Walk-In Shower Installation in Lexington, KY

How much does a walk-in shower cost in Lexington?

Walk-in showers we price around Lexington and Fayette County usually come in between $8,000 and $18,000.

Two things can push a job past the middle of the range. One is a true curbless entry, which may need the subfloor lowered or built up. The other is relocating the drain or valve, which adds plumbing and a state plumbing permit. If you're pulling out a tub to make room, our tub-to-shower conversion page covers that swap specifically.

Curbless or low-curb: which entry fits your house?

A low-curb shower uses a shallow base with a lip of a couple of inches. It works on almost any floor, including second-story baths in older Chevy Chase and Bell Court homes where the joists don't leave much room to recess anything.

A curbless shower has no lip. The tile slopes gently from the bathroom floor into the shower and drains to a linear drain at the back. It's the easiest option for a walker or wheelchair and gives the room a clean, open look. The catch is depth: we need enough room in the floor framing to build that slope. Ranches over a crawlspace in Southland or Gardenside are often good candidates, while slab-on-grade baths take more work. We check the framing on the first visit before recommending one.

If safety for an aging parent is the main reason for the project, see accessible bathrooms.

Should the walls be tile or panels?

Both hold up well when they go in correctly.

Tile gives you the widest choice of size, color and pattern, and it pairs naturally with built-in niches and benches. It also has grout lines, and Lexington's hard limestone water leaves mineral film on grout and glass. Large-format tile and a stain-resistant grout reduce how much of it you scrub.

Acrylic or solid-surface panels go up faster and have few or no seams, so cleaning is quick. The look is more limited, though stone-look and subway-pattern panels have come a long way.

Either way, the part that matters most is hidden. Tile goes over cement board with a waterproof membrane and a properly sloped pan; panels go in using the maker's sealed system. We compare them in acrylic vs. tile showers, and custom tile showers has more on tile options.

What are the disadvantages of a walk-in shower?

Worth thinking through before demo day:

• Water on the floor. Open or doorless designs need enough length (roughly 60 inches or more) and a shower head aimed away from the opening.
• A colder feel. Without a door, steam escapes. In a Kentucky winter, a glass panel that runs closer to the ceiling or a hinged door keeps more heat in.
• Losing the tub. If it's the last tub in the house, bathing small kids gets harder and some buyers will notice. Read walk-in shower vs. bathtub first.
• Glass upkeep. Hard water spots show on clear glass. A factory protective coating and a quick squeegee after each shower help a lot.
• Extra floor work for curbless, as described above.

How long does it take, and do you need a permit?

A panel shower usually takes four to five working days from tear-out to trim. A tiled shower runs six to eight, mostly because membranes, thinset and grout need time to cure. Frameless glass is measured after the walls are finished, so it goes in a little later; a temporary curtain lets you use the shower in the meantime.

On permits: Kentucky issues plumbing permits through the state Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (Division of Plumbing). Moving or adding a drain or other fixture opening needs one, and the plumber on the job pulls it. A shower set on the existing drain with no changes usually doesn't. If a wall comes out to make the shower bigger, that's structural work and needs a building permit from the LFUCG Division of Building Inspection. We confirm which apply and handle them. See our permit guide.