Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Plano, TX
Should this tub go? Five questions to answer first
- Is it the only tub in the house? Some households want at least one tub for bathing young children or pets. If there is a second tub elsewhere, converting this one is usually an easy call.
- Which bathroom is it? A hall-bath tub-shower combo and a large primary-bath garden tub are very different conversions (see the layouts below).
- Who uses it, now and in ten years? Stepping over a tub wall is the problem many conversions are meant to solve. If mobility is part of the reason, plan the entry, seating and controls from the start rather than adding them later.
- How long will you stay? If resale is close, think about who is likely to buy your home and whether they will expect a tub somewhere in the house.
- What does the space allow? A standard tub alcove gives you a shower of roughly the same footprint. A bigger shower means borrowing space from somewhere else.
Three common conversion layouts
Tub-shower combo to a same-size walk-in shower.
The tub comes out of its alcove and a shower is built in the same space. It is usually the most contained of the three conversions.
Garden or drop-in tub to a larger shower.
In primary bathrooms with a separate tub deck, the tub area can be combined with an existing shower or turned into a larger one. This changes the floor layout, so the drain and the floor slope are redesigned.
Tub-shower combo to a low-threshold or curbless shower.
The goal is a step-free or near step-free entry. The floor is built so water stays in the shower without a tall curb, which usually means more work at the floor level.
What happens when a tub comes out
A tub and a shower are plumbed differently, so a conversion is more than removing one fixture and adding another:
- The drain changes. A tub drains at one end; a shower drains in the floor, often in a different spot. Shower drains are also typically larger than tub drains, so the drain line is usually reworked.
- The valve moves up. A tub valve sits low, near the rim. A shower valve and head are positioned for standing, and a handheld or second outlet means more piping inside the wall.
- The floor needs a waterproof pan and slope. Where the tub used to sit, a shower floor is built with a waterproof membrane sloped to the new drain.
- The walls are rebuilt for constant water. The area that sat behind a tub is now a full shower wall from floor to ceiling, and it needs waterproofing behind the tile.
- The entry and glass are new decisions. Curb height, door or fixed panel, and where the water will splash.
That is why conversions are planned around the plumbing first and the finishes second.
Plano homes and why conversions are common here
Homes built between about 1978 and 1995 may have polybutylene supply piping, a plastic pipe used in U.S. homes in that period (InterNACHI). Not every Plano home from those years has it. A conversion opens the wall around the valve, which is a sensible time to check what is behind it rather than closing new tile over old pipe.
Plano also has the highest share of residents aged 65 and over among Plano, Richardson, Allen, McKinney and Frisco (14.7%, Census QuickFacts). For many households, the conversion is about getting rid of the step over the tub wall before it becomes a problem.
If the conversion is about safety or aging in place
When mobility is part of the reason, a few details matter more than the tile choice:
- Entry height: The lower the threshold, the easier the step in.
- A place to sit: A built-in bench or a wall-mounted folding seat.
- Grab bars with blocking: Solid backing inside the wall where bars will mount, added while the wall is open.
- A handheld shower on a slide bar: So the spray can be used while seated.
- Controls you can reach: From outside the spray and from the seat.
How a low-threshold or curbless shower is built on a slab
Most Plano homes sit on concrete slabs, and that shapes how a step-free shower is built. Water has to flow to the drain without a curb to stop it, so the shower floor must sit lower than the bathroom floor, or slope away from it:
- Recessing the slab: The concrete in the shower area is cut out and lowered, so the shower floor can slope to the drain while the entry stays level with the bathroom. It is the cleanest result and the most work.
- Raising the bathroom floor: The rest of the bathroom floor is built up, so the shower can sit lower. It avoids cutting the slab but creates a step or ramp at the bathroom door.
- A very low curb or a beveled threshold: A small rise of an inch or so, which many people can roll or step over far more easily than a tub wall. It is the simplest option.
- A linear drain: Placing it along the entry or back wall lets the floor slope in one direction, which suits step-free entries.
In every version, the waterproofing usually extends beyond the shower onto the bathroom floor near the entry, because a step-free shower has no curb to stop splash.
