Tub to Not a Shower Conversion

A homeowner in Taylors was having a hard time with the stairs, and the laundry was upstairs. Every load meant a trip up and back. Downstairs, the garden tub in the first-floor bathroom had not been used in years.

So the laundry moved into the tub.

Before

Taking the tub out

The tub and its surround came out first. Part of that surround was the face of the existing shower, so it could not simply be demolished. It had to come off with precision to leave the shower intact.

A new wall instead of cutting concrete

A washer does not drain like a tub. It pumps its water out under pressure and puts the whole load down the line in a short time. The inch and a half tub drain would have struggled to clear that, so it had to come up to two inch.

Moving that drain the usual way would have meant cutting the concrete. Instead we framed a new wall and ran the two inch line inside it, which put the plumbing where it needed to be without breaking up the slab. The electrical went in on a dedicated breaker at the same time, along with the dryer exhaust.

Cutting the tile back

The old tile ran up to where the tub deck had been. We cut it back to a clean line and framed the closet around the opening, then set 12 by 24 porcelain through the alcove.

A patch would have shown. That seam is what you would look at every time you opened the doors.

Shiplap, trim and doors

Shiplap on the walls and ceiling with a recessed light above. The dryer vent and washer box are set flush into the wall so nothing stands off it, which matters when the space is only as deep as a tub was. Then the trim, and barn doors on a track so nothing swings out into the bathroom.

After

Call (864) 747-9325 for a free estimate in Taylors and across the Upstate.

Looking for an actual tub-to-shower conversion? That page covers what we build and what it costs, and how much a tub-to-shower conversion costs breaks the number down.

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