Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Lehigh Acres - One Written Price, No Change Orders

What a Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Lehigh Acres Actually Costs and Entails

A tub-to-shower conversion in Lehigh Acres runs between $3,500 and $10,000, with most single-piece replacements landing around $5,500 to $7,500 and fully tiled custom builds reaching the higher end. We typically complete the job in 3 to 5 working days, start to finish, assuming the existing plumbing is in good shape and we are not moving the drain. Call (844) 638-7249 to get a line-item written estimate for your specific bathroom layout - we walk the space, take measurements, and hand you a fixed number before any work begins.

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A conversion means we pull the bathtub out, prep the footprint, and install a walk-in shower in the same space. It is the single highest-impact bathroom upgrade for older concrete-block homes across Lehigh Acres, where original tub-shower combos built in the 1960s and 70s are starting to show their age. We see failing grout, rusted drain assemblies, and tubs that are frankly tough for retirement-age homeowners to step over every day. The job is straightforward when the drain is in the right spot and the framing is dry, and it gets more involved when we find what is hiding behind 50-year-old tile walls.

The Tub-to-Shower Conversion Process, Step by Step

Day 1: Demolition and discovery

We start by protecting the rest of your bathroom and the path from the front door with floor runners and plastic containment. The old tub, surround, and valve trim come out. This is also when we open the wall behind the plumbing to inspect the supply lines and drain assembly. In Lehigh Acres homes built on slab foundations, the tub drain (a 1-1/2″ or 2″ line) runs through the concrete floor, and if it is cast iron from the 1960s, we may find interior corrosion narrowing the opening. If that is the case, we will show you before we proceed - no surprises, no change order without your approval. Demolition and inspection take about 4 to 6 hours.

Day 2: Rough-in and waterproofing

With the space open and the condition of the framing confirmed, we rough in the new shower valve and any blocking needed for grab bars or a built-in bench. We upgrade the drain to a 2″ line if local code requires it for a shower-only configuration - Lee County code is specific on this, and we pull the permit and handle the inspection. We shim the framing flat, hang cement backer board, and apply a full waterproofing system - liquid-applied membrane or sheet membrane depending on the pan and wall substrate you choose. This stage keeps water inside the shower and out of your wall cavities, where we see so much hidden damage from the high-humidity summers Lehigh Acres gets every year.

Day 3: Tile work or surround installation

If you chose a solid-surface or acrylic surround, this stage is a single-day fit-and-seal. If the plan is a fully tiled shower with a custom pan, we spend this day and part of the next laying the floor tile with the correct slope toward the drain, then building the walls. Glass mosaic floors add grip and drain well, and large-format porcelain on the walls reduces grout lines and cleaning time. We build out the niche or corner shelf at this stage too - you decide the height when we chalk the layout on the backer board, usually waist- to shoulder-height for shampoo and soap.

Day 4: Finishing and glass

Grout goes in, trim and valve cover plate get installed, and we mount the showerhead and any handheld or rainfall fixture you selected. By early afternoon the sliding glass door or pivot door arrives and gets set. We run the shower, check for leaks, and confirm the door seals correctly. The bathroom is operational at this point.

Day 5: Final walk-through

We remove the last of the protection, clean the glass, touch up any drywall at the edges, and walk through the finished shower with you. We show you how to operate the fixtures, what cleaner we recommend for the surface type you chose, and confirm the permit inspection is scheduled. Every tub-to-shower conversion we do in Lehigh Acres carries our 730-Day Done Right Promise - if something is not right, we come back and make it right, full stop.

The Materials and Layout Decisions You Will Make

There is no single “standard” shower. You pick the wall system, the pan or floor, the door, and the fixtures - four decisions that set the final budget and the look:

• Acrylic or solid-surface surround. The most budget-friendly option, typically in the lower third of the price range. Installed in one day over a waterproof substrate. Narrower color and texture selection, but excellent water resistance and practically no long-term maintenance. Solid-surface panels eliminate grout lines entirely, which is a real advantage in Lehigh Acres bathrooms that fight humidity and hard-water spotting.
• Full tile - porcelain or ceramic. Adds $1,500-$3,500 to the job depending on tile grade and layout complexity. Large-format porcelain (12×24 or 24×48) with rectified edges yields fewer grout joints and a cleaner modern look. We steer most Lehigh Acres clients toward matte-finish porcelain because it handles our hard water with less visible spotting than polished or glass tile.
• Shower pan - pre-cast vs. tile. A pre-cast solid pan goes in quickly, never leaks at the base, and costs less than a custom tile floor. A tiled pan with a mortar bed and a waterproof membrane costs more and adds a day, but it opens up the floor tile choices and lets us slope the floor exactly to drain location. For homeowners staying in their Lehigh Acres home through retirement, we often recommend the tile pan with a linear drain - easy entry, fewer puddles at the threshold.
• Glass enclosure. Sliding bypass doors maximize space in a typical 60″ tub footprint. A pivot door needs a bit more clearance but gives a wider entry. Frameless heavy glass is the premium look - it runs higher on materials and labor but shows off the tile behind it. We spec tempered glass and solid brass hinges either way.
• Fixtures. A single-function showerhead and pressure-balance valve keeps costs down. Adding a handheld, a rainfall head, or a thermostatic valve with volume control moves you toward the higher end of the range. We install Kohler and Moen trim kits most often - parts are available locally, the warranties hold up, and the cartridge design is serviceable from the front, which matters when the back of the wall is a slab-on-grade exterior wall you cannot access from the other side.

