One alcove in Heart of Chicago is about to earn its keep again. The Chicago crew handles demo, plumbing, walls and glass.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
Most of us start our mornings in a rush.
If you are still climbing over a high, slippery ledge just to wash off the sleep, you are wasting precious time and risking a nasty slip.
This is why transforming your outdated bathing tub into a modern walk-in stall makes so much sense for busy folks.
By making this simple switch, you instantly reclaim lost space in your washroom.
This means you get to enjoy a breezy, open feel every single morning.
On top of that, cleaning becomes ten times easier because you do not have to scrub those awkward, hard-to-reach corners anymore.
Right now, local installers are ready to visit your home and give you a free estimate.
Which means you can plan your budget without any guesswork or hidden fees.
Our team loves helping homeowners turn their cramped washrooms into practical, beautiful spaces that fit their fast-paced life.
Let us be completely honest about those old, deep basins.
Unless you have hours to spend soaking every week, they just sit there collecting dust and soap scum.
By replacing that bulky relic with a sleek, low-barrier entry, you create a much safer environment for everyone in your household.
This layout shift particularly helps if you plan to stay in your home long-term.
Actually, many people find that stepping over a tiny two-inch threshold is much easier on the knees than hoisting themselves over a high porcelain wall.
It brings an incredible sense of relief and daily ease to your life.
To help you compare your options, we put together a quick look at how these two setups match up:
| Feature | Old Deep Basin | Modern Walk-In Stall |
|---|---|---|
| Step-In Height | Typically 14 to 18 inches | Usually 1 to 3 inches |
| Floor Space | Feels cramped and bulky | Opens up the whole room |
| Maintenance | Requires deep bending to scrub | Easy wipe-down surfaces |
Naturally, your choice depends on your daily habits.
However, most busy homeowners find that the speed and simplicity of a quick spray beats a slow soak any day.
This lets you get ready faster and saves a ton of water too.
Once you decide to upgrade, a whole world of design choices opens up for you.
You can select beautiful acrylic wall surrounds that look exactly like expensive stone marble.
These high-tech materials resist mold growth, which means you will spend less time scrubbing on your weekends.
Next, you get to pick the perfect hardware and fixtures.
Maybe you want a rainfall showerhead that feels like a luxury spa, or perhaps a handy detachable wand is more your style.
This customization lets you tailor the entire experience to your personal physical needs.
Furthermore, we can install built-in seating and sturdy grab bars that look incredibly stylish.
Which means you do not have to sacrifice style to keep your family safe.
These smart additions offer incredible support and peace of mind for older relatives or anyone with balance concerns.
Choosing your wall materials is probably the most exciting part of the whole process.
Many homeowners choose non-porous acrylic because it does not have grout lines that discolor over time.
This keeps your new setup looking brand new for years down the road.
If you prefer a traditional look, we also install gorgeous ceramic tile patterns.
Although tile requires a bit more sealing, the classic aesthetic is hard to beat.
We can talk through these different options during your free home consultation.
Your old pipes might need a little attention during this transition.
Our skilled crews inspect your existing drains and valves to ensure everything flows perfectly.
This attention to detail prevents future leaks behind your walls.
By upgrading to pressure-balancing valves, you protect your family from sudden temperature drops.
No more freezing or scalding when someone else runs the kitchen sink!
This simple safety feature makes a massive difference in your daily comfort.
Many people dread home construction because they worry about the mess and the endless delays.
Fortunately, our streamlined process minimizes disruption to your daily routine.
We usually complete the entire physical teardown and installation in just a few days.
First, we carefully protect your flooring and carpets before carrying any tools into your home.
Then, we remove the old heavy cast iron or steel fixture without damaging your existing walls.
This neat approach keeps your home clean and dust-free throughout the project.
After that, we run new plumbing lines and install the sturdy slip-resistant base.
Once the walls and fixtures are securely in place, we seal everything with commercial-grade silicone.
You will be ready to enjoy your hot, steaming wash in no time at all.