Useful dimensions for an accessible shower
| Feature | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Transfer-type shower (step in and sit) | 36″ × 36″ inside, with a 36″-wide entry and a folding seat (ICC A117.1, as cited in the NKBA guidelines) |
| Roll-in shower | For a 60″-deep shower, a 32″-wide entry is adequate (NKBA) |
| Controls | Reachable from inside and outside the spray, 38″–48″ above the floor (NKBA) |
| Grab bars | Mounted 33″–36″ above the floor in accessibility standards, with solid blocking behind them |
| Seat height | About 17″–19″ above the floor |
Source for NKBA figures: NKBA Bathroom Planning Guidelines. A conversion does not have to meet full accessibility standards to be much safer. Even a lower entry, a seat, blocking for grab bars and a handheld make a large difference.
Plano’s Great Update Rebate: check before you start
The City of Plano runs The Great Update Rebate, which can return part of the cost of qualifying home improvements. Its published application package lists “walk-in showers, ADA transfer showers, ADA roll-in showers, ADA tub showers”, wall-mounted shower seats, handheld showers on a slide bar, and grab bars among the approved interior mobility improvements. According to the program documents:
- The house must be 30 years or older and owner-occupied (no rental property).
- The improvement investment must be $20,000 or more, and the maximum rebate is $5,000.
- The property’s appraised value must fall under a cap the city sets each year.
- Work may start only after the city issues a Notice-to-Proceed, and that includes down payments, deposits or purchased items.
That last rule matters most: if you think you may qualify, contact the city before you sign anything or pay a deposit. Program details and the application are on the City of Plano’s Great Update Rebate page. Availability and eligibility are decided by the city, not by any contractor.
The Plano permit for a bathroom conversion
Plano publishes a dedicated Residential Bathroom/Kitchen Remodel Scope of Work Permit. The form asks which systems the project touches, including water supply, sewer/drainage-waste-vent and tile backer board. Because a tub-to-shower conversion normally changes the drain and the valve, it falls squarely in that scope.
The city also warns that “Field inspections that reveal work that exceeds the scope of work proposed may result in a stop work order requiring amended permits, plans, additional fees, etc.”, so the permit should describe the whole conversion, not just the tile. Details are on the city’s residential additions and alterations page.
We pull the required permits and coordinate inspections as part of the project.
What shapes the scope of your conversion
- Layout: same footprint, or borrowing space from a tub deck or closet.
- Drain work: how far the drain moves, and what is found under the floor.
- Valve and outlets: a single head, or a head plus a handheld or a second outlet.
- Entry: a standard curb versus a low or no threshold.
- Seating and grab bars: benches, folding seats, wall blocking.
- Finishes: tile, niche and glass.
- What is behind the old tub: subfloor or wall damage that only shows once the tub is out.
A written estimate after we see the bathroom is the reliable number. For a broader sense of what moves bathroom budgets, see our bathroom remodeling cost guide.
Who does the work
- In-house design and construction team
- Certified General Contractor
- $1 million in insurance coverage
- NKBA affiliation
- 500+ flooring and remodeling projects completed under Sami’s leadership
- Six-time Best of Plano award winner (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023)
- 0% financing available for qualified homeowners
Our showroom is in Plano at 2830 W. 15th St., Suite 1 (Mon–Fri 11–5, Sat 11–4), if you want to see tile and fixture options in person. Finished projects are in our gallery, and the step-by-step bathroom remodeling process explains how a project runs.
Tub-to-shower questions from Plano homeowners
Can a curbless shower be built on a concrete slab?
Yes. Usually the slab in the shower area is recessed so the floor can slope to the drain while the entry stays level. Alternatives are raising the rest of the bathroom floor, or using a very low curb.
How high should grab bars be?
Accessibility standards place them 33″–36″ above the floor. Add solid blocking inside the wall during the conversion, so bars can be mounted anywhere they are needed later.
Will removing the tub hurt my home’s resale value?
It depends on the house. Converting one tub while another remains is a different situation from removing the only tub. If resale is soon, keep at least one tub unless you are confident about who your buyers will be.
Can the shower be bigger than the tub was?
Only by taking space from somewhere else, such as a tub deck, a closet or part of the room. A same-footprint conversion keeps the size of the original alcove.
Do I need a permit in Plano to convert a tub to a shower?
Plano’s bathroom remodel permit covers water supply and drain work, and a conversion normally changes both. We handle the permit as part of the project.
Does the Great Update Rebate apply to my conversion?
The city decides eligibility. The program documents require a home 30 years or older, owner-occupied, with at least $20,000 of improvements, and no work or deposits before the city’s Notice-to-Proceed. Check with the City of Plano first.
I just want the shower refreshed and want to keep the tub.
Then this is a shower or bathroom project rather than a conversion. See shower remodeling in Plano or bathroom remodeling in Plano.