Tub-to-Shower Conversion Cost
Converting a tub to a shower costs $1,000–$8,000 for a prefab stall or $3,500–$15,000 for a tiled walk-in — and a tub cut runs just $800–$1,800. Price all three paths and see what each includes.
Converting a bathtub to a shower runs $1,000 to $8,000 for a prefab stall or $3,500 to $15,000 for a custom tiled walk-in — and there's a third option most people don't know exists: for $800 to $1,800, a contractor can cut a step-through opening into the tub you already have.
What replaces the tub?
A prefab stall is a factory-made shower kit — the budget-friendly route, usually installed in a single day. A custom tiled walk-in is built in place from tile and can be any size or style, including curbless. The tub cut is different: instead of replacing anything, a contractor cuts a step-through opening in your existing tub's wall — the cheapest way to make bathing safer, popular for aging in place.
What kind of tub is there now?
A standard tub is the usual 5-foot alcove tub. Garden and jetted tubs are the big soaking tubs from the '90s — they cost more to haul out simply because of their size. (If you chose the tub cut, this doesn't change the price — the tub stays put.)
Add grab bars?
Securely mounted handrails in and around the shower. If safety is any part of why you're converting, say yes — they're the cheapest line on the whole bill and the one that prevents falls.
Cost to convert your tub to a tiled walk-in shower
$3,500–$15,000
all-in — tub removal, the new shower, doors, fixtures, and installation
Where the walk-in's wide range comes from
A tiled walk-in is built in place, so every choice moves the bill: tiling runs $800–$3,000, the custom shower pan $900–$3,500, a frameless glass door $400–$1,900, and a shelf niche or bench $200–$500. Plumbing decides the rest — code requires upsizing the tub's 1½" drain to a 2" shower drain, and moving the drain or adding a second showerhead pushes toward the top of the range.
Think twice before removing the only tub
If this is your home's only bathtub, converting it can cost you buyers with young children when you sell — while in areas with older buyers, a walk-in shower can help resale. Budget reality check: demolition sometimes uncovers mold or rot behind the tub ($100–$1,000 in cleanup), and permits run $30–$400 — make sure bids say who pulls them.
Full-conversion prices include tub removal, the new shower, doors, fixtures, and labor. Component reality: glass doors $400–$1,900, new fixtures $40–$500, valve replacement $225–$575, plumbing work $500–$1,100. Most codes require at least a 30"×30" shower footprint. The tub cut price covers the cut and threshold only — the surround and plumbing stay as they are.
💡About this calculator▼
Trading the bathtub for a shower is the most requested bathroom change in America — sometimes for style, more often for safety, because stepping over a 15-inch tub wall is the single riskiest move most homes ask of aging knees and hips. The price depends almost entirely on what replaces the tub, and there are three honest answers, not two.
The prefab shower stall is the value lane: a factory-made kit — walls, pan, and often the doors — installed over the old tub's footprint for $1,000 to $8,000, usually in a single day. The custom tiled walk-in is the remodel lane: built in place from tile at $3,500 to $15,000, it can be any size or style, including fully curbless. Both prices are all-in — old tub removal, the new shower, doors, fixtures, and installation.
The third option is the one most people have never heard of: the tub cut. For $800 to $1,800, a contractor removes a section of your existing tub's front wall and caps it with a smooth, low threshold — turning the tub into a step-through shower without replacing anything. It's permanent, and you keep a tub-shaped shower rather than getting a new bathroom, but as a fast, cheap answer to bathtub falls, nothing else comes close.
Pick your path below, tell us what kind of tub is coming out — oversized garden and jetted tubs cost $400–$800 more just to haul away — and whether grab bars are going in while the crew is there. They're the cheapest line on the bill and the one that prevents falls.
The conversion type sets the band; the tub and the grab bars add their lines.
The three paths. Each carries HomeGuide's 2026 all-in price band. The prefab stall ($1,000–$8,000) includes the kit itself ($350–$4,100 depending on shape and material), tub removal, doors, fixtures, and labor — installation typically takes one day because the walls mount over backerboard with a factory pan. The tiled walk-in ($3,500–$15,000) is built on site: custom tiling runs $800–$3,000, the hand-built shower pan $900–$3,500, and the rest is labor and plumbing. The tub cut ($800–$1,800) prices only the cut and the threshold cap — your surround, plumbing, and fixtures stay exactly as they are.
The adders. Garden and jetted tubs add $400–$800 for removal and disposal — purely a size problem — except on tub cuts, where nothing is removed. Grab bars add $25–$370 installed.
What's already inside the bands. Plumbing work ($500–$1,100), glass doors ($400–$1,900), new fixtures ($40–$500), and valve replacement ($225–$575) are components of the published bands, not extras — which is why this calculator doesn't stack them on top. The code detail driving the plumbing line: a tub drains through a 1½-inch line, but showers require 2 inches, so every full conversion touches the drain.
📐How it's calculated▼
Total = conversion band + garden-tub line (if applicable) + grab bars (if chosen).
Conversion bands (HomeGuide, 2026, all-in):
- Prefab shower stall: $1,000–$8,000 — includes tub removal, stall, doors, fixtures, installation - Custom tiled walk-in: $3,500–$15,000 — size, tile, and plumbing scope set the position - Tub cut: $800–$1,800 — a step-through opening cut into the existing tub
Adders:
- Garden / jetted tub removal: +$400–$800 (oversized haul-out; never applies to tub cuts) - Grab bars: +$25–$370
Sanity check against the source: HomeGuide prices a garden-tub-to-shower conversion at $2,000–$12,000 overall — our band-plus-adder totals ($1,400–$8,800 prefab, $3,900–$15,800 walk-in) bracket that published range from both sides, exactly as a size-premium model should.
