Tub-to-shower conversions
Turning a tub you rarely use into a shower you use every day, with the drain, waterproofing and entry height decided before demolition starts.
Open daily 7 AM to 10 PM. Talk to us about your bathroom.
Nearly every tub-to-shower project we scope in the Dallas area falls into one of these. Knowing which one you have sets expectations for layout, schedule and budget.
The standard hall-bath tub between three walls. The tub comes out, a shower pan goes in the same footprint, the valve moves up, and the walls get new tile or panels plus a glass door.
The drain usually stays close to where it was, which keeps slab work small. Most of the decisions are about threshold height, niche placement and glass.
The corner tub on a platform in a suburban primary bath. The platform comes out, the drain often moves several feet, and the old tub and small shower are frequently combined into one larger walk-in.
This is closer to a partial remodel than a swap. Our walk-in shower installation page goes deeper on curbless and low-curb builds.
If you still want a tub somewhere in the room, look at replacing the bathtub with something smaller instead of removing it entirely.
A tub drain sits at one end, near the wall. A shower drain wants to be centered, or along one edge if it's a linear drain. That gap is the main technical question in any conversion.
Most Dallas-area homes of the last few decades are on slabs. Shifting the drain means cutting a trench in the concrete, rerouting the pipe with proper slope, and patching the slab. It's routine work, but it adds days and usually an inspection. A linear drain placed at the old tub-drain end can sometimes reduce how far the pipe has to move.
Older homes in established neighborhoods, and second-floor baths, have wood framing under the floor. The drain can move more easily from below, but joists may need to be headed off, and the floor may need to be dropped or built up to get slope toward the drain.
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.
| Decision | Options | What to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Shower floor | Tiled mortar bed or prefab base | Tile allows custom sizes and linear drains; a base is faster and grout-free |
| Entry | Standard curb, low curb, curbless | Lower entries need more floor work, especially on a slab |
| Walls | Tile, solid-surface panels | Panels mean fewer grout lines; tile gives more design range |
| Glass | Hinged door, sliding, fixed panel | An alcove-width opening suits a slider or a single door |
| Controls | Single head, head plus handheld | A handheld on a slide bar helps with cleaning and seated use |
We confirm the floor type, the drain location, which wall the plumbing is on and whether that wall is exterior.
Floor system, entry height, wall finish, valve and glass are settled together, with lead times noted.
Tub, surround and any platform come out. Damaged framing or subfloor from old leaks gets repaired now.
Drain moves, the valve goes up to shower height, and blocking goes in for a bench, niche or future grab bars.
The pan and walls are sealed as one system and flood-tested. Our guide to shower waterproofing shows what that layer does.
Tile or panels, trim, then glass measured from the finished walls.
A tub valve on an exterior wall was protected by the tub itself. Raise it to shower height and it may sit in a colder, less insulated part of the wall. With the occasional hard freeze here, we insulate that cavity or move the valve to an interior wall where the layout allows.
Clay-soil slab movement tends to crack large floor tile in narrow shower pans. A crack-isolation membrane under the tile and a soft joint at the wall help.
See how our estimates are built for the full picture.
The old valve stays put and the new shower head is plumbed above it, leaving controls you have to bend down to reach. Moving the valve is easiest while the wall is open.
A shower pan dropped into a tub-length alcove with a center drain and not enough slope toward it. Water sits at the far end and eventually works over or under the curb.
New panels glued over the old tub surround with no waterproofing check. Whatever was rotting behind the first surround keeps rotting behind the second.
We handle tub-to-shower conversions across Dallas and the surrounding suburbs, including Plano, Irving and Richardson, where the corner garden tub is a familiar sight. Our service area list has the rest.
In an alcove, the shower usually takes the same footprint as the tub, which gives a shower that's long and fairly narrow. That works well with a single glass door or a sliding panel. Replacing a corner garden tub often frees up more room than the tub used, so the shower can be wider and deeper than you might expect.
Many real estate agents advise keeping at least one tub in a home, especially for buyers with young children. If the tub you want to remove is the only one, it's worth talking to an agent before you commit. Converting the primary bath while keeping the hall bath tub is a common middle ground.
Yes. A solid-surface or acrylic shower base sized to the old tub opening is quicker to install and has no grout on the floor. A tiled floor gives more freedom on size, drain position and threshold height. We show you both when scoping the job.
It's almost always replaced. Tub valves are set lower than shower valves, and a conversion is the right time to move the valve to a comfortable height, add a pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve and, if you want one, a separate handheld.
Talk to a remodeler
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