To give you an idea of how we work, here is our typical project timeline:
| Phase | What We Do | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Protect floors and shut off water | Day 1 Morning |
| Demolition | Remove old fixture and inspect plumbing | Day 1 Afternoon |
| Installation | Fit new base, walls, and fixtures | Day 2 |
| Finishing | Apply sealant and clean up site | Day 3 |
Living in this vibrant, historic area means dealing with unique home layouts.
Many residences near the center of the windy city feature older plumbing systems and tight bathroom blueprints.
We know exactly how to navigate these architectural quirks because we work here every single day.
Whether you live in a classic brick bungalow or a towering high-rise, we adapt our methods to fit your specific building rules.
This local expertise ensures your project complies with all local building codes and standards.
You can rest easy knowing the job is done right the first time.
On top of that, we always respect your property and your neighbors during the installation.
We park responsibly, keep noise to a minimum, and haul away all the old debris ourselves.
This hassle-free service is why so many local families trust us with their home improvement needs.
Think about how much time you spend in your bathroom over the course of a year.
Investing in a modern, open wash space is really an investment in your daily peace of mind.
It elevates your home's interior appeal while making your morning routine feel like a treat rather than a chore.
Additionally, buyers love seeing these modern upgrades if you ever decide to sell your property.
Most people today prefer a spacious walk-in setup over an old-fashioned tub they will never use.
This means you get to enjoy the benefits now and potentially pocket a better return later.
Right now is the perfect time to take the first step toward your dream washroom.
Contact us today to schedule your free in-home estimate and see what is possible for your space.
We cannot wait to help you create a beautiful, functional area that you will love using every single day.
Count the baths your household actually ran last year. In most homes we visit, the honest number is somewhere between zero and three, and yet every single morning somebody swings a leg over fifteen inches of porcelain rim to stand up and shower inside a fixture built for lying down. The tub charges rent daily and works a few evenings a year.
Nothing dramatic follows from that. Nobody is in danger because a bathtub exists, and if long soaks are part of your week, keep the tub and enjoy it with our blessing. The case for the conversion is plainer: when the tub has become a shower tray with high sides, you are paying, in caution and in cleaning, for a feature you retired years ago.
The swap itself is smaller than most people picture. The supply lines, the drain and the alcove walls are already exactly where a shower wants them, which is why this is a job measured in days. We are not building a new bathroom; we are letting the one you have stop pretending it still gives baths.
The same alcove, photographed the way the week actually unfolds. Weather never delays this one; it all happens indoors.
Floors along the hallway get covered, the water goes off for a few hours, and the bathtub is cut free and carried out, tile flange and all. With the alcove stripped, the plumber moves the drain to where the new pan wants it and sets the new valve at shower height. By supper the room is bare, clean and ready.
The base arrives first: an acrylic pan set dead level on a mortar bed, or a sloped, waterproofed floor when the plan says curbless. Then the walls close in, either grout-free panels bonded in a single afternoon or backer board ready for tile. Everything from here on is watertight before it is pretty.
The glass panel or door is drilled, hung and plumbed straight, the trim goes on, and the silicone lines are drawn last. Silicone wants a day to cure, so the first shower usually happens the following morning, which is exactly how we schedule the walkthrough.
Both are real showers in the same alcove. The difference is the entry, and what has to happen under it.
| What you weigh | Low curb | Curbless |
|---|---|---|
| What stands at the entry | A tidy threshold about 3 to 4 inches tall | Nothing. The bathroom floor rolls straight into the shower |
| Cost, installed | The friendlier bracket, most jobs land here | Roughly a third to a half more, the floor is rebuilt |
| What the crew rebuilds | The alcove only; the bathroom floor stays shut | Part of the bathroom floor, sloped and waterproofed |
| Water containment | The curb and glass do the holding | The slope and a linear drain do the holding |
| Suits best | Straight swaps on a budget and upstairs bathrooms | Wheels, walkers, and anyone planning to stay put for decades |
Undecided is a fine answer on the form. The site visit settles it with a tape measure, not a sales pitch.
