I'll be honest with you here. The fact it's a Japanese tub is not going to appeal to everyone, anyway. Which is fine, it's your house. So you should put the tub where you want it rather than try and appeal to buyers at some future point. Anyone who doesn't like the size and shape of the tub will likely rip it out anyway so no biggie about where you put it.

I very much doubt one unusual bathroom will affect resale value much. The salability of the house really comes down to location, size, yard and neighbourhood. A small incovenience like a bathroom not quite right isn't going to affect anything. I love bathrooms with tubs but at the end of the day I bought a house that only had a shower because everything else about the house was right. I decided I could put the bathroom right at some far future point.

And for my 2 cents option 2 looks better to me. I wouldn't want to soak in a tub with my head near a toilet.

@HU-350531119 thanks for your advice. I've just found a couple of images for layout reference and added them to the post. The head would be up at the back wall, not next to the toilet ;) and there'll also be a glass screen between the bath/shower and front of the bathroom.

differentways/siriuskey

Love Japanese tubs and shower bath set up. If parents will be using it go for side by side any photos of the tub

Yeah. that seems like a good option both ways now. So go with what you personally like.

Option 1 with head away from the WC when soaking

Option 1. Do not like the shower over bath. Always seems dangerous for unsteady people.

Have what works for you and your family. A separate shower would always be my preference but we have a shower over the bath for space reasons. The bath is 40cm deep. We all manage well including one pregnancy. It has some advantage with kids.

My vote is for your original wet room idea. Place the bath on the far wall with the shower in front of it. Then a fixed glass pane between shower and toilet. It would be a layout very much in keeping with your Japanese bath. I think it would look less squeezed than the other plans and avoids the much less desirable shower over bath.

Opt 1

I am surprised no-one has suggested what , to me , seems the relatively obvious .

If YOU want a bath , put it in the en-suite . It is then up to you whether you have a shower over it or not .

I assume your children prefer a shower , so that's what they get .

If they want an occassional bath , you can 'market' it as a treat , to be allowed to use the en-suite .

And vice-versa , if you prefer a shower without climbing into a bath , you have to ask your kids permission to use their shower !

On those rules , I suspect you would decide you don't actually want a bath in your en-suite , so why 'inflict' it on the kids , especially when it sounds like it will be you that wants it and wants to use it .

Sound democratic ?

How often would you actually give up the luxury of your ensuite to bath in the kids bathroom? With them interrupting you for toilet breaks.

Option 1 but swap shower and bath positions

if you swap the bath and shower you won't be able to access them the toilet will be in the way

@pottsy99 unfortunately our ensuite is way too small for a bath, it's only 2m x 2m, so it had to be the main bathroom, albeit small also. Our kids are only 6 and 4 years old so we're not at the stage where we need to ask permission yet! And they also love baths... :) Things may look different in 8 or so years though, haha!
@me me, I lived in Japan for a few years and the delight of a deep soaking tub is worth the occasional interruption, although we have 3 other toilets in the house for the kids to use. And there's a lock on the bathroom door! ;)

Hello!

I like option 2. I think a shower over the bath is great for a small space. If your children are very young it's fun for them to have a shower and plug in the bath to have a 'showerbath', if you have a dog that needs washing a shower over bath is really handy.

The view from the entry is more refined and the room will feel more spacious.

Love Japan, to be true to that you need a separate shower to wash before entering the tub

@lauren shield, I tend to disagree with the very small children enjoying a shower bath. Small children need supervision when having a bath. Why would you waste water when leaning on the floor, next to the bath, trying to get your children washed properly without them drowning from the shower.
And an attachment to the bath spout does well for washing a dog. You again do not need the shower on.
And also personally, I do not think it is a small space. Just my opinion.

Definitely separate bath if it fits and it looks like it does easily. That photo is gorgeous.

To answer dreamers question as to why you might do this, I turn on my shower over my bath with the kids in there and put the plug in. The shower water fills the bath and when there is some depth, I turn the shower off and they sit down. I supervise the whole time, blowing bubbles and playing with them and they love it. I also keep a small stylish stool beside the bath so I don't have to sit on the ground. My children are 2 and 4. Obviously if your children are older this would not resonate :)

showers over baths are badat the best of times but not with a Japanese style bath which is really hard to get in and out of.

Shower over baths hideous!
Nearly slipped so many times , not funny.
Except the time I slipped one leg either side of bath, bath tub wedgy. now that’s kinda funny.
Death traps for certain...

Thanks everyone for your input! We ultimately went with the side-by-side option. We are currently in the tiling process. Probably another couple of months away from finish with busy weekends ahead as we approach Christmas.

Great to here it’s in progress. We would love you to Post photos or your journey

Big night Kate?

Great choice, little kids become big kids almost over night, plus it's also safer for visiting grandparents, looking forward to seeing your new bathroom