Cost & Budget
Five ways shower remodel budgets go wrong
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Short answer
Shower budgets go wrong for predictable reasons: allowances that are not real numbers, changes made after tile is set, waterproofing left unspecified, glass ordered before tile is finished, and forgetting that a new shower makes the rest of the bathroom look tired.
Key takeaways
- An allowance is only useful if it is tied to a real product you have actually looked at.
- Changes are cheap on paper and expensive once material is on the wall.
- If a quote does not name the waterproofing system, you cannot compare it to another quote.
- Glass is templated after tile; ordering earlier saves no time and risks a bad fit.
- Budget the vanity, flooring, paint and lighting at the same time or decide clearly to leave them.
1. Allowances that are placeholders
A tile allowance written as a round number per square foot usually means nobody has picked tile yet. Go to a showroom before signing, note the actual products, and have the estimate reflect them. The number then stops being a guess and starts being a price.
2. Changes made after the wall closes
Moving a niche is a five-minute conversation during layout and a demolition job after the membrane is on. Decide niche position, bench height, valve height, grab-bar blocking and lighting before the walls are closed. Write them on the plan.
- 1Confirm layout and fixture positions at the walkthrough
- 2Mark blocking and niche locations during framing
- 3Lock tile and grout selections before waterproofing starts
- 4Template glass after tile and grout are complete
3. Waterproofing left unnamed
Two quotes that both say 'tile shower' can be different projects. One may be a bonded sheet membrane over a properly sloped pan; the other may be cement board and a coat of paint-on product applied thin. Ask which system, which manufacturer, and how the corners and the drain are detailed.
The cheapest line in a shower quote is often the waterproofing, and it is the only line whose failure means doing the whole project again.
4-5. Glass timing and the rest of the room
Custom glass is measured against finished tile, so it lands one to three weeks after tile in most cases. Plan for a temporary curtain rather than paying to expedite. And be honest at the start about the vanity, floor and paint: a new shower raises the standard for everything next to it, and adding those later costs more than including them now.
Frequently asked questions
- How much contingency should I hold back?
- Holding something back for hidden conditions is sensible on any home built before the 2000s. We name what we find in writing before doing the work, so the contingency is only spent with your approval.
- Will you quote against another contractor's estimate?
- We will happily walk through what each line covers, especially the waterproofing and pan. Comparing scope is more useful than comparing totals.
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