Best tub and shower conversion pros near Coden, AL

Yes, most bathrooms can be converted into a wet room, but the process often involves extensive renovations. Key requirements include having proper plumbing and the ability to slope the floor slightly for drainage. The conversion process typically requires removing the existing floors to install drainage, replacing drywall with waterproofed cement backer board, waterproofing the walls, and installing new fixtures to create an open, curbless shower space. A skilled home renovation professional can evaluate your bathroom to determine if it's a suitable candidate. It's also worth considering resale value; if you only have one bathroom, converting it to a wet room might not be ideal as many homebuyers prefer to have at least one bathtub.

Typically, a wet room costs more than a walk-in shower. Installing a walk-in shower costs an average of $6,700, but this price can go up for a customized shower with high-end materials. By comparison, the average price for building a wet room is $9,000, with the low end of this project hovering around $2,000 and going up to around $30,000 on the high end. Because a wet room often includes renovating the whole space, you’ll spend more on this project.

In some cases, people are getting rid of bathtubs because of the floor space they gain after removal. Showers can make more efficient use of bathroom space. In some cases, people get rid of tubs for accessibility purposes. It can be difficult for some individuals to step into and out of a tub. For these people, a shower with no lip or step is safer and easier to use than a tub.

There are three main types of shower valves: pressure-balancing, thermostatic, and diverter. Pressure-balancing and thermostatic valves are both considered mixing valves because they regulate water flow and temperature, but they do so in different ways. A pressure-balancing valve senses changes in water pressure, such as from a flushing toilet, and adjusts the incoming hot and cold water to maintain a consistent temperature; these typically use a single knob. A thermostatic valve uses a thermostat to precisely control the water temperature and requires a separate control to adjust the water volume. A diverter valve directs the flow of water from one fixture to another, such as switching from a tub faucet to a showerhead in a tub-shower combination.