Our Johnson Siding crew pulls the idle tub, keeps the alcove, and hands back a shower anywhere in Pennington County within days.
Written quote at no cost, one callback, no chasing afterwards.
If you want to swap your old clunky tub for a modern walk-in stall, this guide shows you how to do it without the stress.
Getting rid of that high wall you have to climb over every single morning makes your bathroom feel twice as big. Actually, this smart home upgrade instantly removes a major tripping hazard from your daily routine. Because of this, you get to enjoy a sleek space that feels open and looks incredibly modern.
Which means you can finally stop scrubbing those hard-to-reach corners under the old rim. On top of that, a fresh setup lets you reclaim your peace of mind during your morning rush. If you are ready to make this change, a local professional can visit your home to measure everything and give you a free project estimate.
First of all, let us talk about how much space you actually gain. Most old-fashioned deep basins eat up a massive footprint in a standard bathroom layout. By replacing that bulky porcelain barrier with a low-profile basin, you open up the entire floor plan. This change lets you move around more freely while you get ready.
Consequently, your daily routine becomes much safer and faster. Think about how easy it is to just step onto a flat surface instead of balancing on one wet foot. This benefit is especially huge if you plan to stay in your home for many years. To help you compare the differences, here is a quick look at what you get:
| Feature | Old High-Walled Tub | New Modern Walk-In Stall |
|---|---|---|
| Step-in Height | Usually 14 to 18 inches | Typically 3 inches or less |
| Required Floor Space | Feels cramped and bulky | Creates an open feeling |
| Maintenance Time | Hours of heavy scrubbing | Quick wipe down on smooth walls |
Furthermore, modern acrylic walls resist mold and mildew much better than old grout lines. This means you will spend way less time on your knees with a scrub brush. Instead, you can enjoy a sparkling clean space with just a quick squeegee wipe after you wash.
Now, you might wonder how we actually pull off this amazing transformation. Our skilled team starts by carefully protecting your flooring and removing the outdated fixture. We do this without damaging your existing drywall or surrounding trim. Next, we inspect the underlying wooden framing to ensure there is no hidden water damage or rot.
Once we know the foundation is completely dry and sturdy, we update your plumbing lines. This step is crucial because the drain for a walk-in unit requires a different alignment than a standard tub drain. After the pipes are perfectly set, we install the new heavy-duty base and secure the waterproof wall panels.
Ultimately, this whole process happens much faster than a full scale master bathroom remodel. In fact, most of our custom installations take just a couple of days from start to finish. You do not have to live in a messy construction zone for weeks on end.
Living in Pennington County means we understand the unique needs of local homeowners. Our beautiful little slice of South Dakota, nestled near the scenic Black Hills, features homes of all shapes and sizes. With a local population of just 542 residents, we treat every single client like our closest neighbor.
Because we operate right here in the 57702 ZIP code area, we can get to your home quickly. We know the local water conditions and how they affect your plumbing fixtures over time. Whether your household income matches the local median or you are working with a tight budget, we find a plan that fits.
So, you can trust that we do not use cookie-cutter solutions for your project. We custom-measure every single job to make sure the fit is absolutely seamless. This attention to detail prevents leaks and ensures your new setup lasts for decades.
Besides safety, you probably want your new setup to look beautiful. You can choose from a wide variety of wall patterns that mimic luxury stone or classic subway tile. These durable materials give you the high-end look you want without the high-maintenance hassle of real stone.
Additionally, we can install handy built-in features like corner shelving, sturdy grab bars, and comfortable bench seating. These additions let you customize the space to match your exact physical needs and personal style. Here are some options you can explore:
Indeed, these smart additions turn a simple daily necessity into a truly enjoyable ritual. You will love how organized and clean everything looks when everything has its own designated spot.
Perhaps you are worried about the potential mess of a renovation project. We use specialized dust containment systems and drop cloths to keep your home pristine. Our friendly crew cleans up every speck of debris before we pack up our tools for the day.
Another common question is whether this change will hurt your home resale value. Actually, most modern buyers prefer a spacious walk-in stall over a tub they will never use. Unless your home is the only one in the neighborhood without a single tub, this upgrade usually boosts appeal.
Therefore, you can feel confident that this investment is smart for both your current lifestyle and your future finances. We help you choose colors and styles that look timeless and appealing to anyone.
To take the first step, you simply need to request a consultation with one of our friendly local experts. We will drive out to your property, look at your current layout, and discuss your ideas. This visit allows us to give you an accurate, no-obligation estimate right on the spot.
By choosing a local team, you get personalized service and honest advice from people who care. We do not use high-pressure sales tactics because we want you to be completely happy with your choice.
So, why keep struggling with that old, slippery tub for another week? Let us help you create a brighter, safer, and more open space that you will love using every single day. Reach out to us today to lock in your free in-home consultation and quote!
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 Johnson Siding 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.
For the bigger map: county seat pages start at Pennington County; the statewide picture lives on South Dakota; the wider region is the Midwest; background reading sits on Wikipedia.
One three-day job stands between this bathroom and its best fixture.
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