Walk-in shower installation, when you are creating the wet zone

Locate the drain where structure and slope allow it

A new walk-in shower is a plumbing layout problem first. Joist direction, slab cuts, stack proximity and the fall you can build into the pan decide whether a centre drain, offset drain or linear drain is honest. Designing the glass shape before the drain is fixed is backwards.

Watch for: A floor plan with a beautiful enclosure and a drain note that says "as needed." Drain position is the design.

Choose curb, low curb or curbless — with the waterproofing that matches

Curbless and micro-threshold showers need continuous floor waterproofing that extends beyond the shower into the room plane, careful slope, and often a linear drain. A traditional curb is more forgiving and still reads as walk-in if the opening is wide and the curb is low. Match the detail to skill and budget, not only to a photo.

Watch for: Curbless promised without floor recess, linear drain or extended membrane. That is a wet bathroom, not a walk-in detail.

Build the pan: prefab base or site-built receptor

Prefab bases speed install when dimensions fit and the drain aligns. Site-built tiled pans allow custom sizes and linear drains but demand correct pre-slope, membrane or tray system, and final slope. Neither is "better" universally; each fails in characteristic ways when rushed.

Watch for: A custom tile pan quoted at prefab labour hours. Site-built wet work has cure times and inspection logic of its own.

Waterproof as a continuous envelope, not a paint-on afterthought

Walls, corners, niches, bench interfaces and the floor-to-wall joint need a named system — sheet membrane, liquid system or proprietary board system — detailed to the manufacturer's method. New walk-ins fail when people tile drywall or stop the membrane at an imaginary shower line.

Watch for: Greenboard or standard drywall called a shower backer. Ask for the system name on the quote and photos before tile.

Set valves, niches and benches while the wall is open

Control placement for standing use, blocking for future seats or grab bars, niches above the flood plane, and any bench framed and waterproofed as part of the envelope. Accessories planned after tile become surface-mounted regrets.

Watch for: A rain head with controls that force you to step into cold water to turn it on — a layout error, not a fixture error.

Finish walls and measure glass from the true opening

Tile or slab walls must be plumb enough for glass hardware. Measure for panels only after finishes are on. Doorless openings need enough length and thoughtful head placement so spray stays inside; not every room supports a true open walk-in without a panel.

Watch for: Glass ordered from rough openings. Re-fabrication after the walls move a quarter inch is a luxury nobody enjoys paying for twice.

Water-test the pan and the enclosure before celebrating

Flood-test or run-test according to the system, then run the shower long enough to check containment at the opening, seepage at niches and drainage speed. A new walk-in that ponds or creeps water into the room fails its only job.

Watch for: Final payment before a meaningful water test. New construction leaks are cheapest to fix before the room is put back together around the shower.