Our Highland crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Madison County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
Maybe you are tired of tripping over that high, dangerous ledge every single morning just to get washed. Indeed, stepping into a giant, deep basin that you never actually fill with hot water feels like a daily chore. Truly, swapping out that old basin for a sleek, walk-in wash space makes your daily routine faster and much safer too.
Imagine never having to scrub those moldy, hard-to-reach corners under the basin rim ever again. Actually, this smart remodel updates your entire home layout while saving you precious floor space. Consequently, you get a clean, open area that feels like a private spa retreat without the hefty price tag.
Right now, our local team is ready to visit your home and give you a free project estimate. Plus, this upfront pricing means you can plan your budget without any hidden surprises or stressful sales pressure. Therefore, you can finally make your dream washroom a reality by taking action today.
First of all, safety is the biggest reason most folks in Madison County make this change. Especially as we get older, balancing on one wet foot while climbing over a high porcelain barrier is a recipe for a bad fall. By removing that hazard, you gain instant peace of mind and protect your joints from unnecessary strain.
Additionally, modern lives run fast, and very few people have time for a long soak anymore. Because of this shift, a spacious standing enclosure fits your actual lifestyle so much better than a dusty, unused basin. On top of that, these sleek stalls use way less water, which keeps your monthly utility bills much lower.
To help you compare the two options, we built a simple breakdown of how they stack up:
| Feature | Old Deep Basin | New Walk-In Stall |
|---|---|---|
| Step-in Height | 14 to 18 inches | 3 to 5 inches (or zero) |
| Cleaning Effort | High (bending over) | Low (wipe down standing up) |
| Water Usage | High (40+ gallons) | Low (efficient showerhead) |
| Floor Space Feel | Cramped and bulky | Open and airy |
Naturally, your home is your castle, and you deserve a setup that works for your daily routine. Since our crew handles the messy teardown and the installation, you do not have to lift a finger. This means you can sit back and watch your outdated space transform into a beautiful, functional asset.
To start the project, our crew carefully protects your floors before we break apart the old heavy fixture. Honestly, those vintage cast iron or cheap acrylic units are incredibly heavy and awkward to haul out. By hiring a local team, you avoid injuring your back or scratching up your hallway walls during demolition.
Once we clear the old unit away, we inspect the subfloor and the hidden framing for water damage. Frequently, slow leaks behind the tiles rot out the wooden studs over several years. Fixing these structural issues early ensures your new floor stays rock-solid for decades to come.
Next, we modify the pipes to fit the new layout since a standing stall requires a larger drain line. Specifically, standard basins use a one-and-a-half-inch pipe, but a proper walk-in setup needs a two-inch pipe to prevent water backup. Which means we run new copper or PEX lines to guarantee perfect water pressure every time you wash.
Besides the drain, we also install high-quality pressure-balancing valves behind your new wall panels. As a result, you will never get scolded with hot water when someone else flushes a toilet in your house. This hidden safety feature makes your daily routine incredibly peaceful and worry-free.
After the plumbing is done, we install beautiful, water-resistant acrylic walls or custom tiles that match your style. Because these materials are non-porous, they resist stubborn soap scum and prevent black mold from taking root. Ultimately, you get to enjoy a gorgeous, sparkling washroom with only a fraction of the cleaning effort.
Finally, we add the finishing touches like heavy-duty grab bars, built-in corner shelves, and sleek glass doors. Indeed, these customizable options let you design a space that fits your physical needs and aesthetic tastes perfectly. This lets you enjoy supreme satisfaction and coziness every time you step inside your new oasis.
Living and working in Illinois means we understand the specific housing styles found throughout our historic neighborhoods. Whether you live in a classic mid-century ranch or a newer build, we know how to navigate older plumbing systems. This local expertise prevents costly mistakes and ensures your remodel complies with all regional building codes.
For context, our lovely community of 10,020 residents deserves reliable, honest contractors who show up on time. With a local median household income of $57,875, we know that home improvements are a major investment for your family. That is why we focus on delivering affordable, high-quality work that truly increases your home equity.
No matter where you are located near ZIP code 62249, our trucks are always nearby and ready to help. Because we are close neighbors, we can easily pop over to inspect your space and answer your questions. This close proximity allows us to finish your project quickly so you can get back to your normal routine.
Of course, we want to be completely transparent about this home improvement project before you sign any paperwork. To be fair, removing the only deep basin in your house can sometimes affect your home value if young families look to buy it later. However, if you have a second bathroom with a tub, this swap is actually a massive selling point.
On the flip side, the daily convenience and physical safety you gain far outweigh any minor resale concerns. Truly, saving your knees from pain and making your bathroom look twice as big is worth the swap. Plus, the quick cleanup time gives you more free hours to enjoy your weekends instead of scrubbing grout lines.
To give you a better idea of how these factors balance out, here is a quick summary:
| The Good Stuff (Pros) | The Drawbacks (Cons) | |
|---|---|---|
| Massively reduces slip-and-fall accidents | Can limit bath options for very young kids | High-end custom tile can take longer to install |
| Makes small bathrooms feel spacious and open | Requires professional plumbing modifications | May require drywall repairs around the old footprint |
| Saves water and lowers utility bills | Initial upfront investment is required | Temporary noise during the demolition phase |
Ultimately, most homeowners tell us they wish they had made this smart upgrade years ago. By choosing our friendly team, you get a stress-free experience from the initial design phase to the final cleanup. We treat your property with absolute respect and leave your home cleaner than we found it.
Now is the perfect time to stop struggling with an outdated, hazardous bathroom layout that does not serve your needs. Fortunately, getting a professional opinion does not cost you a single penny or obligate you to buy anything. Our detailed, written estimates show you exactly what to expect so you can make an informed decision.
During our visit, we will measure your space, discuss style options, and help you choose the best materials. This personalized approach ensures you get a custom layout tailored specifically to your daily habits and budget. We love helping our neighbors build safer, more beautiful homes one project at a time.
So, why wait another day to upgrade your daily routine and protect your long-term mobility? Simply reach out to our team right now to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with our local experts. Let us help you transform your old, bulky wash basin into a stunning, walk-in oasis that you will love using every single day!
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 Highland 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 Madison County; the statewide picture lives on Illinois; 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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