Tub-to-Shower Conversion Cost: What Changes vs. a Full Remodel
A tub-to-shower swap runs a fraction of a full bathroom remodel—here's what drives the price, what's included, and when a remodel is the smarter call.
Tub-to-shower conversion cost
If the plumbing stays where it is, a straightforward tub-to-shower conversion typically costs $7,000, with most jobs landing in the $5,450 – $9,100 range. That covers demolishing the tub, framing a new curb or curbless base, waterproofing, a tiled or acrylic surround, a new shower valve and door, and haul-away of the old tub.
That's well under a full bathroom remodel, which typically runs $13,600 ($10,600 – $17,600) because it also touches the vanity, flooring, lighting, and often the toilet. A conversion is a single-fixture swap, not a gut job — and the price reflects that.
What a conversion actually includes — and what it doesn't
A conversion replaces the tub itself and the wall and floor finish immediately around it. It does not normally touch:
- The vanity, mirror, or lighting
- The bathroom floor outside the wet area
- The toilet (unless it's being relocated to make room)
What it does touch:
- Demo and disposal of the old tub and surround
- A new shower pan or tiled base, sloped to drain
- Waterproofing (the "pan liner"), which is where a lot of the labor hours go
- Wall finish — tile, or a one-piece acrylic/fiberglass surround
- Fixtures: valve, shower head, and a glass panel/door or curtain rod
Because the drain and supply lines usually stay in roughly the same spot, a conversion skips most of the rough plumbing that makes a full remodel expensive. That's the single biggest reason the price gap between a conversion and Bathroom remodel is as wide as it is.
What pushes the price toward the top of the range
A few decisions move a conversion from the basic end toward $11,200:
- Relocating the drain or shower valve — common if you're widening the opening for a curbless, zero-threshold entry, which needs new framing and a different subfloor slope
- Full tile instead of a one-piece surround — tile costs more in labor (setting, grouting, waterproofing membrane) even when the material itself is similar money
- Glass instead of a curtain — a framed or frameless glass panel adds a few hundred dollars but changes the room's resale feel more than almost anything else in the job
- A wider doorway or grab bars for accessibility, which is often the real reason behind the conversion in the first place
If you're converting specifically for easier access, a couple of adjacent upgrades are worth pricing while the floor is already open. Swapping to a wall-hung toilet with an in-wall carrier, for example, typically adds around $14,300 to a bathroom job and frees up floor space for a wheelchair or walker. Electric underfloor heating, if you're already replacing the floor tile around the new shower base, adds roughly $14,300.
If the goal is easier bathing, not necessarily a shower
Not every household converting away from a tub wants a shower. If stepping over a tub wall is the real problem and a full shower conversion feels like overkill, a Walk-in tub is worth pricing side by side — typically $9,000 ($7,000 – $11,700) installed. It keeps the ability to soak or bathe seated, at a higher cost than a basic shower swap but without the surround and glass work.
When a full remodel makes more sense
A straight conversion only makes financial sense when the rest of the bathroom is in decent shape. If the floor tile is already cracked, the vanity is failing, or the room needs rewiring or re-plumbing anyway, paying a crew to come back a second time usually costs more than doing it all in one visit. In that case, Bathroom remodel is the more useful starting point, and a conversion quote should be compared against the basic tier of a full remodel rather than treated as a separate project.
One more thing worth checking before you sign anything: any job that moves a drain, adds a circuit for underfloor heating, or changes the valve rough-in plumbing usually needs a local permit, even on a single-fixture swap. Ask your contractor how they're handling it — a quote that skips the permit line isn't necessarily cheaper, just incomplete.
How we calculate this
We build these figures from local labor hours and material rates for each step of the job — demo, waterproofing, tile or surround installation, fixtures — then check the total against current market pricing and real contractor quotes for similar conversions. If you've already got a quote in hand, our "is my quote fair" tool will tell you how it stacks up against those same figures before you commit.