Walk-In Shower Installation in Fort Collins CO

Walk-In Shower Installation in Fort Collins, CO

Walk-in shower installation in Fort Collins, CO typically runs $5,000 to $11,000 by national figures (Fixr), about $8,000 on average, with custom curbless showers higher. Rist Canyon Bath & Kitchen designs and builds walk-in showers across Fort Collins and Northern Colorado: low-curb and curbless entries, built-in benches and niches, linear or center drains, and frameless glass sized to the finished walls.

Walk-in shower installation in Fort Collins: the choices that set the price

A walk-in shower is any shower you step or roll into without climbing over a tub wall: a low curb a few inches high, or no curb at all. The price comes from four decisions: the footprint, whether the entry is curbed or curbless, whether the walls are tile or panels, and how much glass the opening needs. Size and tile do most of the work; Fixr's national guide prices a custom shower at roughly double a prefabricated one of the same size.

Walk-in shower cost by type

Type	Typical installed cost	Notes
Alcove (three walls)	about $8,000	The most common; fits where a tub was
Corner	about $4,000	Two walls, a neo-angle or square base
Curbless / barrier-free	about $6,000 and up	No step; floor is recessed or sloped
Prefabricated, any type	$2,000 to $8,000	Molded base and wall panels
Custom tile, any type	$5,000 to $20,000	Any size, bench, niches, linear drain

Source: Fixr walk-in shower cost guide (updated March 4, 2025, national). Labor runs about $2,000 for prefab and $4,800 for custom; relocating plumbing adds $200 to $500. Quotes vary by home.

Primary bathroom with a tiled walk-in shower and bench behind glass, a freestanding tub and a brass floor-mount filler — A tiled walk-in shower with a bench, and a freestanding tub with a floor-mount filler.

Curbless entries, drains and slope

Taking the curb away means the floor itself has to keep the water in, so the shower area sits lower than the bathroom floor and slopes to the drain, at 1/4 to 1/2 inch per foot under the International Residential Code. On a wood-framed floor that is done by recessing the subfloor between the joists or with a thin prefabricated shower pan; on a basement slab the concrete is cut and repoured. A linear drain along the back wall lets the whole floor slope one way, which suits large porcelain tiles and a flush entry.

What goes behind the tile

Waterproofing: the code requires a waterproof liner under a site-built shower floor; carrying a bonded membrane up the walls and past the open entry, the bench and the niches is standard tile practice.
Backer: cement or fiber-cement backer board on the shower walls, because the code doesn't allow green water-resistant drywall where it is directly exposed to water.
Valve: a pressure-balance or thermostatic valve, which the code requires on showers, with its limit set no higher than 120°F.
Fan and outlets: an exhaust fan rated at 50 CFM or more, vented outside, and GFCI protection on all bathroom outlets.

The code items come from the International Residential Code, 2021 edition: P2709.1 for the slope, P2709.2 for the floor liner, R702.4.2 and R702.3.7.1 for the backer, P2708.4 for the valve, M1505.4.4 for the fan and E3902.1 for GFCI. The City or town that issues the permit inspects to the edition it has adopted.

Shower glass

Shower glass runs from about $300 for a simple framed door to $5,000 for a full frameless enclosure (Fixr). It is measured after the tile is set, because frameless panels are cut to the finished walls, so the glass is the last part of the shower to go in.

Seats, niches and grab bars

Built-in bench: $100 to $500. A fold-down teak seat needs blocking in the wall before tile.
Recessed niche: $100 to $400. Put it on an interior wall so insulation stays in the exterior one.
Grab bars: $85 to $300 each installed. Blocking costs almost nothing while the studs are open.
Slip-resistant floor: $200 to $1,000. Small mosaic tile gives more grout lines, and more grip.

Worked example

A curbless shower in a primary bath

A couple in their sixties in a 2000s two-story in east Fort Collins want to stay in the house. The primary bath's corner tub and small stall become one curbless shower with a linear drain, a bench, a hand shower on a slide bar and a fixed glass panel.

Because the drain and valve move and the floor is recessed, it is a permitted job with a framing and plumbing inspection before tile.

Curbless shower, tiled, about 60 x 36 in	$6,000 to $15,000
Glass panel (Fixr range for shower glass)	$300 to $5,000
Bench and two niches	$300 to $1,300
Two grab bars with blocking	$170 to $600
Fort Collins remodel permit, $15,000 valuation	$306.50 plus sales tax

Shower and add-on figures from Fixr (2025); the upper shower figure reflects a large custom tile job. Permit fee from the City of Fort Collins schedule. An example, not a past job.

Soft water and big glass

Large frameless panels show every water spot in a hard-water city. Fort Collins Utilities describes its supply as naturally soft, which is good news for glass-heavy walk-in designs on City water. The Fort Collins water hardness guide covers wells and other water districts.

Freestanding tub beside a marble-look tile shower with a half wall and a niche — A freestanding tub next to a marble-look tile shower with a half wall.

Replacing an existing shower without changing its entry is a shower remodel; replacing a tub is a tub to shower conversion. A walk-in shower is often the center of a primary bathroom remodel, and the permit fee steps are in the Fort Collins permit guide. Full room pricing: bathroom remodel cost in Fort Collins.

Walk-In Showers in Fort Collins: Questions

Swing-up stainless grab bar beside a toilet next to a curbless glass shower

A swing-up grab bar at the toilet, next to a curbless shower.

What's the average cost to get a walk-in shower installed?

About $8,000, with most installations between $5,000 and $11,000, per Fixr's walk-in shower guide (updated March 2025). A prefabricated walk-in runs $2,000 to $8,000 and a custom tiled one $5,000 to $20,000; a 60 by 60 inch custom shower is about $15,000 on its own. Fort Collins permits add a few hundred dollars when the valve or drain changes.

Is a walk-in shower covered by Medicare?

Not by Original Medicare. Medicare covers durable medical equipment, and its reference list denies bathroom items such as grab bars, bathtub seats and bathtub lifts as not primarily medical in nature; a shower remodel isn't equipment. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer bathroom safety devices and an in-home safety check as a supplemental benefit, so it's worth asking your plan what it includes.

Can seniors get a walk-in shower for free?

Not through a general program, but some people qualify for help. Veterans can apply for the VA's HISA grant, up to $6,800 lifetime for service-connected needs or $2,000 otherwise, which covers access to bathroom facilities such as roll-in showers. Health First Colorado members on certain home and community waivers can use a home modification benefit with a $14,000 lifetime maximum. Each needs approval before the work.

What is the new trend for walk-in showers?

Larger, flatter and better lit. In the National Kitchen & Bath Association's 2026 Bath Trends report, 55 percent of designers said a bigger shower now beats a tub, curbless entries were wanted, 89 percent preferred few or no visible grout lines, and 51 percent expect mood lighting inside the shower.

Curbless or low curb: which is better?

A low curb is simpler and cheaper; curbless is easier to walk or roll into but needs the floor lowered under the shower so water stays inside. Fixr prices a curbless shower around $6,000 as a type; the real cost depends on how much floor framing has to change.

Does a walk-in shower need a door?

Not always. A fixed glass panel with an open entry works when the shower is deep enough that spray doesn't reach the opening, typically a long shower with the head at the far end. Shorter showers usually need a door or a second panel.