Tub-to-Shower Conversions & Walk-In Shower Installations -- South Florida
Finally Replace That Tub With the Shower You Actually Want.
Avani handles tub-to-shower conversions, walk-in shower upgrades, and curbless shower installations across South Florida. Experienced remodeling team Waterproofing done right. Results that hold up.
The Most-Used Surface in Your Home Deserves to Work the Way You Want It
Most South Florida homeowners with a tub in their primary bathroom use the shower every day and the tub almost never. Meanwhile, the tub takes up a significant portion of the room, limits how the space can be configured, and dates the bathroom visually more than almost any other single element.
A tub-to-shower conversion isn't just an aesthetic upgrade -- it's a reconfiguration of how the space actually functions. A well-executed walk-in shower with the right tile work, a frameless glass enclosure, and a linear drain creates a bathroom that feels larger, functions better, and looks like it was designed rather than assembled.
At Avani, we handle shower conversions and walk-in shower installations as a standalone service or as part of a broader bathroom remodel. Either way, the work is done to a licensed GC standard: properly waterproofed, properly permitted where required, and properly built so that the finished shower holds up to daily use without water damage behind the walls.
"Seventy percent of homeowners with a tub in their primary bathroom never use it. The ones who convert it never look back."
Five Conversion Projects We Build Every Day
Not all shower and tub conversion projects are the same scope or investment. Here are the five most common project types we handle -- and what each one typically involves:
Tub-to-Shower Conversion
Remove the tub. Build the shower you actually use.
The most common conversion project: removing an existing alcove or drop-in tub and replacing it with a fully custom walk-in shower. We demo the tub and surround, reconfigure the plumbing, install a waterproofed shower pan or linear drain system, tile the walls and floor, and finish with a frameless glass enclosure. The footprint stays the same -- the function and appearance change completely.
Best for: Primary or guest bath homeowners who have stopped using the tub and want to reclaim the space as a functional, beautiful shower
Typical investment:$15,000 -- $35,000 depending on tile selection, glass enclosure, and plumbing changes
Walk-In Shower Expansion
More room. No threshold. Better every morning.
Taking an existing shower and expanding it -- either by using the tub footprint or by modifying the bathroom layout -- to create a larger, more generous walk-in shower. This may involve relocating a wall, removing a threshold, or reconfiguring the plumbing layout. The result is a shower that actually fits the way you want to use it: room for a bench, a rainfall head, a niche, a secondary showerhead.
Best for: Homeowners with a functional but undersized existing shower who want to reclaim adjacent space
Typical investment:$20,000 -- $50,000 depending on layout changes and scope
Curbless / Zero-Threshold Shower
No step. No barrier. Just floor.
A curbless shower -- also called a zero-threshold or barrier-free shower -- is a shower with no raised curb or threshold at the entry. The floor continues seamlessly from the bathroom into the shower zone, with a linear drain or center drain managing the water. It creates an open, modern aesthetic and is also the right design choice for accessibility and aging-in-place considerations. Building it correctly requires precise floor slope engineering and a full waterproofing system.
Best for: Homeowners who want a modern, open aesthetic; those designing for accessibility or aging in place; wet room adjacency
Typical investment: $18,000 -- $40,000 depending on drain type, tile selection, and glass configuration
Shower-to-Tub Addition
Add the soaking tub you've always wanted.
The reverse scenario: a bathroom that currently has only a shower and needs a soaking tub added -- either in the same footprint or in an adjacent space. This project typically involves structural coordination, plumbing rough-in for the tub fill and drain, a platform or surround construction, and tile work to integrate the tub into the overall bathroom design. Often part of a broader primary suite remodel.
Best for: Primary suite owners building out a luxury bathroom who want both a soaking tub and a separate shower
Typical investment:$15,000 -- $40,000 for the tub installation standalone; often part of a larger remodel
Full Shower Rebuild
Tear it out. Build it right.
An existing shower that is leaking, has failing tile or grout, shows signs of moisture damage behind the walls, or simply needs to be rebuilt from scratch. We demo down to the studs, inspect for water damage (and repair it), install a new waterproofing system, and rebuild the shower completely with new tile, new plumbing fixtures, and a new glass enclosure. If the shower has been leaking, the rebuild is the only real solution.
