What a Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Fort Myers Shores Involves and What You’ll Pay
In Fort Myers Shores, a tub-to-shower conversion means demolishing an existing bathtub and its surrounding alcove walls, then building a walk-in shower in that same footprint. Most jobs take our crew three to five working days, start to finish. A straightforward conversion here typically runs $3,500 to $6,500. When we move a drain or open a wall to address flood-related framing concerns that are common in Fort Myers Shores homes, the price moves toward the $7,000 to $10,000 end. Call (844) 638-7249 and we’ll give you a firm number before any work begins. A real person answers, day or night. No voicemail, no waiting until Monday.
How We Convert Your Tub to a Shower, Day by Day
Every conversion follows a sequence we’ve refined over years of working in Lee County bathrooms. Here is exactly what happens and when you need to make decisions.
Day 1 – Gut and prep. We shut off water to the bathroom, protect the floor and hallway with runners, and remove the old tub, the surround, and the wallboard down to the studs. In Fort Myers Shores homes built between the 1960s and 1980s, what we find behind those walls often sets the tone for the next two days. Moisture intrusion from the Orange River corridor means we check every stud for rot or termite damage before proceeding. If an inspector is required to sign off on the exposed framing, we schedule that walkthrough right then. This stage takes one full day. You do not need to be home while we work, but you will want to already have chosen your shower base material and wall finish before day one. That keeps us moving.
Day 2 – Plumbing and pan. We set the new shower drain, which sometimes means chipping into the concrete slab just enough to relocate a tub drain toward the center of the new shower footprint. This is the one task that separates a simple swap from a mid-range job. If the existing drain lines are cast iron and heavily corroded, we replace them with PVC while the floor is open. The waterproof shower pan goes in next, and it cures overnight. We also install new pressure-balanced mixing valve, showerhead riser, and any blocking you want for grab bars or a bench. At the end of day two, the rough plumbing inspection happens if one was pulled.
Day 3 – Walls and waterproofing. We hang cement backer board, tape all seams, and apply a full liquid or sheet waterproofing membrane floor to ceiling. In every Fort Myers Shores bathroom we do, we take waterproofing well past code minimum because humidity and occasional flood-dampness here punish shortcuts. This is also the day tile work begins if you chose a tiled wall system. Grouting and fixture trim-out follow the next morning. We ask homeowners to confirm showerhead height, shelf placement, and any niche dimensions before we set the first tile. Changing those after day three costs time and material.
Day 4 – Glass and finish. If your conversion includes a frameless glass enclosure, we take precise measurements on day three and install the tempered glass panels on day four or five, once the tile grout has cured. The shower door hardware goes on, the valves get trim plates, and the shower arm and head are mounted. We run the water and check every connection. Then we caulk every seam, scrub down the enclosure, and walk you through the finished shower.
Day 5 – Final walk and punch list. We remove all debris, do a final cleanup, and walk the job with you. If anything isn’t right, we fix it. The 730-Day Done Right Promise means that if a crack appears in the grout or a door hinge loosens two years from now, you call us and we come back. That guarantee is written into every contract, no fine print.
The Choices You’ll Make Before We Start
A tub-to-shower conversion in Fort Myers Shores puts a handful of decisions on your plate. None of them are complicated, but each one changes how the shower looks, how long it lasts, and what it costs. Here is what most homeowners weigh.
- Shower base – acrylic versus tiled. A solid acrylic or composite shower pan installs in hours, costs less, and never needs re-sealing. A tiled shower floor looks custom and works with any wall tile, but it requires a multi-coat mortar bed and more days to cure, and the grout needs annual maintenance. Both last decades when installed correctly.
- Wall finish – solid surface panels versus ceramic tile versus porcelain. Solid surface panels like Kohler Choreograph go up in one day with minimal seams, and they’re a smart choice for humidity-heavy bathrooms near the Orange River. Ceramic tile is the budget-friendly classic, while porcelain costs more up front but resists chipping and staining better. If you want a floor-to-ceiling statement shower, porcelain or large-format wall tile is the typical pick.
- Glass enclosure – framed, semi-frameless, or fully frameless. Framed glass costs the least and seals tightly. A fully frameless enclosure with heavy tempered glass feels open and premium but costs two to three times more. Most Fort Myers Shores conversions we do land in the semi-frameless range, which balances cost with the clean look homeowners want.
- Showerhead and valve type. A single-function fixed head meets the budget. A slide-bar or rain-head setup moves the cost up a few hundred dollars. We rough-in for whatever configuration you choose. If you want a handheld on a separate diverter, let us know before day two so we plumb for it.
- Built-in storage and seating. A recessed shower niche for shampoo bottles adds modest material cost and no extra labor if we frame for it while the wall is open. A corner bench or fold-down teak seat increases cost based on size, waterproofing demand, and tile work.
What a Tub-to-Shower Conversion Costs in Fort Myers Shores, FL
Our tub-to-shower conversions in Fort Myers Shores run $3,500 to $10,000. The range is wide because no two houses here have the same foundation condition or the same water-damage history. Here is what moves the number.
Size of the existing alcove. A standard 60-inch tub bay costs less to convert than a longer or deeper alcove that requires more tile, more waterproofing, and a larger glass enclosure. Standard alcoves still dominate most Fort Myers Shores homes, so size alone rarely pushes a job past the mid-range.
