Ada County · City
Custom Shower Design & Construction in Kuna, Idaho
Fast subdivision growth on flat ground, which means newer homes, more slab construction and shower footprints that are adequate but plain.
Short answer
Kuna's housing skews recent. Much of the city has been built since 2000, so the showers we rebuild are usually not failing — they are one-piece fibreglass units or shallow tiled alcoves that look and feel builder-grade. The work here is design-led: taking a functional but forgettable wet area and rebuilding it as a proper tiled shower with a niche, a bench and glass, within roughly the footprint that already exists.
Housing stock in Kuna and the showers it produces
- A small older core near downtown Kuna with modest mid-century homes and compact bathrooms.
- Extensive 2000s and 2010s subdivision development, much of it single-storey on slab.
- Very recent construction on the city's expanding edges with standard fibreglass or acrylic wet areas.
- Acreage and semi-rural properties toward the south and west on private wells.
What we build in Kuna
- The typical Kuna project is a like-for-like footprint rebuilt properly: fibreglass unit out, framing corrected and blocked, full waterproofing system in, tile, niche and a fixed glass panel.
- Because so much of Kuna is single-storey, the primary bath is often against an exterior wall. That constrains where a niche can go without compromising insulation, and we identify the usable bay before design is finalised.
- Slab construction here means a flush curbless entry usually requires cutting the slab. Where a client does not want that, a low-profile tray with a single very shallow threshold is the honest alternative.
- Newer homes often have a shower head at builder-standard height that suits nobody in particular. Resetting valve and head heights is a small change with a disproportionate effect.
Permits and jurisdiction
Permit thresholds, inspection sequences and contractor-registration requirements are set locally and change over time. We confirm current requirements with the authority having jurisdiction before work starts, and you should expect any shower contractor to tell you which office that is. In Kuna that is the City of Kuna building department; addresses outside city limits fall under Ada County development services.
A large share of Kuna housing is slab-on-grade, which is the least forgiving condition for a curbless shower. It is not impossible — the slab can be saw-cut and a recess formed — but it is a deliberate, priced decision rather than a detail we can add casually.
Kuna's municipal supply comes from groundwater wells and is hard, and properties on private wells at the city's edge vary further. In new-looking homes we frequently find scale damage already underway on original valve cartridges and glass, which is worth addressing while the wall is open.
Our guide on what to ask a shower contractor covers the permit, scope and waterproofing questions worth asking before you sign anything.
Areas we cover in and around Kuna
- Downtown Kuna and the older core
- Subdivisions along Meridian Road and Ten Mile
- North Kuna toward Lake Hazel
- Semi-rural acreage south and west of town
Services available in Kuna
Preparing for the build
Before the first day, clear the bathroom and the route to it, take anything off the walls that shares framing with the shower, and tell us which bathroom stays in use and where the crew can park. We bring floor protection, door containment and dust control, isolate the water supply at a point we show you, and clean the work area at the end of each day.
- Selections — tile, grout, valve trim, drain and glass — are confirmed before demolition so a lead time cannot stall the build.
- In a single-bathroom home we sequence the work so the shower is out of service for the shortest possible stretch, and we say up front how long that is.
- Pets and children are kept clear of the work area; there are open drains, power tools and wet membrane in there for days.
Timeline and site conditions
Most single-shower projects in Kuna run roughly two to three weeks on site once materials are on hand: protection and demolition, framing corrections and blocking, plumbing and electrical rough-in, the complete waterproofing system with its cure and flood test, tile setting, grout, then glass. Glass is templated after tile is set, so the panel often arrives a week or two after the shower already looks finished. Your written scope carries the schedule for your specific shower rather than a stock number.
Conditions found after demolition change that schedule more often than anything else — rot at the base of a wall, a drain that is not where it should be, framing out of plane, or an older pan with no membrane behind it. We photograph what we find, price it, and get your agreement before we carry on.
What drives the price of a shower in kuna
Estimates are written after we have seen and measured the shower. We do not publish prices, because a shower quoted sight-unseen is a guess. These are the factors that move the number most, in roughly the order they matter:
- Size of the wet area and how high the tile runs — square footage of tile and membrane is the base of the estimate.
- Whether the drain and valve stay where they are. Moving either means opening the floor or the wall and coordinating a licensed plumber.
- Floor structure. A joisted floor lets a curbless pan be recessed; a slab often means either a ramped approach or cutting concrete.
- Tile choice. Large-format panels, mosaics, natural stone and any pattern that needs mitred or mapped joints all add setting time.
- Waterproofing system specified, and whether a linear drain, bench, niche or steam enclosure has to be integrated into it.
- Glass — a fixed panel, a door, low-iron glass or a custom radius each price differently.
- Conditions behind the old shower, which is why nothing is quoted before we have seen it.
Written scope, exclusions and change orders
Every project is built from a written scope that names the waterproofing system by manufacturer, the drain type, the tile and its layout, the glass, the schedule and the price. It also lists what is excluded, because that is where disputes come from.
Typically included
- Protection, containment, demolition and disposal
- Framing corrections and blocking for benches, niches and grab bars
- Plumbing and electrical rough-in for the valve, drain and any light or fan in the wet area
- The complete waterproofing system, flood test and pan slope verification
- Tile setting, grout, sealing where the material requires it
- Glass templating and installation, final clean and a punch-list walkthrough
Typically excluded and stated as such
- Work outside the shower: vanities, mirrors, bathroom flooring, paint beyond patching
- Hidden rot, mould remediation or structural repair discovered after demolition
- Moving walls, windows or the room's ventilation route
- Whole-house water treatment, though we will tell you when hard water is the real problem
- Owner-supplied materials, which we install but do not warrant
Anything that changes the scope becomes a written change order with its price and schedule effect, agreed before the work is done. Nothing is carried out on a verbal instruction.
Permits and inspections
A like-for-like tile shower replacement often needs no permit, while relocating a drain, altering supply plumbing, changing framing or adding electrical usually does. Jurisdiction follows your address, and the Treasure Valley has several — Boise, Meridian, Eagle and Star each issue their own permits, and county addresses go through the county. We identify permit-triggering work in the written scope and confirm the requirement with the authority for your address before work starts, rather than assuming.
Warranty and aftercare
Our craftsmanship is covered by a 1-year warranty, alongside the manufacturer warranties that come with the waterproofing system and materials specified in your scope.
Idaho contractor registration RCE-57919. Bonded and insured, with the current certificate of insurance provided in writing with every estimate. At handover you get the product documentation for the waterproofing system and tile, plus written cleaning guidance suited to the surfaces we installed and to Treasure Valley water. If something is not right, tell us and we will come back. Request an estimate or call (208) 891-1890.
Shower questions from Kuna homeowners
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Planning a shower project in Kuna?
Tell us about the shower and what is not working. We will follow up, arrange a visit and put a written scope and price in front of you.