Victoria - Everyone loves a good soak

Another TC Article for your interest...

Most Canadians would rather renovate than move, says a recent report from the RBC Financial Group. And while 70 per cent of survey respondents said they plan to undertake renovations some time within the next two years, the largest number of that group say they want to improve their bathrooms (36 per cent).
Seems like a good time for bathroom designers and vendors to hook into a home show, which is what Cantu Bathrooms and Hardware is doing. Representatives from the store will be at the 2006 HomeDesign Show -- the local builders' association's first fall home show, next weekend.
The show, being held at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena, offers a one-stop shop where homeowners hungering for a new look can scout out designers, contractors, window suppliers, handcrafted wood furnishings and more.
If bathroom makeovers are at the top of homeowners' wish lists, the anchor of those dreamed-of renos is the bathtub, says Ben Carnegie, sales representative at Cantu. While the bells and whistles on tubs seem endless -- from chopped-block silhouettes to curvy ornate traditional tubs -- the feature that most consumers value is depth. But, not all depth measures are created equal, says Carnegie. Consumers should bring their own tape measure to the shop.
"Some manufacturers list depth from the outside of the tub, others from the inside," says Carnegie. "So where one says their depth is 22 inches, that may be a floor to tub-top measurement."
Overflow tubs that feature a trough, either at the brim of the tub or around the tub's base, allow chin-deep soaks that are a big hit with buyers.
Victoria might be famed for its home-style passion for all things old, from Maclure arts and crafts style to the detailed Queen Anne and Victorian fashions, but Carnegie says younger people are making their presence felt in the design marketplace.
"We're seeing a marked preference for strong, minimalist lines with square edges among our customers," says Carnegie.
"Younger buyers have emerged; they're educated and aware about design. They want something distinctive that expresses themselves, and they see that in these ..." says Carnegie, pointing to chunky, square taps and rectangular showerheads.
Carnegie expects tubs with air jets are going to grow in popularity: "Air jetted tubs were restricted in their technology because it was patented. The patent has expired and that means other manufacturers have swept into the air-jet market, and they're coming up with better technology and more design choices."
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006
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http://homes.canada.com/victoria/story.aspx?id=924fe715-ec2e-49a5-ab2f-44bc3c166506