Service
Tub to Shower Conversion
Replacing a bath with a walk-in shower, which changes the waste position, the valve height and the waterproofing, not just the fixture.
- Licensed and insured
- Price agreed before work
- A plumber who works your area
The fixture is the cheap part
What makes this job bigger than it sounds is that three things move, none of which are the shower itself.
The waste. A bath drains at one end. A shower drains from the middle of the floor. That means relocating the drain, which means opening the floor and reworking the trap and branch below. This is usually the largest single item in the cost.
The valve. A bath valve sits low, where it is convenient for filling. A shower valve needs to be at chest height. The body moves in the wall.
The waterproofing. A shower wets a much larger area than a bath, and for longer. The waterproofing has to extend across the whole enclosure rather than the strip of tiling that surrounded the tub.
A quote that treats this as a fixture swap has not accounted for any of it.
Think about who uses the bathroom
The practical question is worth answering honestly before the tiling comes off.
If the bath is only ever used as a shower, converting reclaims real floor space and makes the room easier to use, particularly for anyone who finds stepping over a tub side difficult.
The consideration is resale in a single-bathroom house, where some buyers do want a bath available. In a property with two, converting one is generally straightforward.
And if easier access is the reason for the conversion, be careful with tray systems that avoid opening the floor by raising the shower floor: they solve the plumbing problem by adding a step, which is the thing you were trying to remove.
Does this sound familiar?
Problems this service solves
- A bath that is never used and takes up the space
- Difficulty getting in and out of a bath
- Wanting a walk-in shower in an existing bathroom
- An old bath and surround at the end of its life
- A bathroom being renovated with a change of layout
Signs you need tub to shower conversion
If more than one of these is true, the problem is usually past the point a plunger or a store-bought cleaner will fix.
- The bath is only ever used as a shower
- Stepping over the bath side has become difficult
- The existing bath and tiling are dated or failing
- The bathroom is being remodelled
What to expect
How the visit works
Check the waste position
A bath waste sits at one end; a shower waste sits in the middle. Moving it means opening the floor, and that is the part that decides the price.
Reset the valve height
A bath valve is set low for filling. A shower valve sits at a usable height, which means moving the valve body in the wall.
Waterproof the whole enclosure
A shower wets a far larger area than a bath does. The waterproofing has to cover the full enclosure, not just the old tiled surround.
Set the fall and finish
The tray or formed floor is set with proper fall to the waste, tested, then tiled and sealed.
What's included
What you get on every job, whoever we send.
- Waste relocation identified and priced up front
- Valve reset to a usable shower height
- Full-enclosure waterproofing, not just the old surround
- Floor fall tested before it is tiled
Questions
Tub to Shower Conversion questions
Is this just swapping one fixture for another?
No, and that assumption is where the surprises come from. A bath waste is at one end of the tub and a shower waste is in the middle of the floor, so the drain has to move, which means opening the floor. The valve has to move up to a usable height. And the wetted area grows considerably, so the waterproofing has to extend well beyond the old bath surround. Those three items are the job; the fixture is the easy part.
Will I regret losing the bath?
It depends who lives there and what happens next. If nobody bathes and the tub is only ever used as a shower, converting reclaims the space and makes the room easier to use. It is worth thinking about resale in a house with only one bathroom, since some buyers want a bath available. In a two-bathroom house, converting one is usually an easy decision.
Can it be done without opening the floor?
Rarely, because the waste has to move. There are systems that let the trap and waste run within a raised tray rather than dropping into the floor, and they can avoid the excavation in some layouts, at the cost of a step up into the shower. Whether that suits depends partly on why you are converting: if the reason is easier access, a step defeats the purpose.
Related services
Shower Installation
Installing showers, including the valve, the waste, the pan and the waterproofing behind the tile, which is what decides whether it leaks later.
See what this coversBathtub Installation
Fitting baths, including the support underneath, the waste and overflow connection and the seal to the wall that stops water reaching the floor.
See what this coversShower Valve Repair
Repairing shower mixing valves that drip, stick, will not hold temperature or have scaled up internally, usually without disturbing any tiling.
See what this coversWater Heater Repair
Diagnosis and repair of gas, electric and tankless water heaters, including no-hot-water calls, leaks, pilot problems and sediment flushing.
See what this covers
Get it fixed
Tub to Shower Conversion, handled locally
Call with your ZIP code and what you are seeing. We route you to a licensed plumber in your area who does tub to shower conversion every week.
- Licensed and insured
- Answered 24/7
- Price before work