Our Lutsen crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Cook County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
Maybe you are tired of climbing over a high porcelain wall every single morning just to wash off. This common hassle causes daily frustration and even poses a serious slipping hazard for your family. By swapping that old basin for a sleek walk-in enclosure, you instantly create a safer and much more open washing area.
Our dedicated team visits your home to measure your current layout and discuss your vision. This personalized visit ensures you get a precise layout plan without any guesswork. We will guide you through the best materials that fit your budget and match your home design.
Getting a fresh setup does not have to be a messy chore that lasts for weeks on end. Actually, our swift installation process minimizes the disruption to your daily routine. You will enjoy a beautiful, easy-access washing area before you know it.
Think about how often you actually take a full soak these days. Most folks realize they only use the nozzle overhead while the deep basin just collects soap scum and dust. Replacing that unused basin with a spacious floor-level stall frees up physical space and makes your bathroom look twice as big.
This smart swap also saves you tons of cleaning time. Scrubbing grout lines on hands and knees is a painful chore that nobody enjoys. Modern non-porous acrylic bases and wall surrounds resist grime and wipe clean with a simple sponge.
Furthermore, safety becomes a major upgrade when you eliminate the high step over the edge. Slips happen fast on wet porcelain, especially as we get older or deal with joint pain. Removing that barrier gives you peace of mind and keeps everyone in the house safe.
To help you compare your options, we put together a quick look at how these setups match up:
| Feature | Old Basin Setup | New Walk-In Stall |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Height | High threshold (15-20 inches) | Low profile (1-3 inches) |
| Cleaning Effort | Hard scrubbing of deep corners | Quick wipe-down on flat panels |
| Visual Space | Cramped and bulky look | Open, bright, and airy feel |
Living near the chilly waters of Lake Superior means we deal with unique moisture levels and temperature shifts inside our homes. Because of this, you need durable wall surrounds that won't warp or trap mold behind the seams. Our heavy-duty acrylic panels stand up to these local climate challenges beautifully.
If you prefer a high-end look, we can install gorgeous natural stone patterns or composite materials. These options deliver incredible luxury without the constant maintenance that real stone requires. You get the best of both worlds: stunning looks and effortless upkeep.
Additionally, we customize the hardware and fixtures to match your personal style perfectly. Whether you love matte black, brushed nickel, or classic chrome, we have the right fit. Your new setup will blend seamlessly with the rest of your bathroom decor.
Adding grab bars does not mean your bathroom has to look like a cold hospital room. We offer stylish, modern safety bars that blend in with your towel racks and fixtures. These sturdy additions give you extra balance exactly where you need it most.
Another fantastic option is a built-in bench or a fold-away seat. This addition lets you relax while washing and makes shaving your legs incredibly easy. You can pair this with a handheld wand for ultimate control and relaxation.
First, we protect your floors and carpets with heavy drop cloths before we even bring in a single tool. We respect your home and make sure we leave it as clean as we found it. Our crew handles the demolition of the old cast iron or steel fixture with absolute care.
Next, we inspect the underlying subfloor and plumbing to make sure there are no hidden leaks or rot. Fixing these issues early prevents major headaches down the road and secures your investment. We then update the drain location to line up perfectly with your new floor pan.
Finally, we install the leak-proof wall panels and your choice of beautiful glass doors or curtain rods. We seal every joint with high-grade silicone to ensure a watertight finish that lasts for decades. You can step into your gorgeous new wash space with complete confidence.
Many homeowners worry that removing a soaking basin might hurt their chances of selling their property later. However, most modern buyers actually prefer a spacious walk-in stall over a dusty, unused soaking basin. This upgrade makes your home stand out in the local real estate market.
If your home has at least one other full basin elsewhere, making this swap is a no-brainer. It adds modern appeal and shows buyers that the home has been lovingly updated. You get to enjoy the daily convenience now while building equity for the future.
We proudly serve the lovely coastal community of Cook County, where about 265 residents enjoy the gorgeous North Shore views. Families here, with a median household income of $41,989, appreciate honest work and durable home upgrades. We travel right to your doorstep in ZIP code 55612 to provide friendly, face-to-face service.
Our local team understands the specific needs of homes in Minnesota, from cozy cabins to modern lakeside retreats. We take pride in delivering top-tier craftsmanship that withstands our freezing winters and humid summers. You can trust us to treat your home upgrade as if it were our very own.
Are you ready to transform your daily routine and upgrade your bathroom safety? Contact us today to request your completely free, no-obligation project estimate. We will sit down with you, look at your space, and help you design the perfect wash oasis.
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 Lutsen 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 Cook County; the statewide picture lives on Minnesota; 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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