line” and that once I cross it I’ll be able to find a little balance in my life again. You know, because if I went to the trouble to put in a big tub I would actually feel obligated to put down the hammer and relax once in a while.

It also makes it entirely possible that I won’t be leaving little trails of sawdust wherever I go.

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Nah…

14 Responses

  1. Somehow I didn’t realize up until now that you’d be able to soak in the tub by firelight. How awesome is that?! Put a pile of books and a mini-fridge in there, and you might never leave the tub! 🙂

  2. Such a cool tub! When we build our dream house I’m going to add in a soaking tub for sure. I love what you did around it, and how the tub pops up and has pretty lines like that. And the fireplace? Awesome.

    1. That is a gas fireplace, actually. It’s the Lennox 36″ see-through version. While it will be nice to heat the bedroom I don’t know if I’d worry about doing the whole fireplace-in-the-bathroom thing again.

  3. OK how tall is MM and does he like the shape of that tub? Turns out we want to return the tub we ordered because it’s just too big and not comfortable…we couldn’t find it on display anywhere in our area so we ordered it sight unseen. We sat in the Escale but my legs are so long they don’t fit in the bottom. I’d have to have my feet propped up but that makes my back at a funny angle. I’m not sure if it’s just uncomfortable because there is no water in it or what. My husband (who is vertically challenged) loves the tub though.

    1. MM is just over 6′, but he hasn’t tried out the tub. The thing is that it’s deeper (or higher maybe?) than you would think… I was originally assuming I’d be able to rest my elbows on the rim like in a regular tub, but my head barely makes it over the top.

      I will say that the back/sides are sloped nicely which I think is what makes it comfortable. However, when I “tried out” the thing with no water when it was first delivered I was like, how is this going to work? So I think the water does make a difference.

      What tub did you go with the first time?

  4. Wow. That is abso-freaking-lutely gorgeous. The tub and the faucets that you picked are beautiful — and work so well together, and with the concrete. The tub, the windows, the fireplace… heavenly. Imagine lying there at dusk with a big old storm rolling it. I actually shivered just thinking about it. Talk about a reward for all of your incredible work.
    Call me motivated!

  5. Oh, yeah, and your bathroom (half-finished and all) looks way better than the Kohler shot. I think you made the right call on the drop-in tub instead of the free-standing. It looks beautiful rising up out of the concrete.

  6. Just now seen this post on the memorial house big bath work. It turned out really nice…warm, roomy and comfy ~ awesome! I’d have fell asleep in that comfy tub after a good days work.

    🙂

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