Best for: Homeowners with a shower that is visually outdated, functionally compromised, or showing signs of water damage behind the tile
Typical investment:$12,000 -- $30,000 depending on size, tile selection, and extent of any water damage remediation
Should You Convert? Here's How to Think About It.
Not every homeowner should convert their tub. A household with young children almost always needs at least one tub in the home. A primary suite with a separate freestanding soaking tub and a shower is the best of both. But for the majority of South Florida homeowners with a tub in their primary bathroom that hasn't been used in years, the conversion conversation is usually straightforward. Here is how to think through it:
One Team Handles Everything -- From Plumbing to the Final Tile
A shower conversion touches more trades than most homeowners expect: plumbing, waterproofing, tile, glass, electrical for lighting, and painting. As an experienced remodeling team, Avani manages every trade in your conversion. You deal with one team and get one finished product.
Standard Conversion Scope
Existing tub and surround demolition and removal
Plumbing reconfiguration for shower valve, showerhead, and drain
Waterproofing system: cement board or waterproof panel, membrane, shower pan or linear drain
Custom tile installation: walls, floor, niche, bench
Frameless or semi-frameless glass enclosure installation
Showerhead and valve fixture installation
Exhaust fan upgrade if needed
Lighting update or addition in shower area
Painting and touch-up work
Permitting coordination where required
Upgrades & Specialty Options
Curbless / zero-threshold entry design
Linear drain (vs. standard center drain)
Ceiling-mount rainfall showerhead
Thermostatic multi-function shower system
Body spray panels
Built-in bench construction and tile
Custom niche design (single or multi-niche)
Steam shower conversion (full enclosure + generator)
Heated floor installation under tile
Custom frameless glass panel wet room design
Soaking tub rough-in and platform construction
Smart mirror or lighting controls
A Beautiful Shower That Fails in Three Years Isn't a Bargain
The most common shower failure in South Florida homes is not a cracked tile or a leaky faucet. It is water getting behind the tile -- slowly, invisibly, for months or years -- until there is mold and rot in the wall framing, structural damage to the subfloor, and a full tear-out that costs three times what a proper installation would have. Waterproofing is not optional. It is the foundation of every shower we build.
Waterproofing Before Tile -- Every Time
Every wet area Avani builds starts with a complete waterproofing system: cement backer board or a waterproof panel product like Schluter Kerdi or USG Durock, RedGard or equivalent membrane applied to all surfaces, and a properly sloped shower pan that moves water toward the drain -- not away from it. This work is inspected before any tile goes in. We do not tile over an unverified waterproof surface.
Permit and Inspection Where Required
Plumbing modifications in a shower conversion typically require a permit in Florida. We pull required permits and schedule the rough-in inspection before work continues. Unpermitted plumbing work is a liability at resale and, more importantly, means the work was never inspected. Our work is permitted and inspected. That is the standard.
Drain and Slope Engineering
A shower floor that doesn't slope correctly toward the drain doesn't just hold water -- it sends it sideways into the wall. A linear drain that isn't properly sloped pools water at the far end. These are not minor finishing details. They are structural waterproofing decisions. We engineer the floor slope and drain position correctly at the planning phase, before the mud bed is poured.
An experienced remodeling team, Not a Tile Contractor
The difference between an experienced remodeling team managing your shower conversion and hiring a tile contractor directly is not just administrative. An experienced remodeling team coordinates the plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, and tile trades as a single accountable project. A tile contractor installs tile. If the plumbing rough-in is wrong, or the waterproofing was inadequate, a tile contractor cannot be held responsible for what happens behind the walls. We can.
