Tub Cutout vs Walk In Tub vs Tub to Shower Conversion: An Installer Compares All Three
A tub cutout lowers the step from about 15 to 20 inches down to 4 to 9 inches by cutting a notch in the existing tub wall. It is the cheapest change, and for some households it is enough. It does not add a seat, a door that seals, or a floor you can roll onto. Here is where each of the three options fits, from the company that installs two of them and will tell you when the third is the right call.
Accredited since 2012★ 4.9 Google (35 reviews)In business since 2012No in-home sales visitBy 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. Published October 23, 2026. Not legal, medical, tax or benefits advice; rules change, so confirm with the agency or professional named.
Which one should you get?
A tub cutout fits a bather who can still stand, step and sit on a bench, wants to keep the tub for a few more years, and needs the step lowered now. A walk in tub fits someone who can step over 3 to 7 inches and wants to soak seated with the water at chest height. A tub to shower conversion fits anyone who uses a wheelchair, a walker or a caregiver, or who simply never takes a bath. Cutout: a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars installed, by others. Walk in tub: about $15,500 installed with us. Conversion: $13,500 to $17,000 installed.
Red flags for a cutout
- The bather cannot lift a foot 4 to 9 inches
- A wheelchair or rolling shower chair is in the picture now or within 5 years
- The tub is cast iron or steel (harder to cut, edge finish matters)
- Anyone in the house still wants to bathe (the cut side will not hold water unless a door insert is fitted)
The three options compared
| Tub cutout | Walk in tub | Tub to shower conversion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | A notch cut in the tub wall, edge capped; optional door insert | Old tub out, walk in tub in the same alcove | Old tub out, roll in or low-threshold shower pan and walls in |
| Step height after | About 4 to 9 inches (set by the cut) | 3 to 7 inches (model dependent) | 0 to 1.5 inches |
| Seat | Only if you add a bench or chair | Built in, usually 17 inches high, often heated | Fold-down or built-in seat |
| Can you still bathe? | Not without a door insert, and inserts seal only to the height of the cut | Yes, seated, water to chest height | No, shower only |
| Wheelchair ready | No | Transfer models only | Yes (barrier-free pan) |
| Time on site | Half a day | 1 day | 1 day |
| Installed cost | A few hundred to a few thousand dollars, by others | About $15,500 after the current promotion | $13,500 to $17,000 |
| Reversible | No, the tub is cut | Tub can be replaced later | Shower can be replaced later |
| Best for | Standing, steady bathers who need the step lowered now | Soakers who can step 3 to 7 inches | Wheelchair, walker, caregiver-assisted and shower-only households |
We do not sell cutouts. The price range above is what the cutout companies publish; get it in writing from them, and ask what happens to the tub surround and the cut edge.
What a cutout actually solves
The dangerous moment in a standard tub is the leg lift over a 15 to 20 inch wall while standing on one foot on a wet surface. A cutout drops that lift to the height of the notch. For a steady bather with a grab bar and a non-slip mat, that is a real improvement, and for a renter or a family planning a bigger remodel later it buys time. It solves nothing about sitting down and getting back up, about a slippery floor, or about a caregiver bending over the wall. The step is lower; the tub is still a tub.
What a walk in tub solves
A walk in tub replaces the lift with a 3 to 7 inch threshold and the crouch with a seat at chair height. The door seals, so the water comes up to the chest. Inline heaters, air or water jets and a fast drain are options. The honest limits: you sit in the tub while it fills and drains, you need 40 to 50 gallons of hot water, and a wheelchair user needs a transfer model, not a standard inward-door tub. Our walk in tub problems page lists every complaint we hear and the fix for each.
What a conversion solves
A tub to shower conversion removes the wall entirely. A 60 x 30 or 60 x 32 roll in shower pan drops into the old alcove with a 3/4 inch beveled threshold or none at all, a fold-down seat, grab bars and a handheld shower. It is the right answer for wheelchairs, rolling shower chairs, walkers, and anyone whose caregiver needs to stand beside them. It is also what most families pick once they admit nobody has taken a bath in years. The barrier free shower page shows the pans and wall systems we install.
The five-year test
Ask what the bather will need in five years, not what they need this month. A cutout bought at 78 is often followed by a conversion at 82, which means paying for the tub twice. If a walker or wheelchair is likely, skip the cutout and the standard walk in tub and go straight to the shower or a transfer tub. If soaking matters to the bather and they are steady on their feet, a walk in tub is the one purchase they will not have to redo.
Cost and who pays
Cutouts are cash purchases; no program we know of funds them as a home modification, though a few Medicare Advantage plans cover bathroom safety devices, which may include an insert. Walk in tubs and conversions can qualify for the VA HISA grant, state Medicaid waivers and the medical expense deduction. Our prices are itemized in writing from photos: about $15,500 for a walk in tub after the current promotion, $15,250 for veterans, $13,500 to $17,000 for a roll in shower.
Resale
A cut tub is a damaged tub to the next buyer, and the surround usually goes with it. A walk in tub is a feature for an older buyer and a question mark for a young family, which is why we leave the plumbing so a standard tub can go back in. A clean roll in shower with a glass panel reads as a modern bathroom to almost everyone. Our guide on walk in tubs and home value goes deeper.
Sources
- CDC MMWR, Nonfatal Bathroom Injuries Among Persons Aged 15 Years and Older, United States, 2008 (81.1% of bathroom injuries were falls; most in or near the tub or shower)
- CDC, Older Adult Falls: Facts and Stats
- VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, HISA grant
Checked October 23, 2026. Rules change; confirm with the agency or a qualified professional before you rely on them.
Tub Cutout vs Walk In Tub FAQ
What is a tub cutout?
A notch cut into the side wall of an existing bathtub, finished with a cap or a removable door insert, so the step over the wall drops from 15 to 20 inches to about 4 to 9 inches. The tub stays; nothing else changes.
Is a tub cutout better than a walk in tub?
It is cheaper and faster, and it is enough for a steady bather who only needs a lower step. It adds no seat, no sealed door and no soaking, and it is not reversible. A walk in tub or a tub to shower conversion is the better choice when sitting, standing up, soaking or a wheelchair is part of the picture.
How much does a tub cutout cost compared with a walk in tub?
Cutout companies publish prices from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars installed. A walk in tub from us is about $15,500 installed after the current promotion; a roll in shower conversion is $13,500 to $17,000.
Can you still take a bath after a tub cutout?
Only with a door insert, and the water can only rise to the height of the cut, so it is a shallow bath at best. Without the insert the tub becomes a step-in shower base.
Does Medicare or the VA pay for a tub cutout?
Original Medicare does not. Some Medicare Advantage plans cover bathroom safety devices. VA HISA funds medically needed bathroom modifications such as roll in showers; ask your VA prosthetics office whether a cutout qualifies before paying.
Which option is best for a wheelchair user?
A tub to shower conversion with a barrier-free pan, or a wheelchair transfer tub. A cutout and a standard walk in tub both still require stepping and standing.
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