Converting a Tub to a Walk-In Shower in Halifax

Swapping a bathtub for a walk-in shower is a popular bathroom renovation in Halifax, and an often misunderstood one. From the doorway it looks like a fixture swap. Behind the tile it is a change to the drain, the floor, and the waterproofing, and done properly it is a small renovation in its own right. This guide walks through what the conversion involves, when it needs a permit in HRM, and two Dartmouth bathrooms where we made the switch. If you want the full picture of how we design and build bathrooms, start with our bathroom renovations in Halifax.

What Changes When the Tub Comes Out

A tub to shower conversion touches more of the room than most people expect.

• The surround and the wall behind it. The old tub surround comes off, and the wall behind it is opened up. This is where past leaks show up, and where we find out what the framing and the subfloor look like.
• The drain. A tub drains at one end. A shower drains through its floor. Moving from one to the other means reworking the drain under the floor, and how easy that is depends on the joists and what is underneath.
• The valve and shower head. A tub filler and a shower have different needs, so the valve, the head, and often a handheld on a slide bar are set for standing height.
• A new shower floor. Either a prefabricated base or a tiled floor sloped to the drain. Tile gives you more freedom on size and layout. A base is simpler.
• Glass. A fixed panel, a door, or a full enclosure, sized to keep water where it belongs.

Walk-In, Low Threshold, or Curbless

"Walk-in" covers a few different builds, and the difference is mostly in the floor.

• A shower with a curb has a low lip at the entry that keeps water in. It is the simplest to build and works on almost any floor.
• A low threshold shower keeps that lip as small as the floor allows, which is easier to step over and still straightforward to waterproof.
• A curbless, or zero-entry, shower has no lip at all. The shower floor has to slope to the drain while meeting the bathroom floor at the same level, which usually means recessing or building up the floor. In an older Halifax house, the depth and direction of the joists decide how practical that is, so we check them during design rather than promising curbless before we have looked.

With nothing to step over, a curbless shower is easy to use and easy to clean, and it suits anyone planning for aging in place. It also takes the most planning.

Waterproofing Is the Part That Matters

Tile and grout are not waterproof. What keeps water out of the walls and the subfloor is the membrane behind and under the tile, and how carefully the seams, corners, niches, and the drain connection are sealed. On a tub surround you can sometimes get away with less. On a walk-in shower, where the floor is wet every day, you cannot. We install a full membrane system, slope the floor properly, and vent the exhaust fan to the exterior, not into the attic, so the moisture actually leaves the house.

Do You Need a Permit to Convert a Tub to a Shower in Halifax?

It depends on what moves. Halifax Regional Municipality requires a building permit when a renovation changes walls or the existing plumbing system, and it lists replacing plumbing fixtures as work that does not need one. A conversion that reworks or relocates the drain, or moves supply lines, is a change to the plumbing system. A conversion that also opens or moves a wall is too.

Electrical is separate. Adding in-floor heat, new lighting, or a new fan circuit needs a wiring permit, which only a certified electrician can obtain, with inspection by Nova Scotia Power on the Province's behalf. We cover the full process, inspections included, in our guide to bathroom renovation permits in Halifax.

Should You Keep a Tub Somewhere?

If this is the only tub in the house, think about who uses it before it goes. Young children are usually easier to bathe in a tub, and some people simply like a bath. If another bathroom has one, or will, the decision is easy. If not, it is worth settling as a household before design starts, not after the tub is in the dumpster.

Two Dartmouth Bathrooms Where We Made the Switch

The Hex and Arch Suite. The homeowners' most pressing problem was a high-threshold tub. We replaced it with a zero-entry custom shower tiled in marble-look porcelain, which made it easy to clean both the bathroom and the dog, with a full Schluter-KERDI waterproofing system and electric under-floor heating. The project won a 2026 Peak Award for Most Outstanding Bathroom Renovation. Read the full Hex and Arch Suite story.

Design Meets Function. In an older Dartmouth home, an alcove tub under an arched surround gave way to a walk-in glass shower with a built-in bench, a grab bar, and a handheld alongside the rainfall head. Demolition uncovered seaweed insulation between the studs, outdated plumbing that had to be replaced, and damaged joists and subfloor, all fixed before the new shower went in. Read what we found behind the walls.

A Conversion or a One-Day Liner?

A liner covers an existing tub or shower in acrylic. It is fast, but it does not touch what is behind the wall or under the floor: the waterproofing, the subfloor, the plumbing, or the layout. If those are sound and you only want a fresh surface, a liner can be fine. If you want a walk-in shower, or you are not sure what is behind the old surround, a conversion is the right job. We compare the two in more detail on our bathroom renovations in Dartmouth page.

Planning Your Conversion

Every conversion is priced from an in-home assessment and a design, because the drain route, the floor, and what is behind the surround vary so much from house to house. For a starting estimate, try the bathroom renovation cost calculator, and if you are still choosing who to hire, read how to choose a bathroom renovation contractor.

Get a free quote or call (902) 454-2273.