Bathtub to Shower Conversion Renovation in Cleveland Ohio
Bath Doctor from Innovate Building Solutions
Do you worry every time your spouse or Mom or Dad climbs into the tub to take a shower? Will they fall and needs care from a Doctor? The fact is your existing tub/shower is the most dangerous space in your house. In addition, your stained fiberglass one-piece surround, or moldy tile grout joints aren’t exactly nice to look at either. Solve this problem – and more – with a tub to shower conversion from the Shower Specialists from the Bath Doctor Division of Innovate Building Solutions.
With 43 years of experiences, quality products with long warranties you’ll know your bathtub to shower remodel will be professionally done. You’ll know your project won’t be rushed or use substandard materials which will become your problem down the road.
In this page you’ll learn the following:
- The benefits of a tub to walk in shower conversion.
- How Innovate’s process will simplify the project for you.
- Product options to customize your shower.
- Frequently asked questions about tub to shower conversion kits.
- Why your neighbor’s have chosen the Bath Doctor division of Innovate Building Solutions for their job and why you should too.
Benefits of a Tub to Walk-in Shower Conversion
A safe shower – Why worry about a loved one falling and being hospitalized from stepping over the tub. A shower is safer to use.
A stylishly renovated shower – Staring at yellowed fiberglass tub/shower surrounds the new-home builder slapped into your home years ago is a sight you can do without. Get a fresh start with a bath to shower remodel using stylish laminate wall panels and a low-curb solid surface base.
Easy to clean and mold–free walls and bases – Cleaning tiles around your tub surround is no picnic. And worrying about bacteria in grout joints is something you can do without. Replacing your bathtub with grout free wall panels and sturdy shower pans will reduce cleaning time and make a healthier space.
Grow your space – The space to stand inside your tub is small. With a tub to shower conversion kit, you can use add a curved glass enclosure to increase elbow room and make a safer shower.
Add much–needed storage, safety, and seating – Do your shampoo bottles keep falling over in a cheap plastic caddy over the shower head? Do you wish you had a place to sit and shave your legs? With a bathtub to shower conversion, you can add the recessed niches, decorative grab bars or fold down seating you’ve always wanted.
Return on investment – Bathroom remodels offer one of the highest returns on investment according to the Cost/Value Study done by Remodeling Magazine.
Innovate’s Simple 4-step Bath to Shower Process
We know thinking through the products and installation process of a tub to shower conversion remodel IS NOT something you do every day (or even every 20 years). The goal of The Bath Doctor division of Innovate Building Solutions is to simplify this project for you with this 4-step process:
- Step 1 – Understand your needs – our process begins by learning the problems with your existing bathtub and how you want your shower to work (and look) better.
- Step 2 – Develop a plan and a firm budget – Given your needs, Bath Doctor will recommend products and installation approaches to solve your problems and create a shower which is also respectful of your budget. We’ll develop a scope of work and give you a written estimate.
- Step 3 – Demo and prepare the walls, floor, and plumbing – During the demo we’ll take care to respect your property with tarps and surface protection systems. Once the demo is done, we’ll ONLY USE the proper (not the cheapest) subfloor, wall backer and plumbing systems to ensure a quality project which lasts.
- Step 4 – Install the finishing materials – This is where things get fun. Seeing your stylish (yet sturdy) shower pans or barrier free shower floor, shower wall surrounds, and trend-setting glass enclosures and accessories is where you see the finished project come alive.
Innovative Products for Tub to Shower Conversion
We understand how difficult it is to sift through the never-ending list of products and options for your tub to shower conversion. Is it best to use a shower pan or roll in shower? Should you go with a tile shower or contemporary grout free wall panels? What’s the best shower head for style and function? Should you use a shower screen, glass enclosure or curtains? And last, but not least, what accessories do you need?
At Bath Doctor – we look to first understand your needs, then take the guesswork out and recommend the best products for your tub to shower conversion. Below you’ll find a brief description of some options available through the Bath Doctor division of Innovate Building Solutions.
