Chapel Hill · Carrboro · Durham
The tub nobody uses comes out and a walk-in tiled shower goes in the same footprint. Priced with the three shower packages, from $14,000.
15 five-star reviews on Google · BBB Accredited, A+ · Fully insured
“He listened to what we wanted and left us with a beautiful bathroom that matched our wishes for it.”Robin Baird · Google review
Step by step
A tub-shower combo nobody uses as a tub, with tile that has seen better days.
Everything comes out to the studs. A Schluter pan and membrane make the alcove waterproof before any tile goes on.
Walls tiled floor to ceiling with a niche, usually in 3 to 4 days.
Glass is measured after the tile is set and installed 1.5 to 2 weeks later. Delta valve and trim.
Most tubs in Chapel Hill and Durham homes are a place to stand while you shower. A tub-to-shower conversion takes the tub out and puts a walk-in tiled shower in the same alcove. The footprint stays, the plumbing usually stays, and the room works the way you use it.
The tub, the surround and whatever is behind them come out completely. We go back to the framing, check the subfloor, and build the new shower on a Schluter system: a foam pan and a bonded membrane under every tile, so water never reaches the wood. Then the tile goes on, with a niche or two, and the valve and trim. The glass is measured after the tile is finished and installed about 1.5 to 2 weeks later, so it fits exactly.
A conversion is priced with the same three packages as any other shower: the Refresh at $14,000, the Signature at $16,000 and the Luxe Spa at $18,000. The one extra is plumbing work if the drain has to move, and that is in your quote before we start. The number does not move unless you change the scope.
Tile is done in 3 to 4 days. The glass follows about 1.5 to 2 weeks later. If you want the vanity, floor and paint done at the same time, that becomes a full bathroom remodel, and most of those land between $20,000 and $35,000.
Buyers with small children want one tub somewhere in the house. If you have a second bathroom with a tub, converting the one you shower in is an easy call. If this is the only one, weigh that first. Our post on whether a tub-to-shower conversion is worth it goes through the resale side.
Service area: Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, Hillsborough and Pittsboro.
Before and after
A tub-shower combo with square tile and a curtain. It came out, and a walk-in shower with white subway tile, a recessed niche and a matte black rain head went into the same alcove.
The rest of the room was done at the same time: a new vanity with a quartz top, lighting, a pivot mirror and a hex tile floor.
AfterHeritage Modern Luxe, Chapel Hill. Drag to compare.
Packages
Every package is a real tile shower on a Schluter waterproofing system. The difference is the tile selection and the extras. Most people pick The Signature.
$14,000
The straightforward one. A real tile shower with clean, simple materials.
$16,000
More tile choices, two niches, a second fixture and an accent strip.
$18,000
Premium tile, a bench, a lit niche, soundproofing, a full accent wall and a frameless enclosure.
Process
A few phone pictures of the room and a note on what you want. We reply within 24 hours, Monday through Friday, with a price range. No site visit needed for a first number.
Refresh, Signature or Luxe Spa. We go over tile, fixtures and layout and you get one number for the whole job.
Shawn runs the job, with the same tile, plumbing and glass subs we have used for years. Showers are tiled in 3 to 4 days. Full bathrooms get a schedule before we start.
From real jobs
The same four stages on every shower, tub-to-shower conversions included.
A tub-shower combo nobody uses as a tub, with tile that has seen better days.
Everything comes out. A Schluter pan and backer make the alcove waterproof before any tile goes on.
Floor and walls tiled, niche built in, usually 3 to 4 days.
Glass is measured after the tile is set and installed 1.5 to 2 weeks later. Delta valve and trim.
Reviews
Shawn was great to work with! We were happy with the bathroom he worked with us to renovate and appreciated his guidance along the way. He listened to what we wanted and left us with a beautiful bathroom that matched our wishes for it. He was very communicative along the way, which was a major help to the process.
Robin Baird
I highly recommend Clear River Contracting. Originally I hired Shawn to replace an old fiberglass moulded shower with a new unit, which he did and it looks amazing! He went over and above with every detail.
I was in the process of getting my home of 33 years ready to go on the market and I was overwhelmed with repairs/upgrading that needed to be completed. Shawn took on everything that I threw in his direction without hesitation, which included a new bathroom, carpentry work on my deck/house exterior, drywall, plumbing, electrical, power washing house/driveway, painting - there is no way I could have met my deadline without his help.
I am so thankful he answered my plea for help on Nextdoor!
Linda Jacob
We were so impressed with Shawn with Clear River Contracting. We had started our project with another individual who had overstated their abilities, did not show up, and left us with an attic that was worse off than we started. Shawn came in and was able to not only complete the job, but fix many of the glaring mistakes from the prior contractor and left us with a beautiful and functional space. Shawn has a very clear attention to detail, bordering on perfectionism. Possibly even more important, Shawn always showed up when he said he would, his pricing was transparent (excel spreadsheet with each line item priced out) and didn’t suddenly change for no reason, and full of integrity. By the end of the project we not only had found a go-to contractor, but a friend. We’re so glad we found Clear River Contracting.
Rachel Breuhaus
Accredited and partnered with
FAQ
Most showers are tiled in 3 to 4 days. The glass is measured after the tile is finished and installed about 1.5 to 2 weeks later. Full bathrooms vary with the scope, whether the work is permitted and whether glass is part of the job. You get a schedule before we start. How long a remodel takes walks through the stages.
Yes. The old shower or tub surround comes out completely on every job, so the waterproofing and tile start from clean framing.
Yes. Refresh and Signature include a clear glass door, and Luxe Spa includes a frameless glass enclosure. Either way the glass is measured after the tile is finished and installed about 1.5 to 2 weeks later so it fits exactly. A sliding door costs a little more on any package.
Every shower goes on a Schluter waterproofing system: a foam pan and a bonded membrane under the tile, so water cannot reach the framing. It is the system the tile industry uses for showers meant to last.
Yes. Send a few photos of the room and we reply with a price range. If it looks like a fit, we schedule a visit to measure and firm up the number.
Not always. A tub drain sits at one end of the alcove, and the new shower drain can often stay close to it. If it does need to move, that plumbing work is the one extra on top of the package price, and it is in your quote before anything starts.
Not if the house keeps one tub somewhere. Buyers with small children want a tub in the house, not in every bathroom. If the tub you are converting is the only one, weigh that before you decide. Most of the tubs we take out were not being used as tubs, and a tiled walk-in shower reads as finished work to a buyer.
No. The shower takes the tub’s alcove, so the vanity, toilet and door stay where they are. If you want the rest of the room done at the same time, that becomes a full bathroom remodel, and most of those land between $20,000 and $35,000.
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