How Much Does Tub-to-Shower Conversion Cost in Sunrise, FL?
A tub-to-shower conversion in Sunrise typically runs $3,500 to $10,000 and takes 3 to 5 days from demo to final fixture set. Most homeowners in Sunrise’s 1970s and 1980s-era condos and townhomes are replacing original fiberglass tub-shower combos with walk-in showers to modernize aging bathrooms before or during their building’s 40-year recertification cycle. Call (844) 665-0162 for a free on-site estimate, and we’ll bring material samples from Kohler, Moen, and other lines we carry.
How We Handle Tub-to-Shower Conversion - Start to Finish
We’ve done enough of these in Sunrise’s older condo towers and single-family pockets to know where the surprises hide. Here’s how the job actually breaks down.
Day 1: Demo and rough assessment. We pull the tub, surround, and valve. In Sunrise’s CBS construction from the 1970s and 1980s, we often find original copper lines with mineral buildup from Broward’s hard water, or galvanized feeds in pre-1985 buildings that need replacement. We also check the subfloor and wall framing for moisture damage, especially behind the old tub lip where caulk failed decades ago. This takes 4 to 6 hours. You’ll know by end of day whether we’re keeping the existing drain location or relocating.
Day 1-2: Plumbing rough-in and any structural prep. If we’re staying in place, we cap and reconfigure for the new valve height and showerhead location. If we’re moving the drain to center it for a larger pan or linear drain, this adds a day and requires breaking into the slab, which in Sunrise’s high water table area means we watch for hydrostatic pressure and seal accordingly. We also reinforce or sister any wall studs that rotted at the base. You’ll decide here: standard 72-inch valve height, or custom for a taller household member?
Day 2-3: Pan installation and waterproofing. We set either a prefabricated acrylic or fiberglass pan, or a mud-set pan with vinyl liner if you want tile underfoot. The mud-set route adds a day for cure time but gives you any size or slope configuration. Waterproofing is either a liquid-applied membrane or sheet membrane, lapped 6 inches past the shower curb. In Sunrise’s humid climate, we don’t skip the flood test, 24 hours minimum. You’ll pick your pan type and tile or wall surround material here.
Day 3-4: Wall finish and fixture set. Tile goes up with epoxy grout for mold resistance, or we install a solid-surface panel system for a faster, lower-maintenance finish. We set the valve trim, showerhead, and any body sprays or handshower you’ve selected. If you’re part of a full Bathroom Remodeling in Sunrise, this is where we coordinate with our tile crew on floor transitions and vanity placement. Final plumbing connections and pressure testing happen same day.
Day 5: Cleanup, final inspection walkthrough, and sealant cure instructions. We leave you with written care instructions, manufacturer warranty cards for fixtures, and our own workmanship coverage details. If your building requires it, we schedule the city inspector for the plumbing rough and final. Most Sunrise HOAs in the older condo corridors also want a certificate of completion for their files.
The Choices That Shape Your Tub-to-Shower Conversion
Every decision below moves your final number and your daily experience. We don’t default you to one path; our Bathroom Remodeling crew brings samples and talks through what fits how you actually shower.
- Shower pan: prefab vs. mud-set tile. Prefab acrylic or fiberglass pans run $400 to $1,200 installed and are done in hours. Mud-set with custom tile runs $1,500 to $3,500 but lets you size the shower exactly, choose any drain location, and match floor tile seamlessly. For Sunrise’s older condos with non-standard tub bays, mud-set often solves fit problems prefab can’t.
- Walls: tile vs. solid surface vs. acrylic surround. Full tile with cement board and waterproof membrane is $2,000 to $5,000 depending on tile grade and pattern complexity. Solid-surface panels (Corian, Swanstone) hit $1,500 to $3,000, no grout to maintain. Acrylic surrounds are $800 to $2,000, fastest install, but the “plastic” look and limited color range turn off some homeowners. In Sunrise’s hard water, darker tile shows mineral spotting; lighter solid surfaces hide it better.
- Plumbing configuration: keep or relocate. Staying put saves $800 to $2,000 in labor and materials. Moving the drain or converting from tub-spout to shower-only valve adds that back, but it can enlarge your shower footprint by 6 to 12 inches, which matters in a 5-by-8 Sunrise condo bath.
- Fixtures: builder-grade through designer. A basic pressure-balance valve and single showerhead from a big-box line is $150 to $400. A thermostatic valve with handshower, body sprays, and a rainfall head from Moen or Kohler runs $800 to $2,500. We stock and warranty both tiers; you choose where your daily experience matters most.
- Glass enclosure: framed, semi-frameless, or doorless. Framed sliding doors are $600 to $1,200. Semi-frameless hinged doors hit $1,200 to $2,500. A curbless, doorless wet room design with linear drain and floor slope is $2,500 to $5,000 more but eliminates the threshold entirely. For Sunrise homeowners aging in place or planning to, the curbless option pays back in accessibility.
- Niche, bench, and storage. A tiled shampoo niche is $300 to $600. A fold-down teak bench adds $400 to $800. These aren’t afterthoughts; we frame them in during rough carpentry so they’re structurally sound and properly waterproofed.
