Walk-in shower installation in San Antonio
A walk-in shower trades a tub ledge for a low curb or none at all. It can go where the tub was, where an old shower stall was, or in a new spot if the plumbing can follow. Tell us what you have now and a local remodeler calls you back to measure.
The main choices
- Curb or curbless. A low curb keeps water in with a standard pan. A curbless shower needs the floor recessed or sloped so water runs to the drain; that is more work, especially on a slab.
- Tile or prefab. A prefab pan and wall system is faster and has fewer grout lines. A tiled shower can be any size or shape. Compared here.
- Drain. A center drain is standard. A linear drain along one wall lets the floor slope one way and suits large tile and curbless designs.
- Glass. A fixed panel, a hinged door or a slider. Frameless glass costs more and needs a solid wall to anchor to.
- Extras. A bench, a niche for bottles, a handheld shower on a slide bar, and blocking in the wall for grab bars even if you add the bars later.
What a walk-in shower costs
| Job | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in shower, installed | $5,000 to $11,000, $8,000 average | Fixr, Mar 2025 |
| Prefab walk-in shower | $2,000 to $8,000 | Fixr, Mar 2025 |
| Custom tiled walk-in shower | $5,000 to $20,000 | Fixr, Mar 2025 |
| Curbless (zero-entry) shower | about $6,000 average | Fixr, Mar 2025 |
National published ranges from Fixr, not a San Antonio average and not a quote.
Slab floors and drains
Most houses in San Antonio sit on a concrete slab, so moving a shower drain more than a short distance can mean cutting the slab to reach the line. That is licensed plumbing work with a permit and an inspection. Ask the remodeler whether your new drain lines up with the old one, and if not, how the slab work is priced.
The City of San Antonio says a building permit is typically required to build or remodel a structure, with a few exceptions for some general repairs. Tile on its own is on the city's no-permit list; a new drain or valve is not.
What to ask
- What waterproofing goes behind and under the tile, and is it the whole shower or just the pan?
- Does the drain move, and if it does, how is the slab or subfloor work priced?
- Is there blocking in the walls for grab bars?
- Who pulls the plumbing permit?
Questions San Antonio homeowners ask
Is a walk-in shower cheaper than a tub?
Not always. A prefab shower can cost about what a new tub and surround does. A tiled, curbless shower with frameless glass costs more. Fixr puts walk-in showers at $5,000 to $11,000.
Do I need a door on a walk-in shower?
Not if the shower is long enough and the spray points away from the opening. Many walk-in showers use one fixed glass panel. A smaller shower needs a door or the floor outside will get wet.
Can a walk-in shower fit in a 5 by 8 foot bathroom?
Usually, in place of the 5 foot tub. The shower ends up about 60 by 30 to 32 inches, the size of the old tub space.