Go Far®The three conversion budgets we see
A prefab or acrylic conversion — tub out, a quality acrylic or fiberglass shower base and wall system in, new valve and glass door — is the entry point, typically $7,000–$15,000 in this market. It is quick, waterproof, and a big upgrade over a scummy tub, but the material palette is limited.
A custom tiled walk-in shower in the same footprint is what most of our Lynnwood and Seattle-area clients choose: a mortar or foam pan, full waterproofing membrane, tile to the ceiling, a frameless or semi-frameless glass panel, and a proper linear or center drain. Around here that usually lands between $15,000 and $30,000 depending on tile, glass, and fixture level.
A curbless or expanded conversion — dropping the entry threshold flush to the floor, moving the drain or valve wall, stealing space from a closet, or folding the conversion into a larger bathroom remodel — runs roughly $30,000–$60,000, in line with the full bathroom remodel budgets we see across Snohomish and King County.
What moves the number
- Waterproofing done right. The pan and membrane are where cheap conversions fail. This is the line item never to cut — redoing a leaking shower costs multiples of building it correctly once.
- Tile and glass choices. Large-format porcelain on the walls with a frameless panel reads high-end without exotic pricing; hand-made tile and steam-ready enclosures push budgets up fast.
- Plumbing age. Many 1960s–80s homes around Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Shoreline still have galvanized supply lines or original valves behind the wall. Opening the wet wall is the moment to modernize them.
- Curbless entries. Flush thresholds usually mean recessing the subfloor — beautiful, safer, and more labor than a curbed pan.
- Scope creep in a good way. Once the tub wall is open, adding a niche, a bench, or better ventilation is cheap. Doing it later is not.
Conversions and aging in place
Half the conversions we build are about safety: stepping over a 15-inch tub apron is the single most common fall risk in an older home’s bathroom. A low- or zero-threshold shower with a bench, grab-bar blocking behind the tile, and a handheld spray keeps a home workable for decades. If that is what is driving your project, our aging-in-place remodeling guide covers the whole-house picture.
Think about resale before removing the last tub
Puget Sound buyers with young kids still look for at least one bathtub. Converting the primary bath while keeping a tub in the hall bath is the safe play; removing the only tub in the house can narrow your buyer pool. It is not a reason to live with a shower you cannot use — just a factor worth weighing, and one we will be straight with you about in an estimate.
Get a real number for your bathroom
Ranges are for articles — your bathroom deserves an exact figure. Go Far Construction gives free, no-obligation estimates across Lynnwood, Seattle, and Snohomish & King County, with an itemized written price that holds. Send us a photo of the tub and tell us what you want instead, and you will know what your conversion actually costs.