The tub-to-shower conversion is the most common single request we get in Gladstone, and the housing stock explains why. A homeowner who bought in the 1960s or 1970s and stayed is now dealing with a standard sixty-inch alcove tub that has become a barrier rather than a fixture. The conversion itself is well understood work, but in a house of this age two details set the price. The first is the drain: a tub drain and a shower drain do not sit in the same place, and moving it means opening the floor into whatever the original plumber used. The second is the wall behind the surround, which in this era is frequently the original substrate with no modern waterproofing layer at all. Both are findable before demolition if someone actually looks.
What the work covers
- Removing the tub and the surround, which usually means opening the wet wall
- Re-piping the drain, including relocating and resizing the trap for a shower
- Building the pan, either a pre-formed base or a sloped mortar bed with a bonded membrane
- Waterproofing the curb, the corners and the wall planes as one continuous system
- Blocking for a bench, a niche, grab bars and the glass
What we find in Gladstone homes
- A standard sixty-inch alcove that sets the usable footprint before any product is chosen.
- A tub drain positioned for a tub, which a shower base will not reuse without opening the floor.
- Wall substrate behind the original surround with no modern waterproofing membrane.
- Framing that was never blocked for grab bars, which matters if the reason for the conversion is aging in place.
Working in Gladstone, MO
Gladstone sits in Clay County on the Missouri side of the metro, and the housing stock is the single most useful thing to know before scoping a job here. The median Gladstone home was finished in 1973, roughly sixty-four percent of the housing was standing before 1980, and the largest single building decade was the 1960s. Only nine units in the entire city were built in 2020 or later. In practice that means essentially every project in Gladstone is retrofit work inside existing construction, not new build, and the estimate has to account for what is already behind the wall.
Permits come from the City of Gladstone Community Development Department, Building and Construction Division, filed through the eTRAKiT portal. Gladstone is unusual in that it issues separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits rather than rolling the trades into one building permit, and residential submittals carry a plan review fee with a stated three to five day review rather than an over-the-counter issue. Gladstone runs the 2021 International Residential Code with local amendments alongside the 2020 National Electrical Code, both effective January 1, 2022. Neighborhoods we get called into include Claymont Estates, Meadowbrook Manor, Stonebrooke Estates, Twin Lakes, The Woodlands and Northaven Gardens.
How this job goes wrong
- A shower run on the old tub drain and trap, which drains slowly and is not compliant
- A pan sloped the wrong way, or a membrane that stops short of the curb
- A curbless entry attempted without lowering the framing, so the slope has nowhere to go
Planning range
$9,000 to $26,000. A solid-surface base in the existing footprint with a standard framed door sits near the bottom. A tiled curbless pan with frameless glass and an accessibility package sits at the top. Plan on one to three weeks of active work.
What moves the price on a tub to shower conversion in Gladstone
A tub-to-shower conversion in Gladstone prices off the drain first and the wall second. If the new base can use the existing drain location the job stays inside the alcove and stays predictable. If the base requires the drain to move, the floor opens, and in a house of this age what is under that floor is the variable. The second driver is the waterproofing assembly behind the surround, which on an original 1960s or 1970s wall is usually being built for the first time rather than replaced. Glass is the third, and it is a straightforward choice: a framed panel and a frameless enclosure are different products at different numbers, and neither one is wrong.
Permits and inspections for this work in Gladstone
A tub-to-shower conversion is plumbing work, and in Gladstone that means a plumbing permit pulled separately from any building permit the job needs, by a sub holding a City of Gladstone Master Plumber license. If the conversion adds or relocates a ventilation fan, the electrical side carries its own permit as well. It is a small job that touches the city in more than one place, which is worth knowing before scheduling. Inspection is by city staff against the 2021 IRC with local amendments. We verify the current scope with the Building and Construction Division on each project rather than assuming a conversion is exempt.
Common questions about this work
Is a tub to shower conversion a permit job in Gladstone?
It changes the drain and usually the valve, so it generally is. Permit requirements are confirmed with the local building department before work starts.
Should I keep one tub in the house?
Worth considering at resale, particularly if this is the only one. If another full bath has a tub, the concern mostly goes away.
Can the shower be curbless?
Sometimes, and the answer depends on the floor framing below. It has to be decided before demolition, because it is a framing change rather than a finish change.
Tub to Shower Conversion questions from Gladstone homeowners
Can the new shower use the existing tub drain?
Sometimes, and it is the single biggest cost question on the job. A tub drain and a shower drain do not naturally sit in the same place. If the base can use what is there, the floor stays closed. If not, it opens, and in a 1960s Gladstone house that is where the variable lives.
Is this permitted work in Gladstone?
Yes, it is plumbing work and Gladstone issues plumbing permits separately, pulled by a sub holding a city master plumber license. If a vent fan is added or moved, the electrical side carries its own permit too.
We want grab bars. Can that be done properly?
Yes, and it should be done during the conversion while the wall is open. Original framing in this housing era was not blocked for grab bars, so the blocking gets added before the substrate goes back. Mounting them to finished tile afterward is not the same thing.
Call (913) 395-8571 or request a written estimate before any work starts.