Walk-in shower in Fort Lauderdale, tiled.

Sailboat Bend, the city's oldest neighborhood, is early-1900s to 1950s bungalows and Mission and Mediterranean Revival cottages; Victoria Park holds 494 of the city's pre-1945 houses on an old coral ridge; Rio Vista boomed in the 1920s. A walk-in shower in one of those bathrooms starts with the original drain line, which the licensed plumber scopes with a camera before I cut anything. On a sound slab, I recess the shower footprint for a linear drain at the back wall.

• Recessed slab or a 2-inch tiled curb, chosen on the first visit with the slab in front of us
• Sloped mortar pan on cement board, sheet membrane folded up the walls, a 24-hour flood test
• Tile floor to ceiling: large-format porcelain, zellige-style, hexagon mosaic or marble
• Blocking for grab bars behind the tile, a built-in bench where there's room
• 3/8-inch frameless glass measured after the tile and hung about a week later

A curbless shower there means raising the bathroom floor to meet the pan, or settling for a low curb with the linear drain tied into the existing drain location. The Regency Tower on Galt Ocean Drive puts it in writing: nobody enters a wall, ceiling or floor without written permission and the superintendent's supervision, materials move only through the service elevator with mats and wall protectors, and the loading dock is reserved in advance. Coral Ridge Towers wants at least $300,000 in liability coverage naming the association, no dumpster use, and no Sundays. I've read both, and the schedule is built around rules like them before the first tile arrives.

• Certificate of insurance sent to the manager before day one, service elevator booked, water shut-off for the riser coordinated with notice to the neighbors below

Which one reaches your house decides how fast scale builds on frameless glass and on the slots of a linear drain; a squeegee after each shower and a monthly vinegar wipe keep either one clear, and I'll show you on the walkthrough. Two more facts worth knowing while the wall is open: the city's 2025 report shows a lead 90th percentile of 4.85 parts per billion with one of 55 sample sites over the action level, and the city finished a lead service line inventory you can check by address. If your house is pre-1986 the plumber looks at the supply side while he's replacing the valve.