Tub-to-Shower Conversion: A Central Texas Homeowner's Guide

1. Is a conversion right for your home?

• Keep at least one tub in the home — most buyers (and appraisers) still want a tub somewhere, usually in a secondary or kids' bath.
• Primary bath — ideal candidate; homeowners rarely use the tub, and a large walk-in shower is the modern expectation.
• Aging-in-place — a curbless shower with grab bars and a bench is one of the most impactful accessibility upgrades you can make.
• Small hall bath — a shower can free up floor space and make a cramped bathroom feel much larger.

2. What's actually involved

1. Demo — remove tub, surround, and any damaged drywall or subfloor.
2. Plumbing rework — the tub drain (typically 1½") is replaced with a proper shower drain (2"); valve height and rough-in are updated for a shower.
3. Framing & blocking — add wood blocking behind walls for future grab bars, niches, and the bench.
4. Waterproofing — a bonded membrane system (Schluter Kerdi, Wedi, Laticrete Hydro Ban, or equivalent) over the entire shower floor, curb, and walls to shoulder height minimum.
5. Shower pan — either a pre-formed pan or a mud bed sloped ¼" per foot to the drain.
6. Tile — floor, walls, curb, and niche. Large-format porcelain has fewer grout lines and is easier to clean.
7. Glass — templated after tile is set; frameless panels take 2–3 weeks to fabricate.
8. Fixtures & trim — valve trim, showerhead, hand shower, grab bars, bench, and door.

3. Waterproofing matters more than tile

Failed showers almost always fail at waterproofing, not tile. Insist on a bonded membrane system with taped seams and pre-formed corners — not just cement board with thinset. Central Texas hard water and long summers put real load on shower systems; this is where cutting corners bites you in 5–10 years.

4. Accessibility upgrades to consider

• Curbless entry — no threshold, wheelchair-friendly. Requires lowering the subfloor or a linear drain along the entry.
• Grab bars — install blocking behind tile now, even if you don't mount bars today.
• Built-in bench — 17–19" high, waterproofed and tiled.
• Hand shower on a slide bar — usable seated or standing.
• Non-slip floor tile — small-format mosaic or textured porcelain rated for wet areas.
• Comfort-height valve — placed for use from a seated position.

5. Realistic cost ranges (2026, Central Texas)

• Basic conversion (standard alcove, pre-formed pan, mid-grade tile, framed glass door): $5,000–$8,500
• Mid-range (custom mud pan, large-format tile, niche, semi-frameless glass): $8,500–$12,000
• High-end / curbless (linear drain, curbless entry, bench, frameless glass, premium tile): $12,000–$18,000+
• Whole-bathroom refresh at the same time (vanity, floor, paint, lighting): add $6,000–$15,000

Austin projects tend to run 10–15% higher than Temple/Belton due to labor demand. Costs push toward the top of each range when moving the drain location, upgrading to a curbless design, or choosing designer tile.

6. Realistic timeline

• Design & material selection: 1–2 weeks
• Demo & rough-in: 2–3 days
• Waterproofing & pan: 1–2 days (plus cure)
• Tile: 3–5 days
• Glass template → install: 2–3 weeks after tile
• Total bathroom-out time: 2–4 weeks

7. Permits

Swapping a tub for a shower in the same footprint usually requires a plumbing permit in Austin, Round Rock, Temple, and Killeen because the drain size and rough-in change. Cosmetic-only work (no plumbing changes) typically doesn't. A licensed plumber pulls the trade permit.

8. Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping the bonded waterproofing membrane.
• Removing the last tub in a family home — hurts resale.
• Forgetting wood blocking for future grab bars.
• Under-sizing the drain (must be 2" for a shower, not 1½").
• Ordering glass before tile is set — every shower is slightly out of square.

Ready to convert your tub?

We'll walk your bathroom, talk through curb vs. curbless, tile and glass options, and give you an itemized estimate before demo starts.

Request a free estimate → or see our full bathroom remodeling guide →