Summary
- Seven things can change the price: the type of shower, layout and plumbing, size and entry, wall finish, glass, accessories, and the installation work included.
- Our current Bath Fitter Fam conversion planning range is about $8,500–$17,000 installed. Simple walls and a curtain usually cost less than decorative walls and custom glass.
- A seat or grab bars can matter more than a finish upgrade. You can combine practical support features with a simpler design.
- Our installation includes a new valve, haul-away and repairs for water damage within the tub or shower area.
- Use the free online estimate to explore your choices, then get measurements and a written quote for your bathroom.
In this guide
Have you ever looked at two tub-to-shower prices and wondered how one shower could cost so much more than another?
And when someone says “it depends,” do you wish they’d just tell you what it depends on?
We get it. You want a shower you’ll enjoy using, and you want to know which choices are worth paying for. You shouldn’t need a remodeling vocabulary lesson to get that answer.
Our family has operated Bath Fitter franchises since Louie Mullikin opened our first office in 2003.
Today our local teams install showers across seven markets, from Greenville and Columbia to Memphis and Oklahoma City. We help homeowners work through these choices before they decide what to buy. Sometimes a simpler design is the better buy. If you want real tile or a completely different room layout, another type of remodel may suit you better.
That’s why we’re going to walk through seven things that change the price, where you have room to save, and what our installation already includes.
Updated November 3, 2026. The prices below are our current 2026 planning ranges, used here to help you plan for 2027.
How much can your choices change the price?
Bath Fitter conversions with our franchise currently run about $8,500–$17,000 installed. The walls, glass and features you choose help explain that spread. These examples from our conversion pricing page give you a starting point.
Our walls are made from acrylic, a molded plastic surface. You can choose a smooth finish or patterns that resemble stone or tile.
| Design example | Installed planning range | Choices in the example |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $8,500–$12,000 | Smooth, solid-color acrylic walls, a curtain and rod, and no optional accessories. |
| Enhanced | $9,500–$14,500 | Stone- or marble-look acrylic walls, sliding glass doors and two grab bars. |
| Premium | $11,500–$17,000 | Tile-look acrylic walls, a custom glass door and a fold-down shower seat. |
These are examples you can mix and match. You can choose simple walls and still have a seat. The ranges overlap, so subtracting one from another won’t tell you the price of a glass door or grab bar. Once we measure your bathroom and you choose the details, we’ll give you the exact price.
Want the wider comparison with ready-made kits and custom tile? Our 2027 tub-to-shower conversion cost guide covers those options. Here, let’s focus on why the bill changes.
1. Does the type of shower make a difference?
Yes. A ready-made shower kit, a custom-fit acrylic system and a shower built from individual tiles involve different materials and installation work.
A ready-made kit can be a good way to spend less if an available size fits your bathroom and you like the choices. With custom tile, you can choose individual tiles and build around a more unusual design. You’re also paying for the preparation, waterproofing and tile-setting work that design needs.
Our acrylic shower sits between those approaches. We measure for a custom fit, and Bath Fitter manufactures the acrylic products. Our franchise’s employees handle the installation. That connection helps us control costs and gives you a local team to call afterward. It doesn’t mean we’ll be the cheapest quote for every bathroom.
If the look of tile is what you’re after, compare tile-look acrylic before committing to a tile build. You get a patterned wall without grout lines on the wall surface to scrub. If real tile itself is important to you, that’s a fair reason to choose it. Our acrylic versus tile guide goes further.
2. Will moving the shower or plumbing cost more?
Changing the layout generally adds work. Putting a shower in the space your tub already occupies is a different job from moving it across the bathroom.
A new location can mean opening more of the floor or walls and changing where the drain and water lines run. The work depends on how the plumbing is arranged and what the installer can reach. Keeping the same bathing area can simplify the project, although a conversion still needs plumbing work.
If the current location works, you may get more out of your money by improving the shower itself. If the layout makes the room difficult to use, explain that during the visit. A cheaper shower in the wrong place won’t fix the problem that made you want to remodel.
3. Do the shower’s size and entry change the cost?
They can. A larger shower needs a suitable base, more wall coverage and an enclosure that fits. Changing its shape or entry can add preparation as well.
For example, a low step-in shower and a completely curbless shower are different designs. A curbless entry may need changes below the shower to make room for the base and drainage. Whether that is practical depends on the house and the system being installed.
Tell us what you need the entry to do before picking a base. Is stepping over the tub getting difficult? Do you need room for a seat? We can look at the dimensions and explain which options fit. Tell us what getting in and out is like for you, so we can look at the entry together.
4. Why do some wall finishes cost more?
The wall material, finish and amount of wall being covered affect the price. Within the same system, a decorative finish can cost more than a smooth, solid-color wall.
With our showers, you can keep the walls simple or choose stone-, marble- or tile-look acrylic. The appearance changes. You still get our one-piece seamless acrylic wall, which wraps around the corners without grout lines on the wall surface. Regular cleaning is still part of owning it.
This is one of the easier places to decide what matters to you. If you love a particular finish and it fits the budget, enjoy it. If the main goal is getting rid of a hard-to-use tub, simple walls may leave more money for the features you’ll use every day. See wall styles and accessories before deciding from a small sample alone.
