Hiring a Walk-In Shower Contractor: Quotes, Waterproofing, Red Flags

The method and the products by brand: the acrylic base and panel kit, or the waterproofing system (membrane, pan, drain) and tile with square footage; the drain relocation and the new pressure-balance or thermostatic valve; the glass — framed, semi-frameless or frameless, with lead time; niches, benches or accessibility hardware; demolition and haul-away; an allowance or unit price for subfloor and wall repair found at demo; drywall patching and paint outside the shower; the plumbing permit and inspections; the schedule and days without a bathroom; and a warranty. Three quotes on that scope.

For an acrylic kit or conversion, a plumber or a bath remodeling contractor — the work is plumbing plus carpentry. For a tiled shower, a tile contractor or a bath remodeler whose crew includes a tile setter who can name the waterproofing system they use. For curbless, a remodeler who can show you curbless showers they've built; the floor recess and linear drain are where inexperience shows. The one-day acrylic-liner franchises are a fourth option at a premium price.

Two to three days for an acrylic kit or conversion; a week to two for a tiled shower including cure times and the flood test; one to three weeks for curbless. Add one to three weeks after tile for a frameless glass door, which is measured after grout and built to order. A one-day acrylic-liner install is genuinely one day, because it goes over what's there.

They're legitimate and fast — an acrylic liner or new base and walls fitted over or in place of what's there in a day, with a long warranty — and they're expensive: $4,000–$10,000 for a conversion that a local plumber or remodeler does for $3,500–$7,000 with a comparable kit. The sales presentation is at your kitchen table with a same-day discount. Take the quote, get two more from local contractors on the same scope, and decide with all three in hand.

One complete system, by name: a bonded sheet membrane (Schluter-Kerdi, Wedi, Laticrete Hydro Ban Board, USG Durock) with its matched drain, or a traditional pre-slope, PVC or CPE pan liner and clamping drain with mortar bed, plus a liquid or sheet membrane on the walls. Mixing brands voids warranties and is where leaks start. Ask which system, whether the pan is flood-tested for 24 hours before tile, and whether the curb and niches are wrapped. A contractor who answers 'we use RedGard' and nothing else hasn't described a pan.

10–20% of the quote, or $500–$1,500 on a typical conversion. Rotten subfloor at the drain, a valve that's leaked into the wall, galvanized supply pipe and mold on the studs are found on a large share of tub tear-outs. Ask the contractor for unit prices in advance — subfloor per square foot, a stud sistered, a length of pipe replaced — so the change order is arithmetic instead of a negotiation.

A quote with no product names; a tile shower with no waterproofing system named or no flood test; 'no permit needed' for a conversion that moves a drain; glass not measured after tile; no allowance or unit prices for demo findings; a demand for most of the money before work starts; a same-day-only discount; and a contractor who's never done a curbless shower proposing one. Also, a pressure-balance valve missing from the quote — it's code on every new shower.

Workmanship of one to five years covering leaks, base movement, panel adhesion and grout or caulk failure; product warranties on the base and panels (often 10 years to lifetime) and the waterproofing membrane (often lifetime when installed to spec); and the valve manufacturer's warranty. Get the products named in the contract so warranties can be claimed, and get the permit's final inspection sign-off with them.