Across Will County, bathtubs that retired years ago give way to showers built in their own footprint.
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Are you tired of tripping over that high porcelain wall every single morning just to wash yourself? This quick guide will show you how trading that bulky basin for a sleek walk-in stall gives your daily routine a major upgrade.
Maybe your kids grew up and moved out years ago. Perhaps you just want a safer bathroom that feels much easier to clean on weekends. Whatever your reason, swapping that outdated fixture changes everything.
That old porcelain tub takes up way too much room in a standard bathroom layout. Removing it lets you enjoy a wide-open shower area without bumping your elbows on the walls.
Standing inside a cramped bathtub while slippery soap suds swirl around your ankles is no fun. Upgrading to a custom walk-in enclosure lets you wash away the stress of the day without any dangerous acrobatics.
Stepping over a high ledge poses a real hazard as we all get older. Removing that barrier gives you total peace of mind every time you step inside to clean up.
Falls in the bathroom send thousands of folks to the hospital every year. Adding a low-threshold entry pan protects you and your loved ones from nasty slips and trips.
Scrubbing grout lines in a deep tub makes your back hurt after about five minutes. Smooth acrylic wall panels mean you spend less time scrubbing and more time relaxing.
Mold and mildew love to hide in the corners of old caulking around standard bathtubs. Modern solid-surface surrounds give grime nowhere to hide, which makes weekly maintenance an absolute breeze.
Picking out the right shower base determines how much space you have left for your vanity. You can choose between a neo-angle design or a spacious rectangular stall.
Glass doors make even the smallest powder room look twice its actual size. Choosing clear glass panels lets natural light flood your washing space instead of blocking it.
Rain shower heads give you that luxury spa feeling right in your own home. Having water cascade down from above turns a basic routine into a truly relaxing daily ritual.
Handheld spray wands make washing your pets or rinsing the walls so much simpler. This handy feature saves you tons of time during your weekly bathroom cleanup.
Living right here in Will County, Illinois means dealing with hard water that leaves crusty buildup everywhere. Our local service crews know exactly how to install materials that resist mineral stains.
Properties across this region span from historic Joliet homes to newer builds in Naperville. Each house needs a custom approach because plumbing runs differently depending on the decade it was built.
Buyers today prefer walk-in showers over giant soaking tubs when shopping for real estate. Upgrading your bathroom makes your property much more attractive on the local market.
Investing in your home value pays off big time when you decide to sell down the road. Local real estate agents will tell you that updated washrooms sell houses faster.
Demolition day gets loud and messy as the old cast iron tub comes out in pieces. Crews protect your floors with heavy drop cloths before swinging any sledgehammers.
Plumbers inspect the subfloor for water damage once the old unit is fully removed. Fixing hidden rot right away ensures your new shower stands strong for decades.
Most projects take less than a week from start to finish so your routine stays uninterrupted. Professional installers haul away all the heavy debris when the job finishes.
You can finally use your brand-new stall just twenty-four hours after the silicone sealant cures. That fast turnaround time keeps your household running smoothly without long delays.
Look at this helpful breakdown to see how updating your washing space compares to keeping that old tub.
| Feature | Old Bathtub | New Walk-In Shower |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Height | High and dangerous | Low or zero threshold |
| Cleaning Time | High effort scrubbing | Quick wipe down |
| Space Feel | Cramped and dark | Open and bright |
That comparison makes it pretty clear why so many homeowners are making the switch. You gain usable square footage and a much safer environment instantly.
Stop putting up with a cramped and outdated bathroom that stresses you out every morning. Getting a professional estimate costs you nothing and clears up all your questions.
Local contractors are standing by right now to measure your space and discuss design ideas. Reach out today to request your free quote and start planning your dream bathroom upgrade.
Friendly local technicians will visit your home to inspect your current plumbing setup at no charge. Claim your free estimate right now and take the first step toward a safer home.
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 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.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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