My SIL is re doing her bathroom and getting rid of the old claw foot tub which has been there sence the house was there (house still has the old boiler and radiators also). My Dad wants to buy it from her. She says she's not intending to sell it for hundreds of dollars and for him to make an offer. He wants to know about what she wants for it. She would rather it go to somone who wants it for use rather than scrap.

It's in good condition. been painted a few to many times though.

What would be a reasonable "in family" price for one of these things?

I din't think either one wants to be the 1st to state a price.

And what is the cost of a average new tub?

Well, I'm not sure about the cost of a new one but my husband just bought me one that was dated 1927. What size is the tub? Mine is about 5 ft. He bought it from a lady that sells & also refinishes them. She charged $150 for the tub but it was $650 for the refinishing!! So, I would guess if it's not a tiny one then about $75 to $100 would be fair. My dh shopped around a bit and the average price at the "junktique" dealers was around $175 and some of them were in terrible shape, missing feet and such. Is your dad gonna have it refinished? And he should also be aware that if he needs to get the fixtures for it (tub drain, faucet) those are special orders and that's gonna run around another $400! Hope this helps!!

Hey Rachel, I just noticed your from West Michigan! My husband's originally from west Michigan!! Go big blue!!

my family would never charge another family member for something they were going to get rid of or didn't want!!

Well it's more in my family this is my Dad and my sister in law. related by me but they really don't know each other. they live on the other side of the sate. and sence our wedding he has not seen her. I was thinking about $100 as well. Personally I wouldn't sell it either, but everyone is diffrent.

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Hey Rachel, I just noticed your from West Michigan! My husband's originally from west Michigan!! Go big blue!!

I do love it here in MI. Just hoping hte economy picks up.... we are in quite a srry state right now

Our local Architectural salvage place will purchase claw foot tubs for$75.00 a piece. Then they refinish them and get 2-3K a piece. However, I believe that if your SIL isn't going to use it, just give it away to family. You can purchase stuff on line to refinish the tub yourself.

well she went throug this explination about how she was suprised so many people were intrested in it (ya think?) but if she were to put it up for sale she would ask $100 - $200 for it but if my Dad buys it that would save her alot of hassle for selling it and he can have it for $75.

Personally I would love to have one my self but I don't think our bathroom is right for one. I like antique furnishings and such, she on the other hand is the type who HATES anything wood and regardless of it's age will paint it. She doesn't like the clawfoot tub. I think they may be replacing it with one of those all in one tub/wall units.

I guess it's good that some don't like them... gives those who do a chance to have one.

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..... You can purchase stuff on line to refinish the tub yourself.

I had my tub (regular tub, not clawfoot) refinished. I would not recommend doing it yourself. It pretty much takes professional equipment to get a good result. (By the way, if your tub has several coats of old paint, maybe you could take it and get it sandblasted??)

Another recommendation- Before they come, remove everything and clean it very well...old caulk, ALL plumbing fittings including the drain/stopper mechanism, etc. They did not tell us this. I removed everything except the drain. A few weeks down the road we had to replace the stopper mechanism. The new one is slightly different, so the new finish does not completely butt up to the stopper.