Before & After: A Haddam Jacuzzi Tub Removal & Bathroom Remodel
Before & After: A Haddam Jacuzzi Tub Removal & Bathroom Remodel
Project Overview
This master bathroom remodeling project in Haddam, CT started with a room that had plenty of square footage but very little flow. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood in Middlesex County, the original bath featured a long cherry double vanity with speckled granite counters, a built-in corner Jacuzzi tub wrapped in beadboard paneling, and a small fiberglass shower stall hiding behind frosted sliding doors. Everything functioned — but nothing felt current, and the room's best asset, its size, was buried under heavy finishes and a chopped-up wet zone.
The homeowners came to us with a clear wish list for their Haddam bathroom remodel: remove the aging jetted tub, build a walk-in shower worthy of a master suite, keep a comfortable place to soak, and bring the whole room into the present. First Choice Bathroom Remodeling handled every step, from layout and demolition to the final fixture selection — and the before-and-after photos tell the story better than we ever could.
The Challenge
Like many homes built along the Connecticut River Valley in the 1990s and 2000s, this Haddam master bath was designed around a massive corner whirlpool tub. The Jacuzzi dominated the room, consumed valuable floor space, and — as the homeowners admitted — rarely got used. Jetted tubs of that era are also notoriously difficult to keep clean, and the paneled surround with its marble-look deck had visually aged the entire space.
Across the room, the actual shower told the opposite story: a cramped fiberglass stall tucked behind frosted sliding doors, fitted with an old brass grab bar and barely enough room to turn around. The vanity run was long but dated — dark cherry raised-panel cabinets, brown-speckled granite with a matching 4-inch backsplash, oval tilt mirrors, and oil-rubbed bronze faucets — while sage-green walls, beadboard wainscoting, and beige 12x12 floor tile kept the room firmly stuck in another decade.
The goal was straightforward: gut the wet zone, trade the Jacuzzi for a modern freestanding soaking tub, and give these Haddam homeowners the spacious walk-in shower they would actually use every single day.
Our Solution
Our crew began this Haddam, CT bathroom remodel with a full demolition of the wet zone — out came the corner Jacuzzi, the fiberglass stall, the linen cabinet, and every square inch of the old floor tile. With a clean slate, we reframed the back of the room into one large, open walk-in shower and rebuilt the space with full waterproofing behind every surface.
Highlights of this Haddam project include:
- A spacious custom walk-in shower finished in classic white subway tile, with a ceiling-mounted rainfall showerhead and a separate wall-mounted head for a true spa experience
- A hexagon mosaic tile shower floor for slip resistance and texture, paired with a matching hex-tile recessed niche for storage
- A floating shower bench capped with a marble-look quartz slab — a comfortable seat that doubles as a design feature
- A sculptural freestanding oval soaking tub with a floor-mounted tub filler and hand shower in brushed nickel, installed where the bulky Jacuzzi once stood
- Large-format, marble-look porcelain floor tile with soft gray veining, laid throughout the room for a bright, seamless foundation
- A brand-new dark-toned double vanity replacing the dated cherry cabinets and granite tops
- A new toilet, fresh soft-gray paint, and updated recessed LED lighting for a clean, energy-efficient finish
- Full waterproofing behind every tiled surface for long-term peace of mind
The Final Result
The before-and-after is night and day. Where a heavy corner Jacuzzi once anchored the room, a sleek freestanding soaking tub now sits beneath the window, framed by plantation shutters and polished marble-look floors that bounce natural light across the entire space. A matching hex-tile niche above the tub ties the bathing zone directly into the shower design, so the whole room reads as one cohesive composition.
And that shower is now the hardest-working feature in the house: crisp white subway tile, dual rainfall and wall-mounted showerheads, a mosaic tile floor, a recessed niche, and a bench that makes the space as practical as it is beautiful. Paired with the new dark green double vanity and soft gray walls, this Haddam, CT bathroom remodel delivers the spa-inspired master suite the homeowners had in mind — without giving up a place to soak. Best of all, the entire transformation moved from demolition to finish photos in just a few weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a bathroom remodel in Haddam, CT?
In most cases, yes. Any bathroom remodel in Haddam that involves plumbing, electrical, or structural work — like relocating a Jacuzzi tub drain or adding a second showerhead — requires a permit from the Haddam Building Department. Purely cosmetic updates like paint or a vanity swap typically don't. As a fully licensed and insured Connecticut contractor, First Choice Bathroom Remodeling handles the permitting process for you, so your project stays code-compliant from demolition to final inspection.
Will removing my Jacuzzi tub hurt my home's resale value?
Not when it's done right — in fact, it usually helps. Today's buyers consistently rank large walk-in showers and modern freestanding tubs above dated, hard-to-clean jetted tubs from the 1990s and 2000s. The key is keeping at least one bathing option in the home, which is exactly what this Haddam project did: the bulky corner Jacuzzi came out, and a sculptural freestanding soaking tub went in. You get the resale appeal of a spa-style master bath without losing the tub future buyers with kids may want.
Can I have two showerheads in one walk-in shower?
Yes — and it's one of the most requested upgrades we install. A dual setup like the one in this Haddam bathroom pairs a ceiling-mounted rainfall head with a standard wall-mounted head, controlled by a diverter valve so you can run either one or both. It does require proper plumbing rough-in, adequate water pressure, and a water heater that can keep up with demand, which is why we assess your home's plumbing during the free estimate before recommending a configuration.
