Summary
- Yes, most of the time. More than 9 in 10 of the Bath Fitter jobs we schedule for one day are finished in one day, usually by a single installer.
- The speed comes from prep. Every bathroom is reviewed three times before install day: by your design consultant, an operations manager and the installer.
- Jobs that take two days usually involve a custom base, a wheelchair ramp, an unusual layout, lines hidden behind the old unit, or custom glass. We tell you up front.
- If we find rot or water damage in the wet area, repairing it is included. No surprise change order.
- A traditional tile remodel often takes one to three weeks, and you're usually without that shower the whole time.
In this guide
Expert contributors: Aaron Bishop, Operations Manager for Columbia and Augusta, and Kell Chapman, Operations Manager for the Upstate SC and Western NC. Their quotes come from interviews on our Bath Fitter Fam podcast.
“Can you really do my shower in one day?” Our design consultants hear it in almost every living room, and it’s a fair question. Since Louie Mullikin opened our family’s first Bath Fitter office in 2003, we’ve grown to seven markets and somewhere around 50 to 60 bathrooms a week. Kell Chapman, who runs installs for the Upstate and Western North Carolina, and Aaron Bishop, who runs Columbia and Augusta, handle a big share of those. And not every job is a one-day job. Some take two, and once in a while we have to tell a homeowner we can’t start until a plumber or a foundation specialist has been out first.
Maybe you’ve seen the commercials and figured “one day” is a nice line someone in marketing came up with. Or maybe you’re worried about the opposite: that a crew will tear out your tub, find a mess, and leave you without a shower for two weeks.
We get it. Just about everybody has a contractor story that started with “it should only take a day.” So here’s the straight version.
We’ll cover what “one-day” really means, how our team pulls it off, how often it actually happens, our fastest and longest installs, what happens when we find damage behind your old tub, and the questions to ask anyone who promises you a one-day remodel.
What does a “one-day” bathroom remodel actually mean?
In this industry, “one-day” almost always means one day of work inside your home, not one day from the phone call to the finished shower. Companies that do this, us included, install factory-made acrylic bases and walls that are sized or custom-fit before anyone shows up. There’s no tile to set, no grout to cure, and no waiting on a mud bed to dry.
A traditional tile remodel works differently. Demo, plumbing, backer board, waterproofing, setting tile, grouting and sealing all happen in sequence, and several steps need drying time. That’s why tile jobs often run one to three weeks.
So when you compare quotes, ask for two numbers: how long until install day, and how many days your bathroom will actually be torn up. They’re different questions, and you deserve an answer to both.
How does Bath Fitter finish a shower in one day?
The short answer is that most of the work happens before the installer ever pulls into your driveway.
Every job gets looked at three times. Your design consultant takes photos and measurements during your consultation. Then an operations manager like Kell or Aaron goes through them. Aaron describes what they’re looking for:
“We’re looking at where the water shut off is, how it comes into the house, what your existing footprint measurements are… The second time, then the installer gets the job. He’s reviewing it before he ever gets out there, so it’s getting seen three times. To think of everything that could be a little off.”
Aaron Bishop · Operations Manager, Columbia and Augusta
The product is sized for your bathroom, too. A big-box kit comes in a handful of sizes and you make it fit. Bath Fitter manufactures the bases and walls our crews install, and each one is custom-fit to your space before install day. The wall goes in as one piece, with the corners bent instead of joined, so there are no seams to caulk and wait on. Less fiddling on site is a big part of why the day works. (More on that in our guide to acrylic shower walls.)
On install day, it’s usually one installer, and that surprises people. But he isn’t really alone. Everything he needs is on his van, and he has a whole team a text away. As Aaron puts it, if something looks strange, “it’s almost, I would say, 60 seconds for him to send a picture to someone who has seen that scenario before.”
Aaron compares it to getting your oil changed. Everybody has sat in a waiting room for three hours, and everybody has had the shop that’s done before you finish your coffee. The difference is the person doing it every single day.
How often does a one-day install really finish in one day?
More than 9 in 10 of the jobs we schedule for one day are finished in one day.
A small number of jobs are scheduled for two days from the start, because we already know they’re custom. We’ll tell you that at your consultation, before you sign anything.
Here’s what a typical day looks like from the homeowner’s side. William P. had two bathrooms converted at the same time:
“Each bathroom had its own installer arriving in their trucks with all necessary materials. They arrived between 8:30-8:45 and got to work…”
William P. · Columbia market · Google review, 2026
And from Dale G., also in our Columbia market: “They both answered our questions and came on time to appointments.” Showing up when we said we would is a low bar in home improvement. We still think it matters.
How fast can a shower install actually go?
Kell has a favorite. One of his installers, Alex, had two jobs on the same day at houses right next to each other.
“Got both of them done starting at 7:30, was done by 5:30… He went to the first, did the demo. Walked over to the second house, did the demo. Went to the other house, did the plumbing.”
Kell Chapman · Operations Manager, Upstate SC and Western NC
Two bathrooms, one installer, one day. Kell holds that one up as a trophy. We don’t schedule it that way on purpose, and nobody should expect it. But it shows what happens when someone does one craft really well, every day.
Why do some showers take two days or longer?
Because every house is different, and sometimes the right answer takes longer. These are the usual reasons:
- Custom bases. Most showers fit a standard 54- or 60-inch opening. When we build a custom floor system for a 66-inch, 72-inch, or once, a 101-inch shower, that’s a two-day job.
