Of course my dogs are small, so I just use an oval galvanized tub. No drain required. But you can take a similar galvanized washtub which is round and would fit in your shower. Drill a hole low on the side and mount a drain plug in it. Then you can drain almost the entire tub and tump over any remaining in the bottom before you carry the tub outdoors. Also, consider getting a plastic tote at the dollar store and do the same thing with it. Not very durable, but you can learn on it anyway. Then do something more durable the next go-round.

For a jetted tub used as a shower, it has to have an integral tile flange. That allows the wall cladding to overhang and any water that hits the wall to not go behind your walls. There aren't that many in that size that are inexpensive. It will need a specialized drain, and, if you want to spend any time in the tub, a supplemental heater so the water doesn't cool off so fast. Since it's a tub/shower, the wall cladding will need to be redone to be waterproof into the tub. It's possible, if the build is recent, and it was done with the proper vapor barrier behind it, that only one row of the tile would need to be pulled in order to replace the tub. But, I wouldn't count on that. I'd count on having to replace all of the wall cladding in the alcove. That can be as cheap as a plastic surround for around $100 or cheap tile with the proper vapor barrier for probably $150 or so. The first is the easiest and the least chance of leaking. The second will read as more upscale, but you have to be sure your contractor understands about the vapor barrier and correct materials to use to tile this (NOT mastic.) And since you have that torn out, it would be foolish to try to keep your current control valves for the bath unless they are also very new. New safety standards are in place for anti scald mechanisms. So, you will need a new shower/bath faucet and valve. Then you will need the electrical line run from the panel to the location for the whirlpool pump and supplemental heater. That location is usually opposite the drain side of the tub. You will need to be able to site an access panel that is removable to be able to get to the electrical innards here. That can be from an adjacent room, or from a hidden panel on the tub itself. All in all, you might be able to get all of the needed materials for 2-3K if you shop the box stores carefully and find some bargains. The danger to that is that if you are inexperienced, you don't know if you're buying quality or crap. They sell both. And that's one reason that it would be simpler to let the pro pick the products after you tell him the features that you want. Then you've got to pay the contractor labor to install all of that. The electrician's price will depend on how difficult it will be to access the panel and run the wire to the location. For that, it's a really good thing you are on a crawlspace! That makes it cheaper for both the electrician and the plumber. On the whole, I'd expect your project to cost between 5-7K, depending on location, and if you have no DIY skills to bring to the table and have to hire professionals for the whole job. And be sure that you hire someone that is licensed and insured to be in your home, and will pull the proper permits to get the job inspected with your code office. Some handyman guy isn't licensed to do electrical of that nature, and while he might be able to do the demo and get the tub in place and glue on the plastic surround, it's unlikely that he'll have the right insurance to deal with a large job like that, and thus probably wont' want to pull permits and be inspected. They are usually limited to smaller jobs like simple fixture replacements like a faucet or light. Which this isn't. Just remember, you are doing a project that combines electricity and water. You really have to know what you're doing here! A small General Contractor should be able to do the complete job, and also carry the needed papers. And he should have no problem with the code guys coming in to inspect his work either. If he does, then he's not the right person for the job.

This reaffirms once again that plumbers chase cars and lick themselves in public. IMO,the guy is liable for ruining your tub. If you want to hear more on that,say so. A self respecting professional would have used a sump pump to remove the mess created in the standing water. It would be realy presumptuous to say I know how to fix it when I havn't seen the place but anyone calling themself a plumber should after examining the home. To answer your question "is there really a "TRAP" that clogs up?????",yes it's common and usually requires only a plunger to clear. If you decide to remove your neighbor's ceiling you might try this first. Ask at the hardware store for a device that is attached to a garden hose and forced as far as possible into clogged pipe where it swells and pressurizes when water is turned on to hose. Remove the plate from end of tub between drain and facuets to expose the pipe for insertion. There is some risk of pressure disjointing a pipe and wetting downstairs ceiling but you were going to replace it anyhow. There is far better odds the pipe will be cleared without incident and you save yourself lots of ceiling repair. Kousea,before you try this,instead of pushing hose blaster into pipe,stuff a wet cloth into it then plunge the drain opening in bottom of tub.

There is normaly an opening through the slab called "leave out" beneath tubs that will allow routeing the drain as will be needed. If there is no leave out when you remove the tub,just raise the floor of shower above slab enough for drain to go underneath. Retro-fit all in one showers normaly sit high enough to use a "shoe"drain to address this. You didn't ask but before you get too far along, I reccomend measureing your doors and halls to make certain you can get the shower into the bath room.