Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterHow Much Does Shower Replacement Cost in Fort Lauderdale?
Shower replacement in Fort Lauderdale typically costs between $3,000 and $8,500, with most homeowners landing somewhere in the $4,500-$6,500 range for a standard prefab-to-tile upgrade in a 36″×36″ to 48″×48″ space. The final number depends on whether you’re swapping like-for-like or changing the footprint, what’s behind the existing walls, and the materials you choose – Kohler prefab units sit at a very different price point than a custom-tiled walk-in with a Schluter waterproofing system.
If you want a written number specific to your bathroom before anyone touches a tool, Rowan Construction Group Fort Lauderdale will put it in writing – call (754) 254-7676 for a free estimate.
Shower Replacement Cost Breakdown (2026)
Shower replacement in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs $3,000-$8,500 depending on the scope. Here’s how the line items typically stack up:
| Cost Component | Low End | High End | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition and haul-away | $350 | $750 | Higher if original unit is fiberglass one-piece (more labor to cut out) |
| Substrate repair and waterproofing membrane | $400 | $1,200 | Fort Lauderdale humidity means membrane failures are common; Schluter Kerdi or USG Durock systems are standard here |
| Prefab shower unit (supply only) | $600 | $2,200 | Kohler Archer or Sterling Accord-tier units; price swings wide based on size and brand |
| Custom tile (supply only) | $400 | $2,800 | 12″×24″ porcelain vs. handmade ceramic vs. large-format tile; material cost per sq ft ranges from $3 to $22+ |
| Tile setting labor | $600 | $1,800 | Complex patterns (herringbone, stacked vertical) add 20-30% to labor |
| Plumbing fixtures and valve | $300 | $1,400 | Basic pressure-balance valve vs. Kohler thermostatic with separate volume control |
| Shower door or enclosure | $350 | $1,600 | Framed slider vs. frameless hinged glass panel |
| Plumbing rough-in adjustments | $200 | $900 | Moving drain location or adding a rain head supply line |
| Miscellaneous (grout, caulk, cement board, fasteners) | $150 | $350 | Rarely changes the budget meaningfully, but worth itemizing |
A basic replacement – same footprint, prefab unit, no plumbing moves – sits at the $3,000-$4,500 end. A custom-tiled shower with a frameless glass door, a thermostatic Kohler valve, and a niche built into the wall runs $6,000-$8,500. Projects that exceed $8,500 in Fort Lauderdale usually involve footprint expansion, mold remediation discovered after demolition, or high-end stone tile that costs $18-$25 per square foot before labor. The Shower Replacement in Fort Lauderdale service page has more detail on what each scope level includes and what Rowan puts in the written quote.
One thing worth calling out for Fort Lauderdale specifically: about one in three shower replacements we work on in neighborhoods like Coral Ridge, Tarpon River, and Lauderdale Isles reveals moisture damage to the underlying cement board or framing once the old unit comes out. That discovery becomes a documented line item with a photo record and a signed change order before a single additional dollar is spent – that’s Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, and it’s why Rowan’s projects finish within a few percent of the agreed price.
What Affects Shower Replacement Pricing in Fort Lauderdale
- Prefab vs. custom tile: A prefab unit from Kohler or Sterling costs less in materials and sets faster, which cuts labor. A custom-tiled shower with large-format porcelain, a built-in niche, and a linear drain can double the material cost before you’ve chosen a fixture. Neither is better by default – the right answer depends on the bathroom’s square footage, your timeline, and how long you’re planning to stay in the home.
- Fort Lauderdale’s humidity and the condition of the existing substrate: South Florida’s year-round humidity is hard on shower walls. Older homes in Lauderdale Manors, Progresso Village, and parts of Victoria Park frequently have fiberglass surrounds that were installed without a proper waterproofing membrane underneath. When those come out, the cement board or drywall behind them is often compromised. Substrate repair adds $400-$1,200 to the project, and it’s not optional – skipping it means the new tile fails within a few years.
- Footprint changes and drain relocation: If you’re keeping the shower exactly where it is, plumbing costs are modest. The moment the drain moves – even six inches – a plumber needs to open the floor slab, which is concrete in most Fort Lauderdale slab-on-grade homes built before 1990. Concrete cutting and drain relocation adds $600-$1,400 and typically requires a Broward County plumbing permit.
