By Brad PleimannPart of Tub-to-Shower Conversion
The short answer
Most tub-to-shower conversions I quote in Broward and Palm Beach County come in between $6,500 and $11,000.
That buys a tiled walk-in shower built on a new waterproofed pan, with a glass panel or door, a new valve and trim, a niche, and a bench where the alcove has room. It takes 7 to 10 working days. The bottom of the range is a straight swap with the drain staying put and large-format porcelain; the top is a moved drain, a curbless entry, a frameless hinged door and a bench.
The details
That's the tiled version. The one-day version you've seen advertised is a different product, and I'll get to it below.
What's in the number
- Demo and haul-away of the tub and surround: usually a morning, and the old tub leaves on its edge through the hallway.
- The pan: a mortar pre-slope to the drain, a low curb or a curbless recess, cement board on three walls, a sheet membrane over everything, and a 24-hour flood test before any tile.
- Plumbing: a new valve almost every time, because a 1980s valve doesn't survive the demo. If the drain stays, the licensed plumber's part is small. If it moves, it isn't.
- Tile to the ceiling, a niche, and a bench where there's about 15 inches to spare.
- Glass: a fixed panel costs least; a frameless hinged door with a return costs most. Measured after the tile, hung about a week later.
- Grab-bar blocking in the wall on every conversion, whether or not you want bars today.
Tiled conversion or one-day liner
A one-day tub-to-shower conversion is an acrylic or composite surround fitted over your existing alcove by a franchise crew, usually sold at a kitchen-table appointment with financing. It's fast. It's also a plastic shell over whatever was behind your old tile, in a short list of colors and sizes, and it's often quoted at or above the price of a tiled conversion once the appointment is over. A tiled conversion opens the wall, replaces the valve, builds a real pan and gives you any tile you like, for a fixed price from me. Ten years on, buyers can tell the difference, and so can the next plumber.
Get a free estimateor call or text (954) 242-5924
What pushes a conversion toward $11,000
- Curbless entry on a slab: recessing the floor or a linear drain system.
- Marble, mosaic or patterned tile instead of large-format porcelain.
- A frameless hinged door with a return panel instead of a fixed panel.
- A thermostatic valve, a hand-held on a slide bar and a rain head together.
- Condo logistics: the association's insurance, elevator and water shut-off rules add time, and time is money.
Seven to ten working days, honestly
Day one and two are demo and the plumber.
Days three and four are the pan, the board, the membrane and the flood test. Days five through eight are tile, grout, the bench and the niche. The last day or two is glass, trim and clean-up, and because glass is measured after tile, that last visit is sometimes a short return trip a week later. The toilet and sink stay usable most of the time. You're without that shower for the duration, so plan on the other bathroom or a neighbor.