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Curbless Showers in the Treasure Valley, Idaho
A level entry with no step, achieved by recessing or building up the floor so the slope is engineered rather than improvised.
Short answer
A curbless shower removes the raised threshold so the bathroom floor runs continuously into the wet area. Getting there is a structural question before it is a design one: the shower floor still has to fall to a drain, so either the subfloor is recessed within the joist bays or the surrounding floor is raised to meet it. Which of those is possible in your home depends on joist direction, joist depth and what is below the bathroom.
Three ways to get a level entry
There is no single curbless detail. The right one comes out of what we find when the floor is opened, and it is worth understanding the options before a contractor promises you one over the phone.
| Approach | When it works | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Recess the subfloor between joists | Joists run the right direction, have depth to spare, and the ceiling below can be opened or is already accessible | The most invasive option, but gives a true flush entry with no floor build-up anywhere |
| Sister and notch with an engineered detail | Marginal joist depth where a designed modification can be justified | Requires structural sign-off; not a decision to make on site by eye |
| Raise the bathroom floor to meet the shower | Slab-on-grade homes, or upper floors where the ceiling below must stay closed | Introduces a small transition at the bathroom door instead of at the shower |
On a slab-on-grade home, a genuinely flush entry usually means either cutting and re-pouring the slab or accepting a raised floor across the bathroom. Anyone who tells you it is trivial has not looked at the slab.
Keeping the water in without a curb
The curb was doing a job. Removing it means the water has to be managed by geometry and drainage instead. In practice that means a longer wet zone, a drain positioned so the flow runs away from the opening, and enough fall across the whole shower floor that nothing pools at the entry.
- A linear drain set at the back wall or across the entry line, so the floor falls in one plane instead of four
- A deeper shower footprint that puts the spray well away from the opening
- A fixed glass panel positioned to catch overspray without needing a door
- Waterproofing extended past the shower into the surrounding floor area
- A handheld on a slide bar rather than a fixed head aimed at the opening
Why homeowners ask for curbless
Roughly half the curbless showers we build are chosen for how they look — an uninterrupted floor makes a small bathroom read considerably larger, and it is the detail that most reliably makes a shower feel designed rather than installed. The other half are chosen for access: a level entry removes the step that ends most people's ability to shower independently, and it does so years before anyone needs a grab bar.
Both reasons lead to the same build. If you are remodelling a shower anyway and there is a plausible route to a level entry, it is worth pricing, because retrofitting one later means opening the same floor a second time.
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 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 curbless showers
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.
Frequently asked questions
Related reading
Ready to plan your shower?
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.