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Bath Project Notes · Compare options

Bathroom comparisons: the five decisions that change the assembly

Five choices account for most of the spread between an $8,000 bathroom and a $30,000 one: keeping the tub or building a shower, a curbed or curbless entry, tile or solid-surface panels, a prefab or tiled base, and a fixture refresh versus a full renovation. Each comparison lays out cost, lifespan, maintenance, appearance, climate fit, install time, resale and best-fit, then gives a verdict.

See the comparisons

Comparisons are useful only when they are honest about where each option loses, so every pair below says where the cheaper choice fails and where the expensive one is wasted. The numbers come from the same sources as the rest of the site: Houzz's bathroom trends studies, NKBA's designer surveys, NAHB's buyer survey, the Cost vs. Value report, EPA WaterSense and the cost guides from HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide and This Old House.

Read the pair that matches your open question, then carry the verdict into the calculator or the request form. If more than one is open, the quiz will sort them into order.

The 5 decisions that move the price most

Sunlight across a shower screen and shower fittings

Keep or replace the bathtub vs Convert to a walk-in shower

A tub serves children, soaking and resale; a shower in the same alcove serves daily use, safety and older users. The rule that resolves most cases: keep at least one tub in the house and convert the rest.

Upfront cost: $1,500 – $6,000 to replace an alcove tub; freestanding $3,000 – $10,000; $4,000 – $15,000 conversion
Lifespan: Acrylic 15–20 yrs; cast iron 50+; Tiled shower on a good membrane 20–30 yrs
Maintenance: Caulk at the rim and surround; Grout and glass; less with panels

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Small white bathroom with a pedestal basin

Curbless (zero-threshold) shower vs Low-curb or standard-curb shower

Curbless is the safest entry and the one that ages best, but it needs the floor structure modified and the membrane extended into the room. A low curb builds on any floor and is what most renovators choose.

Upfront cost: $2,000 – $5,000 more than a curbed shower of the same finish; Baseline; curb $150 – $500
Lifespan: Same membrane life; fewer failure points at the curb; Tiled wood curbs can rot; foam or solid curbs do not
Maintenance: Continuous floor; water control depends on slope and drain; Curb contains water; easier squeegee line

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Walk-in shower enclosed by clear glass panels

Tiled shower walls vs Solid-surface or acrylic wall panels

Tile offers any design and any size at higher labor and with grout to maintain; panels have a few sealed joints, install in a day and clean easily, at the cost of design range. Both need a membrane behind them.

Upfront cost: $1,500 – $6,000 for walls, labor-heavy; $900 – $4,000; solid surface at the top
Lifespan: 20–30 yrs on a good membrane; Acrylic 10–20 yrs; solid surface 20+
Maintenance: Grout sealing and scrubbing; Wipe down; three joints to caulk

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Bathroom vanity and adjoining tiled shower area

Prefabricated shower base vs Tiled shower floor

A prefab acrylic or solid-surface base installs in a day, has no floor grout and costs less; a tiled floor allows any size, a linear drain, a curbless entry and continuous flooring, at higher labor and with grout to maintain.

Upfront cost: $400 – $1,500 for the base plus setting; $1,200 – $5,000 for pan, membrane and tile
Lifespan: Acrylic 15–20 yrs; solid surface 25+; 20–30 yrs on a bonded membrane
Maintenance: None beyond cleaning; drain gasket; Floor grout sealing and cleaning

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Compact bathroom with a wall-hung toilet and vanity

Fixture and finish refresh vs Full renovation

A refresh replaces the vanity, toilet, faucet, lighting, floor and paint while the shower stays; a full renovation opens the wet walls and floor and rebuilds everything. The decision is the shower assembly's condition and the fan, not the finishes.

Upfront cost: $5,000 – $12,000; $12,000 – $50,000+
Lifespan: Shower keeps its remaining life; 20–30 yrs for the whole room
Maintenance: Unchanged for the shower; New grout, glass, fan

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

How to use these comparisons without over-thinking them

Pick the row that matters most to you and let it decide. A household with an older parent should weight the safety and best-for rows in curbless versus curb; a household selling in three years should weight resale in tub versus shower. The verdict paragraphs assume a typical mid-priced home; adjust for yours. Houzz found 75% of bathroom renovators upgraded the shower, so the shower pairs get the most traffic.

Each comparison ends with the questions homeowners ask about that specific pair. For the full cost tables and assemblies behind each option, see the service pages. If a pair turns on a fact about your house, such as whether the floor can be recessed, get that fact from a site visit before the table decides.

