replacing old tub with new

One of the tubs upstairs really needs work. I've been considering re-glazing, but have heard this only lasts a few years. I am trying to imagine what it costs to have an old tub taken out of an upstairs and replaced with a new one. I dread thinking of how difficult this is, and what the labor costs would be. Then there is what I suspect may be funky plumbing....

Has anyone had this done? How much should I expect this to cost, at minimum?

When we had to replace our tub they chopped it up in place and set up a chute from the bathroom window to the driveway and slid the broken pieces down the chute into a small dumpster. It wasn't messy and was done in a few hours.

I can't tell you a price, as it was included in a larger job and wasn't priced out separately. It wasn't difficult or messy and didn't involve carrying anything down the stairs or through the rest of the house.

I think they said my tub was steel? very heavy..but the new tubs are lightweight. have you considered a bath fitter type update?

old cast iron clawfoot tubs break apart quite easily since cast iron is fairly brittle. Steel tubs cut easily with sawzalls.

As per comments above, -the old cast iron ones are relatively easy to remove. I've personally broken up two of them with a sledgehammer.

Is it embedded into any walls? I asked my my plumber about changing the tub, and he indicated that since it has a lip that goes under walls on 3 sides, it would probably end up as a gut job of the bathroom.

When we had our tub changed out, it entailed work on the ?joist? under it, also tile surrounding it was damaged and couldn't be matched. We wished we hadn't done it, but unlike yours the tub was in fine condition, and I was just adding the new tub on to some other bathroom work because the old one wasn't that comfortable. As a cherry on top, the new one was not much different in shape....

So many factors in determining price. Unless it is a pedestal type there will be damage to the walls surrounding the tub necessitating replacement. Assuming that is tile, is it continuous with tile that goes around the room? How will the new tub meet the existing floor tile? What kind of new tile would be installed, or would you go with an acrylic tub kit? Will Sheetrock or plaster work be needed to fit the walls necessitating painting the whole room to match? My guess is that best case scenario for all of this is $2500+

did exactly this a few years ago, which involved removing all the tile around the tub, reframing, updated tub plumbing, new tub and tile was about $6,000 total

Yes, there is tile on 3 sides. The window goes out on the front of the house right over the center hall front door. Is there such a thing as nice fiberglass or modular unit? We may put our house on the market in a few years (once we unenthusiastically find some place to down size to). I think our house will do well...it is midsize. Biggish family room (13 x 20+'). Decent size kitchen. 3 full baths if you count the one in the attic, plus powder room downstairs. I just want the tub not to scream Cheap!

The 6000 included the tiling? Did you re-tile the floor? This room is a weird configuration. The vanity/counter was custom sized. I was hoping to just put in new counter top on , and only change the sink. Hmmm...Hubby is not one to jump in and re-do everything. I was hoping we could just spruce up some things.

If it's purely for dressing the place up for resale I'd just reglaze, but wait until just days before it goes to market.

Yeah, the problem is that we don't know when we're going to market. I would say 2 years at soonest. It really isn't just for dressing since we don't know when we will move. We are slow....That's why I can't make up my mind.

i would guess you could just remove the bottom row of tiles...but might not be the best look to replace with something else

sprout said:

Is it embedded into any walls? I asked my my plumber about changing the tub, and he indicated that since it has a lip that goes under walls on 3 sides, it would probably end up as a gut job of the bathroom.

i think my bathroom was about 10k..but that included ripping out the walls, floors, ceiling, replacing the pipes, updating electric. I got all average fixtures...nothing fancy. (kitchen and bath were done at the same time, I don't remember the exact breakdown)

Thanks for the feedback everyone.