Our Hornick crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Woodbury County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
Maybe you are tired of tripping over that high porcelain ledge every single morning. This common frustration affects so many homeowners who want a modern, open washing area instead of a clunky, outdated tub. By swapping that old basin for a walk-in stall, you instantly create a safer and more spacious environment.
Fortunately, our local team specializes in making this exact layout upgrade happen quickly. We visit your home to measure your space and give you a detailed, free estimate. This layout change solves your daily frustration and breathes new life into your home.
First of all, step-in basins take up a massive amount of physical and visual space in a standard bathroom. When you remove that bulky barrier, you open up the entire room. This choice makes even a small layout feel twice as big.
Additionally, safety becomes a major plus when you eliminate the need to balance on one foot just to get clean. Slips and falls happen way too easily on wet, curved porcelain surfaces. A low-profile threshold solves this issue by letting you walk right in without any awkward climbing.
Moreover, cleaning a flat floor and modern wall panels takes a fraction of the time compared to scrubbing old grout lines and deep basin corners. You will spend less time on your knees with harsh chemicals. This means more free time for things you actually enjoy doing.
To help you compare the two setups, here is a quick breakdown of how they stack up:
| Feature | Old Basin Setup | New Walk-In Stall |
|---|---|---|
| Step-In Height | Usually 14 to 18 inches | Typically 1 to 3 inches |
| Visual Space | Cramped and bulky | Open and airy |
| Maintenance | High (grout, grime curves) | Low (flat surfaces, easy wipe) |
| Accessibility | Difficult and risky | Easy and safe |
First, we start by carefully protecting your floors and hallway before any demolition begins. We do not want to leave a dusty trail through your lovely home. Our crew treats your property with the utmost respect from start to finish.
Next, we extract the heavy, outdated cast iron or acrylic fixture without damaging your surrounding walls. This part of the job requires serious muscle and experience. We handle the heavy lifting so your back does not have to suffer.
Then, we inspect the exposed plumbing and subfloor for any hidden water damage or mold. If we find soft wood or leaky pipes, we fix them right away. This ensures your new setup rests on a rock-solid, dry foundation.
After that, we install the new drain alignment and the waterproof pan. We seal every single corner with commercial-grade materials to prevent future leaks. This step gives you peace of mind knowing your subfloor stays dry forever.
Finally, we mount the beautiful new wall surrounds and fixtures of your choice. You get to watch your old, dark corner transform into a bright, inviting space. We clean up every speck of dust before we hand over the keys to your new oasis.
Naturally, you want your new setup to match your personal style and physical needs perfectly. You can choose from a variety of wall patterns that look like expensive stone or modern tile. These options give you a high-end look without the nightmare of scrubbing tile grout.
Besides the looks, you can add incredibly helpful features like built-in seating or sturdy grab bars. These additions do not have to look like a cold hospital room. We offer stylish, modern hardware finishes that blend safety with a clean aesthetic.
On top of that, we can install custom shelving nooks for all your shampoos and soaps. This keeps your bottles off the floor and neatly organized. You will love having a dedicated, clutter-free spot for your daily essentials.
Living in a cozy, quiet community in the western part of the Hawkeye State means valuing hard work and practical homes. Whether you reside near the local grain elevator or closer to the West Fork Little Sioux River, your property is your castle. Upgrading your property value makes sense in a region where quality housing is highly prized.
With a local population of around 230 people, word travels fast when someone does a great job. We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with our neighbors in this Woodbury County gem. Our reputation depends on the honesty and durability of our craftsmanship.
Considering the local median household income of $57,083, we know that every dollar you invest in your home must count. We focus on providing durable, high-quality upgrades that offer real long-term value. Our team services the entire 51026 area with prompt, reliable service that you can trust.
Perhaps you worry that your bathroom will be out of commission for weeks on end. Actually, our experienced crew usually wraps up the main installation in just a couple of days. We work efficiently to minimize the disruption to your daily routine.
Another common question involves the overall cost of making this layout change. While every home is different, we offer clear, upfront pricing with no hidden fees. Our free on-site estimate ensures you know exactly what to expect before we even pick up a tool.
Sometimes people wonder if removing a soaking basin hurts the resale value of their home. Realtors often agree that having at least one soaking spot in the house is good, but trading a second one for a modern walk-in option actually attracts more buyers. Most modern buyers prefer the convenience and safety of a spacious stall anyway.
Now is the perfect time to stop struggling with an old, inconvenient setup that no longer serves your lifestyle. You deserve a beautiful, accessible space that makes your morning routine a total breeze. Let us help you design a space that fits your needs and budget perfectly.
Simply reach out to us today to schedule your free, no-obligation home consultation. We will come out, look at your current layout, and discuss all the exciting possibilities with you. Take the first step toward a safer, more modern home right now!
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 Hornick 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 Woodbury County; the statewide picture lives on Iowa; 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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