Okay, we need to talk about that Pinterest board you’ve been hiding. The one with all those gorgeous freestanding tubs sitting in sun-drenched bathrooms. You look at it after rough days at the office, imagining yourself soaking away the stress of I-94 traffic or that endless Zoom meeting. Here’s the thing — that dream is more achievable than you think, even in your Plymouth colonial or that Ferndale bungalow you swore was too small.
Jeffrey Willey from our team just finished installing a stunning copper freestanding tub in a 1960s ranch in Saline. The homeowners were convinced it wouldn’t work — their bathroom was “too basic,” they said. But here’s what people don’t realize: freestanding tubs actually make small bathrooms feel bigger. Without all that built-in surround eating up visual space, rooms breathe. Add some strategic lighting (Will suggests a small chandelier — trust us on this), and suddenly your basic bathroom becomes the room everyone’s talking about at your next dinner party.
The practical stuff matters too. These aren’t just pretty sculptures. Modern freestanding tubs hold heat better than built-ins, crucial for those long Michigan winter soaks. The plumbing? We handle the floor-mounted or wall-mounted fillers that make these tubs work. That means moving supply lines, reinforcing floors (water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, and these tubs hold 60-80 gallons), and ensuring your water heater can actually fill the thing without running cold halfway through.
Location is everything with freestanding tubs. Near a window overlooking your Ann Arbor garden? Perfect. As a room centerpiece in your Birmingham master suite? Stunning. Tucked into that unused corner of your Northville master bath? Absolutely. We’ve even installed them in finished basements in Canton, creating unexpected spa retreats where unfinished storage used to be. Your evening soak is calling.
