I’ve been swinging a hammer for over 12 years now, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that your bathroom is a master at hiding secrets. I’ve seen it all—from the time I accidentally knocked out a “non-structural” stud that turned out to be very much structural, to the summer my DIY garden zucchini grew so large they actually blocked my back door.
I’ve made the mistakes so you don’t have to. If you are staring at that beige, chipped 1980s bathtub and dreaming of a sleek, walk-in shower, you are probably wondering if you can actually pull this off without draining your retirement fund.
The short answer? Yes, you can. But the “Pinterest-perfect” price tags you see online are often total garbage. I’m here to give you the gritty, honest truth about what a DIY tub-to-shower conversion actually costs in 2026.
Average Cost to Convert Tub to Shower DIY
When you start typing “how much to change tub to shower” into your search bar, you’ll see numbers ranging from $1,200 to $15,000. That is a massive spread, and frankly, it’s not helpful. In my experience, if you are doing the labor yourself and using mid-range materials, you should expect to spend between $1,500 and $3,500.
Why the wide range? It comes down to your “flavor” of remodel. If you go the route of a prefabricated acrylic stall kit, you can keep things closer to that $1,500 mark. These kits are the unsung heroes of the DIY world. They aren’t as “glamorous” as hand-laid subway tile, but they won’t leak in three years because you forgot to seal a grout line.
If you decide you want the custom tile look, your budget is going to climb faster than my blood pressure when I find mold behind a wall. Tile requires a waterproof backer board, mortar, grout, and the tile itself. Suddenly, your “cheap” project is pushing $4,000 because you fell in love with a Moroccan encaustic pattern that costs $15 a square foot.
One quick side note: Always add a 20% “Oh No” fund to your budget. I once pulled out an old cast iron tub only to find that the subfloor was so rotted it looked like wet oatmeal. That “simple” swap turned into a three-day floor joist reconstruction. If you don’t have a cushion, a discovery like that will halt your project indefinitely.
Demolition and Disposal Costs for Old Bathtubs
Demolition is the part of the job everyone looks forward to, but it’s where the hidden costs start creeping in. You aren’t just breaking stuff; you are managing waste. If you have an old fiberglass tub, you can usually cut it into pieces with a reciprocating saw (wear a mask, please!) and put it out with the regular trash or take it to the dump for about $50.
But if you are dealing with a cast iron beast? That’s a different story. I’ve found that trying to move a 300-pound tub by yourself is a great way to meet your local chiropractor. You’ll either need to hire a couple of strong backs for $150 or rent a heavy-duty sledgehammer to break it into manageable chunks. Just be careful—flying shards of porcelain are basically glass shrapnel.
Then there is the debris. You’ll have wall tile, old drywall, and chunks of mortar. A small dumpster rental in 2026 typically runs between $300 and $600 for a week. I’ve tried the “bagster” style products, and they work for small hauls, but for a full tub-to-shower conversion, you’ll likely overflow them.
Don’t forget the cost of the tools you don’t own. If you have to buy a pry bar, a decent hammer, and a shop vac to clean up the mess, tack on another $200. I once tried to use my kitchen vacuum to suck up drywall dust. My wife didn’t speak to me for a week, and I had to buy a new vacuum anyway. Save yourself the trouble and buy the right gear.
Plumbing Upgrades and Drain Conversion Prices
This is the part that scares most DIYers, and rightfully so. Tubs usually have a 1.5-inch drain, but modern building codes for showers require a 2-inch drain. If you try to cheat and keep the small drain, your new shower will turn into a foot bath every time you turn on the water.
To do this right, you’ll need to cut into the subfloor and replace the P-trap and the drain line. If you’re lucky and have access from a crawlspace or basement, the materials only cost about $50 in PVC and glue. If you’re on a concrete slab, godspeed. You’ll be renting a jackhammer, which adds $100 a day to your tally.
