Tub-to-Shower Conversion
Tub-to-shower conversion is the bathroom layout change that turns an alcove tub into a walk-in shower (and, on the reverse page, brings a tub back to a shower-only bath) — five distinct paths from $5,000 for a prefab acrylic surround on the existing footprint to $16,000 for a fully tiled curbless ADA shower with linear drain, grab-bar blocking, and a tile bench. Handis owns the demo, framing changes, curb (or curbless slope), waterproofing and pan, tile or acrylic surround, glass enclosure, and the finish coordination from first day to last. The in-wall plumbing relocation — the tub-drain-to-shower-drain swap, any valve or mixer reposition — subcontracts to a licensed Washington L&I plumber on a scheduled visit inside the timeline; permits, where required, go through the licensed party. One project manager, one schedule, one number to call.
Conversions
What Tub-to-Shower Conversion Covers
Tub-to-shower conversion is one layout change with five honest paths, sorted by what the bath is going to be when we are done — a standard alcove walk-in (the most common), a curbless ADA-accessible walk-in (aging-in-place), a prefab acrylic kit (fastest and least expensive), a fully tiled custom walk-in (most design freedom), and the reverse shower-to-tub (for resale or a growing family). Each path has its own page below with real pricing, the procedural steps, and the FAQs. Handis owns the conversion top-to-bottom — demo, framing, curb or curbless slope, waterproofing and pan, tile or acrylic surround, glass enclosure, and finish coordination. The in-wall plumbing — drain conversion, any valve reposition, supply work behind the wall — subcontracts to a licensed Washington L&I plumber on a scheduled visit inside the project timeline. Any electrical (a new vent fan circuit, recessed lighting added during the work) routes to a licensed electrician. Permits, where required by Seattle DCI or the city you are in, go through the licensed party.
Alcove Tub to Walk-In Shower
The most common conversion — a standard 60-inch alcove tub becomes a curbed walk-in shower in the same wall-to-wall footprint. Tile or solid-surface walls, a 4 to 6-inch tile curb at the entry, ceramic or porcelain floor tile sloped to a center drain, framed or frameless glass enclosure. Seven to ten working days on a standard install. From $6,000 for a ceramic subway tile package with a framed enclosure to $12,000 for a premium porcelain large-format build with a frameless glass enclosure, a tile bench, and a niche.
Alcove Tub to Walk-In Shower — standard 60-inch footprint, curbed, tile or acrylic
Tub to Curbless Shower (ADA Accessibility)
The aging-in-place and ADA-accessible conversion — no entry curb at all, a single-plane floor sloped to a linear drain (Schluter Kerdi-Line, Infinity Drain, or equivalent), grab-bar blocking installed during framing, an integrated tile bench, ADA-compliant mixer with handheld plus fixed shower head. Floor structure gets assessed first because most curbless conversions require the subfloor to be recessed (a sister-joist sometimes) or the surrounding floor built up so the transition is truly zero-threshold. Ten to fourteen working days. From $8,000 for a standard ceramic curbless build to $16,000 for the full ADA package with bench, three grab bars, ADA mixer, body sprays, and a frameless glass panel.
Tub to Curbless Shower (ADA Accessibility) — zero-threshold entry, linear drain, grab-bar blocking, tile bench
Prefab / Acrylic Shower Conversion
The fastest and most affordable path — a one-piece or three-panel acrylic surround kit (Sterling, Kohler, or a comparable major brand) drops into the alcove footprint over a pre-formed pan, the plumber converts the drain, and the kit is sealed at the corners. No grout to maintain, no flood-testing a mortar pan, no tile labor. Two to four working days on a standard install. From $5,000 for a basic 60-inch three-panel kit with a sliding glass door to $9,500 for a premium one-piece kit with built-in shelves, a frameless glass enclosure, and a handheld.
