Walk-In Shower and Tub-to-Shower Conversions in Tampa

A real tub-to-shower conversion is not a liner dropped over the old tub. We remove the tub and the surrounding wall surfaces down to the framing, which lets us see the condition of the walls, the valve and the drain. In older Tampa homes this is often where we find soft framing or worn-out supply lines that were hidden behind the tile.

From there we move the drain to suit the new shower floor, install a new valve at a comfortable height, build a sloped shower pan, and waterproof the walls and floor as one system. Tile, a niche, a bench if you want one, and a glass panel or door finish it.

A standard walk-in shower has a small curb, a few inches tall, that keeps water in. It is the simplest and most common choice for a tub conversion. A low-threshold shower lowers that curb as far as practical, so it is easier to step over for anyone with limited mobility.

A curbless shower has no step at all: the bathroom floor slopes straight into the shower, which makes it the best option for a wheelchair or walker. On a slab-on-grade house, that usually means recessing the concrete in the shower area so the floor can slope to a linear or center drain. It is more work, and we will tell you honestly during the estimate whether your floor and layout make it a good fit.

Aging-in-place remodeling means changing the bathroom now so it still works for you in ten or twenty years. The goal is a room that is easy and safe to use without looking clinical. Most of the important work happens inside the walls, so it is far easier to do during a remodel than to add later.

We build ADA-style and accessible bathrooms using the same principles behind accessibility guidelines: clear floor space, reachable controls and solid support where you need it. We do not claim ADA certification for private homes; we design to your needs and, if you have them, the recommendations of your doctor or occupational therapist.

Grab bars today come in brushed gold, matte black and polished nickel, and many double as towel bars. A tiled bench looks like a design choice. A handheld spray on a slide bar is useful for everyone. Planned well, an accessible bathroom simply looks like a nicely remodeled bathroom.

Yexenia, one of our reviewers, had Adam's team build a custom shower with marble-look tile and gold finishes. The same kind of finishes work in an aging-in-place design, with the safety features built in behind and around them.

Often, yes. Moving the drain, replacing the valve or rebuilding the shower pan is plumbing work, and most Tampa Bay building departments expect a permit for it. The City of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the Pinellas cities each set their own rules, so confirm with your building department for your address.

Florida has recently changed some permit exemptions for small projects, so check current rules with your building department before you skip a permit. When we do the work, we pull the permit as the licensed contractor and schedule the inspections. Our article on tub-to-shower conversions and aging-in-place bathrooms covers this in more detail.

If the tub you want to remove is the only one in the house, think about it carefully. Families with small children often want a tub, and some buyers expect one. If your home has two bathrooms, converting the primary bath tub and keeping the hall tub is a common compromise.

If nobody in the house uses a tub and you plan to stay for years, a safer, easier shower is usually worth more to you day to day. We will talk through the tradeoff during the estimate rather than pushing either way.

The biggest factors are whether the drain moves, whether the floor needs to be recessed for a curbless entry, how far up the walls you tile, the glass enclosure, and what we find behind the old tub. Accessibility features like benches and blocking add a little, and are much cheaper now than as a retrofit.

For a number specific to your bathroom, get a free estimate with a written, line-item proposal. Ask about our build now, pay later financing, with easy approval and no large down payment. If you want a bigger change than the shower, see our bathroom remodeling page.