Low curb shower pans or roll-in showers
We’ll let you know the product options (acrylic and stone shower pans are our preferred systems) in lower threshold shower pans and also discuss where a barrier free roll in showers is best.
Shower wall surround panels
With Innovate’s Bath Doctor division you won’t be stuck choosing between a cheap plastic wall surround or tile. Innovate specializes in shower wall panels and offers 4 alternatives for you.
- 3/8” thick Laminate wall panels
- 3/8” thick solid surface wall panels
- 1/4” thick decorative PVC composite panels
- 5/16” thick optical grade high gloss acrylic panels
Glass shower doors for walk in designs. Sliding, pivoting or bypass doors for full enclosures
If glass shower doors make sense for your bathtub to shower conversion vs. using curtains, you’ll find many styles (from shower screens to sliding, pivoting and bypass doors) and finishes (matte black, chrome, brushed nickel to name the most popular) to complete your space.
Shower heads and sprays
Would your shower work best with a rain head, a hand-held unit, or a stationary head? Where should the turn on and turn off valve for your shower be located so you don’t get doused with a cold blast of water every time you turn your shower on? What type of shower head is best to conserve water?
Bath Doctor will help you make these important choices.
Shower accessories for storage, seating, and safety
The right accessories will make or break your shower experience.
How can you include seating (and not make a cramped space) to shave your legs or for someone who is mobility challenged to shower themselves?
What type of shelving or niches do you need to store all your lotions and potions?
Where should you put the grab bars for a safe shower? What choices do you have which won’t make your new shower look like a hospital room?
We can help you answer these questions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tub to Shower Conversion Projects
Showers are preferred to tubs because they’re safer to walk into, have a modern look, provide more space on the inside and are easier to clean.
While money-saving ideas will be best developed after seeing your bathroom, here’s a few strategies to cut installed costs of a bath to walk in shower conversion:
- Don’t move the plumbing. There are often 60” x 30” or 60” x 32” shower pans where the drain is located where the tub drain was and eliminate the cost of moving the plumbing.
- Use grout free wall panels vs. ceramic tile (which also cuts maintenance)
- Do your own demolition.
- Use solid one-piece shower pans vs. a tile shower floor.
- Use standard size glass shower doors, pans, windows, and wall surrounds and limit customization.
Mold is the enemy of a healthy bathroom. Grout free shower pans, decorative wall surrounds, exhaust fans and operable windows are smart products for a healthy (and mold free) shower.
While the decision between a shower pan with a curb and a curbless design should be driven by the current (and future) needs of your family, it’s less costly to buy a shower pan with a curb – than use a ‘wet room’ system without a curb.
It’s best to use a curbless design when you have a family member who needs the assistance of a wheelchair or you love the minimalistic look of a one level bathroom.
It’s best to use a shower pan with a curb (which are available in curb heights from 1 ½” to 4” high) in the following cases:
- When you have a concrete floor (so you don’t have to cut the floor),
- When you can’t find a contractor who’s done a curbless bathroom before
- When you want a bathroom which is simpler to waterproof.
Schedule a time with your Innovate Shower Design Specialist to see our shower pans, wall panels and glass enclosures. We’re open from Monday through Friday 7 AM to 4 PM (or by appointment at other times) at 4566 East 71st. St. Cuyahoga Heights., Oh, 44105. You’ll find us close to I-77/Route 480 near Independence Ohio.
We most certainly can. We understand it’s hard for an owner – who may remodel their kid’s or master bathroom every 20 years – to know the right products, sizes, and installation process to get a quality job which fits their budget. It’s our job to guide you through bathtub to shower conversion options – whether it’s with one on one during a bathroom design consultation or in a virtual appointment or with bathroom design articles through our News From The Block Blog or educational YouTube videos.
Tile showers look beautiful after the shower is just completed. Also tile showers can be installed with a wide range of patterns. However, they do have their drawbacks. And this is where grout free shower pans and walls come in.
