Shower installation · Davie, FL
Shower Installation Davie, FL: Waterproofed Before the Tile Goes On
Shower installation Davie homeowners can count on starts below the tile, with a sloped base, a continuous waterproof layer and a valve chosen before the wall is closed.
- Estimate
- Free, on site
- Scope
- Base, walls, valve, glass
- Changes
- Signed by you first
- Your contact
- Named before work starts
- Part of Gaven Constructions
- Free on-site estimates
- Written 1-year workmanship warranty
- Dedicated project contact
What Holds a Shower Together Is Behind the Tile
You see the tile, the glass and the showerhead. What keeps the water where it belongs is the work underneath: the base and how it slopes, the waterproof layer on the walls, the drain, and the valve inside the wall.
Get that part right and the finish can be almost anything you like. Get it wrong and the best tile in the showroom sits on a wall that is slowly getting wet. A failed shower rarely announces itself. It shows up as a stain on the ceiling below, a baseboard that swells in the next room, or tile that sounds hollow when you tap it.
So a shower installation, for us, is mostly a construction job with a finish on top. We build the base, waterproof the walls, set the valve and the drain, test the whole thing with water, and only then let the tile setter in. Every one of those layers is named in the written scope, so you know what you are paying for even though you will never see it again.
When a New Shower Is the Right Fix
A new shower makes sense when the problem is in the shower itself, not in one part of it.
Water is getting past the tile. Loose tiles, grout that keeps cracking in the same lines, a soft spot on the floor of the stall, a mark on the wall or ceiling next to it. These usually mean the layer under the tile has failed, and new grout will not reach it.
The old shower was built without a real waterproof layer. Some older showers rely on the tile and the grout to keep water out, with a liner under the base and little or nothing on the walls. When they fail, there is nothing to repair underneath. The fix is to take the walls down to the studs and build them again.
You want a different kind of shower. A larger stall, a bench, a niche, a lower curb or no curb at all, a handheld wand next to a fixed head. Each of these changes the base, the walls or the valve, and they only come out right if they are built in from the start.
The tub is going and a shower is taking its place. Taking out a tub moves the drain, the floor changes and the wall needs waterproofing it never had. That conversion is its own project, and the shower part of it is built the same way as any new shower.
The valve is old and the wall is open anyway. If you are already redoing the tile, it is the moment to replace a valve that is hard to adjust or has parts nobody stocks. Doing it later means opening the new wall.
When a New Shower Is More Than the Problem Needs
If your shower works and has one specific fault that can be repaired, putting in a new one goes beyond what the problem needs. The better path is to find what is causing the fault and fix it in proportion. We look for that cause at the visit and tell you plainly if a new shower is more than you need.
The Choices That Shape a New Shower
Most of what you decide about a new shower is decided early, because it gets built into the base and the walls.
The base. A preformed base is made in one piece and set level on the floor. It is quick to install and comes with its own built-in slope. A mortar bed is built on site and shaped to fall toward the drain, which lets the shower be any size and lets the floor be tiled like the rest of the room. Each one has a place, and the size of your stall usually points to one of them.
Curb or no curb. A curb is the low step that keeps water in the stall. A curbless shower drops the floor of the stall so you walk straight in, which looks clean and is easier on anyone who has trouble stepping over things. It also takes more work under the floor: in a slab house, part of the concrete is cut and recessed so the stall can sit lower. Whether your floor can take that is one of the things we check at the visit.
The drain. A round center drain lets the floor slope in from all sides. A long linear drain at one wall lets the floor slope in a single direction, which suits large tile and curbless showers. The choice changes how the base is built.
The valve and the heads. The valve sits inside the wall and controls temperature and flow. It decides how many outlets you can have, such as a fixed head plus a handheld, and it is the one part that is hard to change later. For the showerhead, the EPA's WaterSense program labels models that are independently certified for water use and for spray force, coverage and pressure. It is a simple way to pick a head that saves water without giving you a weak shower.
The glass. A curtain, a framed door, or frameless glass panels. The glass installer measures once the tile is finished, so glass always closes the job. The written scope says whether it is included.
The Water Report and the Plumbing Behind Your Shower
Where the water in your shower comes from depends on your address. Davie Utilities serves only part of the Town, and its 2025 Water Quality Report says that in 2025 all of its water came from the System V plant: water from the Floridan aquifer, treated by reverse osmosis. The System III plant, which draws from the Biscayne aquifer, was inactive. The water is disinfected with chloramines, detected at 3.2 ppm within a range of 1.0 to 4.0.
The same report covers lead and copper measured at household taps in July 2023. Copper came in at 0.099 ppm at the 90th percentile and lead at 2.54 ppb, with 2 of 58 sites above the action level. The Town explains that lead comes mainly from service lines and home plumbing, and that it does not control the materials used in that plumbing.
A new shower is exactly that kind of plumbing. The valve, the supply lines that feed it and the fittings between them belong to your house, not to the utility, and whoever installs the shower picks them. That is why our written scope lists the valve, the supply material and the fittings by name before anything is bought, and why you can see them in the open wall before it is closed. If another provider serves your street, its own report is the one to read, and we can look it up with you.
