The Smiths are a long-time repeat customer. They knew they had a leak behind the shower wall in their master bath and wanted to use the repair as an opportunity to upgrade the space. The existing setup was a whirlpool tub and shower combo that had served its purpose but wasn't what they wanted anymore. The homeowner had a specific vision for a custom walk-in shower, and the leak gave them the reason to pull the trigger.
The master bath had a whirlpool tub and shower combination that was outdated and leaking. When we opened the wall to access the failing connection — a drop elbow at the shower head — we found saturated framing and a rotted subfloor running the full shower footprint. The damage had been building quietly for years behind the finished wall. The rest of the bathroom was functional — the vanity stayed, the toilet was in its own water closet — but the floor tile throughout was coming up as part of the scope and the walls and ceiling needed patching once the shower area was rebuilt.
We cut out all the deteriorated framing and subfloor under the shower footprint, treated for mold, and rebuilt the subfloor and shower framing from scratch. The old whirlpool tub was removed and the space was reframed for the new walk-in shower layout. We built a custom mortar bed shower pan with a large integrated bench seat and installed a waterproof membrane throughout the wet area. The homeowner selected their tile at the tile store — we send customers there for design assistance since the store will lay out tile patterns with their in-stock product at no charge. The customer-supplied porcelain tile went on the shower walls and floor exactly to their design. We installed the multi-function shower system — waterfall, rain, alternate jets, and a wand setting — and finished it with a sliding glass door. Outside the shower, we removed the existing floor tile throughout the bathroom and installed new tile over the original subfloor. New subfloor was only needed under the shower footprint where the rot was. Walls and ceiling were patched and finished so you couldn't tell anything had changed beyond the shower itself.
The finished master bath has a completely transformed shower area — a full walk-in with a mortar bed pan, built-in bench, porcelain tile throughout, and a multi-function shower system that the homeowner designed exactly to their taste. The sliding glass door keeps it clean and open. New tile floor runs throughout the bathroom, and every wall and ceiling patch blends seamlessly with the existing finishes. The vanity and water closet were untouched — they didn't need work, so we didn't create any. The Smiths got the upgrade they'd been waiting for, built on top of a proper structural repair that will hold up for the long haul.
