By Zach Wennstedt, owner of Aging Safely Baths. Selling and installing walk in tubs and roll in showers in all 50 states since 2012; formerly sales manager for multi-million-dollar plumbing and national remodeling companies. Updated November 2026. Not legal, medical or benefits advice; program rules change, so confirm with the agency named.
Direct answer: A roll-in shower installation replaces a tub or stall with a low-threshold shower pan, waterproof walls, a fold-up seat, grab bars and a hand shower, in one day in most homes. Our fully installed roll-in showers run about $13,500 to $17,000 after current promotions, and we install in all 50 states with factory-certified crews.
You send us photos of the bathroom. We send back a written, itemized price, usually the same week. After a deposit we do a full site measure in person, order the Bestbath unit, and schedule a one-day install. The old tub comes out in the morning, the drain gets moved to the new location, the pan is set level, walls go on, the seat, bars and valve are mounted, and you shower that night or the next morning. Most of our installs land well under $20,000. The VA HISA grant can pay up to $6,800 of it for qualifying veterans. The shower itself carries a 30-year warranty.
What does a roll-in shower installation include, and what does it cost?
When people call about "roll-in shower installation" they usually want three answers: what is actually in the job, who does it, and what it costs. Here is the whole list, because a shower is only as good as the parts nobody sees.
- Removal and haul-away of the existing tub or shower, the surround and the old valve.
- A one-piece or multi-piece Bestbath roll-in shower: pan, walls and a factory-molded threshold of three-quarters of an inch or less, depending on model.
- Drain relocation and a new trap under the pan, since a tub drain sits at one end and a shower drain sits where the pan says it does.
- New pressure-balanced or thermostatic valve, hand shower on a slide bar, and the supply plumbing to reach it.
- Fold-up seat, grab bars mounted into factory backing, and a weighted shower curtain or a collapsible water dam.
- Subfloor repair, leveling and, in some homes, a recess so the threshold meets the floor.
- Trim, caulk, cleanup and a walkthrough with the person who will use it.
Priced as a package, our fully installed roll-in showers run about $13,500 to $17,000 after current promotions. National brands run $25,000 to $30,000 fully installed for a similar shower. Most of our installs land well under $20,000 even when a floor needs work. The exact number for your house comes from photos and a phone call, and you get it in writing before anyone shows up. If you want the cost side broken out further, our handicap shower installation cost guide walks through what moves the number up or down.
Who installs roll-in showers in all 50 states?
We do, through a network of factory-certified installers who have been trained on the Bestbath product line. That matters more than it sounds. A roll-in shower is not a tub surround. The pan has to be set dead level on a bed of mortar or on the factory base, the threshold has to meet the floor without a lip, and the walls have to be fastened into the studs without cracking the gelcoat. Crews that do this every week get it right the first time. Crews that do it twice a year call us from the job site.
Our crews work in every state, from a ranch house in Nebraska to a condo in Florida where the install has to go up a freight elevator. Canada is supply-only, meaning we ship the shower and your contractor installs it. Many of our installers also hold the NAHB Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist designation, which is the home-building industry's training for aging-in-place work. Ask us about your area and we will tell you who covers it and how soon.
What you will not get from us is a two-hour sales presentation at the kitchen table. We send a written itemized price from photos and a call, then do a full site visit before install to confirm every measurement. That order of operations is deliberate. You decide on the price with no one in your living room. The measurement visit is for the tape measure, not the pitch.
What does the install day look like, hour by hour?
Here is a typical one-day roll-in shower installation in a home with a standard 60-inch tub alcove. Times shift with the house, but the sequence does not.
7:30 to 9:00: Protection and demolition
Floor runners from the door to the bathroom, plastic over the vanity and toilet. The old tub comes out in pieces if it is cast iron, in one piece if it is steel or fiberglass. The surround, the valve and the old drain shoe go with it. We look at the studs and subfloor now, because this is the moment to fix soft wood, not after the pan is set.
9:00 to 11:00: Plumbing rough-in
The drain gets moved from the tub location to the pan's drain location. In most homes that is a cut in the subfloor, a new P-trap and a short run of PVC to tie into the existing line. The valve is set at the height the user needs, which for a seated person is usually lower than a standing person expects. The hand shower slide bar gets blocking behind the wall so it will take weight.
11:00 to 1:00: Setting the pan
The pan is dry-fit, checked for level in both directions, then set in a bed of mortar or on its factory support system and fastened through the flange. If the floor is being recessed, the recess was framed and the subfloor cut before the pan went in. The drain is connected and tested with water before anything covers it.
