Our New Ulm crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Brown County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
Maybe you feel tired of stepping over that high, slippery ledge every single morning just to wash up. It is actually pretty dangerous... and honestly, who even has time for a long soak these days? By swapping that bulky, outdated basin for an open, low-profile washing area, you instantly make your daily routine much safer and faster.
Our team travels right to your home in Brown County to help you plan this amazing bathroom upgrade. This change gives your space a modern look while saving you from potential slips. If you want to see how this fits your budget, you can easily grab a free estimate from us today.
Let us face the facts about how we actually use our homes. Most of us just want a quick, refreshing wash without the hassle of climbing into a deep, ceramic barrier. When you replace that old basin with a spacious, barrier-free stall, you open up the entire room. This layout change creates a much larger visual area, which makes even a compact room feel like a luxury spa.
Safety is another huge deal here. Thick acrylic bases with slip-resistant textures protect your footing far better than old, curved cast iron. On top of that, cleaning becomes a breeze because you no longer have to bend over double to scrub grime out of deep corners. You simply wipe down the flat wall panels and the low threshold, saving your back from unnecessary pain.
Furthermore, this upgrade keeps your home ready for the future. Whether you plan to stay in your house forever or want to sell it down the road, buyers love seeing a modern, accessible washing space. It adds immediate practical value to your daily life. Our local crew knows exactly how to handle the tricky plumbing behind those old walls to ensure a perfect fit.
First, we carefully remove your existing heavy fixture without damaging the surrounding drywall or flooring. This part of the job requires some serious muscle and experience... especially with those heavy, older models. We handle all the messy disposal so you do not have to worry about hauling heavy debris to the local landfill.
Once the old unit is gone, we inspect the subfloor and wood framing underneath for any hidden water damage. Catching these structural issues early prevents expensive mold problems later. This preparation phase guarantees your new stall sits on a rock-solid, completely dry foundation.
Next, our technicians modify the pipe layout because a standard soaking basin uses a smaller drain than a modern walk-in stall. We widen the waste line to two inches to prevent water from pooling around your feet. This crucial step ensures rapid drainage so your brand new basin never overflows.
After upgrading the drain, we install high-quality pressure-balancing valves behind the wall. These modern valves protect you from sudden bursts of freezing or scalding water when someone else runs a faucet. It is all about making your daily wash as worry-free as possible.
Then, we set the durable acrylic pan and align it perfectly with your floor level. We offer various threshold heights, from ultra-low entryways to completely flush designs. This choice allows you to customize the accessibility level to match your physical needs.
Finally, we seal the walls with premium, non-porous panels that mimic the look of natural stone or classic tile. Because these solid surfaces lack grout lines, they do not harbor mold or mildew. You get a gorgeous, clean look that stays bright with just a simple wipe down.
To give you a better idea of how you can customize your upgrade, we put together this quick comparison table of popular options:
| Feature Option | Main Benefit | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Low-Profile Threshold | Easy entry and exit | High safety needs |
| Built-in Bench | Relaxing seated washing | Restoring independent living |
| Storage Niches | Keeps shampoos organized | Clutter-free look |
| Grab Bars | Extra stability | Slip prevention |
Choosing the right accessories lets you tailor the space to your exact lifestyle. For instance, adding a handheld showerhead on a sliding bar makes it incredibly easy to wash your hair while seated. We walk you through all these choices during our initial visit to make sure we build exactly what you need.
We are proud to serve the wonderful community of New Ulm, Minnesota, which has a rich history and a population of 13,248 residents. Living in this beautiful area means dealing with cold winters, making a warm, draft-free washing space a must-have. Our installations use top-tier insulation behind the walls to keep your washroom cozy even when the temperature drops outside.
With a median household income of $56,288, local homeowners appreciate smart, cost-effective renovations that offer long-term durability. We serve the entire area, including ZIP code 56073, with fast, clean, and respectful service. Because we live nearby, we understand local building codes and get the proper permits quickly to avoid any project delays.
We always respect your home, keeping our workspace tidy and minimizing disruption to your daily life. Our team works efficiently so you do not have to live without a working bathroom for weeks on end. You get premium craftsmanship from friendly neighbors who care about doing the job right the first time.
Think about how much nicer your mornings will be when you step into a beautiful, spacious stall designed just for you. No more awkward climbing... just pure comfort and safety. We make the entire renovation process simple, straightforward, and surprisingly affordable.
Do not wait until a slippery slip happens to make this vital safety upgrade. Contact us today to request your completely free, no-obligation home estimate. We will look at your current setup, discuss your ideas, and give you a clear plan to transform your bathroom into a safer, more beautiful space.
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 New Ulm 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 Brown 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.
Get my free quote