Bathroom Remodeling
Walk-In Showers done properly
A walk-in shower lives or dies on the slope and the waterproofing. Get those right and it is the best thing you can do to a bathroom.
What this work involves
Walk-in showers are the single most requested change we get. They open up a small bathroom visually, they are easier to get in and out of, and with frameless glass they stop chopping the room into two boxes.
The engineering is less forgiving than a tub. Water has to reach the drain from every point in the pan, which means a real slope built into the mortar bed rather than a nominal one. Curbless entries add a step: the floor framing usually has to be dropped so the shower floor sits level with the bathroom floor and still drains.
We build the pan, set the membrane, flood test it, and only then start tiling. A shower that has not been flood tested is a guess.
The sequence on a job like this
- Framing changes, including dropping the joists for a curbless entry
- Sloped mortar bed and a continuous waterproof membrane
- Flood test before any tile goes down
- Tile, niche, bench, glass and fixtures
What we look at before quoting walk-in showers
Every walk-in showers job starts the same way: we look at what the new work has to sit on. We build the pan, set the membrane, flood test it, and only then start tiling. A shower that has not been flood tested is a guess.
Most cost overruns trace back to something that could have been spotted before work began. That is why we take our time at the walkthrough and ask the awkward questions then.
Worth knowing
The thing that usually goes wrong
A pan that drains toward one corner instead of the drain. Standing water finds the weakest seam eventually.
Finishes get the photographs, and the parts underneath decide whether the job lasts. On houses like these, that means checking what the new tile will be set on and fixing framing before the walls close up.
Want Igor to take a look at your project? Call (678) 665-7771 or reach us online. The walkthrough costs nothing, and you will get an honest answer on scope.
Other bathroom work
All of it is on the bathroom remodeling services page.
Where we do this work
We cover six counties out of Roswell: Fulton, Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth, Gwinnett and DeKalb. That includes Alpharetta, GA, Marietta, GA and Woodstock, GA, and thirty-nine other cities listed on the service areas page.
Have a look at the gallery for finished work, or call (678) 665-7771 and we will come out.
How scope drives cost
Two versions of the same project can differ enormously depending on choices that have nothing to do with what you can see at the end.
The big costs come from moving fixtures, altering structure or adding square footage. Finish choices count too, just much less than most people expect.
We will lay out where those decision points are for your project, including where spending more genuinely buys you something and where it does not.
What it is like to have us here
Predictable hours, the same faces, and a site that gets cleaned before we leave. Floor protection and dust barriers go in before work starts.
You will know who is coming and roughly when. If a subcontractor is on site for a day, you will know that in advance too.
Questions get answered directly. There is no chain of communication to work through, because the person doing the work is the person you have been talking to since the walkthrough.
Specifying the job
When a remodel fails early, the cause is usually something you never saw. The finish gets all the attention, while the membrane and the underlayment do the real work of keeping it sound for the next ten years.
So we specify the hidden layers to a standard and let the visible layers follow your budget. That is not a sales position, it is just where the risk actually sits.
If you have already bought materials, bring us in before installation rather than after. Some products are much harder to install well than others and it is better to know in advance.
Looking after the work
A finished remodel is not maintenance free, but the list is short and most of it is easy.
Look at the shower and tub sealant every so often and replace it when it cracks. Make sure gutters and downspouts are flowing. Keep the bath fan and any filters clean, and that covers most of it.
You get that list from us at handover, specific to your project. If you notice a problem down the road, tell us about it. Living with it is the last thing we want for you.
Questions people ask
Can any bathroom take a curbless shower?
Most can, but it depends on the floor framing. A curbless entry means dropping the joists so the shower floor sits level with the room, and that is easier over a crawlspace than over a finished ceiling.
Do you flood test the pan?
Always, before any tile goes down. A pan that has not been flood tested is a guess, and finding out later means taking the shower apart.
Can you convert a tub to a walk-in shower?
Yes, and it is one of the more common requests we get. The work involves the drain, the waterproofing and usually some framing, which is why it matters who does it.
Who is actually on site?
The same crew, and Igor is on the job rather than running it from a truck somewhere else. That is the difference a smaller shop can offer.
Will we be able to live in the house during the work?
Usually, if the work is limited to one room. Whole-house remodels and big additions are a different story, and Igor will give you a straight answer at the walkthrough about whether moving out makes sense.
How do we get started?
A walkthrough at your house is the first step, and it is free. Book it by calling (678) 665-7771 or through the contact page. You owe us nothing after it.
Let us take a look at your walk-in showers project
Set up a walkthrough by calling (678) 665-7771 or through the contact page. Igor will come to the house, hear what you want, and tell you honestly what the scope is. We run fewer jobs than the big remodelers in the north metro do, and we like it that way, because it keeps him on every one of them.