1:00 to 3:30: Walls, seat, bars, trim
Wall panels go on in order, overlapping the pan flange so water that reaches the wall runs into the pan and nowhere else. The fold-up seat and grab bars bolt into the factory-installed backing. The valve trim, hand shower and curtain rod or water dam go on last. If you are still choosing wall finishes, our shower wall panel options page shows what is available.
3:30 to 5:00: Caulk, cleanup, walkthrough
Silicone at every seam, floor swept and mopped, old tub on the trailer. Then we show the person who will use the shower how the seat folds, where the controls are and how the water dam works. Caulk needs to cure, so the first shower is usually the next morning.
Some homes take a second day: slab foundations that need a concrete saw for the drain, tile floors that must be rebuilt at the threshold, or bathrooms where the alcove is not square. We tell you that from the photos, not on install day. Our crews treat the rest of the house like it is their own: runners down, doors protected, trailer loaded before they leave.
Does my floor need to be recessed for a roll-in shower?
This is the question that decides whether your project is simple or not, so here is the honest answer: sometimes.
A true zero-entry shower, the kind built on site with a tile floor, needs the subfloor dropped so the shower floor can slope to the drain and still finish flush with the bathroom floor. The Center for Universal Design curbless shower guide describes custom curbless showers as typically recessed 1.5 to 2 inches at the perimeter, with the floor sloped about 1/8 to 3/16 inch per foot toward the drain. On a wood-framed floor that means cutting joists or sistering them, which is real carpentry and real money.
A prefabricated roll-in shower pan solves most of that in the factory. The slope is molded in. The threshold on the models we install is three-quarters of an inch or less, and several are lower. So you have three paths:
Path 1: Pan on the existing floor, with a small ramp or a beveled threshold
The pan sits on the subfloor, and the three-quarter-inch threshold is beveled on both sides. A power chair rolls over it. A manual chair needs a small push. This is the fastest and least expensive path and it works for the majority of walker and wheelchair users we serve.
Path 2: Recess the pan
We drop the subfloor by the pan's base thickness, so the top of the threshold lands flush with the finished bathroom floor. This is the path for anyone who cannot push over any lip at all. It adds framing time and sometimes a second day. It is far easier on a wood-framed floor with a basement or crawlspace below than on a slab.
Path 3: Collapsible water dam, no recess
A soft rubber dam at the entry folds under a wheel and springs back to hold water in. Combined with a beveled threshold, it gives nearly the feel of a recessed floor without the framing.
Which path fits your house depends on the floor structure and the user's chair, and that is exactly what the photos tell us. Take one shot of the bathroom floor at the tub, one of the ceiling below if there is a basement, and one of the chair. For the pan models themselves, see our roll-in shower pans.
What are the drain and plumbing requirements?
A roll-in shower uses a standard 2-inch shower drain. Tub drains are 1.5 inch, so the line under the pan is upsized to the trap, and the trap is new. The drain location is set by the pan: center drain on most 60x30 and 60x33 models, end drain or trench drain on some larger one-piece units. We move the drain to meet the pan. Nobody picks a pan to match an old drain, because the old drain was placed for a tub.
On a wood-framed floor the drain move is routine. On a slab it means cutting concrete, which we price from the photos and plan for a slightly longer day. A trench drain across the entry is an option on some models and makes the entry even flatter, but it is not required.
Your water heater is not affected. A roll-in shower uses the same flow as any shower, usually less with a 1.75 or 2.0 gallon per minute hand shower. Your existing half-inch supply lines are fine. We replace the valve with a pressure-balanced or thermostatic model so a flushed toilet elsewhere in the house does not send a slug of hot water onto someone who cannot move quickly. The National Institute on Aging lists bathroom modifications among the practical steps for lowering fall risk at home, and a stable water temperature is part of that.
If the bathroom has a floor drain, a vent issue or galvanized pipe, we handle it or tell you up front what a plumber will need to do. Surprises on install day are bad for everyone, especially the crew.
What size roll-in shower fits my bathroom?