5. How much do glass doors affect the price?
A curtain and rod are usually the simpler, lower-cost choice. Glass adds the enclosure, its hardware and installation. Custom glass can add more than a standard sliding door.
The opening matters too. A door needs room to work with the bathroom around it, and the glass needs to suit the shower’s measurements. This is why a picture of a door doesn’t tell you what it will cost in your room.
Glass can give the shower a finished look you really like. A curtain can keep the budget down and may be easier to move out of the way. Ask to see the same shower priced both ways, then decide whether the difference is worth it to you.
6. What do seats, grab bars and fixture choices add?
Accessories and upgraded fixtures can raise the total. A seat, grab bars, extra storage or a different showerhead each changes what is being supplied and installed.
Some of those choices are more than decoration. If you want to sit while showering, say so at the start. The seat, its placement and the room around it need to work together. The same goes for grab bars and a handheld shower. Our aging-in-place shower guide explains the questions to work through.
We’d rather help you fit an important support feature into a simpler design than have you spend the budget on a wall pattern first. The new valve is included. The showerhead and finish you choose can change the price.
See this Augusta bathroom before, during and after the conversion.
7. Do both quotes cover the same work?
The price can look lower when a quote leaves out work you’ll still need someone to do. Before comparing the totals, look at what each installer is taking responsibility for.
Who removes the old tub? Who hauls it away? Is the valve included? What happens if there’s water damage behind the walls? How are permits handled where they’re required?
With our franchise, the conversion installation price includes removal and haul-away, a new valve, preparation, the new shower system and the plumbing connections. The doors and accessories listed in your quote are included too. Repairs for water damage within the tub or shower area are included in our installation price. Structural work is referred to the appropriate specialist.
That’s worth spelling out because damage is often listed as an extra cost in general remodeling advice. Our guide to damage behind an old tub explains how we handle it. Tell us about known leaks or soft spots during the visit.
Also compare who you can call afterward. Bath Fitter acrylic products have a lifetime warranty, subject to the written warranty terms. Doors, plumbing products and other components can have different coverage. Ask how the product warranty and installation support work together.
That installation work matters. Scott McAda, a customer in our Arkansas market, wrote:
“Phil, the installer is very talented and did a fantastic job on a fairly complicated installation.”
Scott McAda · Arkansas · Google review, November 2025
Read more from our Arkansas customers or visit the Google review profile.
Where would we spend more, and where would we keep it simple?
Start with the reason you want the tub gone. If getting in and out is the problem, spend time on the entry and support features. If cleaning is driving you crazy, think about the wall surface and enclosure you’ll be looking after.
Then price the nice-to-haves. Compare a curtain with glass. Compare the smooth wall you like with the decorative one you love. You don’t have to buy every upgrade to get a shower that works well for you.
William Mullikin and Cam Young talk through these choices in our shower pricing podcast. Tell the consultant your budget early. That gives us something useful to work with.
You’ll see many of the same cost factors in Home Depot’s conversion guide, including the base, walls, enclosure and fixtures. When you compare quotes, look at which version of each you’re getting.
How do you find out what your choices would cost?
Start with our free instant online estimate. Choose the walls, enclosure and features you’re considering, then see a planning range. If you want to talk it through in your bathroom, book a free in-home consultation. We’ll measure, bring samples and give you a written quote.
Look at the full price before deciding how to pay. Our financing page has current options for qualified buyers, subject to credit approval and lender terms.
Find your local franchise team and enter your project ZIP to check availability. Then we can look at what will work in your bathroom.
You should come away knowing what you’re buying and why it costs what it does. And if the simpler shower is the one that fits your life and budget, that’s a good outcome.
Sources
- Bath Fitter Fam conversion prices and design examples, checked November 3 2026
- Our franchise installation data supplied October 13 2026
- 2027 tub-to-shower conversion cost guide
- William Mullikin and Cam Young on shower pricing
- Real Augusta conversion, project 2924
- Bath Fitter warranty documents, checked November 3 2026
- Home Depot conversion cost factors, checked November 3 2026
Frequently asked questions
What is the simplest way to lower my tub-to-shower conversion cost?
Keep the existing bathing area if it works for you, compare a curtain with glass, and consider smooth acrylic walls instead of a decorative finish. Put the entry, seat or grab bars you need ahead of appearance upgrades.
Does Bath Fitter charge extra for water damage behind the tub?
Our franchise includes repairs for water damage within the tub or shower area in the installation price. Structural work is referred to the appropriate specialist. Tell us about known leaks or soft spots during the consultation.
Do I have to move the drain for a tub-to-shower conversion?
That depends on the existing plumbing and the shower base being installed. Keeping the same bathing area can simplify the project, but a conversion still needs plumbing work. We review your bathroom before confirming the work in the written quote.
How much does custom shower glass add?
There is no single published add-on price that fits every bathroom. The opening, glass design, hardware and installation affect the amount. Ask for the same shower priced with a curtain, standard glass and custom glass so you can compare the difference.
Are these confirmed 2027 Bath Fitter prices?
These are current 2026 franchise planning ranges, checked November 3, 2026, to help you plan for 2027. We have not added an assumed annual price increase. Your estimate and written quote reflect the choices and pricing available when you plan your project.