One alcove in Buildings and architecture of New Orleans is about to earn its keep again. The New Orleans crew handles demo, plumbing, walls and glass.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
So you are sick of climbing over that high porcelain wall just to wash off. This lets you finally ditch the soaking basin for a sleek walk-in glass shower setup right here in the historic Big Easy.
Now is the best time to think about upgrading your cramped bathroom space. Which means you get to enjoy a safer and much easier daily routine without breaking your back.
Most houses around these parts feature old cast iron basins that take up way too much room. This leaves you with barely any moving space while you try to get clean in the morning.
Besides that, stepping over a giant ledge increases your chances of taking a nasty spill. This upgrade helps you avoid slips and keeps your bathroom much safer for everyone in the house.
Many locals wonder how the messy demolition process actually works in practice. Fortunately, our crew handles all the heavy lifting so you do not have to stress over the debris.
Every single project gets customized to fit your exact plumbing layout and room dimensions. This ensures your new setup looks like it was always part of the original blueprint.
Older properties often hide rusted pipes and uneven subfloors behind the wall tiles. That means we have to inspect everything closely before putting in your brand new basin replacement.
Our team brings years of local experience dealing with these exact structural quirks. Because of this, you avoid hidden surprises that usually pop up midway through a renovation.
South Louisiana weather brings intense humidity that can easily ruin cheap building products. Therefore, we only use moisture-resistant backers and high-grade acrylic surfaces that laugh at mold.
Additionally, installing thick tempered glass doors gives you that open and airy feeling. This lets natural light bounce around your bathroom making the whole room look twice as big.
| Feature Comparison | Old Basin Style | Modern Walk-In Setup | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Barrier | High wall to climb | Flush or low threshold | |
| Cleaning Effort | Scrubbing deep curves | Quick wipe down | |
| Floor Space | Cramped and bulky | Open and spacious | |
| Safety Level | Slippery porcelain | Textured non-slip floor |
Renovating your washroom requires a clear budget and honest pricing from the start. That is why we always come out to your property to provide a completely free estimate.
You deserve to know all the costs upfront without any shady hidden fees popping up later. This transparency lets you plan your home improvements with total peace of mind.
First things first, we carefully rip out that bulky old porcelain monster and haul it away. This gives us a completely blank slate to check your studs and fix any hidden leaks.
Next, we waterproof the entire enclosure using heavy-duty membranes designed to block moisture completely. This guarantees your investment stays solid and dry for many decades to come.
Some homeowners prefer multiple body sprayers while others just want a simple rainfall showerhead. Whatever you choose, we install the exact plumbing fixtures that match your personal style.
Furthermore, built-in corner shelves give you plenty of room for all your shampoo bottles. This keeps your new washing area looking tidy and clutter-free every single day.
Cleaning a massive glass enclosure might sound like a huge chore at first glance. However, applying a special protective coating makes water bead right off without leaving soap scum.
You simply run a squeegee across the glass after your shower to keep things sparkling. This means less time scrubbing and more time relaxing in your upgraded home.
Future buyers always look for updated bathrooms when touring houses in the Pelican State. Upgrading your wash space instantly catches their eye and makes your property much more desirable.
Even if you plan on staying put for years, your daily life improves right away. This simple change turns a dreaded morning routine into the best part of your day.
You have read enough about how much better your mornings could actually be. Now you just need to reach out and let us handle the heavy work for you.
Getting started is completely free and requires zero commitment from your side today. Drop us a message right now to schedule your very own no-pressure estimate.
Count the baths your household actually ran last year. In most homes we visit, the honest number is somewhere between zero and three, and yet every single morning somebody swings a leg over fifteen inches of porcelain rim to stand up and shower inside a fixture built for lying down. The tub charges rent daily and works a few evenings a year.
Nothing dramatic follows from that. Nobody is in danger because a bathtub exists, and if long soaks are part of your week, keep the tub and enjoy it with our blessing. The case for the conversion is plainer: when the tub has become a shower tray with high sides, you are paying, in caution and in cleaning, for a feature you retired years ago.
The swap itself is smaller than most people picture. The supply lines, the drain and the alcove walls are already exactly where a shower wants them, which is why this is a job measured in days. We are not building a new bathroom; we are letting the one you have stop pretending it still gives baths.
The same alcove, photographed the way the week actually unfolds. Weather never delays this one; it all happens indoors.
Floors along the hallway get covered, the water goes off for a few hours, and the bathtub is cut free and carried out, tile flange and all. With the alcove stripped, the plumber moves the drain to where the new pan wants it and sets the new valve at shower height. By supper the room is bare, clean and ready.
The base arrives first: an acrylic pan set dead level on a mortar bed, or a sloped, waterproofed floor when the plan says curbless. Then the walls close in, either grout-free panels bonded in a single afternoon or backer board ready for tile. Everything from here on is watertight before it is pretty.