We are based at 4491 S State Road 7, 3rd Floor, Ste PH16, Davie, FL 33314, and we take shower work in Davie and 19 other Broward cities.
How a Shower Installation Runs
- The visit. We look at the shower you have, the floor around it, the wall behind it and the room on the other side. We ask how you use the shower and who uses it.
- The written scope. Base type, wall system, drain, valve, trim, tile and glass, each one named. What is not included is written down too.
- Selections and permit. Tile, valve, trim and glass style are chosen and ordered before demolition. If the plumbing changes, the permit is applied for.
- Demolition to the studs. The old walls and base come out. If the framing or the subfloor is damaged, we show you, price the fix, and continue only after you sign it.
- Plumbing and the base. The plumber sets the drain and the valve at the right height for the heads you chose. The base is installed or built, sloped toward the drain.
- Waterproofing and a water test. The walls and base get a continuous waterproof layer, sealed at every corner, seam and pipe. Then we plug the drain, fill the base with water, let it stand, and check that the level holds and nothing shows below. Tile waits until it passes.
- Tile, trim and glass. Tile goes on, then the trim and the heads, then the glass is measured and installed.
- The walkthrough. We run the shower with you, check the temperature and the drainage, and hand you the warranty and the care notes.
What a New Shower Costs Around Davie
One Miami-Dade remodeling contractor's 2026 cost guide puts a walk-in shower installation, installed, at $3,000 to $8,500 per shower. Read it as what that market publishes for that kind of job. It is not our price and it is not a quote.
Where your shower lands depends on a short list:
What the base is made of. A preformed base costs less to install than a mortar bed shaped on site, and a curbless floor costs more than either.
Whether the drain moves. Keeping the drain where it is saves the most. Moving it on a slab means opening the concrete floor and patching it.
What the walls hide. Damaged studs or a soft subfloor under the old stall have to be fixed before anything new goes in. We plan for the possibility and price it with you if it shows up.
The valve and the number of heads. One fixed head is the simplest. A handheld, a second head or body sprays need a different valve and more pipe in the wall.
Tile and glass. Large tiles, a niche, a bench and frameless glass all add labor and material.
The visit and the written estimate cost nothing. You get your number once we have seen the shower, broken into lines, and it does not change unless you sign a change first.
Why Homeowners Trust Us With the Part Nobody Sees
A shower fails at the layers you cannot inspect after the tile is down. We exist to get those layers right and to show them to you before they disappear.
Every layer in writing. Base, waterproofing, drain, valve, tile and glass appear as separate lines in the scope, so you can compare our proposal with any other on the same terms.
You see it before it is covered. The open wall, the valve, the sloped base and the water test are there for you to look at. Nothing is hidden by the time you ask.
One person to call. Your project contact is named before work starts and coordinates the plumber, the tile setter and the glass installer.
Changes signed first. If the old wall shows damage, you see the repair and its price before it happens.
A written warranty. One year on our workmanship from the day we finish, plus the manufacturers' warranties on the valve, the trim and the other products. General Contractor Davie is part of Gaven Constructions.
Permits
Permits and Inspections in Davie
Plumbing and permits. When a shower moves a drain or changes the plumbing inside the wall, the work goes through the Town's Building Division. The proposal says which permits your job needs, and inspections happen before the wall is closed.
Your HOA is a separate approval. A Town permit does not answer for your association's rules. If you live in an HOA and the work needs its approval, we list it as its own step.
Who answers for the work. Your contract names the company doing the work and the license that covers it.
FAQ
Shower Installation Questions From Davie Homeowners
What goes behind the walls in a Davie shower installation?
Backer board or a waterproof wall panel goes on the studs, and a continuous waterproof layer covers it from the base up. Inside the wall sit the valve and its supply lines. Tile is only the finish on top.
Do I need a plumber for a shower installation in Davie?
Yes, whenever the drain or the valve is set or moved. We coordinate the plumber as part of the job, and if the plumbing changes, the permit goes through the Town.
How much does shower installation cost in Davie?
One Miami-Dade contractor's 2026 guide puts a walk-in shower installation at $3,000 to $8,500, installed. That is their range, not our price. We give you a written price after a free visit.
Which shower base is best for my Davie bathroom?
A preformed base suits a standard size and goes in quickly. A mortar bed fits any size and can be tiled. A curbless floor takes the most work below. We tell you at the visit which ones your floor allows.
Does a shower installation in Davie include the glass door?
It can. The scope says whether glass is included and which kind. Glass is measured after the tile is done, so it is always the last thing installed.
How long does a shower installation take in Davie?
It depends on the base, whether the drain moves, the permit and how long the tile and glass take to arrive. The written proposal gives you an estimated schedule that counts all of that.
Can a shower and a toilet share a drain in my Davie home?
They can share a drain line, but how they connect depends on the layout and the plumbing code. The plumber checks it at the visit before the scope is written.
Shower installation sits within our remodeler services in Davie, next to the larger bathroom projects that include one.
Show us the shower you want gone.
Tell us what is wrong with the one you have and how you want the new one to work. We come to your house for free, check the floor and the wall behind it, and write down the scope before you commit to anything. You will find us at 4491 S State Road 7, 3rd Floor, Ste PH16, Davie, FL 33314.