What a Tub-to-Shower Conversion Costs in Lehigh Acres, FL

The job lands between $3,500 and $10,000. A straightforward conversion - acrylic surround, pre-cast pan, existing drain location not moved, standard sliding door - sits near $5,500 to $7,500. The number climbs when you add full porcelain tile, a custom mud-set pan, a frameless glass enclosure, or when we have to relocate the drain. Here is what moves the price:

• Tub footprint condition. When we pull a tub in a 1960s or 1970s Lehigh Acres home, the sub-floor beneath is sometimes wet or termite-damaged at the edges. Repairing or replacing the bottom plate and a section of subfloor before we can set the new pan adds $300-$800.
• Drain relocation. A tub drain is centered; a shower drain should be nearer the entry. Moving that drain 12-24 inches through a slab-on-grade floor means cutting concrete, which adds $800-$1,500 to the job and requires a rough-in inspection.
• Plumbing age. Homes from the original plat era here often have original galvanized supply lines. If we open the wall and find galvanized pipe with internal rust restricting flow, we strongly recommend replacing the accessible sections with copper or PEX at the same time, which adds $400-$900 to the rough-in stage.
• Accessories and blocking. Built-in corner benches, grab bars, niches, and shampoo ledges are modest material costs but add labor hours for framing and waterproofing. We include the blocking for future grab bars in the rough-in cost either way - it costs almost nothing while the wall is open and saves a tear-out later.
• Permit scope. A straight tub-to-shower swap with no drain relocation is typically a straightforward plumbing permit. Lee County requires a shower pan inspection and a final, and we pull the permit, schedule the inspector, and stand for both appointments - the permit fee is line-itemed in your estimate, not buried.

Your written estimate from us is a fixed price. It breaks out materials, labor, permit fees, and any subcontractor work (glass installation, for example). It does not include work outside the shower footprint unless you ask us to expand the scope - surrounding drywall repair, floor tile outside the pan, or an exhaust fan upgrade. We quote those separately. Call (844) 638-7249 to schedule a free on-site estimate and we will hand you a number you can plan around.

What Lehigh Acres Homes Specifically Do to This Job

Lehigh Acres was mass-platted in the 1950s and 60s with tens of thousands of lots across flat pine flatwoods, leaving a patchwork where early concrete-block homes from the 60s and 70s sit alongside tract builds from the 2000s boom that went through foreclosure cycles and years of deferred maintenance. That split means we walk into bathrooms on the same street that could not be more different: one has a cast-iron tub set in a slab with 60-year-old galvanized pipe behind tile walls set in a thick mortar bed, and the next has a fiberglass tub-shower unit from 2005 whose plastic surround is cracked at the drain flange.

The older CBS homes in neighborhoods off Joel Boulevard and around the original plat grid often have bathrooms walled in with wire lath and cement mortar - incredibly tough to demo, heavy, and prone to holding moisture against the framing for decades. We budget an extra half-day of labor for demo when we know the house is from that era. The 2000s-era tract homes are easier to open but more likely to reveal builder-grade plumbing with plastic tub shoe assemblies that have warped from Lehigh Acres’ seasonal groundwater rising through the slab. We also watch for the flat-lot drainage reality: summer rains can pond against the slab edge, and a bathroom on an exterior wall with poor grading outside tends to show moisture migration through the bottom plate. When we see that, we address the exterior drainage before we close the wall - it is part of the job a general contractor sees that a tub-replacement-only company often will not.

Lee County requires a plumbing permit for any tub-to-shower conversion that touches the drain or valve, which is essentially all of them, and the inspector will look at the pan, the water test, and the final trim. We pull it, we schedule it, and we stand for it. In the scattered legacy-lot parts of Lehigh Acres where some platted roads were never paved, permit coordination with county public works on access and utility stubs can add a few days to the office-side timeline - not a job-site delay, just a paperwork step we handle before we roll the truck. Most conversions pass first look when the waterproofing is documented and the drain upgrade to 2″ is visible to the inspector.

Given the humidity and the hard water here, we also recommend a bath fan on a timer with every shower conversion - a simple add that keeps grout and glass cleaner longer and protects the ceiling from mildew between uses. It is a small thing that matters more in Lehigh Acres than in a drier climate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Lehigh Acres

Get a Free On-Site Estimate for Your Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Lehigh Acres

We come to your home in Lehigh Acres, take measurements, talk through the layout and material options, and hand you a fixed written estimate - same visit, no waiting for an email. Our team answers the phone live, 24/7, and every technician who steps onto your property is background-checked and uniformed. If this conversion is part of a full Bathroom Remodeling in Lehigh Acres, we can scope both at the same time. We also see homeowners in Lehigh Acres pairing a shower conversion with exterior projects like Metal Roofing in Lehigh Acres or Tile Roofing in Lehigh Acres when the whole property needs attention after years of deferred maintenance. Call (844) 638-7249 to book your estimate, or talk through your project with our Bathroom Remodeling team - we will walk you through what the job looks like for your specific home and get you a number you can plan around.

Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co., helping Lehigh Acres homeowners get the bathroom that works for the way they actually live.