Showers & Wet Areas
The 1990s fiberglass insert that has yellowed in the band where the showerhead runs every morning and is finally ready to come out. The down-to-the-studs master remodel where the new walk-in shower has to go in curbless because the homeowner is planning to age in place. The pinhole leak at the shower-pan-to-wall seam that has been bothering the bedroom ceiling below it for two winters and a leak detector pinned to the back-left corner. The recessed tile niche the previous owner cut into a wet wall without waterproofing, that has been weeping at the lower lip ever since. Showers and wet areas is the trade for the entire shower envelope — custom tile builds in five material categories, curbless walk-ins, full Schluter or Wedi sheet-membrane waterproofing on every install, recessed niches and benches that wrap into the membrane assembly, tub-surround tile, steam-shower-ready tile prep, and leak diagnosis and repair on existing assemblies. Handis self-performs every tile-trade step end to end — substrate prep, mortar or prefabricated pan, full sheet-membrane waterproofing, every tile, every seam, every grout joint. The few regulated handoffs (a new in-wall mixer on a custom build, a steam-shower generator) sub to a licensed Washington L&I plumber or electrician. From $500 for a small wet-zone caulk and waterproofing repair up to $18,000 for a custom natural-stone walk-in shower with a curbless pan and a frameless glass enclosure.
Services
Showers & Wet Areas Pricing
Final pricing depends on the scope (repair, niche, pan, surround, full custom shower, curbless), the tile or stone material, the substrate condition, and whether the project includes a regulated handoff (in-wall mixer, steam generator). Each child page lists detailed pricing for that family. Licensed-sub fees on projects with a plumber or electrician pass through transparently with the line item named on every quote. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us the shower scope and the tile or stone you have in mind — we will quote the build with full Schluter or Wedi waterproofing included as standard.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Showers & Wet Areas
Most of the failed showers we are asked to repair started with one of two mistakes. Mistake one — cement board treated as waterproofing, no sheet membrane, water tracking into the wood framing for years before the bedroom-ceiling stain appears. Mistake two — a niche cut into a wet wall without wrapping the membrane around the recess, weeping at the lower lip ever since. Both mistakes are invisible behind a tile face that looks fine for the first ten years. Handis builds every shower with a real sheet membrane (Schluter KERDI bonded with unmodified thinset, Wedi panels seam-sealed with Wedi 320, or an equivalent) and wraps every niche, every bench, every penetration, and every pan-to-wall seam into the membrane assembly. You see the membrane assembly before any tile goes over it. That is what makes a shower last 30 years instead of 12.
Estimate
Tell us the shower or wet-area scope (active leak, niche add-on, pan rebuild, full custom shower, curbless walk-in, tub surround, steam-ready), the rough dimensions and the tile or stone material you have in mind (porcelain, large-format, natural stone, subway, mosaic), the substrate (existing tile, demo-to-stud, new framing), and any known issues (existing leak, soft floor, ceiling stain below). We send a clear estimate with full Schluter or Wedi waterproofing as standard scope.
Customer Reviews
Recent shower and wet-area reviews from verified Handis customers.
Custom porcelain walk-in shower in our 1985 split-level. Handis demoed the old fiberglass insert down to the studs, found rot in the bottom sill plate from a slow leak we did not know about, repaired the framing, set Schluter KERDI on the walls and the pan, and tiled in our 12x24 porcelain. The membrane assembly was in place for two weeks before the tile went up — they showed it to us, we asked questions, we walked the seams. Two years later, dead-tight install.
Pan-and-waterproofing rebuild after a pinhole leak at the pan-to-wall seam had been bothering our second-floor ceiling for a winter. Handis demoed the lower 24 inches of tile and the failed pan, found the original install had skipped the inside-corner sealing, rebuilt the pan with new KERDI-BAND on every corner, re-tiled the lower band. The ceiling below has been dry for fourteen months.
Curbless walk-in shower in our master remodel. Curbless mortar pan, linear drain, full KERDI waterproofing tied into the bathroom floor, large-format porcelain walls, and a frameless glass panel at the entry. The wheelchair-rollover access we needed for aging in place is in there too. Handis sequenced the plumber for the valve cleanly. The whole project finished on the calendar they gave us.
Recessed niche and bench added to an existing shower in our Bellevue condo. The tech cut into a wet wall, found the previous niche had no membrane wrap and was already weeping behind the tile, repaired the membrane and added the new niche with full KERDI-BOARD pre-form. Brushed-nickel Schluter edge profile at the niche rim. Looks like it was in the original design.
Steam-shower-ready prep in our master shower expansion. Sloped ceiling for steam runoff, full KERDI on the ceiling and walls, vapor-tight seal on every penetration. The licensed plumber and electrician for the generator came in for two half-days. Steam shower works exactly the way the manufacturer specs say it should — quiet, even, condensation runs to the drain, no drip from the ceiling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis shower and wet-area work — waterproofing, custom builds, curbless, niches, leak diagnosis, and pricing.