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Tub-to-Shower Conversion Cost Calculator for Sun Valley
What separates a $5,000 conversion from a $20,000 one is almost never the tile. It is the base, the enclosure, and what has to happen to a drain that was sized for a bathtub rather than a shower.
Why your estimate is what it is
What drives tub-to-shower conversion costs in Sun Valley
A conversion is priced in three tiers on this site, and the steps between them are about the base and the enclosure far more than the size of the alcove. There is also a technical fact underneath the whole job that decides both the price and the permit: a bathtub drain is an inch and a half, and a shower drain is two inches. A shower runs water continuously into the drain rather than filling a basin first, so the fitting is replaced, the branch to the waste stack is usually upsized, and the drain moves from the tub end toward the middle of the new shower. That is the line most often missing from a quote that looks too cheap.
The drain is why this needs a permit and a tub swap often does not
Washoe County exempts the repair or replacement of residential sinks, toilets and water closets only where there is no rearranging of the water, waste, or vent pipes. Upsizing a drain from 1½ to 2 inches and moving it is exactly that rearranging, so a conversion sits outside the exemption while a like-for-like tub replacement usually sits inside it. This is not a formality — it is a real difference in scope, and it is the honest reason this site says a tub replacement generally costs less than a conversion.
The base decides more of the price than the walls do
An acrylic or solid-surface pan arrives pre-sloped and waterproof: it is set, connected and finished, and there is very little to get wrong. A tiled base is built on site — sloped by hand, waterproofed, flood-tested and then tiled — which is several more days and several more things that depend on the installer. A curbless base adds framing on top of that, because the shower floor has to sit below the bathroom floor, which means recessing the subfloor between the joists. That single choice moves a job between the published tiers more reliably than any tile selection.
Three things are invisible until the tub comes out
Whether the subfloor under it is sound, whether there is any vapour barrier behind the old surround, and what the supply lines are made of. In Sun Valley's older housing stock, galvanised supply is common and a proper waterproofing layer frequently is not. None of it has to be replaced to make the shower work, and all of it is dramatically cheaper to deal with while the wall is already open. Ask any written estimate to state what it assumes about all three, because that is where a fixed price quietly stops being fixed.
What could push your price higher
- A curbless base, which means recessing the subfloor between the joists rather than choosing a different pan
- Frameless glass, which is thicker, custom-measured after the tile is set, and carries its own lead time
- Natural stone walls, which cost more to buy, more to set, and keep asking to be sealed
- Moving the shower to a different wall, so supply and waste both get re-run
- A subfloor or framing that turns out to be damaged once the old tub is out
- A house over 40 years old, where galvanised supply and no vapour barrier are both likely
What could bring it down
- An acrylic or composite panel system, which has no grout, no waterproofing to get wrong and the shortest schedule
- An acrylic or solid-surface pan instead of a site-built tiled base
- Keeping the drain in its existing position and simply upsizing it
- A curtain or a framed door rather than semi-frameless or frameless glass
- Doing the flooring in the same visit, since the floor is being opened at the drain anyway
- A house under 20 years old, where the supply lines and the subfloor are very unlikely to surprise anyone
Turn the estimate into a real number
This calculator works from the 2026 cost figures published on this site for Sun Valley. What it cannot see is the condition of your subfloor, what is inside your walls, or how level the room actually is. We will come out, measure the bathroom and give you a written scope with no pressure attached.
Get my free quoteFrequently asked questions
How much does a tub-to-shower conversion cost in Sun Valley?
The figures published on this site put a basic conversion — an acrylic panel system, a standard base, a curtain or basic door — at $4,500 to $8,500; a mid-range conversion with tiled walls or upgraded panels, a glass door and a niche at $8,500 to $14,000; and a higher-end conversion with full tile, frameless glass, a custom bench and upgraded fixtures at $14,000 to $22,000 and up. This calculator builds a number from your own alcove and specification, and tells you which of those three tiers it lands in.
Why does the drain have to change?
A bathtub drain is 1½ inches and a shower drain is 2 inches, and the difference is not arbitrary. A tub fills and empties in one go; a shower delivers water continuously and the drain has to carry it away as fast as it arrives. Leave the old 1½ inch line in place and water pools around your feet at best, and the pan overflows at worst. So the fitting is replaced, the branch to the waste stack is generally upsized as well, and the drain moves from the tub end toward the centre of the new shower — which means the floor gets opened.
Do I need a permit for a tub-to-shower conversion?
Almost certainly, and the reason is the drain. Washoe County exempts the replacement of sinks, toilets and water closets only where there is no rearranging of the water, waste, or vent pipes, and a conversion rearranges the waste by definition. It is not a hardship: the county's EZ Permit program covers residential plumbing with no plan review, and a licensed contractor can typically apply, pay and receive the permit the same day. Sun Valley is unincorporated Washoe County rather than the City of Reno or Sparks, so it is the county building department that applies. Confirm current requirements before starting.
How long does a tub-to-shower conversion take?
This site puts it at about 3 to 7 days, and that matches what the work involves. A panel system is at the fast end because there is no waterproofing cure time before the walls go up. A custom tiled shower is at the slow end, because the base has to be built, waterproofed, flood-tested and cured before a single tile is set. Add time if the drain is moving, and add time if the subfloor turns out to need work. Material lead times, particularly for frameless glass measured after the tile is in, often matter more than the labour does.
Is it cheaper to replace the bathtub instead?
Yes, generally, and this site says so plainly. A tub-to-tub replacement keeps the same plumbing rough-in and the same footprint, so the drain does not move and the floor does not need opening. This calculator's sibling puts a basic replacement at $3,000 to $5,500 against $4,500 to $8,500 for a basic conversion. But the right answer usually turns on how the household actually uses the room rather than on price — and if this is the last tub in the house, that is worth weighing separately.
Can I keep the old drain if I use a shower kit?
You should not, and a competent installer will not. Prefabricated shower kits still drain continuously and still need the flow capacity, and the manufacturer's instructions will specify a 2-inch outlet. Reusing a 1½ inch tub line because it happens to be there is a shortcut that shows up the first time two people shower in a row, and it is not what the plumbing code contemplates. If a quote is noticeably cheaper than the others, this is one of the first places worth asking about.
Related calculators
Planning the whole bathroom? Start at the Sun Valley bathroom calculator hub, or read more about our tub-to-shower conversion service.