Condition of subfloor and framing. This is the variable that hits Fort Myers Shores bathrooms harder than anywhere else in Lee County. Homes that took floodwater during Ian or seasonal river rise often have bottom plates and wall studs with hidden rot. When we find it, we replace the compromised framing with pressure-treated lumber before we go any further. That adds cost on the spot. We show you photos and give you a line-item price before we touch a single stud.
Drain relocation. Moving a tub drain from the end of the alcove to the center of the new shower floor is routine work. It adds roughly half a day of labor and some material cost. The alternative is keeping the drain in the original position and working your shower slope to it. Both approaches work. One costs more.
Material grade. Acrylic wall panels and an acrylic pan keep the job toward the low end. Large-format porcelain tile, a tiled shower floor, and a frameless glass enclosure push it toward the high end. You choose the materials during the design consult. Before any contract is signed, you will have a written, fixed-price estimate that includes every line item, every permit fee, and every brand name. No surprises. We also offer 0% financing for 18 months and $1,000 off any project over $10,000, which covers a mid-to-high-end conversion comfortably.
What Fort Myers Shores Homes Specifically Do to a Tub-to-Shower Job
We cannot say this gently enough: any bathroom renovation in Fort Myers Shores that opens a wall or floor starts with a reckoning about water. The Orange River floodplain does not forgive shortcuts. Most homes here are concrete-block or wood-frame construction from the 1960s through 1980s, originally built at or below base flood elevation. A simple tub-to-shower conversion often uncovers bottom plates that have been cycling between damp and dry for decades. When moisture has been riding the capillary action up from a slab that sits too low to drain naturally, the framing behind what looked like a perfectly fine tub surround is sometimes unsalvageable. That is not a catastrophe. It is a known condition we see on roughly half the Fort Myers Shores jobs we open, and we quote for it honestly.
Lee County building inspectors are also watching these projects closely. Post-Ian enforcement of the 50% substantial-improvement rule means a modest bathroom job can cross the threshold if it is combined with other renovation work elsewhere in the house. We pull permits for every tub-to-shower conversion we do in Fort Myers Shores. When the inspector walks the rough-in, we want the plumbing, the drain relocation, and the exposed framing to pass on the first visit. Our crew knows what the county wants to see, and we do not burn days waiting on reinspection fees.
Homeowners who are also upgrading the exterior of their home sometimes pair a bathroom conversion with a roof replacement like Metal Roofing in Fort Myers Shores or Tile Roofing in Fort Myers Shores, especially when a new roof helps bring the entire structure closer to current wind-mitigation standards. We coordinate the schedule so your house is not torn up in two places at once, and the permit path for multiple trades moves together rather than colliding.
If you are thinking about a fuller bathroom refresh beyond the shower, our Bathroom Remodeling in Fort Myers Shores page lays out the wider scope. For nearly every tub-to-shower job, the conversion itself stays focused, but we never open a wall without being prepared to do right by what we find behind it.
Serving Fort Myers Shores, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Myers Shores area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Fort Myers Shores
A typical conversion takes three to five working days. Day one is demolition, day two is plumbing and the shower pan, day three is waterproofing and tile or wall panel installation, day four is glass enclosure installation, and day five is final cleanup and walkthrough. When we find subfloor or framing damage that needs repair, the job may add a day. We tell you as soon as we know, and we give you a revised completion date you can count on.
Yes. Lee County requires a plumbing permit and usually a building permit anytime you move a drain or alter the wet-wall plumbing inside a bathroom. Groundwork Construction Co. pulls every permit the job requires. We schedule the inspections and manage the compliance paperwork. If your house falls under FEMA’s substantial-improvement rule because of prior unrepaired flood damage, the permit process involves additional review. We walk you through it before we start.
Most of the time, yes. If your existing alcove is 60 inches wide and the drain sits toward one end, we can build a sloped shower floor that channels water to that original location. It works and it costs less. But many homeowners prefer the feel and drainage of a center-set drain, and we handle that relocation as part of the rough-in. Either way, you get a fully waterproof shower built to code.
A conversion here runs $3,500 to $10,000, with most landing between $4,500 and $6,500. The number only changes if we find hidden damage behind the walls or under the tub that we could not have seen during the estimate. When that happens, we stop work, call you, show you what we found, quote the fix, and wait for your approval. Our upfront pricing is not a sales tactic. It is the number you pay unless you approve a change. Call (844) 638-7249 for a free estimate that is specific to your house.
The workmanship on every Groundwork Construction Co. conversion is covered by our 730-Day Done Right Promise. If something fails due to our installation within two years, we fix it at no charge. The materials themselves, such as tile, acrylic panels, and shower valves, carry manufacturer warranties that we pass through to you. We do not bury warranty details. They are in your contract, written in plain English.
Get a Fixed-Price Estimate for Your Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Fort Myers Shores
We will visit your home, take measurements, check the slab and framing, and give you a written estimate that covers the entire job. There is no cost and no obligation. You will talk to a real person when you call (844) 638-7249, any time of day. Background-checked, uniformed technicians handle every part of the work, and our Bathroom Remodeling crew has seen just about every condition a Fort Myers Shores bathroom can throw at them. If you are ready to turn that tub into a shower you can step into comfortably, call today to schedule your free on-site estimate.
Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co., serving Fort Myers Shores, FL.