Which pair should you settle first?

Order them by how much each changes the assembly. Tub versus shower comes first because it decides the drain, the base and the footprint, and because it is the one with a resale consequence: NAHB found 78% of buyers want both in the primary bath. Curbless versus curb comes second because curbless changes the floor structure and the membrane extent. Prefab versus tiled base comes third and largely follows the second. Tile versus panels and refresh versus renovation come last; they matter, but they rarely change who you hire.

Settling them in that order also keeps the brief coherent. 'Convert the tub to a low-curb shower on a tile-ready base with tiled walls' can be priced by a bathroom remodeler in a visit; 'curbless wet room with the toilet moved' is a general contractor's job with a designer in front of it. Houzz found 45% of bathroom renovators hired a general contractor and 20% a bathroom remodeling specialist, roughly that split.

Narrow bathroom with a tiled shower area and wall-hung toiletPhoto: Prydumano Design · License

What the resale rows do and do not mean

The resale figures come from two sources measuring different things. The Cost vs. Value report uses appraiser estimates for a defined project in a report year; its midrange bath returned about 80% in 2025 and its universal-design bath about 61%. NAR's Remodeling Impact Report uses Realtor estimates and lands at 50%. Neither predicts your market; both say a mid-priced bath matched to the house holds value and an upscale one does not.

NAHB's buyer figures are a third kind of number: what more than 3,000 buyers say they want. They describe demand, not price recovery. Use all three as context, and use the locations hub for how regional markets shift them. Local pros will know which of those preferences actually show up in offers.

Homeowner polls

Which option are homeowners picking?

See all poll results

What happens to the bathtub?

82% of Houzz renovators who removed a tub enlarged the shower.

No votes yet. Yours will be the first. · saved on this device

Which shower entry are you planning?

Low-curb showers led Houzz's 2025 data at 44%; curbless were 20%.

No votes yet. Yours will be the first. · saved on this device

What will the shower walls be?

89% of NKBA designers prefer smaller or no grout lines.

No votes yet. Yours will be the first. · saved on this device

Comparison questions

Which comparison should I read first?

The one that changes the assembly most for your situation. For most homeowners that is tub versus shower, because it decides the drain, the base and resale. If the tub decision is settled, curbless versus curb is next, since it changes the floor structure. Tile versus panels and prefab versus tiled base follow from those.

Are the cost rows national or local?

National planning ranges anchored to HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide and This Old House benchmarks and typical 2025–2026 line-item pricing. Coastal metros can run 15 to 35 percent above; the interior South and Midwest often run below. Use the locations hub to adjust, then confirm with written proposals from local pros.

Can I combine options from different pairs?

Yes, and most bathrooms do: convert the tub, use a low curb, a solid-surface base and tiled walls, within a same-layout renovation. The pairs are independent decisions. The calculator models combinations through tiers, complexity and add-ons; the contact page brief should list each decision explicitly.

Why is resale in every table if I am not selling?

Because it is a proxy for what a typical future owner values, which checks over-personalized choices. If you are staying twenty years, weight the maintenance and best-for rows and treat resale as a tie-breaker. For an accessible remodel, the user's needs come first and resale is a distant second.

Do the comparisons cover vanities or toilets?

Not as pairs. Vanity and toilet choices matter but rarely change the assembly or the trades involved, and their cost spread is narrower than the shower decisions. The renovation page covers vanity and toilet selection, and the accessible page covers comfort-height and bidet options.

What if my situation fits neither option?

Then it often fits a third: a tub-shower combination instead of tub or shower, a low curb instead of curbless or standard, porcelain slabs instead of tile or panels, a solid-surface base under tiled walls. Each service page lists those middles, and the quiz can point to the right one.

How current are the trend figures in the tables?

They come from Houzz's 2025 bathroom trends study, NKBA's 2025 and 2026 bath trends reports, NAHB's 2024 buyer survey, the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, EPA WaterSense and EIA's preliminary 2024 microdata, each cited on its stat card with a link. They are refreshed as new editions are reviewed.

More free tools

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Free toolBathroom remodel polls: see what other homeowners are choosing
See what other planners chose and add your vote.

