freestanding tubs (and the one i picked for my house!)

the size and style of our bathtub was one of the first "finishing" details that we selected for our house. we had to know exactly how much space we needed for the tub during framing, and soon after, we needed to know---down to the inch-- where the tub would sit so we could get the plumbing in the right spot.

i have never had a freestanding tub in any house that we have lived in, but i knew for this house i wanted something a little more modern and simple than we had previously had.

here are a few of the images that fueled my obsession with freestanding tubs:

who didn't fall in love with keri russells home when it was featured in elle decor?
this bathroom is downright gorgeous.


the textures in this coastal bathroom are perfection, as well as  the elegant silver leafed bathtub.

here is a similar bathtub in another bathroom. i like how these tubs are a modern take on an old fashioned clawfoot tub.

the lines of this tub are a perfect balance between modern and traditional.


i fell hard for this tub, but it was way out of my budget.

 i also really liked the simplicity of this tub.

the price for free standing tubs can can give you sticker shock, as most are in the $3,000-$7,000 range.
of course, keep in mind that you will not have to spend money on material and labor to build a deck around a freestanding tub. that can save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars.
but still...
3k-7k was NOT in my budget, so i did some digging.

while i was narrowing down my selection, i visited a local plumbing showroom and asked if they had any freestanding tubs under $2,000. the sales person i was talking with literally snickered.
hmmm. not a good sign.
(save me internet!)

we finally settled on a very simple and affordable tub that fit the dimensions of the opening that we wanted for the tub.


we bought the laura 59" long tub from the wyndham collection. they also have a larger version of this tub, but we decided to make our shower larger, and therefor needed a smaller tub. i really like the simple lines of this tub, and felt it was a very transitional shape---it felt modern enough, but not too modern. it is acrylic (versus cast iron or ceramic), which makes it less expensive and also a WHOLE lot easier to lift.

there are a LOT of places online that carry this tub, but we ended up purchasing it from build.com.
i called several other online retailers, and the people at build.com had the best price and the best customer service ratings, so i went with them. of course, when i went to order it, we had less than 2 weeks before we were supposed to move in, and the tub was on back order.

 it took about 5 weeks to arrive, and then we had to schedule the plumbers to come out to install it, which took another week.

we place the tub where we wanted it, and then a hole was drilled to feed the drain through.

here is a look at the underside of the tub.
as you can see, it has adjustable feet that allow the tub to be leveled once in place.

and here it is! all ready to be filled.

i am really happy with the way it looks...it is smaller than other tubs we have had in the past, but 

i love the simplicity of it. i haven't been able to use it yet---we still need to get some expanding spray foam around where the drain meets the floor, which will hopefully happen soon! i wanna test this baby out!