What Tub-to-Shower Conversion Costs in Sunrise, FL
For Sunrise homeowners, expect $3,500 to $10,000 for a complete tub-to-shower conversion. Here’s what pushes you toward either end.
| Cost Factor | Low-End Scenario | High-End Scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Keep existing plumbing location | Yes, saves $800-$2,000 | No, full relocation |
| Shower pan type | Prefabricated acrylic | Custom mud-set with tile |
| Wall finish | Acrylic surround kit | Full tile with niche and bench |
| Fixture grade | Standard pressure-balance | Thermostatic with multiple outlets |
| Glass enclosure | Framed sliding door | Semi-frameless or curbless wet room |
| Structural surprises | Clean demo, sound framing | Rotted subfloor, corroded lines, mold remediation |
The $3,500 job is a straightforward swap: keep the drain, drop in a prefab pan, acrylic walls, basic valve, framed door. The $10,000 job is a gut-to-studs reconfiguration with mud-set pan, full tile, thermostatic system, semi-frameless glass, and maybe expanding into a neighboring closet for space.
What’s included in our written estimate: all demo and haul-away, plumbing rough and finish, pan and wall materials, fixtures you’ve selected, glass enclosure, permit fees for Sunrise, and our workmanship warranty. What’s typically separate: mold or asbestos remediation if discovered, structural repairs beyond standard stud replacement, and any electrical work like adding a exhaust fan or relocating switches. We flag these possibilities during our first walkthrough so you’re not surprised.
Call (844) 665-0162 for an exact quote on your tub-to-shower conversion. Estimates are free, and we bring material samples to your door in Sunrise.
What Sunrise Homes Specifically Add to This Job
Sunrise’s housing stock shapes every tub-to-shower conversion we price here. The city was substantially built out in the 1970s and 1980s as a master-planned suburban community, and that era dominates our calendar. We work regularly in the condo corridors along Sunset Strip and NW 44th Street, where buildings are cycling through Broward County’s 40-year mandatory structural recertification. That process often reveals corroded rebar in balcony slabs and spalled concrete columns, and those engineered repairs must clear before interior renovation permits issue. If you’re in one of these buildings, we’ll coordinate our permit timeline with your association’s structural remediation schedule so your tub-to-shower conversion doesn’t sit in city limbo.
The CBS construction itself is solid, but the original bathrooms were built to pre-Hurricane Andrew codes with galvanized or early copper plumbing that doesn’t owe anyone another decade. We also see a lot of original fiberglass tub-shower combos in the garden-style apartment complexes, units where the surround is delaminating and the drain flange has cracked from decades of thermal cycling. The high water table in western Broward, adjacent to the Everglades conservation areas, means any slab work, we watch for moisture intrusion from below. And from June through October, the afternoon thunderstorm pattern compresses any exterior-facing work like venting modifications or window replacements you’d pair with the bath project.
Homeowners often pair a bathroom update with exterior work while their building is in recertification mode. We’ve seen clients coordinate tub-to-shower conversions with Metal Roofing in Sunrise or Tile Roofing in Sunrise through our single-source team, one permit coordinator, one accountable schedule.
Serving Sunrise, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Sunrise area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked - Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Sunrise
Most tub-to-shower conversions in Sunrise take 3 to 5 business days from demo to fixture set. If we’re relocating plumbing, using a mud-set pan, or working in a condo that restricts work hours, add 1 to 2 days. Call (844) 665-0162 and we’ll give you a firm schedule based on your specific unit and building rules.
Yes, Sunrise requires a plumbing permit for any drain relocation or valve replacement, and most tub-to-shower conversions trigger both plumbing and building permits. If you’re in a condo, your HOA may also require a certificate of insurance and approved contractor list verification before work begins. We handle Sunrise permitting and HOA documentation as part of our standard process.
Often yes, and keeping the existing drain and valve location saves $800 to $2,000. The limitation is shower size; you’re locked into roughly the tub’s footprint. For Sunrise’s smaller 1970s condo baths, that might mean a 30-by-60-inch shower instead of the 36-by-48 you’d get with a relocated drain. We measure and show you both options during our free estimate.
The lowest-cost path is a prefabricated shower pan, acrylic wall surround, standard pressure-balance valve, and framed glass door, keeping all plumbing in place. In Sunrise, that typically hits the $3,500 to $5,000 range. The trade-off is less customization and a shorter visual lifespan than tile. Call (844) 665-0162 for an exact quote on your bathroom.
We warranty our workmanship for one year on plumbing and installation. Fixtures carry their manufacturer warranties, typically lifetime on Moen and Kohler valves, 5 to 10 years on finishes. Shower pans vary: acrylic prefab units often carry 10 to 30 years, while mud-set tile with proper waterproofing is warranted on installation quality, not the tile itself, since tile is a wear surface. We provide all warranty cards and registration at final walkthrough.
Get Your Free Estimate for Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Sunrise
Call (844) 665-0162 or request an appointment online. We’ll come to your Sunrise home, measure your existing tub space, check your plumbing and framing condition, and bring samples from the brands we carry. You’ll get a written estimate with line-item pricing, a clear timeline, and no pressure to decide on the spot. Tub-to-shower conversion is one job; we do it start to finish, one contractor, every phase.
Written by Raymond Estevez, Owner at Groundwork Construction Co., serving Sunrise since our South Florida founding.