What is included in a tub-to-shower conversion?
Most disagreements about a remodel are disagreements about scope rather than about price. Two quotes for the same bathroom can differ a great deal and both be honest, because they are describing different work. This page says exactly what a conversion price covers here, what sits outside it, and what happens to the things nobody can see until the wall is open.
Last updated September 2026 · No prices on this page; the Estimate Builder carries those · Part of the knowledge base
What the package price covers
Every conversion package includes the same core work, and it is priced installed, meaning product and labor together rather than materials only.
The starting price is therefore the whole job, installed and working, and you can order a conversion exactly as priced and be done. It is not a base number that grows once you pick what you actually need: everything in the list below is inside it, and the things that add cost are the options further down this page, each priced on the estimate before you decide.
- Full demolition of the existing tub and its surround, and haul-away of everything that comes out, including the tub itself.
- The shower base, set and sealed, and the wall system in the colorway you chose.
- A Delta valve and a standard shower head, which are in every package rather than being an upgrade.
- The work to make the drain and the valve serve a shower rather than a tub, where the existing locations allow it.
- Protection and cleaning: taped rigid floor protection along the whole path from your door, a barrier wall at the bathroom doorway, air scrubbers running through demolition, and at least two full professional cleanings before the room is handed back.
The door is included in two of the six packages
This is the single most common source of confusion when comparing our packages against each other, so it is worth stating plainly. Two of the six wall systems, the Acrylic and the Castico, are supplied as a kit that comes with its own sliding glass door, so the door is inside their starting price.
On the other four the standard arrangement is a curtain and rod, and a glass door is a priced upgrade over it. That is not a trick of pricing; it is a difference in how the manufacturers sell those systems. It does mean that comparing two starting prices without checking which of them contains a door is comparing two different things.
Options, which are added on top
Four things are genuinely useful and are genuinely options rather than part of the package: grab bars anchored into blocking, a fold-down seat, a hand sprayer on a magnetic dock, and a diverter to switch between it and the fixed head. You choose them, you see what each costs before anyone visits, and they are added to the package price.
Through September 30, 2026, those four are included at no extra cost on a conversion with a deposit placed by that date: the grab bars, the fold-down seat, the hand sprayer on its magnetic dock and the diverter. After that date they return to being priced options.
Hidden conditions, which are not included and are not guesswork
What is behind a tub wall cannot be known until the wall is open. Some of what is there is already in the price, because a conversion replaces it anyway: all the wall backing comes out and all the plumbing behind the shower is renewed, so soft drywall and failed backing in there are material we were replacing regardless, and if the subfloor directly under the tub or shower we remove is damaged, we replace it, however much of it there is, at no additional charge and without a change order. That is a term of the agreement you sign.
A hidden condition is what lies beyond that: structural damage to joists or studs, a waste stack or main line that has to be moved, wiring that is not to current code, and asbestos, lead or mold that needs licensed abatement. None of those can be seen in advance, and none is priced into a conversion. What the code allows to be cut from a joist, and what wiring in a bathroom is held to, are on the floors and subfloors page and the bathroom electrical page.
Those are priced separately and approved by you before the work continues. Not absorbed silently, and not added to the final bill for you to discover. The sequence is that we stop, show you photographs of what is there, price it, and you decide.
That is worth holding any bid to, including ours. A quote that promises no surprises at any price is making a promise about something nobody can see, and the way that promise usually resolves is on the last invoice.
What sits outside the job entirely
- Structural work, moving walls, adding or enlarging windows, and changing plumbing locations are not part of a conversion price and are not priced by the online estimator at all.
- Work outside the bathroom - basements, painting elsewhere, drywall, carpentry, punch lists - is quoted per project.
- Asbestos testing and abatement, where an older house needs it, is a specialty trade priced and scheduled separately.
- Products you supply yourself. We can install them, and the guarantee then covers our installation of them rather than the product.
The floor and the walls outside the shower
A conversion replaces the tub and the shower. It does not automatically redecorate the room around it. Flooring, painting and a vanity can all be part of the work, and they are quoted as what they are rather than assumed into a shower price.
It is worth deciding this at the start rather than at the end, for a practical reason: the moment to change a floor is while the room is already empty and protected, not after the new shower is in and everything has been cleaned.
Common questions
What exactly does the price of a tub-to-shower conversion cover?
Full demolition of the tub and its surround, haul-away of everything that comes out, the shower base and the wall system in the color you chose, a Delta valve and a standard shower head, and the work to make the drain and valve serve a shower rather than a tub where the existing locations allow it. It also covers the protection and the cleaning: floor protection along the whole path from your door, a barrier wall at the doorway, air scrubbers through demolition and at least two full cleanings before the room comes back to you.
Is a glass door part of the price or an upgrade?
It depends which of the six wall systems you pick, and this is the thing most worth checking when comparing them. Two of the six, the Acrylic and the Castico, are supplied as a kit that includes its own sliding glass door, so the door is inside their starting price. On the other four the standard is a curtain and rod and glass is a priced upgrade. Comparing two starting prices without checking which contains a door is comparing two different things.
What counts as a hidden condition?
Fewer things than the phrase suggests, because of how a conversion is built: all the wall backing comes out and all the plumbing behind the shower is replaced as part of the price, so soft drywall and failed backing in there are material we were replacing anyway, and if the subfloor directly under the tub or shower we remove is damaged, we replace it, however much of it there is, at no additional charge and without a change order. That is a term of the agreement you sign, not something decided on the day. A real hidden condition is the uncommon end: framing or joists that need structural repair, a waste stack that has to move, wiring that is not to current code, or asbestos, lead or mold needing licensed abatement. Those are priced separately and approved by you before the work goes on. We stop, show you what is there, price it, and you decide.
What happens to the floor and the painted walls outside the shower?
Nothing, unless you ask for it. A conversion replaces the tub and the shower rather than redecorating the room around it, and flooring, painting and a vanity are quoted as the separate work they are. Worth deciding at the start though: the moment to change a floor is while the room is already empty and protected, not after a new shower is in and everything has been cleaned.
What is not part of a conversion at any price?
Structural work, moving walls, adding or enlarging windows and changing plumbing locations are outside a conversion and are not priced by the online estimator at all. Work beyond the bathroom is quoted per project. Asbestos testing and abatement in an older house is a specialty trade, priced and scheduled apart from ours.
Can I supply my own fixtures?
Yes, and it is worth knowing what it does to the coverage. We warrant our installation of anything we fit, but the product itself is warranted by whoever made it, so a fixture you bought is yours to pursue with its maker if it fails. Supplying your own also puts the lead time in your hands, which matters more than people expect, because the schedule follows the slowest item on the job.
See your actual price in about two minutes
Pick your shower, choose real products with real model numbers, and watch the number move. No phone number required, and nobody will call unless you ask.