What a Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Lely Actually Costs and How Long It Takes
A tub-to-shower conversion in Lely runs $3,500 to $10,000 for most homes we work on, and the full job typically takes 3 to 5 working days once the permit is in hand. You’re trading a bathtub for a walk-in shower, which means demolition of the tub and surrounding walls, reconfiguring the drain and valve, waterproofing everything, and installing the new pan, walls, glass, and fixtures. Call (844) 638-7249 to get a written estimate for your specific bathroom through our Bathroom Remodeling services; the numbers are firm and we include every line item upfront.
How We Convert a Tub to a Shower, Step by Step
Knowing what happens each day helps you plan around the work and spot where decisions actually matter. Here is the real sequence, the way we run it on homes across Lely:
Stage 1: Demolition and rough inspection (Day 1)
We protect the rest of your home with floor runners and plastic containment, then remove the tub, the surrounding wallboard or tile, and any soffits above the old tub area. The subfloor gets exposed, which is where we often find surprises in 1990s-era Lely Resort homes: slow leaks that have been quietly rotting the plywood under a tub that was never properly sealed at the tile flange-similar to the hidden conditions we address with our ADU Site Prep & Utilities service in Lely. We cut out any compromised subfloor and sister in new joists if needed. Our plumbing crew repositions the drain from tub center to shower center, which means opening the slab or subfloor channel depending on your home’s construction. The rough plumbing goes in, and we schedule the first Collier County inspection.
Stage 2: Plumbing rough-in and valve decisions (Day 1-2)
This is when you pick the shower valve type: pressure-balanced, thermostatic, or a digital control system. The valve body gets set at the correct depth for your finished wall material, and we rough in any additional features you want: body sprays, a handheld slidebar, a rain head from the ceiling, or a standard wall-mounted showerhead. If you’re adding a bench or a niche, we frame it now. The waterproofing system choice gets locked in here as well, because it determines what backer material we install. Once the rough plumbing and blocking are in place, we call the inspection and wait for the green tag before closing anything up.
Stage 3: Waterproofing and pan installation (Day 2-3)
This is the step where cutting corners shows up later as mold and water damage. We use a bonded sheet membrane or a liquid-applied system (you pick the system in Stage 2, and we’ll walk you through why each makes sense for different Lely homes) that ties the pan, walls, and drain into one continuous waterproof envelope. The shower pan gets sloped to the drain at 1/4 inch per foot, and we flood-test it for 24 hours. Nobody leaves a beautiful shower review when it leaks through the ceiling below. On a concrete slab home, we may build a mortar bed; on a wood-framed floor, a pre-sloped foam pan often shortens cure time and keeps the project moving.
Stage 4: Tile, walls, and glass enclosure (Day 3-5)
Wall material goes up: tile, solid-surface panels, or a combination. Tile takes longer because of layout, cutting, and thinset cure times, especially during Lely’s May-to-October wet season when humidity slows dry times in unconditioned spaces. Solid-surface or acrylic wall systems go in faster and are essentially zero-maintenance, which a lot of snowbird owners prefer because they are not here to scrub grout, unlike our Wood Fence service in Lely which needs periodic attention in this climate. The shower door and glass panels get measured and templated; fabricated glass usually takes a week to arrive, so we install temporary protection and come back for the glass install as soon as it is ready.
Stage 5: Trim-out, fixtures, and final inspection (Day 5)
The last day is all finishing: showerhead, controls, handheld unit, grab bars if you spec’d them, the escutcheon plate, the drain grate. We silicone every seam with a mildew-resistant sealant, clean the glass, run the shower to confirm it drains perfectly, and walk you through every detail. The final Collier County inspection signs off on the permit, and the shower is ready to use that evening.
The Spec Choices That Shape Your Tub-to-Shower Conversion
These are the decisions that actually move the needle on look, function, and budget. We will walk you through every one of them during the estimate, but here is what you are choosing between:
- Shower pan vs. tiled floor. A solid acrylic or composite pan is the lowest-cost, lowest-maintenance option and installs in hours. A tiled shower floor with a mortar bed costs more in labor and materials but gives you unlimited color and texture choices. We see about a 70/30 split toward pans in Lely’s snowbird condos and villas, where owners want zero grout to maintain.
- Wall material: acrylic/laminate panels vs. ceramic/porcelain tile vs. solid-surface slabs. Panels are fast, waterproof, and the budget pick. Tile is the most customizable and costs more because of labor. Solid-surface slabs (like a cultured marble or quartz-composite system) sit in the middle on price and give you a seamless look with no grout lines at all, which is why they are gaining traction in Lely Resort’s higher-end villages.
- Glass enclosure style. A framed sliding door is the price leader. Semi-frameless or fully frameless glass with heavy glass panels and minimal hardware reads custom and costs proportionally more. A pivot door versus a slider changes the entry width, which matters if you are working with a narrow bathroom.
- Valve and fixture trim. The valve body is the expensive part and gets buried in the wall. The trim kit is what you see. Pressure-balanced valves are code-minimum and work fine; thermostatic valves let you set an exact temperature and hold it even when someone flushes a toilet elsewhere in the house. Digital controls add presets and remote activation and push the plumbing budget upward.
- Built-in storage and seating. A corner bench, a fold-down teak seat, or a full-width bench adds cost and framing. Niches for shampoo and soap are standard practice for us and should be included in any competent estimate; if they are not, ask why.
What a Tub-to-Shower Conversion Costs in Lely, FL
A straightforward tub-to-shower conversion in Lely where we keep the plumbing footprint roughly where it is, use a solid-surface or acrylic wall system, and install a standard framed glass enclosure lands in the $3,500 to $5,500 range. The same job done with full porcelain tile walls, a custom mortar-bed pan, a frameless heavy-glass enclosure, a thermostatic valve, and body sprays pushes toward $8,500 to $10,000.
