Tub to Shower Conversion
Trading a tub for a shower in the same alcove is mostly one piece of plumbing: the drain has to move. Valve height, framing, waterproofing and glass all follow from that one fact.
- Houston metro
- Written scope before work begins
- Licensed trade subs where required
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Overview
Tub to Shower Conversion
A standard alcove tub is 60 by 30 or 60 by 32 inches with its waste at one end, connected by a 1.5 inch trap arm. A shower in that same alcove needs a larger drain — generally 2 inch — and it needs it either near the middle of the pan or along one wall if you use a linear drain. So the first thing that happens after demolition is that somebody opens the floor.
On slab-on-grade that means saw-cutting concrete, trenching, re-plumbing, an inspection and a patch that has to cure. On a raised floor or a second story it means working between joists, and joists cannot be notched or drilled wherever it happens to be convenient. Neither is exotic work, but both explain why an honest conversion schedule is measured in days of process rather than an afternoon.
Before committing, count the tubs left in the house. Converting a secondary bath while the primary suite still has a tub is easy to defend. Converting the last tub in a three-bedroom house is a resale decision as much as a comfort one. If mobility is the reason for the change, that’s a stronger case — and it should be designed as an accessible shower, not just a shower.
The things that actually decide this job
The drain move is the job
A new shower drain needs a 2 inch line, a trap and the same quarter inch per foot of fall to the stack. On a slab that means cutting, trenching, inspecting and re-pouring; on a post-tensioned slab it means scanning for cables before the blade goes in. Some acrylic and solid-surface bases accept a modest drain offset that saves cutting, but only within the manufacturer’s published limits. Find out which path your bathroom is on before anyone promises a date.
The valve moves up, and should move over
A tub-and-shower valve sits low, around knee height, with a spout below it. A shower-only valve belongs roughly 40 to 50 inches off the floor, and it’s worth offsetting it toward the entry so you can start the water without standing under it. The old tub spout drop gets capped inside the wall. Any new valve has to be pressure-balancing or thermostatic — that’s a code requirement, not an upsell.
Blocking is free while the wall is open
Once the tub is out, those studs are exposed for the only time in that wall’s life. Add solid backing for a grab bar at seat height and another at the entry, for a bench, for a hand-shower slide bar, and for the hinge side of a glass panel. None of it commits you to installing any of those now. Skipping it means cutting tile open later to get backing that would have cost almost nothing today.
Decide the entry before the pan is built
A standard 4 to 6 inch curb is simplest and most watertight. A low threshold of an inch or two eases the step without the floor work a curbless build demands. Curbless means recessing the slab or building the whole bathroom floor up, and it usually pairs with a linear drain. The pan gets built for whichever you choose, and you cannot change your mind after the membrane is in.
Practical considerations
Know what a one-day system does and doesn’t do
Acrylic liner systems installed over the existing surround are genuinely fast and can look good. What they do not do is fix a leaking valve, rotted studs, a failed subfloor or a drain in the wrong place. Covering damage seals it in where nobody can watch it get worse. If the walls sound hollow, the floor gives underfoot, or there’s staining below, insist on opening the wall before anyone quotes a cover-up.
Expect a surprise behind the tub
Older surrounds across much of the housing stock here are tile over regular drywall, or a mud bed on wire lath. Both hide years of slow wetting at the tub flange and around the valve. Once the tub is out you may find soft studs, a corroded waste connection or a subfloor that needs replacing. Set the ground rules for how that gets priced and approved before demolition day, in writing.
You can usually make the shower bigger
The tub apron line isn’t sacred. Pushing into a linen closet, an unused stub of vanity or a knee wall that carries nothing turns a 60 by 30 alcove into something you can turn around in, and it’s cheapest while the drain is already open. Anything past the existing framing means checking what’s inside that wall — load path, vent stack, ductwork, wiring — and possibly adding a header.
Permits and who does the plumbing
Relocating waste and vent lines is plumbing work performed by a licensed plumber, and in most jurisdictions here it is permitted and inspected. Which office issues the permit follows the address, not the mailing city — some homes are unincorporated, others fall under a small municipality with its own inspectors. Confirm that before a schedule gets promised, because the inspection sits directly between rough-in and tile.
At a glance
| Detail | As a tub | As a shower |
|---|---|---|
| Drain | 1.5 inch waste at one end | 2 inch drain near center, or a linear drain at one wall |
| Floor | The tub is its own basin | A sloped pan — pre-slope and membrane, or a factory base |
| Valve height | Roughly 28 to 32 inches, spout below | Roughly 40 to 50 inches, ideally offset toward the entry |
| Waterproofing | Surround tile to about 72 to 80 inches | Full height, and the floor becomes part of the assembly |
| Framing | A nailer for the tub flange | Blocking for bench, niche, grab bar and glass hinge |
| Entry | Step over a 15 to 20 inch apron | A 4 to 6 inch curb, a low threshold, or curbless |
Common questions
Will removing the tub hurt resale value?
It depends on how many are left. A house that keeps at least one tub, usually in a secondary bath, loses nothing by converting another, and a well-built shower often shows better than a builder-grade tub nobody used. A house with no tub at all narrows the buyer pool, particularly for families with young children, and that tends to show up as time on the market rather than as a price cut. If this is the last tub and the conversion isn’t for mobility, put a tub somewhere else first.
Can a tub-to-shower conversion really be done in one day?
A liner or panel system installed over existing walls and a compatible base can go in that fast, and in a sound bathroom with no drain change it’s a legitimate product. A tiled shower on a new waterproofed pan cannot. The drain relocation, the pan, the membrane, a 24-hour flood test, tile, grout and glass each need their own time, plus an inspection if the plumbing was permitted. Anyone quoting a one-day tile shower is skipping a step, and the skipped step is usually the one keeping water out.
Does the drain always have to move?
Almost always. A tub drains at one end through a 1.5 inch waste; a shower drains from the middle of the pan, or along one wall with a linear drain, and generally wants 2 inch pipe. Some acrylic and solid-surface bases are built to accept a modest offset that can avoid cutting concrete, but only within the published limits, and the trap still has to be reachable. Have a plumber confirm the existing drain location before anyone quotes the job, because that answer sets the entire schedule.
Can the new shower be wider than the tub was?
Frequently, and this is the moment to do it since the floor is already open. Common sources of extra width are a linen closet behind the alcove, an unused stub of vanity, or a knee wall carrying nothing. Anything beyond existing framing means checking the load path, the vent stack, ductwork and wiring inside that wall, and possibly adding a header. Going from 60 by 30 to 60 by 42 changes how the room feels far more than any tile choice will.
Do I need a glass door, or can it stay open?
No door is required. A fixed glass panel with an open entry keeps the room brighter and has no hinge track to clean, but it needs enough length for spray to die before the opening, and warm air escapes while you shower. A full door holds heat and contains water in a small enclosure. A curtain still works and is the only option you can change your mind about for free. If you go frameless, walls must be plumb and the curb level before anyone templates the glass.
Talk to someone who has done this before
Tell us about your tub to shower conversion project and we will walk you through scope,
budget and timeline — no obligation, no pressure.