The Right Tile and Glass Make the Difference
Tile and glass are the two design decisions that most affect how a finished shower looks. Here is a quick overview of the options we work with:
Tile Options
Large-format porcelain (12x24, 24x48) -- clean, minimal grout lines
Subway tile in any format -- classic, versatile, budget-friendly
Natural marble tile or marble-look porcelain
Textured stone or wood-look porcelain for warmth
Book-matched slab tile for luxury projects
2x2 or 3x3 mosaic tile (grout lines add grip)
Large-format with anti-slip finish
Linear stone strips for a modern look
Penny tile for classic or transitional designs
Contrasting tile in the niche for visual interest
Mosaic accent strip between wall tile zones
Bench tile matched to floor or contrasted intentionally
Glass Enclosure Options
3/8" or 1/2" tempered clear glass
Pivot, swing, or sliding door configurations
Hardware in brushed nickel, matte black, polished chrome, or unlacquered brass
No metal frame at edges -- tile reads to the edge of the glass
Highest-quality look; easiest to clean
Frame at the door only; no frame on fixed panels
More affordable than full frameless
Good middle-ground option for budget-conscious projects
Wet room glass panel (no door -- open entry)
Walk-in panel only (no door for larger curbless showers)
Frosted or privacy glass options available
Steam shower fully sealed glass with top closure
From Consultation to Completed Shower - A Clear Process
We visit your bathroom, take measurements, walk through the conversion options that make sense for your space and budget, and provide a detailed project estimate. You know what the project costs and what it looks like before you commit.
We finalize the shower layout, tile selection, drain type, glass configuration, and fixture choices. All selections are approved before demolition begins.
We demo the existing tub or shower, inspect the wall framing for any existing moisture damage (and address it if found), install the complete waterproofing system, and pour the shower pan or set the linear drain. The waterproofing phase is inspected before tile begins.
Tile installation, frameless glass enclosure, plumbing fixture rough-out, lighting, and any finish work. Every trade is sequenced and coordinated.
We walk through the finished shower with you. Punch list items are addressed before we close out the project. Your shower is done and it is right.
Shower Conversions We've Built Across South Florida
Shower Conversion Questions — Answered
A tub-to-shower conversion in South Florida typically ranges from $15,000 to $35,000 depending on the shower size, tile selection, glass enclosure type, and whether any plumbing relocation is involved. More complex conversions with curbless entries, linear drains, or specialty tile selections fall in the upper range. We provide a detailed estimate at the consultation so you know exactly what your project costs before anything begins.
Most tub-to-shower conversions take 2 to 4 weeks from demo to completion. Projects involving plumbing relocation, custom tile orders, or specialty glass may take longer. We give you a realistic schedule at the outset and communicate clearly if anything changes.
It depends on the scope. If the conversion involves plumbing modifications -- relocating the drain, changing the valve location, or adding new supply lines -- a permit is typically required in Florida. As a licensed general contractor, we assess the permit requirement for every project and pull permits where needed. We never skip permits on work that requires them.
In most cases, no -- especially in South Florida. The conventional wisdom that every home needs at least one bathtub for resale is largely accurate, but it applies to having at least one tub in the home -- not one in every bathroom. If your primary suite is the only bathroom in the home, we'll discuss that with you directly. If you have a second bathroom with a tub, converting your primary bathroom tub to a walk-in shower almost always improves both daily function and buyer appeal.
A curbless shower (also called zero-threshold or barrier-free) has no raised curb at the entry -- the floor continues seamlessly into the shower zone with the drain managing water flow. It requires precise floor slope engineering and a full waterproofing system, which makes it slightly more complex to build correctly than a standard curbed shower. When it is built right, it is one of the most desirable shower configurations for both daily use and resale appeal.
Re-grouting is cosmetic and addresses the surface only. If the grout is cracking or tiles are loose, water has almost certainly been getting behind the tile -- which means the waterproofing has been compromised for some time. Re-grouting that shower delays the problem without solving it. In most cases where there is structural grout failure or loose tile, a full rebuild is the right call. We'll assess the situation honestly during the consultation and tell you what we find.
What Our Outdoor Living Clients Say
Shower & Tub Conversions Across South Florida
Palm Beach to Homestead. Whether you're in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Coral Gables, or any of the communities in between -- we serve your area with the same licensed GC standard on every project.
Ready to Finally Replace That Tub?
Whether you're ready to move forward or still figuring out what your project looks like, we'd love to hear about it. We'll come to your home, take a look at the space, and give you a clear picture of what a conversion costs and how long it takes. No pressure. No obligation.