Prefab / Acrylic Shower Conversion — acrylic surround kit, pre-formed pan, fastest install
Tiled Walk-In Conversion
The full-custom path — every tile, every fixture, every detail (niche placement, bench size, multiple shower heads, body sprays, rain head, mixed materials) chosen by you, installed by us. Mortar pan with rolled-on waterproof membrane (RedGard, Hydroban) or a sheet membrane (Schluter Kerdi), 24-hour flood test before any tile goes down, large-format porcelain or natural stone or glass mosaic at your selection, framed or frameless enclosure. Ten to fourteen working days. From $8,000 for a standard 60-inch ceramic subway build with a framed enclosure to $15,000 for a top-end build with natural stone walls, custom niche layout, bench, body sprays, a rain head, and a frameless glass enclosure.
Tiled Walk-In Conversion — full-custom tile, mortar pan, design freedom
Shower-to-Tub Conversion (Reverse)
The reverse — a shower-only bath gets a tub put back in. The reason is almost always resale (Seattle homes without a tub appraise lower and sit longer on the market, especially in family neighborhoods) or a growing family (a newborn or toddler needs a tub to bathe in). The standard 60-inch alcove tub footprint usually fits in an existing shower stall with framing adjusted; the drain converts back from a 2-inch shower drain to a tub-and-overflow combo, and the valve repositions. Five to seven working days. From $5,000 for a standard alcove tub with an acrylic surround to $10,000 for a top-end build with a cast iron tub, premium tile surround, and a glass shower screen.
Shower-to-Tub Conversion — add a tub back, resale & family use
Tub-to-Shower Conversion Pricing
Final pricing depends on the conversion path, the tile or acrylic selection, the enclosure (framed vs frameless), and whether the curb stays or goes curbless. The licensed plumber's portion is included in every quote (drain conversion, any valve reposition, fixture trim) — not a surprise line item. Permits, where required by Seattle DCI or your city, go through the licensed plumber and are quoted upfront. Request a free in-home estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us the bath layout and the path you want — alcove, curbless ADA, acrylic kit, full tile, or shower-to-tub. We will quote the project.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Tub-to-Shower Conversions
A bathroom conversion only goes well when one company owns the schedule. The pattern that wrecks conversions is the homeowner trying to coordinate three independent trades (a contractor for demo and framing, a plumber for the drain, a tile setter for the surround) and watching the gaps eat two extra weeks while the bath sits demolished. Handis runs the project end-to-end — we do the demo, the framing, the curb, the waterproofing, the tile or acrylic, the glass, and the finishing; the licensed Washington L&I plumber comes in twice on a scheduled visit (drain rough-in and final trim) and we coordinate those visits to the day. One project manager, one number to call, one walk-through at the end. The licensed plumber and any electrician carry their own insurance, pull their own permits where required, and stand behind their portion under their own license.
Demo through tile owned by one team, plumber on a scheduled visit
Handis carpenters do the demo (carefully, so the surrounding walls do not get damaged — most Seattle baths have plaster-over-lath or thin drywall and a sledgehammer approach is the wrong tool), the framing changes, the curb or curbless slope, the backer board, the waterproofing and pan build, the tile or acrylic surround, the glass enclosure, and the trim. The licensed Washington L&I plumber comes in on two scheduled visits — drain rough-in (after demo, before framing) and final trim (after tile is grouted, before glass) — and we book those visits at the start of the project so the schedule does not slip. The homeowner sees one project manager and one schedule.
Pan flood-tested 24 hours before any tile goes down
The shower pan — whether mortar-and-membrane or a pre-formed pan with sealed joints — is flood-tested for 24 hours before any tile gets installed on it. We plug the drain, fill the pan to the curb height (or to a marked line on a curbless install), and leave it overnight. A leak in the pan after the tile is up means the whole tile job comes off to fix it; catching a pan leak at flood-test stage costs an hour to fix and zero tile. Industry standard, non-optional on every Handis conversion.