🔍Finding your inputs▼
What replaces the tub? If budget leads, price the prefab stall first — modern kits are far better looking than the fiberglass surrounds of the '90s, and curbless models exist. If this is a forever-home bathroom, the tiled walk-in is the one that can be exactly what you want, bench and niche included. If the *only* problem is climbing over the tub wall — for yourself or a parent — price the tub cut before committing to either full conversion.
What kind of tub is there now? Standard means the usual 5-foot alcove tub. Garden and jetted tubs — the big corner soakers — are answered here because hauling one out costs $400–$800 extra on size alone. If you picked the tub cut, this question disappears from the math: the tub stays.
Add grab bars? If safety is any part of why you're here, yes. At $25–$370 installed they're the cheapest item on the entire bill, and installing them during the conversion — when the crew knows exactly where the wall blocking is — beats retrofitting later.
⚠️Special situations▼
This is my home's only bathtub
Pause before converting it. Homes with zero bathtubs lose buyers with young children and pet owners, and appraisers in family neighborhoods notice — while in communities with older demographics, a walk-in shower can add appeal. If you have two baths, convert one and keep a tub in the other; if you have one, the tub cut is the option that improves safety today without permanently removing the tub category from your home... though the cut itself is permanent too.
The contractor found mold or rot when the tub came out
Common enough that it's worth budgeting before demo day: cleanup and repairs run $100–$1,000 when the surprise is minor, more if subfloor or studs need replacement. Decades of splash and steam land exactly where the tub hides the evidence. Get the moisture source fixed — not just the damage patched — or the new shower inherits the problem.
I want a curbless (zero-threshold) shower
Both full-conversion paths can get there: barrier-free prefab models exist, and curbless is a signature of custom tiled walk-ins. Expect the tiled version to sit in the upper half of its band — the floor must be recessed or ramped so water stays put, which is real subfloor work. It's the gold standard for wheelchairs and walkers, and most building codes still require the shower footprint to be at least 30"×30".
I'm converting for an aging parent on a fixed budget
Price the tub cut first: $800–$1,800, done in hours, and it eliminates the tub-wall climb that causes most bathroom falls. Add grab bars ($25–$370) and a handheld showerhead and the safety transformation is largely complete for under $2,500 — a fifth of a full conversion. Some state Medicaid waivers and VA grants cover home accessibility modifications; ask before paying out of pocket.
My bathroom door is narrow — will a one-piece stall fit?
Measure before you buy: one-piece prefab stalls are molded as a single unit and routinely can't make it through 24"–28" bathroom doors or tight hallway turns. Multi-piece kits assemble inside the room and solve this. It's the classic prefab mistake, and it's discovered in the driveway.
❓Common questions▼
How much does it cost to convert a tub to a walk-in shower?
Converting a bathtub to a custom tiled walk-in shower costs $3,500 to $15,000, including tub removal, the tile work ($800–$3,000), a hand-built shower pan ($900–$3,500), glass doors, fixtures, and labor. A prefab walk-in stall kit does the same job for $1,000 to $8,000. Where you land depends on size, tile and glass choices, and whether the drain or showerhead moves.
What is the cheapest way to convert a tub to a shower?
The tub cut, at $800 to $1,800: a contractor removes a section of your existing tub's front wall and caps it with a low threshold, turning the tub into a step-through shower in a few hours. Nothing is demolished or replumbed. Among full conversions, a basic prefab stall starting around $1,000 is the budget path — the kits themselves start at $350.
Does converting a tub to a shower hurt resale value?
Only if it's the home's last bathtub. Eliminating the only tub can turn away buyers with young children, while a modern walk-in shower helps in markets with older buyers. The safe play: keep at least one tub somewhere in the house. Converting one of two bathrooms is generally a neutral-to-positive change.
Why does a tub-to-shower conversion need plumbing work if the pipes are already there?
Two reasons. Code requires showers to drain through a 2-inch line, while tubs use 1½-inch — so the drain connection gets rebuilt in every full conversion ($500–$1,100 in plumbing labor). And the shower valve often gets replaced at the same time ($225–$575), since reusing a decades-old valve behind brand-new walls is a bet plumbers advise against.
How long does a tub-to-shower conversion take?
A prefab stall conversion typically takes one day — the old tub comes out in the morning, backerboard and the kit go in, and caulk cures overnight. A custom tiled walk-in runs several days to two weeks: demolition, pan construction, waterproofing, tiling, grouting, and glass measurement (custom glass alone often adds a week's lead time). A tub cut takes a few hours.
Are grab bars worth adding during the conversion?
Yes, and during is the moment: at $25–$370 installed they're the cheapest line on the bill, and the crew can anchor them into proper wall blocking while the walls are open — stronger than any retrofit into finished tile. If anyone in the house is over 60, add them even if they feel premature. Falls in the shower are the injury the whole project exists to prevent.
🔗 Related Calculators
Bathroom Remodel Cost
Estimate your bathroom remodel cost by type, finish level, and scope — from a cosmetic refresh to a full gut. See the price range, cost per square foot, and a budget vs mid-range vs high-end comparison for your bathroom.
Plumbing Fixture Upgrade Cost
Estimate the cost to upgrade your plumbing fixtures — faucets, toilet, sinks, showerhead, shower valve, bathtub, or garbage disposal. Pick how many of each at standard or premium quality and get the installed cost (fixture + labor) per fixture and a total.
Tile & Grout Calculator
Calculate how many tiles to buy (with waste for cuts and pattern) and how much grout you need, based on your tile size, grout joint width, and tile thickness.
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Cost
Replacing a bathroom fan costs $150–$550; installing one from scratch with new wiring and outside venting runs $250–$950+. Price your job and fan type — and see what size fan your bathroom actually needs.