Schedule your free in-home consultation. We'll visit, review your space, and share a detailed plan and estimate.
(847) 847-4148 contact@deltaremodels.com1212 Ranch Rd
Lake Forest, IL 60045
A walk-in shower is an open or glass-enclosed shower you step into with no tub wall to climb over, usually with a low curb or no curb at all. On the North Shore, a bathroom remodel with a low-curb or curbless shower and frameless glass runs $40,000 to $65,000, and a full primary bath with a curbless walk-in shower runs $65,000 to $90,000. A standalone curbless shower conversion runs $15,000 to $35,000. Plan for at least 36 by 48 inches of shower space.
A walk-in shower replaces the step over a tub wall with an easy entry, more room and a cleaner look. Done well, it is the part of the bathroom people use every day and notice most.
There are two very different ways to get one. A one-day acrylic system fits a prefabricated base and wall panels into the space your tub used to fill. A custom tiled walk-in shower is built in place: new plumbing, a waterproof membrane, a floor sloped to the drain, tile, a niche or bench, and frameless glass. The tiled version takes longer and costs more, but it can be any size, any finish and fully curbless.
On the North Shore, many bathrooms sit in older homes with cast iron drains, plaster walls and wood subfloors. Opening the floor and walls during a remodel lets us fix those properly instead of covering them, which is why we build walk-in showers as part of a full bathroom remodel.
A walk-in tub has a door and a seat and suits people who want to soak but cannot step over a tub wall. You sit while it fills and drains. A walk-in shower is quicker to use, easier to keep clean and easier for a caregiver to help in. For most of our clients who are planning ahead, a curbless walk-in shower with a bench and grab bar blocking is the better long-term choice.
Prefab acrylic systems install fast and cost less, but they come in set sizes and usually keep a curb. A tiled shower can go curbless, take a built-in bench and niche, and use any tile or stone. If you are remodeling the whole bathroom, tiled is usually worth it.
Original Medicare does not cover structural home changes, and some Medicare Advantage plans cover grab bars only. Veterans may qualify for VA housing adaptation grants, and income-qualified Illinois homeowners can apply to the IHDA home accessibility program. Our accessible bathroom cost guide lists the current programs.
In most homes, yes. Families with young children and many buyers still want at least one tub. A common plan is a large walk-in shower in the primary bath and a tub in a hall or guest bath. Replacing the tub itself in the same footprint is a tub-to-shower conversion.
A tiled walk-in shower is usually priced as part of a bathroom remodel. These ranges come from our 2026 North Shore bathroom remodel cost guide.
| Project | North Shore range | What the shower usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Guest bath | $25,000 to $40,000 | Standard tile shower walls and fixtures, same layout. |
| Standard bathroom | $40,000 to $65,000 | Curbless or low-curb shower with frameless glass and improved tile. |
| Full primary bath | $65,000 to $90,000 | Curbless walk-in shower, natural stone, rain head or body sprays, heated floors. |
| Estate-scale bath | $90,000 to $200,000+ | Steam shower with bench, book-matched stone walls, smart controls. |
| Curbless shower conversion | $15,000 to $35,000 | Standalone conversion with subfloor work and a linear drain. |
The same size shower can cost very different amounts. These are the biggest factors.
Compare scope levels in our cosmetic refresh vs full gut guide.
Old drains and venting. Cast iron drains and outdated vents often need replacing once the floor is open. Plan a 15 to 20 percent contingency in homes built before 1960.
Asbestos testing. Tile, mastic and joint compound in pre-1980 homes should be tested before demolition.
Permits. Wilmette, for example, requires an architect or engineer stamp for projects over $25,000 or with structural work.
Grab bar blocking. Adding wall blocking now costs little and saves opening the tile later.
We price walk-in showers after a site visit, because the floor structure, the drain location and what is behind the old tile decide much of the cost.
The entry, the enclosure and the drain decide how a walk-in shower looks and how it handles water.
The shower floor sits level with the bathroom floor. Curbless showers give the cleanest look and the easiest entry, and suit aging in place.
A small curb, often 2 to 3 inches, holds water back without lowering the subfloor. A good option when the floor structure makes curbless difficult.
One fixed panel of glass and an open entry. Needs a longer shower so the spray stays inside, and is the easiest to clean.
Glass panels and a hinged door. Holds in heat and steam, and suits smaller showers or a steam shower.
Built in the space of an old tub, with walls on three sides. The most common tub replacement on the North Shore.
The shower and a freestanding tub share one glass-enclosed, fully waterproofed zone. A strong choice for primary baths with room to spare.
| Drain choice | Linear drain | Center drain |
|---|---|---|
| Floor tile | Large-format tile works | Smaller tile or mosaic to follow the slope |
| Slope | One plane toward the drain | Four sides toward the center |
| Curbless entry | Well suited | Possible but harder |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
The room size, the floor structure and who will use the shower decide it. These are the recommendations we give most often.