The variables that move the number:
- Plumbing relocation. Moving the drain from a tub location to a true shower center is standard and included. Moving the valve to an entirely different wall is extra and adds a day of rough-in work.
- Existing condition. If we open the wall and find rotted studs, termite damage, or corroded copper supply lines (common in 25-year-old Lely homes with original plumbing), the fix is priced separately but we cover it in the initial estimate as a contingency line item, never as a surprise change order.
- Waterproofing system. A sheet membrane like Schluter Kerdi costs more per square foot than a liquid-applied system but comes with fewer callbacks and a longer manufacturer warranty, which matters in Florida humidity.
- Permit scope. A straight tub-to-shower conversion with no structural changes is a standard plumbing permit. If you are moving walls, adding a window, or reconfiguring the bathroom layout, the permit scope expands and the fee and timeline go up.
- Glass fabrication time. Custom glass costs more and adds a week of lead time; stock-size framed enclosures are ready same-week and cost less.
Every estimate we write for Lely clients is a fixed-price, line-item document. You see the exact cost for demo, plumbing, waterproofing, wall material, tile or panel finish, glass, fixtures, and permit fees. Nothing is lumped into a blurry “allowance” that changes later. When you call (844) 638-7249 for a free estimate, what you get is a real number you can take to the HOA or to your co-owner without asterisks.
Why Lely Homes Make This Job Different
If you live in Lely Resort or one of the surrounding villages in Lely, your tub-to-shower conversion may need Architectural Review Committee approval before Collier County will issue the permit. The ARC in Lely Resort governs everything visible from the exterior and anything that changes plumbing stack routing or vent penetrations through the roof, even if the work itself is interior. We have submitted hundreds of ARC applications for bathroom projects inside Lely Resort and know the submittal format, the required cut sheets, and the typical turn-around window. A contractor who treats this as a standard permit-only job and skips ARC submittal can set you back weeks when the county permit tech flags it. We handle both stages as one package from day one.
The housing stock matters too. Most Lely bathrooms we open up were originally built in the 1990s or early 2000s with builder-grade fiberglass tubs, greenboard behind tile that was never fully waterproofed at the seams, and 1/2-inch copper supply lines that are now pitted and ready to fail at a sweated joint. We almost always recommend replacing the accessible supply plumbing back to the nearest solid tie-in point while the wall is open, because re-tiling over 25-year-old copper is a gamble that costs thousands more if it leaks later. The humid, salt-adjacent air in this part of unincorporated Collier County accelerates corrosion on exposed metal fittings, so we spec stainless steel or solid brass valve bodies and trims, never zinc or pot-metal components that look fine in a showroom but crust over within two years near the Everglades fringe.
The snowbird scheduling pattern is another Lely reality we plan around. Most major bathroom work gets booked for the May-through-October window, which is also peak rainy season. We sequence each day’s work so the wet stages (demo, waterproofing, tile setting) happen early and the cure times account for afternoon thunderstorm shutdowns and sustained 80% humidity that can double the dry time of some thinset mortars. If you are coordinating a tub-to-shower conversion as part of a broader Bathroom Remodeling in Lely project, we can phase the work so you are never without a functioning bathroom during your in-season months.
Serving Lely, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lely 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 Lely
Three to five working days for the construction phase, plus a week for custom glass fabrication if you choose a frameless enclosure. The permit and ARC approval process can add two to four weeks depending on the Collier County permit queue and the Lely Resort ARC meeting calendar. We submit both applications simultaneously to compress the wait as much as possible. Call (844) 638-7249 and we can give you a timeline based on current ARC and permit turnaround.
Yes. Plumbing work that changes the drain location and valve configuration requires a plumbing permit from Collier County. If the work is inside Lely Resort proper, you also need ARC approval before the county permit is issued. We pull every permit ourselves and include the fees in your estimate, and we do not start work until the permit card is posted.
Sometimes. If the existing tub drain is centered and the footprint of the new shower pan lines up roughly with the old tub location, we can often reuse part of the drain assembly. The valve will still be moved from tub height (roughly 18 inches off the floor) to shower height (roughly 48 inches), which means opening the wall cavity, but that is standard and included. If you want the showerhead on a different wall entirely, that re-routing adds cost but is entirely doable.
$3,500 to $10,000 depending on material choices, plumbing scope, and the condition of the existing framing and subfloor. The full breakdown of what pushes cost to the low or high end is covered in the pricing section above. To get a fixed, written quote for your specific bathroom, call (844) 638-7249 for a free on-site estimate.
Every tub-to-shower conversion we complete in Lely is covered by our 730-Day Done Right Promise: if something is not right, we make it right, no fine print and no runaround. The waterproofing system carries its own manufacturer warranty as well, and we register every product warranty in your name so you are protected even if we are not the ones who installed it decades from now, though with over 42 years in the community, we plan to be here.
Get a Straight Answer on Your Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Lely
If you are tired of stepping over a tub you never use and want a walk-in shower that actually fits how you live, we would like to walk your bathroom with you and give you a real number. Call (844) 638-7249. A live person answers, we schedule the estimate at a time that works for you, and the quote you get spells out every dollar and every day. No pressure, no vague allowances, no change orders that show up after the wall is open. If a tub-to-shower conversion in Lely is on your radar, that one call gets the whole thing moving.
Written by Derek Hollenbeck, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co., serving Lely with upfront pricing and the 730-Day Done Right Promise.