Converting the tub to a walk-in shower, for someone who needs it to work

What is walk in shower conversion?

A walk-in shower conversion removes the bathtub and replaces it with a shower the bather steps - or rolls - into over a low curb or no curb at all. For accessibility, the version that matters is the curbless or low-threshold one, with a seat, a handheld sprayer and grab bars fixed to real blocking in the wall. It is the modification that most reliably restores independent bathing, and it does not require anybody to sit and wait for water.

Signs you need walk in shower conversion

• The person can bathe safely seated but cannot stand for a whole shower
• Stepping over the tub wall is the specific point at which help is needed
• A carer currently has to lean over a tub wall to assist, which is hard on their back and unstable for both people
• A shower chair or a wheeled shower commode is already in use, or is likely to be soon
• The bathroom is being renovated anyway and this is the moment to make the change once
• The household wants a bathroom that reads as a bathroom, not as a piece of medical equipment

Seeing something not on this list? Browse walk-in tubs problems by symptom →

How walk in shower conversion actually works

1. 1

   Decide curbless or low-threshold - this is the whole project

   A truly curbless, roll-in shower needs the shower floor to sit level with, or slightly below, the bathroom floor while still draining. A low-threshold shower keeps a small upstand and is far less invasive. Which one you need depends on whether a wheelchair or a wheeled shower chair has to roll in.

   Watch forBeing quoted a "walk-in shower" that turns out to have a curb the person still cannot step over. Ask explicitly: is this curbless, and if not, how high is the threshold?

2. 2

   Look at the floor structure before anything is promised

   Curbless usually means the shower pan has to be recessed into the floor, which means working within the floor joists below. In a house on a concrete slab the options are different again. This is the assessment that determines whether curbless is affordable in your house or not.

   Watch forA curbless price given before anyone has been under the floor or into the room below. On an upper floor with shallow joists, achieving curbless can require framing work that changes the number substantially.

3. 3

   Drainage design

   A barrier-free shower has to move water reliably without a curb holding it in, which usually means a linear drain along one edge and a floor pitched carefully toward it. Get this wrong and water tracks out onto the bathroom floor, which is exactly the hazard you were trying to remove.

   Watch forA conventional centre drain in a curbless layout with no explanation of how water is being contained. Ask what stops water leaving the shower area and where it goes.

4. 4

   Waterproofing the wet area

   Without a curb, the waterproof membrane has to extend further and be detailed properly at the floor-wall junction and around the drain. This is the invisible part of the job and the part that causes expensive failures years later.

   Watch forWaterproofing described only as "we'll seal it". Ask what system is being used and whether it is a bonded membrane - and get the answer written on the quote.

5. 5

   Blocking in the walls for grab bars and a seat

   Grab bars and fold-down seats must fasten into solid backing installed in the wall while it is open. This is the cheapest thing on this list and the one most often skipped, because the walls are only open once.

   Watch forAnyone proposing to fix a grab bar to tile and drywall with anchors after the fact. Have blocking installed everywhere a bar or a seat might ever go - including places nobody needs today - because adding it later means opening the wall again. Load ratings and mounting requirements are set by the product manufacturer and by code; insist your contractor installs to those, and get the manufacturer instructions.

6. 6

   Fixtures chosen for how the person actually bathes

   A handheld sprayer on a slide bar so it can be used seated. A thermostatic or anti-scald valve. Controls reachable from the seat, not from standing. A fold-down seat or a bench, positioned so the reach to the controls works.

   Watch forControls placed at standing height out of habit. Sit in the position the bather will sit in and check they can reach the valve and the sprayer before the plumbing is fixed.

7. 7

   Door, curtain, or nothing

   A hinged glass door is often the wrong answer for accessibility: it narrows the opening and can block a carer. A curtain, or an open walk-in screen with no door, keeps the entry clear and lets someone assist from outside.

   Watch forA frameless glass enclosure specified because it looks better in the showroom. It looks better; it is frequently worse to use.

What does walk in shower conversion cost?

Tub-to-shower conversions commonly run between $5,000 and $20,000. Low-threshold conversions sit at the lower end; a truly curbless roll-in shower needing floor structure work sits at the upper end or beyond. Blocking, a seat and a handheld sprayer add little and are the highest-value items on the list.

See the full walk in shower conversion cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →