Here's the post I put on the bathroom forum (including the picture): Hi All, We have a grand old 1860s Italianate house with an absolutely atrocious master bath. We are planning a modest remodel hoping to get the most bang for the buck. One issue (of many) that we are facing is that while the tub is not a clawfoot, it was never used for a shower. We'd like to keep the tub but add a shower somehow. We realize that this also means tiling the walls around the tub and doing something at the far end of the tub to make sure that the water doesn't spray into the rest of the room (since the tub is only enclosed on 2 sides). I'd love to hear ideas and see pictures of similar remodels! Here's a pic (don't laugh...we are not responsible for any of the decorating choices).

I just finished a remodel and replaced the shower/tub combination with a great shower. I really couldn't tell you how much it cost because your costs would depend on the cost of labor in your area plus the materials and fixtures you choose. My showers were expensive because they were taken down to the studs. The rough plumbing including the drains had to be replaced. Both the floor and the walls had to be waterproofed. I also opted for relatively expensive finishes - Encore tiles and marble basket weave floors with Phyrich fixtures. I live in a jurisdiction which required multiple inspections before work could proceed including flood tests for the shower pan. The work was done by a licensed plumber and the tile work was done by a really experienced tile setter so labor was expensive. The end results of the intricate tile designs were done really well and so I have none of the horror stories that are rampant on this forum. I love the end result and I also am as sure as one can be that my new shower doesn't leak or have structural issues. Getting rid of the tub/shower combination was one of the best things I did in my new remodel as the end result is both highly functional and - at least in my opinion - beautiful.

White surrounds are not going to look as dated as white marble surrounds. The yellow was a popular color. This would be a good time to add a couple grab bars. If you are accustomed to cleaning the yellow surround with a few quick swipes, then you may not want to get grouted tile. Although new tile is a piece of cake to clean compared to tile whose glazed surface has worn off, grout is grout and does require occasional sealing to minimize effort in cleaning. Ledges have better air circulation than niches. Add a good exhaust fan to ventilate quickly.

I recently finished a remodel which included master and guest bath with lots of tile work. In my experience, the person who actually installed the tiles did NOT frame the shower or do the waterproofing. That part was done by a other tradespeople who were hired by the GC and he was responsible for the quality of all of the work. Since GC worked with the same people for numerous jobs they were all familiar with each other so the person who actually installed the tile would be comfortable with whatever prep work was done for him. I imagine this is how good GC's operate with their trusted skilled tradespeople. As others have posted, skilled tile workers are in huge demand and so some of the finish work had to be fit in with other jobs the tile worker was doing - e.g. my hood in the kitchen was delayed and so the backsplash behind the cooktop and hood couldn't be done with the rest of the tile work as had been originally scheduled. The line items on my agreement with the GC included everything EXCEPT the actual tiles. Those were supplied and paid for by me - but I selected and ordered them through my designer so there weren't going to be issues regarding the quality of the tiles. Also, beyond the actual price of the tiles, the size and style of what you select is going to impact the actual price of the installation as some styles require more skill and labor costs will be higher. And as others have written, tile prices range in price from inexpensive to the stratosphere. Mine were $45 per square foot for 3" x 6" subway tiles and I had accent marble mosaic which was $145 per square foot :-). When my job was sent out to be bid, it included plans and diagrams for everything including the design plan and specifications for all the tile work so that would have been used by GC (in consultation) with his skilled people to determine what the bid was. A tiled shower is probably one of the aspects of home remodeling which gets screwed up the most which is why you are getting a lot of warnings from people. You should definitely get recommendations regarding your GC. I visited two places he was working on to get a sense of the quality of his work. And my contract included provisions that theoretically protected me as much as possible - and when I say theoretically, it's because any homeowner is screwed if it comes down to suing on a contract because the job has gone that bad. In terms of shower building, I am FAR from an expert but I spent some time and got excellent advice from people on this forum regarding waterproofing showers and so I was able to ask fairly intelligent questions. I also took pictures of the shower being built at various stages. And luckily I live in a place that has very serious inspectors and so the shower was inspected three times - including the 24 hour flood test so I was reasonably certain that between relying on the quality of the GC and his trusted workers and the inspectors, I had a first class shower.