Honest cost upfront, including the plumber's portion
The licensed plumber's portion of the project (drain conversion, any valve or mixer reposition, fixture trim, and any in-wall supply work) is quoted inside the project total at the start — not a surprise line item that shows up in the middle of the build. If the project hits an unknown (a rotted floor under the tub, a galvanized supply line that needs replacement, drain pitch that is wrong below the slab), we stop, document, and get a written change order signed before the work continues. No surprises.
Licensed plumber, licensed electrician, permits via the licensed party
Any in-wall plumbing work is subcontracted to a licensed Washington L&I plumbing contractor (an active LIC and bond on file, current insurance certificate). Any electrical (a new bath vent fan circuit, GFCI added, recessed light added during the conversion) routes to a licensed Washington L&I electrician. Permits required by Seattle DCI or your city for the plumbing alteration go through the licensed plumber. We coordinate every scheduled visit and inspection but we do not pretend to self-perform licensed trades.
Insured, background-checked, 30-day workmanship + 2-year tile/pan warranty
Every Handis carpenter carries liability insurance and has cleared a background screening before the first job. The 30-day workmanship guarantee covers caulk joints, glass alignment, trim, and any cosmetic finish. The 2-year warranty on tile-and-pan covers grout cracking from substrate movement, pan leaks from waterproofing failure, and any tile that comes loose — if it happens within 2 years from our installation, we come back and fix it at no charge. The licensed plumber and electrician each warrant their own portion under their own license terms; we put both in writing at project close.
Estimate
Tell us the bath layout (alcove tub or shower stall today), the conversion path you are considering (alcove walk-in, curbless ADA, acrylic kit, full tile, or shower-to-tub), the rough budget range, and any constraints you already know — a fixed timeline, an upcoming move, an accessibility need, a permit question. We send back a clear estimate and a project timeline.
What Our Customers Say
Recent tub-to-shower conversion reviews from verified Seattle-area customers across all five conversion paths.
1976 split-level in Redmond, original alcove tub in the primary bath we never used. Booked the alcove-to-walk-in path with porcelain large-format tile and a frameless enclosure. Eight working days start to finish. The plumber came in on day two for the drain rough-in and day seven for the trim — both visits on the day Handis said they would. No gaps, no waiting on anyone. The flood-test on the pan ran overnight on day five before any tile went down; we slept easier knowing it had been verified.
Curbless ADA conversion for my dad moving in with us. The team assessed the floor structure first (we had a sister-joist done to allow the recess), installed grab-bar blocking during framing so the bars could go anywhere later, and built the single-plane slope to a Schluter linear drain at the back wall. ADA mixer, handheld plus fixed head, tile bench. Twelve working days. The frameless glass panel was the cleanest curbless install I have seen.
Acrylic kit conversion on a rental property we were turning quickly between tenants. Three days from demo to a working shower. The Sterling one-piece kit looks clean, the plumber's drain conversion was straightforward, the sliding door went in last. No grout to clean ever again — that was the whole point. Came in under budget at $5,800 with a couple of upgrades.
Full tiled walk-in conversion with a custom niche layout, a corner bench, body sprays, and a frameless 3/8-inch glass enclosure. Fourteen working days for the build, exactly as quoted. The tile setter mocked up the niche placement on the framing with painter's tape before he committed — we adjusted one of the niches three inches lower because of where my wife actually keeps the shampoo. Worth every dollar.
We bought a 1920s craftsman in Wallingford that had been re-done by flippers in 2014 — primary bath had been converted to shower-only, no tub anywhere in the house. With a baby coming, we needed a tub back. Handis put a standard 60-inch alcove tub back in the primary, converted the 2-inch shower drain to a tub-and-overflow combo (the licensed plumber's job), tile-surrounded it in subway tile to match the era, and added a tempered glass shower screen. Five working days. Resale value back up, baby has a tub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about tub-to-shower conversion — pricing, timeline, plumber handoff, permits, design choices, and what to expect.