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Old 02-13-2013, 02:03 PM
 
Location: Lexington, SC
4,281 posts, read 12,642,892 times
Reputation: 3750

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My home is two years old. It has a bathtub with a wall surround on 3 sides. One option was a large shower versus the tub. I opted for the tub but have changed my mind and now I want a big shower installed. I will pay to have it done so a few questions:

1. Can I assume the present unit was installed in a standard rough-in so the shower should be standard? Present unit size is 60in wide, 74 in tall, 42in deep.

2. Does one typically put glass doors on such? If not, what?

I looked online at a few big box stores and the units that interest me seem to be $800 to $1,200. Type shower head I want seems to be in the $200 range so basically parts are about $1K to $1,200 unless doors are needed and that adds about $300 so outside material cost is $1,500 to $1,700.

If I can keep the total at about $2,500 (material and labor) I will consider it.

Your thoughts on cost?

Thanks
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Old 02-13-2013, 03:17 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by accufitgolf View Post
My home is two years old.
It has a bathtub ... now I want a big shower installed.
What is UNDER the bathroom?
Unfinished basement or Crawlspace and you're golden.
Slab on grade and it can get tough fast.

Being only two years old the original design plans should be readily available.
Ask if anyone has the "as built" drawing.

Google these terms: "doorless" "kerdi" and "trench drain"
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Old 02-13-2013, 04:41 PM
 
Location: Lexington, SC
4,281 posts, read 12,642,892 times
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Slab on grade.

If memory serves me right, all the bathrooms were roughed in and piped the same but one had an option of tub with built in shower or a big shower stall. I believe the big showers were delivered as one piece and the tubs were installed with the wall pieces (3) being snapped on top of the tub. There is no tiling. I will look at a few homes still under construction. I do/did not see it as that great a project. Pop one out, install the other. What am I missing?

Thanks for the help.
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Old 02-13-2013, 04:53 PM
 
Location: Simmering in DFW
6,952 posts, read 22,645,188 times
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Awwwww.......you don't want one of those crap shower units sold at the box stores. Hire a contractor and have a real shower built for you with real tiles. At least get some quotes before you decide to go the unit way.
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Old 02-13-2013, 07:46 PM
 
Location: Lexington, SC
4,281 posts, read 12,642,892 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirl View Post
Awwwww.......you don't want one of those crap shower units sold at the box stores. Hire a contractor and have a real shower built for you with real tiles. At least get some quotes before you decide to go the unit way.

Thanks for the reply.

Tiling really does nothing for me. Also one never outlives basic white. My mother in law has an awesome pink tiled bathroom. I puke when I go in there.....LOL

I will be hiring someone to do this. I just do not want to be naive and stupid when it comes to pricing nor do I begrudge anyone making a "fair" living doing such for me.

I have seen a few units from Sterling that interest me. For sake of conversation, Sterling 72290106 seems to meet my needs but upon further reading, my present bathroom door is only 30in wide so I assume I will need a unit that comes in 4 pieces like a base and 3 walls as I believe my present setup was.

I learn as I read and ask questions.
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Old 02-13-2013, 10:38 PM
 
13,111 posts, read 20,856,336 times
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The issue you will have is you don’t really know what's involved until you see behind the tub's skirt. Since all the plumbing is hidden behind the skirt, it's not important where the plumbing and drain were located. With a shower, they have to line up. When a tub is going in, the plumbing can still be outside the wall and still usable due to the slope of the tub that creates a void. The drain has to be close, but doesn’t have to be perfect or centered. But with a shower you can't have plumbing and drains close; they need them more accurate, especially with slab on grade.
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Old 02-13-2013, 11:42 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,446 posts, read 65,798,103 times
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"What am I missing?"

Well the "BIG" one- shower units are one piece. And since your home is complete, that unit isn't going in. Then again, if it's on an exterior wall... well that's a lot of money.

OK, moving right along- tile ain't doing it for ya. No problem, go cultured marble panels. Everyone seems to love a tiled shower- Yeah! Great to look at especially when you have someone else clean them. Cultured marble may not be the cat's meow, but it works very well for cleaning, waterproof, and very little caulk- just the seams. And with good silicone caulk can last for practically ever!
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Old 02-14-2013, 12:15 AM
 
Location: Not far from Fairbanks, AK
20,271 posts, read 37,040,759 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirl View Post
Awwwww.......you don't want one of those crap shower units sold at the box stores. Hire a contractor and have a real shower built for you with real tiles. At least get some quotes before you decide to go the unit way.
Well, I do remodeling and some construction, and fully agree with you. At my house I do have a shower by the master bedroom, but the main bathroom has a regular shower with tiles, and a set of glass doors in front above the tubs edge. I do all myself, and save a lot of cash in the process.

The shower walls were insulated and covered with a vapor barrier (visqueen), and then I used Backer boards (not just Durock). The seams and corners were taped with fiberglass (mesh) tape plus a mixture of Fix-It-All and Acryl-60 (liquid acrylic). This stuff can't be sanded, but I know how to tape, and do it in very thin layers to avoid ridges.

I used dry un-sanded grout mixed with grout sealer instead of water (been doing this for years). A day or two later I sealed the grout further, twice. It's looking real good, and the doors come next. Bought it at Lowe's on a builder's discount, but even so they cost around $390.00.
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Old 02-14-2013, 05:50 AM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,157,040 times
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The other posters have mostly good suggestions -- I agree that since this is on slab the odds of having everything line up perfectly are almost ZERO and although the OP does not like tile the better option (for good fit and resale) is NOT to try re-fitted a shower kit that is probably OK for new constrain or remodel where you have access from beneath BUT INSTEAD get "custom cut" cultured marble OR corian or "engineered quartz". Those are better options for those that do not want tile. I also think a custom base on site-fabricated is the way to go for remodel. If you don't want tile there are options. http://www.creative-terrazzo.com/shower-bases.htm

Finally I would not recommend this project if this is the only tub in your home and removing will result in only "3/4 baths" as this greatly impacts the marketability of your home down the road...
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Old 02-14-2013, 08:11 AM
 
838 posts, read 2,518,102 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
Finally I would not recommend this project if this is the only tub in your home and removing will result in only "3/4 baths" as this greatly impacts the marketability of your home down the road...
I always thought the same thing too, but some realtors in my area that post on another c-d forum stated that a shower bath is considered a "full" bath these days. There were some folks that weighed in on a recent discussion and said they would not buy a house with a bathtub. I'm skeptical of all this and not sure that I would want to find out if it's true! Think bathtubs are definitely not as popular these days though.
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