Our Cathro crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Alpena County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
You probably find yourself staring at that big old basin every single morning. This bulky feature takes up half your room and barely gets used anymore. We can help you swap it out for a modern walk-in option today.
When you make this smart change, you instantly gain a safer and much more spacious daily routine. Our local team visits your home to measure everything and give you a free estimate. This simple upgrade completely transforms your daily life without a massive price tag.
Most people realize they do not actually take long baths anymore. Because of this, that giant porcelain monster just sits there collecting dust and soap scum. By removing it, you open up the entire layout of your washing space.
This layout shift means you no longer have to perform high-wire balancing acts every morning. Instead, you step onto a low, flat threshold that keeps your balance secure. Your safety increases ten times over with this simple design change.
On top of that, cleaning becomes incredibly easy because modern solid surfaces do not have those annoying grout lines. Which means you spend less time scrubbing on your knees with harsh chemicals. You get to enjoy your weekend instead of cleaning corners with a toothbrush.
| Old Setup Drawbacks | New Walk-In Benefits |
|---|---|
| High step-over hazard | Low-threshold entry |
| Hard to clean corners | Non-porous easy wipe walls |
| Cramped standing area | Wide open elbow room |
First, we inspect the existing plumbing lines to ensure your drains work perfectly. This prevents future headaches with slow-draining water or hidden leaks behind the drywall. We take precise measurements so your new unit fits snugly into the exact footprint.
Next, our crew carefully demolishes the old cast iron or acrylic beast. We dispose of the heavy debris so you do not have to worry about trips to the local landfill. This saves your back from some serious heavy lifting.
Then, we install the fresh waterproof backer boards and your chosen wall panels. These durable materials resist moisture buildup and keep mold from growing behind your walls. You get a beautiful, clean finish that lasts for decades.
Acrylic wall systems offer a very affordable way to get a high-end look. These durable panels come in various patterns that look just like expensive marble or tile. You get the beauty of natural stone without the high maintenance costs.
If you prefer a more traditional style, real ceramic tiles still offer great durability. We seal the grout lines with advanced sealants to block out moisture. This ensures your beautiful new design stays bright and clean for years.
Adding a sturdy grab bar gives you extra stability when soapy water makes things slick. These bars do not look like hospital equipment anymore because they come in modern finishes like matte black and brushed nickel. You get peace of mind without sacrificing the style of your room.
We also highly recommend installing a built-in bench or a fold-down seat. This feature lets you relax while washing or gives you a safe place to rest your feet. It makes the entire experience much more peaceful and convenient.
We love serving our neighbors around the beautiful shores of Lake Huron. Since we operate right here in this quiet corner of Alpena County, we understand the unique plumbing quirks of older homes in the area. Our team knows how to handle the hard water issues that often plague local pipes.
Whether you live near the historical sites or closer to the quiet wooded areas, we treat your home with respect. With a local population of about 1,690 residents, we treat every customer like a close neighbor. Our reputation in the state of Michigan relies on honest work and fair prices.
We know that local households watch their budgets closely, especially with a modest median household income in these rural parts. That is why we focus on cost-effective remodeling solutions that deliver maximum value. We help you make a smart investment that actually boosts the resale value of your property.
Our service truck travels frequently through the local ZIP codes to deliver quick service. You do not have to wait weeks for a distant company to drive out to your property. We arrive on time, complete the job quickly, and leave your home spotless.
Changing the drain size is a crucial step that amateur handymen often skip. Since a standard washing basin uses a smaller drain than a dedicated standing stall, we adjust the pipes beneath the floor. This prevents water from pooling around your ankles while you wash.
We also inspect your mixing valve to ensure you do not get scalded by sudden temperature drops. Installing an anti-scald pressure-balancing valve keeps the water temperature perfectly steady. This protects kids and elderly family members from sudden bursts of hot water.
Our team also ensures the subfloor remains dry and free of rot before we place the new base. If we find any soft spots in the wood, we repair them immediately. This guarantees a rock-solid foundation that will never sag or creak when you step inside.
When you contact us, we schedule a convenient time to look at your current setup. We do not use high-pressure sales tactics because we prefer letting our work speak for itself. You get honest advice and a detailed breakdown of all the costs involved.
We bring along samples of different wall colors and fixture styles so you can see them in your own lighting. This makes it easy to choose a design that matches the rest of your home. You get to customize every single detail to fit your personal taste.
Once you approve the plan, we schedule the installation and finish most jobs in just a couple of days. This means your daily routine experiences minimal disruption during the renovation. We work fast without cutting corners to get you back into your routine.
Do not spend another day struggling with an outdated and hazardous washing setup. Our friendly team is ready to help you design a beautiful, safe, and open space. We take pride in delivering top-notch craftsmanship to our local community.
Contact us right now to schedule your free home estimate with our skilled crew. We will answer all your questions and help you choose the perfect options for your budget. Take the first step toward a more comfortable home today!
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 Cathro 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.
For the bigger map: county seat pages start at Alpena County; the statewide picture lives on Michigan; the wider region is the Midwest; background reading sits on Wikipedia.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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