Choose grout free options to eliminate leaks, reduce project costs and to throw out your tile scrubs brush and cut time cleaning your shower.
The best way to keep water in a 60” wide by 30” to 36” deep walk in shower is to use a curved or pivoting glass system where the glass can be angled back to the drain. Good options include pivoting glass shower doors or a curved walk-in glass block shower.
Why choose the Bath Doctor division of Innovate Building Solutions for your tub to shower conversion?
Whether you live in Bay Village, Brooklyn or Bratenhahl, you have the same goal with a bath to shower conversion. You want a quality project, built to last, and designed to work for your needs. You also want it backed by a company who stands behind their work. Here’s 9 reason’s your neighbors have chosen the Bath Doctor division of Innovate Building Solutions for their bathtub to shower conversion.
- Reason #1 – Innovate focuses on education and helping you make informed decisions –There’s a lot to learn to make smart (and cost-effective) decisions for the best tub to shower conversion project. Innovate has a library of more than 400 articles and 45 videos to help guide your selections and understanding of the process. Check out our News from The Block bathroom remodeling blog to educate yourself.
- Reason #2 – No pushy salespeople – Nobody wants to deal with a salesperson ‘pushing’ products and demanding you buy today, or this ‘deal of a lifetime’ will be gone. This IS NOT how Innovate works. We educate. We guide you through the steps in tub to shower remodels. We provide practical ideas to save money. It doesn’t matter whether you need a safer bathroom for ranch home in Rocky River or your colonial in Cleveland Heights, we’re here to help.
- Reason #3 – We’re locally owned professionals in the remodeling industry. We’ve served Clevelanders for 43 years– You’ve supported us, and we’ve appreciated the opportunity to serve you for 43 years (and have completed over 190,000 home improvement projects in our history). We’re locally owned and have done projects from Parma to Pepper Pike. If you choose Innovate your hard-earned dollars are staying in the local economy, not being siphoned off to an out-of-town franchise. We’re accredited members of the Better Business Bureau and NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry).
- Reason #4 – Low maintenance, high-style, and safe products –Innovate has many choices of shower pans, roll in accessible showers, shower wall surrounds, glass systems and accessories to customize your tub to shower conversion. Innovate has a wide selection of low maintenance, high style, and safe products for any budget.
- Reason #5 – Innovate believes what you ‘don’t see’ is every bit as important as what you do see – The construction of your shower base, the wall backer boards behind your shower wall surrounds, and even the pipes buried underneath your shower pan are the ‘backbone’ of your shower. We know this – and WILL NOT skimp on what you ‘don’t see.’
- Reason #6 – Industry leading guarantees – Ask about lifetime guarantees on stylish laminate shower wall panels, solid surface shower pans or glass block bathroom windows.
- Reason #7 – Innovate won’t rush to ‘finish your project in a day’ – You’ve seen the ads for franchise ‘bathroom in a day’ companies. Sounds fantastic to get the tub to shower project done in a day. But how can they complete your bathroom in a day? Here’s how. They put new materials over old materials. At Innovate we don’t take shortcuts which save us time in the short run but causes you problems (like mold behind the walls) in the long run. Quality tub to shower conversions don’t use ‘cover over’ systems to get in and out in a day.
- Reason #8 – Trained people – From our Vice President of Operations (who leads our installation crews) and has 35 years of experience to our Certified Aging in Place specialists, we’re a specialized contractor in bathroom design. This helps you not only get a quality project but saves money in the process.
- Reason #9 – We offer flexible payment options – While we know tub to shower conversion projects can be desperately needed if a family member has a sudden decline in health, we also know not everyone has pre-planned and budgeted for the job. Its for this reason we offer financing plans so you can make small monthly payments, yet still get the project done on the time frame you need.
Hire a Trustworthy Bathroom Remodeling Contractor in Cleveland, Ohio. Hire the Bath Doctor.
Bath Doctor of Cleveland can professionally renovate and remodel any size bathroom in your home—and give you the peace of mind of a company who has completed thousands of projects.