Bathtub Find!

Jason and I are seriously frugal and we have learned a lot over the years about how to save money on renovation projects without sacrificing quality.  Since we purchased our first home in 2005, we've completely remodeled two homes and now this major renovation and addition makes our third.  We have three rental properties and one empty lot and when we did the previous remodels, we did so keeping in mind that tenants would ultimately live in the space and knowing that it would need to be versatile to a variety of tastes and easy to maintain.  This time, it's a little different because everything is being selected just for us.  We have a little more room to be creative and build and finish the home to our own tastes. 

One item that became important to me was finding a tub that would be big enough for either of us to enjoy using without feeling like a sardine stuffed in a can.  We're not little!  It became clear pretty quick that a five-foot tub wouldn't work, nor would a 36" wide tub.  We ended up modifying our master bath floor plan slightly - changing the pocket door to the toilet closet to a swinging door - to make room for a 42 x 72" whirlpool tub.  Tubs aren't cheap!  We searched high and low online, in big box stores and at one particular liquidation store that I refer to as "the place where dreams go to die."  

A friend recommended a plumbing supply company in Nashville, and we checked it out even though we were skeptical about getting a good value.  We were surprised to find out that a builder/contractor had ordered four very nice whirlpool tubs for a project and never picked them up, so we saved more than 66% on the tub we purchased.  This Jason tub (Jason is "son of Jacuzzi" - a brand started by a former Jacuzzi employee) is the one we selected.  

We keep learning new things throughout the process and this was one of my favorite bargains.  Now I know it doesn't hurt to ask about items on hand like this that can be purchased for a steal.