Our Rio En Medio crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Santa Fe County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
You can finally say goodbye to that high, slippery wall you have to climb over every single morning just to get washed.
Many home layouts in Santa Fe County come with those deep, bulky basins that nobody actually has time to soak in anymore.
By swapping that outdated setup for a modern, walk-in design, you instantly open up your room and make your daily routine much safer.
This simple layout upgrade completely changes how you experience your morning.
Our crew travels right to your home to look at your setup and we always give you a completely free estimate.
We help you figure out the best way to handle this quick remodel without any stress.
Think about how much space that old acrylic basin actually wastes in your small layout.
When you replace it with a sleek, low-profile basin, you get way more physical room to move around.
This change makes the entire area look twice as big as it did before.
Besides looking great, safety is the biggest reason local homeowners make this switch.
Stepping over a high ledger on wet tiles is a recipe for a nasty slip.
By putting in a low entry threshold, you protect your joints and prevent scary falls.
On top of that, cleaning becomes a total breeze.
You will not have to bend over double anymore to scrub those nasty soap scum rings from deep corners.
Modern wall panels resist grime, which means you spend less time scrubbing on your knees.
Let us look at how the two setups compare for your home:
| Feature | Old Deep Basin | New Walk-In Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Step-In Height | Usually 15 to 18 inches | Less than 3 inches |
| Floor Space | Cramped and narrow | Wide and open |
| Scrubbing Time | High maintenance | Quick wipe down |
First, we carefully remove the existing porcelain or cast-iron basin without ruining your surrounding walls.
This part of the job requires some heavy lifting, but we protect your floors and clean up every speck of dust.
Which means you do not have to worry about a giant mess in your hallway.
Next, we inspect the exposed subfloor and wood framing for any hidden water damage or rot.
Catching these issues early saves you thousands of dollars down the road.
Once we know the structure is solid, we prep the area for the brand-new plumbing layout.
After the old unit is out, we have to modify your drain pipes because the two systems drain differently.
A standard basin uses a smaller drain, while the walk-in style requires a larger pipe to prevent pooling.
We handle all this heavy pipework quickly so your water flows away instantly.
Then, we install your new single-handle valve and showerhead at the perfect height for you.
This lets you customize your water pressure and temperature controls exactly how you like them.
You can even add a handheld sprayer for extra convenience when washing your pets or cleaning the walls.
Now, you get to choose the style of your wall surrounds and base pan.
We offer gorgeous solid surfaces that look exactly like expensive natural stone but do not require any sealing.
These durable materials give you high-end style without the annoying upkeep.
Next, we can talk about adding built-in seating or sturdy safety grab bars.
These features do not have to look like a cold hospital room anymore.
Modern safety hardware comes in beautiful finishes like matte black and brushed gold to match your style.
To top it all off, you can decide between a frameless glass door or a simple curtain rod.
A thick glass enclosure reflects the beautiful natural light in our high-altitude desert region.
This simple choice adds a clean, open feel to your entire home layout.
Living in Rio En Medio, New Mexico, means dealing with unique high-mountain home plumbing quirks.
With an elevation of around 7,000 feet, water pressure and hard mineral content can really affect your fixtures.
Our team knows exactly how to handle these local water issues so your new setup lasts for decades.
Because we live in a small, quiet village of just over 200 residents, we treat every customer like a neighbor.
We know that local homes here range from historic adobe structures to beautiful modern builds.
This means we customize our installation methods to respect the unique architecture of your specific property.
Furthermore, we always make sure your new plumbing meets the strict building codes of Santa Fe County.
We pull the right permits and do the job correctly the very first time.
You can rest easy knowing your investment is completely safe and up to municipal standards.
Many homeowners worry about the price, but this remodeling project is incredibly cost-effective.
It actually costs much less than a full, top-to-bottom bathroom overhaul.
Plus, it adds immediate resale value to your property because buyers love modern, accessible bathrooms.
Consider the median household income in our area, which makes spending money on smart home improvements a wise choice.
You want to invest in upgrades that actually improve your daily life while protecting your home value.
This specific modification is one of the highest-return projects you can undertake.
We work within the 87506 ZIP code and surrounding areas to deliver fast, reliable service.
Since we are local, we do not charge crazy travel fees to get to your mountain home.
We bring all our tools, materials, and friendly expertise right to your doorstep.
Are you ready to stop struggling with that old, useless soaking basin?
Our friendly team is standing by to help you design a space that fits your lifestyle.
We will visit your home, measure your current setup, and give you a detailed price estimate.
This consultation is completely free of charge and carries zero obligation to buy.
We believe in honest, upfront pricing so you do not get hit with surprise fees later.
Let us help you create a beautiful, easy-to-use space that you will love waking up to 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 Rio En Medio 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 Santa Fe County; the statewide picture lives on New Mexico; the wider region is the West.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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