Envisioning a convertible bathtub
Mark and I work well together on building problems. I'm good at measuring the box, then Mark thinks outside it.
Case in point: next
week's kitchen-renovation project. Our bathtub trials are a long story,
but the short version is we've finally decided to put a conventional
bathtub on one side of the kitchen right beside the hot-water heater. In
a small space, though, you don't want to waste ten square feet with a
one-use object. So we plan to make the bathtub convertible --- kitchen
counter by day, bathtub by night.
I measured everything out
and decided that, of the two bathtubs we possess, the smaller one that
came with the trailer is the only one that will really fit the space. I
figured we'd make some kind of hinged counter to go above it, but I
didn't want the counter to fold up since it 
would
block my view while bathing. On the other hand, there's limited space
for the counter to fold down, meaning the cooking work space would have
to be less wide than the tub. Stubbed toes were bound to ensue.
So we cleared out the
area in question and brought in the tub for Mark to look at. He poked
and prodded for about half an hour, then came up with an ingenious
solution. How about if the bathtub folds up when not in use? Stay tuned
for next week's posts in which Mark (hopefully) turns that vision into a
reality.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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Have you considered using an inflatable bathtub?
When using a metal tub, you might want to cover the bottom with e.g. polyurethane spray foam to help keep your bath warm.
I love everybody's ideas!
Roland --- I actually did ponder that exact model when I was brainstorming random bathing ideas. I figured I'd puncture it, though. I tend to be rough on furniture....
Eric --- That was a top contender for a while. But the reality is that I don't think we'd heat an exterior bath house very often in the winter, so I'd end up in a washtub on the kitchen floor once again. Having a bathtub right by our main source of both heat and hot water seemed like the most likely to induce frequent bathing.
That said, I do still want an outside bathtub with a good view someday for summer use. I have a feeling I'll still end up in a washtub in the yard when it's warm outside in the meantime....