Then there’s the shower valve. Your old tub-faucet setup won’t work for a standalone shower. A decent pressure-balanced shower valve and trim kit will run you $200 to $500. Don’t buy the cheapest one at the big-box store; I’ve found that those “bargain” valves often have plastic internals that fail within two years.
I honestly believe that if you aren’t 100% confident in your soldering or PEX crimping skills, this is the one place to hire a pro. A licensed plumber might charge you $500 to $1,500 to swap the drain and the valve, but that is a hell of a lot cheaper than fixing a leak that has been dripping behind your new tile for six months.
Prefab Shower Kits vs Custom Tile Costs
Here is where you make the biggest financial decision of the project. A prefab kit (base plus three walls) is the most budget-friendly option. In 2026, a solid acrylic or fiberglass kit costs between $800 and $2,500. They are relatively easy to install, but I’ve found they can feel a bit “plastic-y” if you don’t get a high-quality one.
Custom tile, on the other hand, is where the “real” money goes. For a standard 60-inch alcove shower, you’ll need about 60 to 80 square feet of tile. At an average of $5 per square foot, that’s $400 just for the pretty part. But you also need the “ugly” parts: $300 for a waterproof membrane system (like Schluter), $100 for mortar and grout, and $400 for a solid shower pan.
The labor for tile is also a hidden “time cost.” A prefab kit goes up in a day. A tile shower takes at least four to five days when you factor in the waterproofing, the setting, and the grouting. If you value your weekends at all, the prefab kit starts looking like a much better deal.
I’ll be honest: I think custom tile is a total waste of money if you are doing this for a guest bathroom or a rental. The ROI (return on investment) on a high-end tile job is rarely as high as people think. Most buyers just want a clean, functional shower. I’ve seen $10,000 showers that look dated in five years, while a simple, classic white acrylic surround stays looking “fine” forever.
Shower Door and Enclosure Estimates
You’ve finished the walls and the floor, but now you need to keep the water inside. You have two real choices: a shower curtain or a glass door. A curtain rod and a nice liner will cost you $50. It’s cheap, it’s easy to clean (just throw it in the wash), and it hides a lot of DIY sins.
If you want that “spa” look, though, you’re looking at a glass enclosure. A standard sliding glass door kit starts at about $400. If you want the frameless look—the ones that look like a giant sheet of floating glass—you are looking at $1,200 to $2,500.
I’ve found that installing frameless glass doors is the most stressful part of a remodel. One wrong move and $1,500 worth of tempered glass turns into a billion tiny cubes on your bathroom floor. It happened to me once; I barely tapped the corner of the glass on the tile floor, and pop—instant glitter. I sat in the empty shower pan and cried for ten minutes.
If you are determined to go glass, stick with a semi-framed or framed door for your first DIY. They are much more forgiving. Also, make sure your walls are perfectly plumb (vertical). If your walls lean even a quarter of an inch, your glass door will never seal correctly, and you’ll have a puddle on your floor every morning.
The Real Talk: What Can Actually Go Wrong?
Let’s get real for a second. The biggest headache in a tub-to-shower conversion isn’t the plumbing or the tile; it’s the stuff you can’t see.
- Permits: A lot of people skip this to save $200. Don’t. If you sell your house and the inspector sees a new shower where a tub used to be without a permit on file, it can hold up your sale or force you to tear it out.
- The “Last Tub” Rule: If you only have one bathtub in the house, I strongly advise against removing it. Families with small kids won’t buy a house without a tub. You might love your walk-in shower, but you’ll hate how much it devalues your home if it’s the only bathroom.
- Waterproofing Fails: If you see even a tiny gap in your caulk or a cracked grout line, fix it immediately. Water is a patient enemy; it will find that gap and rot your house from the inside out.
Parting Wisdom
Taking on a tub-to-shower conversion is a big swing, but it’s one of the most rewarding DIY projects you can do. Just remember: measure four times, cut once, and always buy more thin-set than you think you need.
Are you planning to go with a sleek prefab kit or are you brave enough to tackle a custom tile design? Let me know your plans (or your own DIY horror stories) in the comments below!