Most roll-in showers go into the space a 60-inch tub left behind, so the width is set by your wall-to-wall measurement and the depth by how far into the room you can go. The common sizes we install:
| Size (inches) | Fits where | Best for | Model page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 x 30 | Any standard tub alcove, no change to the footprint | Walker users, seated showering, caregiver assist | Bestbath 6030 roll-in shower |
| 60 x 33 | Tub alcove with 3 inches to spare, or a vanity that can shift | Manual wheelchair turn-in, more elbow room for a helper | Bestbath 6033 one-piece |
| 60 x 36 | Alcove plus a short wall move, or a larger bath | Power chair, shower chair with wheels, two-person assist | Bestbath 6036 extra-wide |
| 63 x 33 | Rooms with a few extra inches of width | Taller users who want the seat and controls farther apart | Ask us by photo |
One-piece units are the most watertight because there are no seams, but they have to fit through the door and around the hallway corner. Multi-piece units assemble in the bathroom and are the answer for finished basements and tight hallways. A 60x30 roll-in is the minimum the Access Board describes for an ADA roll-in shower compartment, 30 inches deep by 60 inches wide inside, and it is also the size that drops into a tub alcove with no wall changes. For a full breakdown with clearances in front of the shower, read our roll-in shower dimensions guide.
How low is the threshold, and what does the ADA allow?
The Access Board technical guide sets the threshold for a roll-in shower at a maximum of one-half inch, beveled if it is higher than a quarter inch. That is the commercial standard, written for public buildings. Your home is not required to meet it, but it is a good target because it was written with wheelchairs in mind.
The Bestbath roll-in showers we install come in at three-quarters of an inch or less on most models, with some lower, and the threshold is beveled. On a recessed install the effective threshold is zero. On a flat install the three-quarter-inch bevel is the lip a chair crosses, and the collapsible water dam adds nothing to it when a wheel is on top of it. We tell you the exact threshold for the exact model on your quote, so you are comparing a number to the user's ability, not a brochure word like "low."
A few other numbers from the same guide that we build to, because they are the numbers that make a shower usable from a seat: grab bars at 33 to 36 inches above the floor, a folding seat with its top 17 to 19 inches above the floor, and controls reachable from the seat, generally 38 to 48 inches above the floor on the wall opposite or beside the seat. The CDC reports that more than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year, and bathrooms are a common place for it. A shower built to these heights, used properly, is designed to reduce that risk. No product removes it.
What does a roll-in shower installation cost, line by line?
We do not publish a line-item price list, and here is why. The shower is the same unit whether it goes into a 1960s ranch or a 2015 townhouse, but the floor, the drain path, the wall condition and the access to the bathroom are different in every house. A list price with ten asterisks is worse than no list at all. So the quote you receive is itemized for your house. It shows:
- The shower unit by model number, with its threshold height, seat, bars and wall finish.
- Removal and disposal of the existing tub or shower.
- Plumbing: drain move, trap, valve and hand shower.
- Floor work, if any: subfloor repair, recess, or slab cut.
- Wall prep and any drywall or tile repair outside the shower.
- Installation labor and travel, with the number of days.
- Permit fees where the jurisdiction requires one.
- Any promotion, veteran pricing or grant paperwork credits applied.
Across all of that, the installed range is about $13,500 to $17,000 after current promotions, and most installs land well under $20,000 even with floor work. If a quote from anyone, including us, comes in without the drain move and the floor condition addressed in writing, the price is not finished yet. The cost guide linked above explains what each line typically does to the total.
Can VA HISA or Medicaid pay for the installation?
Often, yes, and this is where a national installer earns its keep, because we fill out this paperwork every week.
VA HISA grant
The VA HISA program (Home Improvements and Structural Alterations) pays for medically necessary home modifications, and a roll-in shower is one of the most common items approved. The lifetime benefit is up to $6,800 for a service-connected condition and up to $2,000 for a non-service-connected condition. HISA does not pay for jets, spa or hot tub features; it pays for access. The veteran's VA provider writes the prescription, the VA approves the plan and quote, and the grant is paid to the veteran after the work is done and inspected. We provide the itemized quote and the product documentation the VA asks for. Our VA grant roll-in shower page covers the steps and the forms.
Medicaid HCBS waivers
Many state Medicaid programs run Home and Community Based Services waivers that cover environmental modifications, including accessible showers, for people who would otherwise need facility care. The benefit name, cap and approval path are different in every state, and a case manager has to approve the modification before work starts. We work with case managers on the paperwork and the quote format. Start with our Medicaid guide, which explains how the waivers work and how to find the one in your state.
Other paths
Some Medicare Advantage plans include a bathroom modification allowance. Area Agencies on Aging sometimes have small modification funds. Financing is available for the balance. None of these move as fast as a phone call, so if the shower is urgent, we install first and help you file after where the program allows it. Where the program requires approval before work, we wait, and we tell you which is which.
