A curbless shower is worth the investment for families of multiple generations in the same home. The accessibility makes aging in place more feasible, and the entire family can benefit from easy entry and exit. However, curbless showers are only as good as their design and drainage.
Installed properly, you'll be fine – but if you don't plan it well, you could have some pretty big problems with water and your curbless shower. Without a curb, the shower water isn't contained in the tub area and can get EVERYWHERE.
It requires the floor to be sloped just so and typically uses a linear drain in order to ensure effective water drainage. This drain, along with the properly sloped shower floor, ensures that water stays within the shower area without the risk of flooding the broader bathroom space.
Walk-in showers can increase home value and are particularly attractive to buyers looking for modern design and accessibility, offering a potential return of $1.71 for every dollar spent, while also presenting challenges, such as the risk of alienating buyers who prefer bathtubs.
In addition to the cost of materials, you'll also need to factor in the cost of labor. Installing a curbless shower is generally more time-consuming and therefore more expensive than installing a traditional shower. Another cost to consider is the cost of permits.
Though trends come and go, it's safe to say that replacing a tub with a walk-in shower modernizes the overall look of your space. Offers better accessibility and safety. Stepping into a tub-shower combo is awkward and the surface could be slippery.
Doorless showers offer several benefits that make them a smart choice for many homeowners. One of the main advantages of a doorless shower is its accessibility. With no threshold or glass barrier, these showers are easy to enter and exit, making them ideal for homeowners of all ages and mobility levels.
Removing your only tub to install a walk-in shower can make your home's value take a hit because most prospective homebuyers, especially families with small kids, want at least one bathtub.
If attention is paid to a few critical details, curbless showers will meet building codes, are highly usable by most people, present few if any installa tion difficulties, and do not leak or present maintenance problems.
If designed and installed correctly, water shouldn't be a problem. But it is easy to splash and spill water throughout the bathroom with a doorless, curbless shower. Be mindful to prevent clogs and slips.
Curbless showers with linear drains provide an expansive canvas for design creativity. The linear drain can be positioned in various locations — against a wall, at the entrance of the shower, or anywhere in between — providing you with the flexibility to tailor the shower layout according to your preferences.
For curbless showers, the drain position is incredibly important. For most showers, this means placing it on the opposite side from the shower door to keep the water as far away from the rest of the bathroom as possible. A linear shower drain is a popular choice for curbless sliding shower door enclosures.
Not only are walk-in showers a stylish feature, but they also offer many potential benefits for your home, including: More Space: A walk-in shower is especially beneficial for small bathrooms. If your bathroom feels cramped, ditching the bathtub in favor of a walk-in shower can give you the feel of extra space!
How do I make sure my curbless shower pan will not leak? There is only one method that will not leak – a properly applied hot mop. Hot-mop shower pans have been used for more than 60 years. They have proven to be dependable and durable throughout the country.
These barrier-free showers offer better accessibility to all age groups and abilities. Linear drains in curbless showers are the ideal design solution for creating ADA-compliant showers and wet spaces that are universally accessible.
Zero-entry showers will give you an updated look and provide uninhibited access for those that need it, but there is no replacement for a curbed shower when it comes to controlling water.
The choice between linear and square drain will highly depend on your application. As mentioned, if you are remodeling to create a wet room or a curbless shower, a linear drain is the right choice.
Many younger homeowners are opting for shower-only bathrooms, valuing the time and space savings over the option to soak in a tub. Additionally, the trend toward smaller, more urban homes with limited bathroom space means that showers often win out.
Replacing a bathtub with a shower can potentially devalue your house, especially if it is your only bathtub and most comparable homes have them. But a luxurious or spacious shower or a bathroom designed for families with young children can lessen the impact.
Increasingly, homeowners are getting rid of their tubs for lavish, high-end showers. Small spaces and homes owned by millennials and kid-free adults are particularly more apt to agree with the bathtub becoming obsolete. They simply ditch the tub.
How Big Should a Doorless Shower Be? A doorless shower layout requires a larger footprint than a standard tub or shower stall. Building codes may specify that a standard shower stall must be a minimum of 36 inches by 36 inches while the average doorless shower is about seven feet by four feet with many much larger.
To let moisture escape, leave your bathroom window open during showering and for at least 15 minutes after. If your bathroom doesn't have any windows, leave the door open instead. Some plants, including spider plants and snake plants, can also help remove moisture from the air.
According to a recent survey, only 23 percent of homeowners actually use their bathtubs on a regular basis. This means that the vast majority of bathrooms have tubs that just take up space. If you aren't using your bathtub, you can have it removed and give yourself a bigger and more comfortable bathroom.
The Average Cost of Converting a Tub Into a Walk-In Shower
The installation and costs of a walk in shower remodel range between $5,997 and $11,950, with average coming in at $7,997. Although it may seem like a wide range for a simple project, many other factors contribute to the total cost.