Tub-to-Shower Conversion Cost in Plano and Frisco: 2026 Guide

Audie Builds — September 28, 2026

In Plano and Frisco, a tub-to-shower conversion starts around $10,000 with Audie Builds, labor and materials, for a walk-in tile shower built in the footprint of the old tub. A new tile shower in an existing shower footprint starts around $8,500, and replacing the tile surround on a tub you keep starts around $8,500 too. Those are our published starting points, not a national average, and they come from the jobs we run every week across Collin County.

This guide explains what sits inside that $10,000, why it is higher than retiling a shower, what pushes a quote up from there, how long the work takes, and which permits Plano and Frisco require. If you want the short version for your own bathroom, the bathroom remodeling page has the same pricing and a form that reaches me directly.

At a glance

• Starting price: From $10,000, labor and materials, in the existing tub footprint
• Compare: Tile shower rebuild from $8,500; tub and shower wall tile from $8,500
• Timeline: Two to three weeks from demo to glass
• Permits: Yes when the drain or valve moves; we pull them and schedule inspections
• Glass: Measured after the tile is set; about a week between tile and a usable shower
• Who does the work: Owner-led, with vetted crews we use on every bathroom

What a tub-to-shower conversion includes

The job starts by pulling the tub and the surround around it, usually a cultured-marble or tile enclosure from the 1990s or 2000s. Behind it we find the framing, the old drain and the valve, and that is where the real work begins.

The tub drain sits at one end of the alcove and a shower drain belongs where the pan slopes to it, so the drain gets reworked. Then a waterproofed pan goes in, curbed or curbless, with the walls waterproofed before any tile is set. Wall and floor tile go on next, set to TCNA methods, with a niche or a bench if you want one. Glass is measured last, after the tile is in, so it fits the real opening rather than a drawing.

The starting price includes all of that: demo, the drain rework, the pan and waterproofing, wall and floor tile, a new valve and trim, and the glass. It is a complete, usable shower, not a shell that needs a second contractor.

Why the starting price is $10,000 and not $8,500

People ask why a conversion starts $1,500 above a tile shower rebuild in the same size space. The difference is the plumbing and the floor. A rebuild reuses a drain that is already in the right place and a pan footprint that already exists. A conversion moves the drain, builds a pan from scratch where a tub deck sat, and usually corrects framing and subfloor that were never meant to carry a tile floor. That is a day or two of work you do not see in the finished photos, and it is the part that keeps the shower dry for the next twenty years.

If you are keeping the tub and only want the dated surround gone, that is a different job at a different price: tub and shower wall tile starts around $8,500 and keeps your tub, filler and drain where they are.

What moves the number up from there

Six things push a bathroom quote past the starting price, and they are the same six on every job we run:

Vanity and countertop. A new vanity, top, sink and faucet, or a double vanity where a single sat before.

Fixture package. Rain heads, hand showers, wall-mount fillers and better valves add up quickly.

Floors. New tile across the whole room, with heated floor as an option.

Structure. Pony walls, benches, niches, closing a garden-tub deck, or moving a wall.

Layout and plumbing changes. Moving the toilet, sink or drain is the biggest single cost driver in any bathroom.

Lighting and ventilation. New can lights, vanity lighting, a quieter fan on its own switch.

A conversion by itself stays close to the starting price. Once a vanity, floors, lighting and a layout change are on the list, you are into a full primary bath, which we quote per project after a walkthrough. Most of those land well above the starting points here, and that is true of every published DFW price guide, not just ours.

Curb or curbless, bench or niche

A curbed shower has a low tile step at the door and is the simpler build. A curbless shower has the floor slope start at the bathroom floor, which means recessing the framing or building the floor up, so it is more work at the pan and lands higher. We price both, and the choice usually comes down to whether anyone in the house will need a step-free entry in the next ten years.

A niche is a recessed shelf built into the wall between studs; it costs a little tile and time. A bench is framed, waterproofed and tiled like a second floor, so it costs more than a niche and takes a few inches from the shower. Both are decided at the walkthrough, before demo, so the framing is done once.

