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Planning estimate · Murray, UTTub-to-shower conversion cost calculator
Most of this job happens in the first two days, behind the tile. This prices the demolition, the drain and the waterproofing as separate decisions from the finish, because that is the order in which they actually get made.
What is behind the number
Why two conversions in the same street cost different amounts
A tub-to-shower conversion looks like a finish job and is priced like a plumbing job. The tub comes out, the surround comes off back to the studs, and what is behind it decides most of the number — whether the framing is sound, whether the wall is plumb enough for the glass you want, and where the waste line runs.
The single largest variable is the drain. A bathtub drains at one end; a shower drains in the middle. Moving that pipe costs about $600 to $900 if you can reach it from a basement or a crawl space, and $1,200 to $2,500 if it means saw-cutting and repouring a concrete slab. On an otherwise identical job that is a bigger swing than the difference between ceramic and porcelain tile.
It is worth knowing what the drain does not cost you. A great deal of advice online says a shower needs a two-inch drain where a tub needs one and a half. That is a Uniform Plumbing Code rule. Utah follows the International Plumbing Code, and IPC Table 709.1 gives a shower the same one-and-a-half inch minimum trap a bathtub has. Some plumbers still upsize voluntarily on a large or multi-head shower — that is a choice worth pricing, not a requirement to budget around.
What is under the floor
A basement or a crawl space means reaching up to the trap. A slab means cutting concrete and repouring it. This one answer can move the total by two thousand dollars without changing a single visible thing.
Wall material and height
Panels have no grout and fit in a day. Ceramic runs $12 to $22 per square foot installed, porcelain $17 to $38, natural stone $33 to $90. Tiling to the ceiling rather than to the old surround line adds roughly a third more area.
The enclosure
A curtain rod costs nothing. A framed door runs $600 to $1,100 and forgives a wall that is slightly out. Frameless glass runs $1,400 to $2,200 and shows every millimetre of a wall that is not plumb — which in a pre-1960 Murray house is worth thinking about.
The shower floor
A prefabricated pan is $600 to $1,200 and comes in fixed sizes. A tiled pan on a mortar bed is $1,200 to $2,800 and fits any opening. Going curbless means recessing the floor structure, which is a different job again.
The age of the house
The average Murray home was built in 1979. In older stock the plaster comes away with the surround, the walls are rarely plumb, and the subfloor under a tub that has leaked can need $600 to $2,500 of repair before anything new goes in.
Extraction
A shower puts more moisture into a room than a tub does. The code asks for 50 cfm ducted directly outdoors — never into an attic or a soffit, which is where a surprising number of older Murray bathroom fans quietly terminate.
What pushes it higher
- A concrete slab under the bathroom, where moving the drain means cutting and repouring.
- Frameless glass, which costs more and needs walls that are genuinely plumb.
- A curbless entry, which means recessing the floor structure rather than setting a pan on it.
- Natural stone at $33 to $90 per square foot installed, and sealing it afterwards.
- A pre-1960 house, where plaster, out-of-plumb walls and an unknown subfloor all add time.
- A subfloor that has been quietly wet under the old tub for years.
What brings it down
- Keeping the existing drain position, if a base is made that will fit it.
- Panel walls instead of tile — no grout, no tile labour, and a far faster fit.
- A framed door, which hides a wall that is out by a quarter of an inch.
- Tiling to 72 inches rather than all the way to the ceiling.
- Ceramic rather than porcelain; the labour is identical and only the tile changes.
- Leaving the extractor alone, if it already moves air and already vents outdoors.
Turn the estimate into a real number
Send a couple of photos of the bathroom, rough dimensions, and say roughly when the house was built and what is underneath the floor. You will get a straight answer about what the drain, the subfloor and the panel will allow before anyone talks about tile.
What people ask about this
How much does a tub-to-shower conversion cost in Murray?
This site publishes $4,500 to $9,000 for a basic conversion with a panel surround and a standard base, $8,000 to $14,000 for a mid-range conversion with tiled walls and a glass door, and $13,000 to $22,000 or more for a fully custom one. The calculator above places your particular version inside those ranges based on what is actually being changed.
Do I need a permit to convert a tub to a shower?
If the drain moves, yes — that is plumbing work and Murray City reviews it. Murray City Code sets a $50 minimum fee per table plus $10 for each supplemental permit, and a Salt Lake County bathroom permit typically runs $150 to $500 all in. If genuinely nothing moves and you are only replacing surfaces, a building permit is usually not required. Confirm with the Building Division at 801-270-2431.
Does the drain have to be enlarged to two inches?
Not in Utah. That requirement comes from the Uniform Plumbing Code. Utah follows the International Plumbing Code, and IPC Table 709.1 lists a one-and-a-half inch minimum trap for a shower — the same as for a bathtub. Some plumbers prefer to upsize anyway on a large or multi-head shower, which is an option in the calculator rather than an assumption.
Is it cheaper to convert a tub to a shower or to replace the tub?
Replacing a tub in the same alcove is usually cheaper, because the drain and the valve stay where they are. This site publishes $3,500 to $7,000 for a basic tub replacement against $4,500 to $9,000 for a basic conversion. The gap widens as soon as the conversion needs the drain moved.
How long does it take?
A panel conversion with a curtain rod can be finished in three to five days. A tiled conversion with a glass door is more like one to two weeks, because the tile has to cure before the glass can be templated and the glass then takes a week or so to come back. A curbless conversion runs two to three weeks.
Will removing the tub hurt my resale value?
It can if it leaves the house with no bathtub at all — that matters to buyers with small children. If there is another tub elsewhere in the house, converting the main bathroom to a good shower is generally neutral to positive. It is worth thinking about before the tub goes in the skip rather than after.
What if the wall behind the tub is damaged?
It very often is, particularly where the old surround was sealed with silicone that failed years ago. Framing repair is normally modest; a soft subfloor is the one that costs, at $600 to $2,500 in the Salt Lake area. It cannot be quoted until the tub is out, which is why this estimate carries a contingency rather than pretending otherwise.
Can I keep the same tile height as the old surround?
Yes, and it saves money. The trade-off is a visible horizontal line at 72 inches where the old surround stopped, which reads as a patch unless the tile above it is handled deliberately. Tiling to the ceiling costs more and removes the question.