Convert the tub
Turning a five-foot tub alcove into a walk-in shower with a low curb gives a bigger standing area and an easier step-in, within the same walls.
How a tub-to-shower conversion worksGarland, Texas
Garland, TX Bathroom Remodeling
Most Garland bathrooms are modest rooms in single-story brick homes. We focus on the changes that make them easier to live with every day and the materials that hold up for years of family use.
Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM. Talk to us about your bathroom.
The Garland bathroom, as we usually find it
Much of Garland's housing is single-story brick built between the 1960s and the 1980s, set on concrete slabs. The bathrooms are practical and small. A hall bath commonly measures about five by eight feet with a tub-shower combo, and the primary bath is often only a little larger, sometimes with a narrow stall shower instead of a tub.
Owners here tend to be direct about what they want: a room that's easier to clean, a shower that's easier to step into, and materials that won't need attention again in a few years. That shapes how we plan. Some of these homes also have a half bath off the primary bedroom that could become a three-quarter bath by borrowing closet space, which is worth asking about if your household is growing.
Common requests
- Replace the tub with a walk-in shower in the primary bath
- Swap a dated tub surround for tile or a solid panel system
- Fit more storage into a tight hall bath
- Fix a floor that has cracked or lifted
- Add grab bars or a bench for an older parent
Getting the most out of a modest bathroom
In a small room every inch and every material choice shows. These are the moves we lean on most in Garland homes.
Use the wall, not the floor
Recessed niches, a medicine cabinet and a wall-hung or narrow-depth vanity free up floor in rooms where the door swing already eats space.
Ideas for small bathroomsChoose tough surfaces
Porcelain tile, a quartz or solid-surface top and a pressure-balance shower valve all stand up to heavy daily use with little upkeep.
Bathroom flooring choicesWhere value-focused choices pay off
Spending wisely doesn't mean picking the cheapest option on every line. It means putting money where failure is expensive and saving where it isn't.
Spend on waterproofing, the shower valve, and proper floor prep over the slab. Those are hidden once the job is done, and fixing them later means tearing out finished work. Save on decorative tile by using a standard-size porcelain on most surfaces with one accent area, pick a stock vanity in a standard width, and choose widely available fixtures so replacement parts are easy to find.
A hall bath shared by kids benefits from a few extra decisions: a tub with a slip-resistant bottom, a handheld shower on a slide bar for bathing small children and rinsing the tub, and a mid-tone grout that hides daily wear better than white.
For a larger scope that also moves walls or fixtures, our full bathroom renovation page explains how the work is sequenced.
Planning a bathroom project? Call and tell us what you have in mind. We'll talk through scope and arrange a visit. Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM.
Garland specifics
What we check in 1960s to 1980s slab homes
Cast-iron drains
Many homes of this age still have original cast-iron drain lines under the slab. We recommend a camera inspection when the scope includes a new shower drain or toilet flange.
Floor movement
Clay soil under a slab shifts with wet and dry seasons. A crack-isolation membrane under new floor tile and soft joints at the walls help the tile ride out that movement.
Exterior-wall plumbing
In a single-story house the tub wall is often an outside wall. When the valve stays there, we check insulation so a hard freeze doesn't find exposed pipe.
Permits
Garland has its own building inspection process. Work that changes plumbing or wiring generally needs a permit, so confirm the requirements with the city and we'll schedule inspections into the timeline.
Keeping the house usable during the work
Plan the no-shower days
We tell you up front how many days the shower will be out, so you can arrange alternatives.
Order before demolition
Tile, vanity and valve arrive before the old room comes apart, which keeps the downtime as short as the work allows.
Contain the dust
Plastic barriers and floor protection from the front door to the bathroom keep the rest of the house livable.
Reset the toilet when possible
During demolition and rough-in the toilet goes back each evening where the scope allows it.
Nearby service areas
Garland borders Richardson, where we see many of the same mid-century layouts. For work inside the city itself, start with our Dallas bathroom remodeling page. The complete list is on our service areas page.
Questions homeowners ask
We only have one full bathroom. How do we live through the remodel?
We plan for it from the start. Where possible the toilet is reset at the end of each working day during demolition and rough-in, and the longest stretch without a shower is scheduled so you can plan around it, whether that's a gym, a relative's house or a second half bath. We'll give you the expected no-shower days before work begins.
Should the drain line be scoped before a bathroom remodel?
In homes with original cast-iron drains under the slab, we recommend it. A camera inspection shows scaling, cracks or low spots. Finding a problem before new tile is set is far easier than breaking into a finished floor later.
Is a tub-to-shower conversion a good idea in a three-bedroom house?
It works well when the house keeps at least one tub, usually in the hall bath, and the primary bath gets the shower. If the home has only one tub, think about who lives there now and who might buy it later before removing it.
Talk to a remodeler
Call about your Garland bathroom remodel
One call is enough to tell us what you'd like to change. We'll ask a few questions, then arrange a visit to measure and give you a written scope and estimate.
(469) 249-8764Open daily, 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Tap to call now- A measured, written scope before any price
- Waterproofing flood-tested before tile goes on
- Residential bathrooms in Dallas and nearby cities
Royal Bathroom Remodeling Dallas
2323 Bryan St, Dallas, TX 75201
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