A 1968 block home gets a true zero-inch shower
Gulf Gate, Sarasota
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Tub-to-shower conversion · Crescent Beach, Siesta Key
A concrete condo wall that could not take blocking
A 1979 mid-rise where two of the four bathroom walls are structural concrete. The usual answer, cut in 2x10 blocking, was not available.
- Anchoring
- Stainless backer plates
- Pull test
- 250 lbf, documented
- Work window
- 9 am to 4 pm
- Debris
- Service elevator only
01Before and after
The room, either side of the work
- Acrylic alcove tub with a 15 in step-over and a suction-cup mat.
- Two concrete demising walls, no cavity, no studs to find.
- Association quiet hours of 9 am to 4 pm and a single service elevator.
- Original 1979 two-handle valve with no scald protection.
- Textured solid-surface base at DCOF 0.55, 1/2 in bevelled threshold at 1:2.
- Grab bars on the concrete walls through-bolted to 1/4 in stainless backer plates, epoxy-set.
- Every bar pull-tested to 250 lbf on site and documented for the association file.
- Folding seat on the framed wall, into conventional double 2x10 blocking.
- Thermostatic valve at 120 F with the trim centred at 42 in on the entry side.
02Timeline
How the days ran
7 working days on site. Sample budget $11,900 (sample figure).
- Week 0Association submission, certificate of insurance, elevator booking
- Days 1 to 2Demolition within quiet hours, tub out through the service lift
- Day 3Plumbing rough and inspection, backer plates epoxy-set
- Days 4 to 5Base set, panels fitted and sealed
- Days 6 to 7Bars, seat, trim, pull tests, association sign-off
03The customer
In their words
They handled the board paperwork before I even asked. The elevator was booked, the insurance was filed, and nobody on my floor complained once.
04More work
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The last thing on this page
Ninety minutes, at your house, for nothing
Joaquin measures the room against every clearance, maps the studs so we know where blocking can go, and leaves a written report. If the honest answer is that your bathroom cannot do what you need, he will say so and the report is still yours.
- Call
- (941) 555-0213
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday: 7:30 am to 5:30 pmSaturday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pmSunday: Closed, messages answered Monday
- Workshop
- 2140 Cattlemen Road, Suite 4, Sarasota, FL 34232
- [email protected]
We do bathrooms only. If you need a kitchen, an addition or whole-home work we will give you two names of people who do it properly.