Permits in Plano and Frisco

A conversion reworks the drain, and both cities treat that as plumbing work that needs a permit and an inspection. Cosmetic work like new tile, a vanity or fixtures in the same spot usually does not.

Plano requires permits for structural, electrical, plumbing and HVAC changes and for major remodels. A remodel that changes where the toilet, sink or tub sits needs plumbing and building permits with inspections.

Frisco requires a permit for any alteration, removal or replacement of plumbing, electrical or mechanical work, which covers a tub-to-shower conversion or a new circuit for a heated floor.

We check with the city on every job, pull what is required, and schedule the inspections. You never have to guess, and the permit is in the written number, not a surprise at the end. The Plano and Frisco pages have more on how each city handles inspections.

How long it takes

Most tile showers and tub-to-shower conversions take two to three weeks from demo to glass. Glass is usually the last piece, measured after the tile is set, so plan on about a week between tile and a usable shower.

The shower we are working in is out of service from demo until the glass goes in. If it is your only bathroom we phase the work so you are never without a working toilet and sink for more than a day, and we say so in the schedule up front.

What happens behind the wall

In North Texas homes from the 80s and 90s we find water damage often: a soft subfloor around the tub, a rotted sill, a slow leak at the valve. It is the single most common reason a conversion costs more than the number on this page.

When we find it, we photograph it, price the fix in writing, and only proceed when you approve it. No surprise line items at the end. If you are getting several quotes, ask each contractor how they handle this, because it is where a low number turns into a high invoice.

How to compare tub-to-shower quotes

Two quotes for the same bathroom can be thousands apart and still describe different jobs. Before you compare prices, make sure each one answers the same questions:

How is the pan waterproofed? A sheet or liquid membrane system with a flood test, not just a liner under mortar.

What tile standard is the work set to? We set tile to TCNA methods, which cover flatness, grout joints and mortar coverage. Our plain-English guide to the TCNA Handbook explains what that means.

What glass is included? Frameless, semi-frameless or a framed door, and whether it is measured after tile.

Is the valve new? A new pressure-balanced or thermostatic valve should be in the number.

Who pulls the permit? The contractor should, and it should be in writing.

Who is on site? Ask who runs the job day to day and who you call when something changes.

If a quote cannot answer those in writing, the price is not comparable yet. Ours spells each one out on a style board and a single written number before demo.

Why we publish our prices

Most remodelers in Collin County will not put a number on a page. We do, because a homeowner researching a conversion deserves to know whether $10,000 is in the range before they spend an evening on a consultation. If the number works, the bathroom remodeling page has the form and the photos, and the Frisco and Plano pages show recent work in those cities.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a tub-to-shower conversion cost in Plano or Frisco?

With Audie Builds it starts around $10,000, labor and materials, for a walk-in tile shower built in the footprint of the old tub, including the drain rework, a waterproofed pan, wall and floor tile, a new valve and trim, and glass. The starting price is the same in Plano, Frisco and the rest of Collin County.

Is it cheaper to keep the tub and just replace the tile?

Yes. Replacing the tile surround on a tub you keep starts around $8,500, because the tub, filler and drain stay where they are. A conversion starts around $10,000 because the drain moves and a new pan is built from scratch.

How long does a tub-to-shower conversion take?

Two to three weeks from demo to glass. The glass is measured after the tile is set, so plan on about a week between the tile being finished and the shower being usable.

Do I need a permit for a tub-to-shower conversion?

In Plano and Frisco, yes, because the work replaces or moves plumbing. We check with the city, pull what is required, and schedule the inspections as part of the job.

Do you install prefab shower kits or only tile?

We build tile showers. A tile shower is waterproofed and built to the room, which is what the starting price covers. If a prefab unit is the right fit for a budget or a rental, we will say so at the walkthrough.

What if there is water damage behind the wall?

We find it often in homes from the 80s and 90s. We photograph it, price the fix in writing, and only proceed when you approve it, so it never shows up as a surprise on the final invoice.