Permits, inspections and codes: what the installer handles
Moving a drain and replacing a valve is plumbing work, and in most jurisdictions that means a permit. The installer pulls it. Some cities inspect the drain rough-in before the pan is set, so the crew schedules the inspector for the late morning and keeps working on walls and trim in the meantime. Others inspect at the end. A few rural counties do not require a permit for like-for-like bathroom work at all. The quote tells you which applies to your address, and the permit fee is a line on it.
Codes also set a few things you will never see: the trap size, the vent connection, the anti-scald valve, and the backing behind grab bars. Factory-molded Bestbath units have the backing built in, which is one reason we use them. On a site-built shower, the carpenter has to remember to add it. On ours, the factory already did. For a reader comparing products, the manufacturer's install documents are on the Bestbath site.
If you live in a condo or an HOA, there may be a building approval on top of the city permit, and some buildings restrict work hours. Tell us when you send photos and we will plan around it.
Walls, seats, grab bars and controls: what gets decided before install day
A good installation is mostly decided on the phone. These are the choices we walk through with you, and the questions we ask about the person who will use the shower.
Seat
Fold-up, wall-mounted, usually padded, on the wall opposite the controls or at the end. Left or right depends on which side the user transfers from and which arm is stronger. A caregiver who helps with bathing wants the seat where they can reach the user's back without standing in the spray.
Grab bars
Horizontal bars on the back wall and the control wall at 33 to 36 inches. Many users also want a vertical bar at the entry to steady a standing transfer. Bars mount into the factory backing, so adding one later is possible but easier now.
Controls and hand shower
The valve goes within reach of the seat. The hand shower on a slide bar lets a seated person wash without standing, and lets a caregiver rinse without soaking themselves. We set the slide bar height for the user, not for the catalog photo.
Walls and finish
Smooth gelcoat, simulated tile or a subway-tile look, in white, bone or biscuit. Molded shelves and a soap dish are standard on most units. If you want the shower to look like it was always part of the house, ask for the finish samples when you send photos and we will match them to the room.
Entry
Weighted curtain, collapsible water dam, or a half-height glass panel on one side for a user who stands. Full glass doors are available but we steer most roll-in users away from them because the door track adds a lip.
We also ask about the future. A shower for someone who walks today should still work if they use a chair in five years. That usually means getting the 60x33 or 60x36 if the room allows it, and leaving the entry open rather than adding glass.
Supply-only vs installed: when to buy the unit and use your own contractor
Not everyone needs us to install. If you already have a contractor you trust, or you are a contractor, we sell the same Bestbath roll-in showers supply-only and ship them to all 50 states and Canada. You get the factory specs, the install manual and a phone number to call from the job site. Our supply-only program explains freight, lead times and what is in the crate.
Supply-only makes sense when the bathroom is part of a larger remodel that already has a crew on site, when the home is in a remote area, or when a family member is a licensed plumber. It makes less sense when nobody on the job has set a roll-in pan before, because the level, the recess and the flange overlap are where first-timers lose the watertight seal. If you are on the fence, send photos and ask. We will tell you which way to go, and we have told plenty of people to use their own guy.
Contractors who want more of this work should look at the dealer program below. It is free, and it exists because we get more install requests in some states than our own crews can reach quickly.
What is the warranty after installation?
Bestbath showers carry a 30-year warranty on the unit, which covers the pan, walls and gelcoat against defects for longer than most people will live in the house. The seat, bars, valve and hand shower carry their own manufacturer warranties. Installation workmanship is covered separately, and the written terms come with your quote. The full list by product is on our warranties page.
What the warranty does not cover is damage from an improper install, which is another reason we send trained crews rather than the lowest bidder. A pan set out of level will pond water at the threshold, and that is not a product defect. Set it right once and the warranty question never comes up.
How to get a written price this week
Two ways, and both end with a number on paper before anyone comes to the house.
- Call 1-888-779-2284, 7am to 8pm Mountain, seven days. Tell us the bathroom size, what is there now, who will use the shower and how they get around. We can usually give a range on the call and a written itemized price within a day or two.
- Send photos through our virtual estimate page. Four or five pictures: the tub from the doorway, the tub from above, the floor at the tub, the ceiling below if there is a basement, and the doorway and hallway the unit has to pass through. We reply with a written price and the model we recommend.
After you accept, we schedule the full site visit to measure, confirm the drain path and check the floor, then order the unit and set the install date. If you are filing for HISA or a Medicaid waiver, the quote is formatted for the agency and we stay on the paperwork with you.
A roll-in shower is a one-day job that changes how someone lives in their house for years. Get the price in writing first, by calling 1-888-779-2284 or by sending photos through the virtual estimate page, and let us handle the floor, the drain and the paperwork from there.