Pulling out a tub that nobody has used in years and replacing it with a walk-in shower is one of the most requested bathroom projects in the DMV right now. Older homes across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia almost all came with a standard 60-inch tub-and-shower combo — and for a lot of households, that tub is just wasted space with a slippery step-over. Here's what a conversion actually costs, how long it takes, and where the money goes.
WHAT A CONVERSION COSTS IN THE DMV
| Scope | Typical Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Prefab acrylic shower base + wall panels | $3,500 – $6,500 |
| Custom tiled walk-in shower | $6,500 – $13,000 |
| Framed / semi-frameless glass door | $900 – $2,000 |
| Frameless glass enclosure | $1,500 – $3,500 |
| Moving the drain or valve location | $600 – $1,800 |
| Built-in niche or bench (each) | $350 – $900 |
The spread between prefab and custom tile comes down to labor. A prefab system installs in days and looks clean. A custom tiled shower — like the large-format tile with a mosaic niche in the photo above, from one of our recent DMV projects — takes longer because every step is built on site: pan slope, waterproofing, tile layout, grout, and sealing.
WHERE THE MONEY ACTUALLY GOES
Three things move the price more than anything else. First, tile choice — large-format porcelain installs differently than 12x12s, and mosaic accents add layout time. Second, glass: a frameless panel is fabricated to the millimeter for your exact opening, which is why it costs more than a framed unit off the shelf. Third, plumbing changes. Keeping the drain and valve where they are keeps the plumbing bill small; moving them means opening the floor or the wall behind.
HOW LONG IT TAKES
A prefab conversion is typically 2–3 working days. A custom tiled shower runs 5–10 working days: demo, rough plumbing, pan and waterproofing (with cure time), tile, grout, and fixtures. One thing to plan around — frameless glass is measured after the tile is done, and fabrication takes 1–2 weeks. The shower is usable with a curtain in the meantime, but the finished look arrives with the glass.
Resale note: appraisers and buyers in the DMV still want at least one tub in the house for kids and pets. If you have two or more full bathrooms, converting one to a walk-in shower is an upgrade. If it's your only bathroom, think carefully before losing the tub.
THE WATERPROOFING WARNING
Cheap conversions don't fail at the tile — they fail behind it. Water finds its way through grout eventually; the membrane system behind the tile is what keeps it out of your framing and subfloor. A proper build includes a sloped pan, a full waterproofing membrane on the walls, and flood-tested corners before a single tile goes up. It's invisible in the finished shower, and it's exactly the corner we refuse to cut.
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