Tub-to-Shower Conversion (2026): 3 Options, What It Costs and the Right Glass

Convert if nobody uses the tub and the house has another one. Keep it if it is the only tub and you may sell soon: This Old House and HomeAdvisor both warn that removing the only bathtub can cost you at resale. Block Renovation cites a National Association of Home Builders survey in which 74% of buyers wanted both a tub and a shower in the primary bathroom.

That leaves three honest paths, and each one ends in different glass:

Path 1 is the quick win. A screen such as the Meridian Zenith 34 x 62 in. tub screen (from $389.90) or a sliding tub door keeps the spray in the tub with no plumbing work. We compared the two in Fixed Bath Screens vs. Sliding Tub Doors. The rest of this guide covers paths 2 and 3.

The tub was its own floor, its own waterproofing and its own splash wall. A conversion replaces all three before any glass goes on, in this order:

• Demolition. The tub comes out with the lowest rows of tile or the old surround. Block Renovation notes that crews often find old galvanized supply lines, a rotted stud bay or a slow leak the surround had hidden.
• Plumbing. The drain and the valve are the two decisions that shape the bill (chapter 03).
• Base or pan. Block Renovation measures a standard alcove tub at 60 in. long and 30 or 32 in. deep, so a 60 x 30 or 60 x 32 base fits with no framing changes. A tiled pan allows any shape, but only if the slope and membrane are done right.
• Waterproofing. Tile is not waterproof, so a tiled shower needs a membrane behind it.
• Walls. Panels or tile, carried high enough to cover everywhere the shower sprays.
• Measure, then glass. The finished walls define the opening, so the glass is measured after the tile is set.

VIGO supplies that last step, plus the shower drain and, if you want one, a shower panel. Everything else comes from your contractor or another supplier.

Often you can keep it close, depending on the floor you choose. Block Renovation points out that a tub drain sits at one end of the alcove, while most shower drains go near the center of the pan. A center-drain base usually means opening the floor to move the drain line, which This Old House puts at $900–$1,100.

Two layouts leave the drain roughly where it was. One is a prefabricated base with its outlet at the left or right end, over the old drain. The other is a tiled floor with a linear drain across that end, which slopes the whole floor in one direction. A 24 in. linear drain fits across the 30–32 in. depth of a tub alcove.

Drain size matters too. Hunker notes that shower drains generally use a 2 in. connection, while tub drains are frequently 1 1/2 in., so the old line may need upsizing. Model codes differ on this, so the code your area has adopted decides, and your plumber will know it.

Then there is the valve. Block Renovation explains that a tub-and-shower valve carries a diverter and a drop to the spout, and neither does any work once the tub is gone. The spout comes off, and the valve is either adapted for shower-only use or replaced.

If the valve stays, a retrofit panel adds features without new plumbing. The Orchid Retrofit 2-Jet Shower Panel System (from $284.90) connects where your showerhead is now and keeps your existing handle for on/off and temperature. It adds a rain head, two body jets and an extendable hand shower.

Most conversions run $1,500–$8,000, according to HomeAdvisor, which puts a typical job around $3,000 and the extremes at $1,200–$15,000. This Old House quotes $2,000–$12,000. Homeyou's 2026 average is $4,174, on a range of $2,214–$7,505. Block Renovation runs from $3,500 for a prefabricated conversion to $20,000 for a curbless tiled build. Line by line:

Read the table as a map, not a quote. Whether the drain stays or moves, and whether the walls are panels or tile, swing the budget most. Glass is rarely the biggest line, but it is the part you touch every day.

You need a sliding door built for a 56–60 in. opening, in one of three heights, measured once the walls are finished. The range is built into the hardware: the Elan and Elan E-Class, for example, list Flex-Sizing™, which gives 4 in. of horizontal adjustment during installation.

Height is a real choice. The Amada and the Elan stand 74 in. tall, the Hart Elan and Elan E-Class 76 in., and the Hamilton 78 in. Taller glass contains more spray from a high showerhead or a tall user. Check the clearance from the top of the base to any soffit against the spec sheet first.

The Hamilton spans 56–60 in. at 78 in. tall, with a 22–26 in. door opening. It is the tallest slider in this guide, shown here in matte brushed gold, its in-stock finish.

Once the tile is done, measure like this:

• Width at three heights. Measure wall to wall at the bottom, middle and top. The smallest number must fall inside the door's range.
• Plumb. Put a level on each wall. On the Elan E-Class and the Hamilton, RollerDisk™ allows up to 3/8 in. of adjustment and SmartAdjust™ up to 1/2 in. more, but a badly out-of-plumb wall is a job for the tile setter.
• Height. Measure from the top of the base or curb, not the floor.
• Curb. Check that it is flat, because a slider's bottom guide and seals rest on it.

Tempered glass cannot be cut or drilled after tempering, so nothing is trimmed on site. If your finished width falls outside 56–60 in., choose the neighboring size instead of forcing a fit: the Elan E-Class also comes in 52–56 and 60–64 in. widths. Our shower door measuring guide covers the edge cases.

Check the model code too. The International Residential Code's shower section (P2708) calls for at least 900 sq. in. of interior area, at least 30 in. in the smallest finished dimension and an entry at least 22 in. wide. That 30 in. is measured inside the finished compartment, which is why a 32 in. base buys useful margin. Confirm which edition your building department enforces.

Yes. Keep the 60 in. alcove, close part of the front with a fixed panel and leave the far end open as the entry. VIGO's fixed shower screens are all 34 in. wide. The Meridian Zenith and the Meridian Mosaic both measure 34 x 74 in., which leaves an entry of roughly 26 in. before hardware.

Be honest about splash. A 34 in. panel covers about 57% of a 60 in. opening, and Block Renovation notes that a single fixed panel lets heat and steam escape. The layout has to do the rest:

• Panel at the showerhead end. Anchor it to the valve wall, so the glass shields the side where you stand and the opening is at the far end.
• Spray aimed away from the gap. Angle the head toward the back wall, or use a handheld.
• Floor sloped away from the entry. A linear drain across the valve end, where the tub drain usually sat, gives a single-slope floor.
• Sealed edges. The Zenith's Seal-Thru™ full-length vertical and bottom seals close the joints at the wall and floor.

Curbless is a bigger job, because the floor has to be recessed so the shower can still slope to its drain. Block Renovation estimates that going curbless adds $800–$2,500 over a curbed build, and This Old House puts walk-in showers at $5,000–$12,000 and curbless showers at $8,000–$15,000. If step-free access is the goal, design it with your contractor against local code. Our walk-in and curbless shower guide covers panel placement and low-profile drains.

Reference

Questions, answered