The glass panel or door is drilled, hung and plumbed straight, the trim goes on, and the silicone lines are drawn last. Silicone wants a day to cure, so the first shower usually happens the following morning, which is exactly how we schedule the walkthrough.
Both are real showers in the same alcove. The difference is the entry, and what has to happen under it.
| What you weigh | Low curb | Curbless |
|---|---|---|
| What stands at the entry | A tidy threshold about 3 to 4 inches tall | Nothing. The bathroom floor rolls straight into the shower |
| Cost, installed | The friendlier bracket, most jobs land here | Roughly a third to a half more, the floor is rebuilt |
| What the crew rebuilds | The alcove only; the bathroom floor stays shut | Part of the bathroom floor, sloped and waterproofed |
| Water containment | The curb and glass do the holding | The slope and a linear drain do the holding |
| Suits best | Straight swaps on a budget and upstairs bathrooms | Wheels, walkers, and anyone planning to stay put for decades |
Undecided is a fine answer on the form. The site visit settles it with a tape measure, not a sales pitch.
Removal
Cut free, hauled out and off to recycling, with floors and doorways shielded on the way. The loudest hour of the conversion, and it wraps before most jobs have begun.
Plumbing
Tub drains sit at one end; showers drain where the pan says. We move what needs moving and swap the old valve for a pressure-balanced one.
The base
A level acrylic pan for most swaps, a mortar-built sloped floor for curbless plans. Either way it is tested with water before anything covers it.
The walls
Grout-free panels go up in an afternoon and wipe clean forever. Tile takes longer, costs more, and looks like whatever you can imagine.
The glass
A fixed panel keeps things open and easy to clean; a hinged door closes the warmth in. Both are tempered, both are set dead straight.
The finish
Shelving, the hand shower, clean caulk lines and a walkthrough. We leave the cure time in writing so the first shower is not a gamble.
| The job | Usual range | Inside the number |
|---|---|---|
| Standard tub-to-shower conversion | $3,100 - $5,600 | Tub out, low curb pan, wall panels, new valve, glass panel. |
| Curbless conversion | $4,900 - $8,800 | The floor is rebuilt flush and sloped to a linear drain. |
| Glass: fixed panel or hinged door | $450 - $1,400 | A single panel sits at the low end, a framed door at the top. |
| Walls: PVC panels or tile | $1,100 - $3,900 | Panels finish in a day; tile adds days and takes any look you want. |
| Tear-out only | $450 - $950 | The tub gone and the alcove left clean for another trade. |
| Small job minimum | around $2,400 | Even the simplest swap books a licensed plumber and a full crew. |
Wall condition, drain position and the glass you choose move every line. The visit pins the figure down, and the figure then holds.
A bathtub drains at one end through its own trap; most showers want the drain nearer the middle, or along one edge when the plan is curbless. Sometimes the existing trap is close enough to reuse and sometimes it has to travel a foot or two, which means opening a strip of floor. We can usually tell which from the basement or the crawl space during the visit, and the paperwork you sign already names which one you are getting.
Houses older than the seventies like to add a surprise: galvanized supply lines rusted nearly shut, a cast iron trap that crumbles at a touch, or framing that got damp decades ago and kept it quiet. None of it is rare and none of it is ruinous, but it is your call, not ours. When something like that turns up, work pauses, you get photographs and a price for the fix, and nothing is billed until you have said yes to it. A conversion should never be the job where the invoice writes itself.
QIs losing the only bathtub a resale mistake?
AAgents around Buildings and architecture of New Orleans repeat one rule: a family house shows better with a tub somewhere in it. If this is your only tub and small children are in your plans, we put that on the table during the visit and you decide with open eyes. If another bathroom keeps its tub, or the buyers you expect are shower people, the argument evaporates.
QHow long do we go without washing?
AThe toilet and sink stay usable every evening, and the water is only off for stretches on day one. The shower itself is ready once the silicone cures, so figure on missing roughly three days of showers at home. Plenty of clients time the job before a weekend away.
QDoes all the old tile come off the walls?
AOn the alcove walls, yes, because the new waterproofing needs to start from the studs, not from forty-year-old grout. Tile outside the alcove stays put, and we cut a clean line where the two meet.
QCan the new shower use the tub drain?
AThe pipe itself is nearly always reusable; the position is the question. A low curb pan can often sit its drain within reach of the old trap. Curbless floors want a relocated or linear drain, and that difference is priced before demo, never discovered after.
QDo we need a permit for the swap?
AA like-for-like fixture swap usually rides on a simple plumbing permit, and moving the drain can add an inspection. We file whatever your jurisdiction wants and fold the cost into the written price.
QWhat if there is rot behind the tub?
AIt happens, mostly around the old tile flange. You get photographs the hour we find it, a firm price for the repair, and the choice to proceed or pause. The framing fix is usually a morning, not a remodel.
The map carries the geography; the link lists underneath spell out every town our crews can reach from this one.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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