Removal
Cut free, hauled out and off to recycling, with floors and doorways shielded on the way. The loudest hour of the conversion, and it wraps before most jobs have begun.
Plumbing
Tub drains sit at one end; showers drain where the pan says. We move what needs moving and swap the old valve for a pressure-balanced one.
The base
A level acrylic pan for most swaps, a mortar-built sloped floor for curbless plans. Either way it is tested with water before anything covers it.
The walls
Grout-free panels go up in an afternoon and wipe clean forever. Tile takes longer, costs more, and looks like whatever you can imagine.
The glass
A fixed panel keeps things open and easy to clean; a hinged door closes the warmth in. Both are tempered, both are set dead straight.
The finish
Shelving, the hand shower, clean caulk lines and a walkthrough. We leave the cure time in writing so the first shower is not a gamble.
| The job | Usual range | Inside the number |
|---|---|---|
| Standard tub-to-shower conversion | $3,100 - $5,600 | Tub out, low curb pan, wall panels, new valve, glass panel. |
| Curbless conversion | $4,900 - $8,800 | The floor is rebuilt flush and sloped to a linear drain. |
| Glass: fixed panel or hinged door | $450 - $1,400 | A single panel sits at the low end, a framed door at the top. |
| Walls: PVC panels or tile | $1,100 - $3,900 | Panels finish in a day; tile adds days and takes any look you want. |
| Tear-out only | $450 - $950 | The tub gone and the alcove left clean for another trade. |
| Small job minimum | around $2,400 | Even the simplest swap books a licensed plumber and a full crew. |
Wall condition, drain position and the glass you choose move every line. The visit pins the figure down, and the figure then holds.
A bathtub drains at one end through its own trap; most showers want the drain nearer the middle, or along one edge when the plan is curbless. Sometimes the existing trap is close enough to reuse and sometimes it has to travel a foot or two, which means opening a strip of floor. We can usually tell which from the basement or the crawl space during the visit, and the paperwork you sign already names which one you are getting.
Houses older than the seventies like to add a surprise: galvanized supply lines rusted nearly shut, a cast iron trap that crumbles at a touch, or framing that got damp decades ago and kept it quiet. None of it is rare and none of it is ruinous, but it is your call, not ours. When something like that turns up, work pauses, you get photographs and a price for the fix, and nothing is billed until you have said yes to it. A conversion should never be the job where the invoice writes itself.
QIs losing the only bathtub a resale mistake?
AAgents around Heart of Chicago repeat one rule: a family house shows better with a tub somewhere in it. If this is your only tub and small children are in your plans, we put that on the table during the visit and you decide with open eyes. If another bathroom keeps its tub, or the buyers you expect are shower people, the argument evaporates.
QHow long do we go without washing?
AThe toilet and sink stay usable every evening, and the water is only off for stretches on day one. The shower itself is ready once the silicone cures, so figure on missing roughly three days of showers at home. Plenty of clients time the job before a weekend away.
QDoes all the old tile come off the walls?
AOn the alcove walls, yes, because the new waterproofing needs to start from the studs, not from forty-year-old grout. Tile outside the alcove stays put, and we cut a clean line where the two meet.
QCan the new shower use the tub drain?
AThe pipe itself is nearly always reusable; the position is the question. A low curb pan can often sit its drain within reach of the old trap. Curbless floors want a relocated or linear drain, and that difference is priced before demo, never discovered after.
QDo we need a permit for the swap?
AA like-for-like fixture swap usually rides on a simple plumbing permit, and moving the drain can add an inspection. We file whatever your jurisdiction wants and fold the cost into the written price.
QWhat if there is rot behind the tub?
AIt happens, mostly around the old tile flange. You get photographs the hour we find it, a firm price for the repair, and the choice to proceed or pause. The framing fix is usually a morning, not a remodel.
The map carries the geography; the link lists underneath spell out every town our crews can reach from this one.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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