The parts of the job
A shower remodel usually opens with demolition: pulling out the old surround, the fixtures, and sometimes a section of subfloor near the drain. National data puts a full shower remodel at $2,000 to $9,000, averaging around $7,000, though a simple fixture swap costs far less than a full tear-out and rebuild.[1]
From there the job splits into work you can't see and work you can. The unseen half covers moving or replacing the shower valve, resetting or relocating the drain, and building or repairing the waterproofing layer behind the wall material. The visible half covers the wall material itself, the pan or base, the door or curtain, and trim.
Where the money goes
A full new shower installation, as opposed to refinishing an existing one, runs $4,449 to $12,373 nationally, about $8,204 on average. That figure typically already folds in demolition, cleanup averaging around $250, and a building permit around $250.[2]
Tile is priced apart from the shower itself: budget $5 to $10 per square foot for the tiling labor alone, on top of whatever the tile material costs.[1]
Plumbing work on a shower bills at $45 to $200 an hour, with the spread driven by your market and whether the valve or drain has to move.[1]
Who does which part
Tile and stone setters, the trade that builds the waterproofing bed and sets the tile, earn a median $23.52 an hour nationally, with the middle half of the trade earning between $18.43 and $29.92.[3]
A plumber typically handles the valve, supply lines and drain. A tile setter typically handles the membrane, backer board and finish tile. Some remodeling companies carry licenses for both trades; others subcontract one of them out. Ask which license covers which part of your job.
Materials at a glance
A prefab acrylic or fiberglass surround is the fastest and least expensive path, typically $2,000 to $6,000 installed. A fully custom tile shower in the same footprint runs $6,000 to $12,000, largely because of the extra labor the waterproofing and tile work demand.[4]
Our tile-shower-versus-prefab guide goes further into which trade does which part of that choice, and our cost guide breaks the add-ons out individually.
What's usually left out of a base quote
A base shower remodel price typically assumes the wall and floor behind the old shower are sound. Rot, mold or subfloor damage found once the old shower comes out is priced separately, because a contractor can't quote for damage they haven't seen yet.
Fixtures beyond the shower itself, such as a new exhaust fan, a repainted ceiling, or new bathroom flooring outside the shower footprint, are also commonly separate line items rather than part of a shower-specific quote. Ask your contractor to state in writing exactly where the shower scope ends and where a broader bathroom scope would begin.