Custom Showers, Shower Remodels, & Bathtub Replacements in Houston
We offer a variety of tub and shower remodels to bring your dingy, outdated Houston bathroom into the 2020s. We start by removing your old tub or shower area completely back to the studs to ensure there are no framing, pest, mold, or plumbing issues before we begin to rebuild.
Your new tub or shower remodel will be built to your specifications, and can be customized with a variety of tile, stone, and solid surface products for the base and walls – including custom-tiled shower bases which are permanently waterproofed with a Schluter-Kerdi system. No matter what you choose, all of our solutions will be leak-free.
Our Leak-Free Guarantee
For all of our shower remodels and full shower replacements, we offer our leak-free guarantee. If a shower we build leaks, we will fix it.
It seems obvious that your new shower shouldn’t leak. However, the harsh truth is that many Houston contractors are not tile and waterproofing experts, even some who claim to be “bath specialists,” resulting in many improper shower builds, with some leaking from the very beginning. We have rebuilt more than a few showers that were already remodeled by prior contractors, some more than once, that failed in a short period of time. We find all of this out because the homeowner ends up contacting us to fix the other contractor’s problems – which means remodeling their shower from scratch, again.
When this kind of thing happens, good contractors with integrity will take your call, own up to the problems, and rectify the situation. After all, we’re all human, and mistakes can happen. We’ve certainly made our share of mistakes. However, we’ve found that in Houston (and probably elsewhere, as well), most contractors don’t run their businesses as they should.
To make matters worse, you can’t always trust reviews and word of mouth, as situations change. Over the years, clients have also shared with us that their past contractors were unable to fix problems – or even finish their jobs, in some cases – because they passed away, moved back to Mexico, had heart attacks or other health issues, or left the business entirely. While some of these things are obviously out of your bath contractor’s control, you should understand that any warranty or promise you receive will not be valid once your contractor is no longer healthy, living in Houston, or in business.
This isn’t just limited to the little guys – failures happen with contractors of all sizes, including national bath franchises such as this Houston franchise which closed in 2017, and didn’t re-open under new management until 2020, along with large independent businesses that are poorly managed. When it comes to construction, neither the little guys, nor the big brands, offer an airtight guarantee of safety and business stability. At the end of the day, it is up to you, the homeowner, to hire the right company with the right knowledge to build a shower that will stand the test of time.
Tub Remodels
For some Houston homeowners, the tub in their bathroom doesn’t get used very often – or ever. Many of us lead busy lives and don’t have time to relax in our bathtubs, even if we’d really like to. On the other hand, tubs are very much appreciated by those who enjoy them! This often includes adults and teenagers who enjoy a nice soak, and families with young children who require a tub to bathe their little ones. In general, having at least one bathtub in your home can be beneficial for resale, depending on your neighborhood.
If you would like to replace an old, outdated, or damaged tub, we install a variety of high-quality acrylic tubs, cast iron tubs, and even stone-resin tubs to replace your original. We often replace tubs as part of shower-tub combination setups, where an alcoved tub and its three surrounding walls are rebuilt, as in the picture here (this tub remodel was part of a three-bathroom project we completed for a client in Richmond, TX in 2023).
We also install freestanding, drop-in, and undermount tubs, depending on your application and available space. We install tubs from brands including Kohler, MTI, Signature Hardware, Hydro Systems, and others.
The walls around your old tub, often referred to simply as the wall surround, will also need to be replaced when your old tub is removed. For the wall surround, you’ll be able to choose from custom tile, solid surface, or stone slab options, and we’ll be able to add in features such as recessed niches, corner shelves, grab bars, and hand showers if you’d like. Shower faucet and valve replacement, along with all necessary plumbing work, are typically included with our tub and shower remodels.
We can walk you through all of your options when we meet in your space.
Walk In Showers
For walk in showers and handicapped-accessible showers, we build with an emphasis on easy accessibility and, where required, safety. Safety-focused walk-in shower remodels can include other work such as widening doors and entry-ways into the bathroom, adding grab bars or hand rails, moving or adding plumbing features, building convenient seating, and even designing the project for a zero entry / zero threshold shower entry, where the entrance to the shower and the adjacent floor are at the same height; where zero threshold is not possible or impractical, we can build a gently-ramped entry into the shower that helps maintain ease of access. In short, we offer a great variety of solutions for senior citizens and mobility-impaired individuals who are looking for a bath or shower remodel.
WE BUILD BETTER SHOWERS
At Simplicity, we build better showers by combining high quality components and industry best-practices with well-paid, experienced installation professionals. Here are a few things to keep in mind when hiring a Houston remodeler to tackle your daily-use shower:
Waterproofing Is A Science
Building a correctly-waterproofed shower requires training, education, product knowledge, and proper techniques. Tile is the “garment” the shower wears; along with thinset and grout, it is not waterproof. Attractive tile work does not ensure that water cannot get behind the tile, and “sealing” the grout similarly does not prevent water from penetrating the system. In order to waterproof a shower, a 100% water-tight system must be constructed behind the tile.
Read more on how we waterproof our showers using Schluter®-KERDI technology here.
All Plumbing Work Must Be Tested
Next, no matter how water-tight your shower walls are built, improper or leaky plumbing behind your waterproofing can cause water damage and create major issues. Unfortunately, even licensed plumbers can make mistakes. So, all plumbing work we complete not only meets or exceeds current code requirements, but it is also thoroughly tested for watertight integrity to ensure that all connections in both supply and drain plumbing have been made properly and are leak-free.
Details Are Crucial
Finally, quality detail work means building your new shower to be the best that it can be within the confines of your existing structure. It takes a true craftsman to ensure that your tile, with tiny variations in size and thickness, and all other components, often from different manufacturers, fit together as an integrated whole, especially with wood-framed walls and floors that are almost always out-of-square. Just as poor detail work can ruin an otherwise good-looking shower, sharp details put the finishing touches on a great project and can serve to mask minor structural imperfections.
For questions about shower remodels, tub replacements, walk-in showers, waterproofing, our leak-free guarantee, or our Houston service areas, call us at 832-464-7251. For examples of our work, check out our Gallery.