- Wheelchair access. Roll-in showers with a built ramp take extra time to get right. If accessibility is why you’re calling, our walk-in shower vs. bathtub guide covers seats, grab bars and step-in heights.
- Odd shapes and low ceilings. Kell’s team takes on a lot of unusual bathrooms, and solving those sometimes takes a second day.
- Surprises behind the wall. William Mullikin has seen gas lines running under a tub, HVAC lines and electrical boxes right behind the old unit, and on newer homes built on a slab, “spaghetti lines running everywhere.”
- Things that need to dry. If we find water damage, some areas need to dry out before we close them back up.
- Custom glass. A standard sliding door can often go in the same day. A custom glass enclosure has to be measured after demo, so it comes later. We put up a curtain rod in the meantime so you can still shower.
Aaron told the story of a customer with a large, heavy power wheelchair who needed a longer ramp than usual. The job took two days. His take:
“If it takes an extra day, then we’re gonna use that extra day… It’s worth it every time, to make sure it completely suits the customer and what they need.”
Aaron Bishop · Operations Manager, Columbia and Augusta
We’d rather take the extra day than rush something you’ll live with for years.
What happens if you find rot or damage behind my old tub?
This is the fear behind a lot of hesitation, and we understand it. In most remodels, finding something behind the wall means a change order and more money.
Aaron found it in his own house. His old tub had settled just slightly in one corner. Water ran to that edge, soaked through the grout, then the subfloor, and eventually rotted the studs. From the outside, everything looked fine.
“Everything looked completely sound… because that tub was just slightly down, that water would hit the edge of the tub… which got the subfloor wet, which eventually started rotting the two by fours going up the walls.”
Aaron Bishop · Operations Manager, Columbia and Augusta
Here’s how our family handles it: if we find rot or water damage in the wet area while we’re replacing your tub or shower, repairing it is included. New subfloor, new framing where it’s needed. No surprise change order halfway through the job.
Louie Mullikin set that rule when he started our family’s first office in 2003: if it’s in the wet area and it needs fixing, we fix it. Nobody wants a contractor who stops halfway and asks for more money.
There is a limit, and we’ll be straight about it. If your home has major structural or foundation problems, or plumbing trouble beyond your bathroom, like a main line that keeps backing up, those need a specialist first. That’s rare. In two years, Aaron has seen floor joists need repair only twice. When it does happen, we’ll tell you, and we’ll be happy to come back once it’s fixed.
How long does a one-day remodel take compared to a traditional remodel?
| Option | Typical time in your home | Without a shower | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath Fitter one-day install | As little as one day; more than 9 in 10 one-day jobs finish in one day | Usually just the install day | $8,500–$15,000 for a typical tub-to-shower conversion | People who want a durable, easy-to-clean shower or tub with minimal disruption |
| Traditional tile remodel | Often one to three weeks | Often the whole project | About $16,000 to $19,000 for the shower area of a roughly $26,000 national mid-range remodel | People who want real tile or stone and are renovating the whole room |
| DIY kit from a big-box store | A weekend or more, depending on skill | As long as it takes you | The lowest upfront cost | Handy homeowners with sound walls and plumbing |
What should you ask a company that promises a one-day install?
Whoever you call, us or anyone else, these questions will tell you a lot:
- Out of the jobs you schedule for one day, how many actually finish in one day?
- Who reviews my bathroom before install day, and how many times?
- If you find rot or water damage when the old unit comes out, is the repair included, or is it a change order?
- Is the installer your employee, and who do they call if something unexpected comes up?
- If my job needs custom glass or a custom base, how will I shower in the meantime?
A company that does this every day should answer all five without blinking.
Is a one-day shower remodel really possible?
Yes. For most bathrooms, a one-day install is real, and it’s the result of a lot of quiet prep you never see. When a job needs more time, there’s a reason, and you should hear it from us before install day, not halfway through it.
If you’d like to see what yours would take, get an Instant Estimate, or we can come out for a free in-home consultation. We’ll measure, take the photos that start that three-step review, and tell you plainly whether yours is a one-day job.
Whatever you decide, make sure whoever you hire does what they say they’re going to do.
We’d love to help. See our published pricing or explore Tub to Shower Conversion whenever you’re ready.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Does a one-day install include plumbing?
Yes. We handle the plumbing in the shower or tub area, including a new valve and drain trap.
Do you take away my old tub?
Yes. Removing the old tub or shower is part of the job, even a heavy cast iron tub. Those come out in pieces.
What if I lost my contract, or bought a house that already has a Bath Fitter shower?
Just call us with the address. We can usually look up the original job, and inherited Bath Fitter showers are typically still covered. The warranty page has the details.
Can I add a grab bar or shelf after the install?
Yes. If you decide later that you want another grab bar or shelf, we can come back and add it, usually in a short visit.
What if something goes wrong after the install?
Call us. Every Bath Fitter tub and shower comes with a lifetime warranty, and the warranty page has the full details.
This guide applies to: Bath Fitter Augusta, Bath Fitter Columbia, Bath Fitter Little Rock, Bath Fitter Memphis, Bath Fitter Oklahoma City, Bath Fitter Tri Cities, Bath Fitter Upstate SC/Western NC.