Go deeper on a service

Service guideComplete Bathroom Renovation
A complete bathroom renovation rebuilds the bathing area, vanity, toilet, floor, wall finishes, lighting and ventilation together, and may move drains, walls or the door.
Service guideWalk-In Shower Installation
A walk-in shower installation rebuilds the bathing area from the subfloor up: a sloped base, a drain bonded to a waterproofing membrane, wall board and membrane, a valve, tile or panels, and an enclosure with a defined entry.
Service guideTub & Shower Conversions
A tub-to-shower conversion removes the bathtub and builds a shower in its alcove, usually with a new drain, a rebuilt substrate, a waterproofing membrane, new walls and an enclosure.
Service guideAccessible Bathroom Remodeling
Accessible bathroom remodeling plans the room around a specific person's transfers, reach, mobility aid and likely future needs: turning space, a curbless shower, blocking and grab bars, a comfort-height toilet, a reachable vanity, nonslip surfaces and a wider door.

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Bathroom comparisons: the five decisions that change the assembly

See the comparisons

The 5 decisions that move the price most

Keep or replace the bathtub vs Convert to a walk-in shower

Upfront cost: $1,500 – $6,000 to replace an alcove tub; freestanding $3,000 – $10,000; $4,000 – $15,000 conversion
Lifespan: Acrylic 15–20 yrs; cast iron 50+; Tiled shower on a good membrane 20–30 yrs
Maintenance: Caulk at the rim and surround; Grout and glass; less with panels

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Curbless (zero-threshold) shower vs Low-curb or standard-curb shower

Upfront cost: $2,000 – $5,000 more than a curbed shower of the same finish; Baseline; curb $150 – $500
Lifespan: Same membrane life; fewer failure points at the curb; Tiled wood curbs can rot; foam or solid curbs do not
Maintenance: Continuous floor; water control depends on slope and drain; Curb contains water; easier squeegee line

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Tiled shower walls vs Solid-surface or acrylic wall panels

Upfront cost: $1,500 – $6,000 for walls, labor-heavy; $900 – $4,000; solid surface at the top
Lifespan: 20–30 yrs on a good membrane; Acrylic 10–20 yrs; solid surface 20+
Maintenance: Grout sealing and scrubbing; Wipe down; three joints to caulk

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Prefabricated shower base vs Tiled shower floor

Upfront cost: $400 – $1,500 for the base plus setting; $1,200 – $5,000 for pan, membrane and tile
Lifespan: Acrylic 15–20 yrs; solid surface 25+; 20–30 yrs on a bonded membrane
Maintenance: None beyond cleaning; drain gasket; Floor grout sealing and cleaning

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

Fixture and finish refresh vs Full renovation

Upfront cost: $5,000 – $12,000; $12,000 – $50,000+
Lifespan: Shower keeps its remaining life; 20–30 yrs for the whole room
Maintenance: Unchanged for the shower; New grout, glass, fan

Full comparison, verdict and FAQs →

How to use these comparisons without over-thinking them

Which pair should you settle first?

Narrow bathroom with a tiled shower area and wall-hung toiletPhoto: Prydumano Design · License

What the resale rows do and do not mean

Comparison questions

Which comparison should I read first?

Are the cost rows national or local?

Can I combine options from different pairs?

Why is resale in every table if I am not selling?

Do the comparisons cover vanities or toilets?

What if my situation fits neither option?

How current are the trend figures in the tables?

Go deeper on a service

Installer setting a grey floor tile with a margin trowel over ridged thinset beside a bathtub, tool belt nearby

Service guideComplete Bathroom Renovation

A complete bathroom renovation rebuilds the bathing area, vanity, toilet, floor, wall finishes, lighting and ventilation together, and may move drains, walls or the door.

Black-gloved hands pressing a grey wall tile into place and wiping thinset from the joint on a shower wall

Service guideWalk-In Shower Installation

A walk-in shower installation rebuilds the bathing area from the subfloor up: a sloped base, a drain bonded to a waterproofing membrane, wall board and membrane, a valve, tile or panels, and an enclosure with a defined entry.

Soaking tub with a fixed glass splash panel, grey subway tile surround and brushed-nickel handheld shower

Service guideTub & Shower Conversions

A tub-to-shower conversion removes the bathtub and builds a shower in its alcove, usually with a new drain, a rebuilt substrate, a waterproofing membrane, new walls and an enclosure.

Accessible bathroom with a curbless glass shower, black grab bars beside the toilet, oak vanity and a window bench

Service guideAccessible Bathroom Remodeling

Accessible bathroom remodeling plans the room around a specific person's transfers, reach, mobility aid and likely future needs: turning space, a curbless shower, blocking and grab bars, a comfort-height toilet, a reachable vanity, nonslip surfaces and a wider door.