For anyone planning to stay in the home for decades. Our Arlington Heights project replaced a built-in tub with a curbless shower, tiled bench, rain head and a linear drain.
For primary baths where you want both a shower and a soaking tub. Our Lake Bluff wet room puts both inside one glass enclosure.
For family baths that need both. Our Highland Park bathroom pairs a glass walk-in shower with a soaking tub.
For a primary bath where the shower is the showpiece. Our Lake Bluff marble shower uses a diamond mosaic wall behind frameless glass.
These are the planning sizes we design to. A custom tiled shower lets us adjust them to your room.
| Element | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Code minimum | 30 by 30 in | Allowed, but tight for daily use. |
| Comfortable walk-in | 36 by 48 in or larger | Our usual starting point. |
| Doorless shower | About 60 in long | Length keeps the spray inside the glass. |
| Entry opening | 24 to 30 in | 22 in is the code minimum. Plan 32 to 36 in for a walker or wheelchair. |
| Floor slope | About a quarter inch per foot | Toward the drain. |
| Built-in bench | 17 to 19 in high | About the height of a chair. |
| Grab bars | 33 to 36 in high | With 2x10 blocking behind the tile. |
If you are planning for a wheelchair, the bathroom also needs a 60 inch turning circle and a 32 inch clear door. See accessible bathrooms for the full set of standards.
The details below make a walk-in shower easier to use and easier to clean.
A recessed niche keeps bottles off the floor, and a handheld on a slide bar makes rinsing and cleaning easy. Our Riverwoods shower adds a skylight overhead.
Big tiles mean fewer grout lines to scrub. Paired with a linear drain, they can run straight from the bathroom floor into the shower.
A ceiling rain head with a thermostatic valve holds the temperature steady. Add a handheld for washing hair and cleaning the walls.
Slip-resistant floor tile, a heated floor, careful tile and waterproofing and a custom vanity that fits the room finish the space.
A walk-in shower is only as good as what is behind the tile. We design and build the whole bathroom so the framing, plumbing, waterproofing and finish work together.
Design, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, tile, glass and permits run through us.
3D plans show the shower size, entry, glass and niche before anything is ordered.
39+ years in older homes across Wilmette, Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park and Lake Forest.
A 3-year workmanship warranty and a 4.9★ Google rating.
Every photo on this page is a Delta bathroom. Browse the full project portfolio for more.
Tiled bench, rain head, thermostatic valve and a flush linear drain.
A raised tub turned into a level-entry shower with natural light.
Large-format marble with a level entry and a floating vanity.
Frameless glass, a ceiling rain head and a Carrara feature wall.
A tiled walk-in shower is usually part of a bathroom remodel. On the North Shore, a standard bathroom remodel with a low-curb or curbless shower and frameless glass runs $40,000 to $65,000, and a full primary bath with a curbless walk-in shower runs $65,000 to $90,000. A standalone curbless shower conversion runs $15,000 to $35,000.
Original Medicare does not cover structural home changes such as a walk-in shower. Some Medicare Advantage plans cover grab bars as an extra benefit. Veterans may qualify for VA housing grants, and income-qualified Illinois homeowners can apply to the IHDA home accessibility program. Check each program directly, because funding and rules change.
Building code allows a shower as small as 30 by 30 inches, but that feels tight. We plan most walk-in showers at 36 by 48 inches or larger. A doorless shower needs more length, about 60 inches, so water stays inside the glass.
Code requires at least 22 inches, but 24 to 30 inches is more comfortable. For a walker or wheelchair, plan a 32 to 36 inch clear opening and a curbless entry.
A one-day acrylic system is fast, but a tiled walk-in shower is built in layers: demolition, plumbing, waterproofing, tile and glass. A standard bathroom remodel with a new walk-in shower typically takes 3 to 6 weeks of construction, and larger primary baths 6 to 10 weeks.
Not when they are planned well. A long enough shower, a fixed glass panel placed between the shower head and the opening, a floor that slopes to the drain and a linear drain at the entry keep the water inside.
In most North Shore homes, yes, especially when the house keeps at least one bathtub. Buyers expect a large walk-in shower in a primary bath, and a curbless one also suits buyers planning to age in place.
A walk-in shower works when the floor, waterproofing, slope and drain are right, and the size, glass and finishes suit how you live. Decide on curb or curbless first, then size the shower, choose the drain and glass, and add the niche, bench and fixtures.
If you are thinking about a walk-in shower, we will look at your bathroom and the floor below it at the first visit and tell you what is realistic. If you are weighing it against other projects, our kitchen vs bathroom remodel comparison can help.
We look at your bathroom, the floor below and the plumbing, talk through curb or curbless, and give you a realistic budget range.
(847) 847-41481212 Ranch Rd · Lake Forest, IL 60045
We’ll review your answers and contact you to discuss a consultation.
Prefer to talk now? Call (847) 847-4148