- Shower door and enclosure style: A basic framed aluminum sliding door runs $350-$700 installed. A frameless 3/8″ tempered glass panel on a pivot hinge – which is what most homeowners in Coral Ridge and Harbor Beach end up choosing for resale value – costs $900-$1,600 installed. The frameless look also requires that your tile work is level and plumb to within tight tolerances, which adds a small amount of labor time.
- Fixture specification: A standard Moen or Delta pressure-balance valve with a fixed showerhead lands at $300-$500 in materials. A Kohler DTV+ thermostatic system with a rain head, a hand shower, and two body sprays can reach $1,400 in fixtures alone before labor. Most Fort Lauderdale homeowners doing a mid-range replacement choose a Kohler Rite-Temp or Moen Posi-Temp valve with a single overhead fixture – a sensible middle ground at $400-$700 in materials.
- Permit requirements in Broward County: Cosmetic tile replacement – same footprint, no plumbing changes – typically doesn’t trigger a permit in Fort Lauderdale. Any work that moves or adds plumbing, changes the drain location, or alters the shower’s structural footprint requires a Broward County building permit, which adds $150-$400 in permit fees and roughly one to two weeks to the timeline. We pull the permit when it’s required, and the documentation goes into your project’s photo record.
Before
AfterHow to Save on Shower Replacement Without Cutting the Wrong Corners
The Fort Lauderdale shower replacement market has a wide price band, and most of the spread between $3,000 and $8,500 comes from material choices and scope decisions – not labor arbitrage. Here’s where the money actually moves:
Choose porcelain tile over natural stone
Large-format porcelain (12″×24″ or 24″×48″) gives a clean, high-end look at $3-$8 per square foot in material cost. Comparable travertine or marble runs $12-$22 per square foot, and it requires sealing, which is an ongoing maintenance cost in a humid climate like Fort Lauderdale’s. Porcelain doesn’t need sealing, holds up well to the salt air common near the Intracoastal, and is easier to regrout if needed later.
Keep the footprint, keep the drain
The single biggest cost-control move in a shower replacement is resisting the urge to move the drain. If the drain stays where it is, you avoid concrete cutting, re-plumbing, and the permit timeline that goes with it. A same-footprint replacement with a new prefab unit or tiled walls over a properly waterproofed substrate delivers a fully updated shower at the lower end of the price range.
Specify one fixture upgrade, not five
A single quality overhead fixture – a Kohler Flipside or a Moen Velocity rain head, for example – costs $80-$200 and makes a real visual difference. Adding body sprays, handheld wands, and a separate volume control can add $600-$900 in fixtures and require rebalancing the home’s water pressure. Prioritize the one fixture you’ll use every day and keep the rest simple.
Get the waterproofing right the first time
This sounds like an expense, not a saving – but skipping or underspecifying the waterproofing membrane is the most common reason Fort Lauderdale homeowners end up replacing a shower twice in ten years. A Schluter Kerdi or RedGard membrane costs $250-$500 in materials and adds a few hours of labor. It eliminates the scenario where moisture works behind the tile, rots the framing, and turns a $4,500 job into a $9,000 remediation project. In South Florida’s climate, a proper membrane isn’t optional.
Get a written scope before you agree to anything
Verbal estimates in the Fort Lauderdale remodeling market are common, and they’re where scope creep starts. A written price with a line-item scope tells you exactly what’s included and what isn’t – so “discovered moisture damage” doesn’t show up as a surprise on the final invoice. Rowan’s written quotes include the scope, the warranty, and the materials specified by brand and model before anyone picks up a tool. Call (754) 254-7676 for a free estimate – the number goes in writing, and it stays there.
Use the Free Second Opinion offer
If you already have a written estimate from another contractor, Rowan will review it line by line at no charge. We’ve seen Fort Lauderdale shower replacement quotes that omit waterproofing entirely, lump “demo and install” into a single number, or use fixture allowances that don’t reflect actual Kohler or Moen pricing. A second set of eyes on a written scope costs you nothing and can save a significant amount – both on the project and on future repairs.
Shower Replacement vs. Related Projects: How the Numbers Compare
It helps to know where shower replacement sits relative to the broader bathroom and remodeling budget. These are Fort Lauderdale market figures for 2026:
- Shower Replacement: $3,000-$8,500 (this page)
- Walk-In Shower Installation (new, where no shower existed): $4,500-$12,000
- Tub-to-Shower Conversion: $3,500-$10,000 – a related scope that often costs slightly more than a direct replacement because the tub drain and supply need to be repositioned
- Small Bathroom Remodel (shower, vanity, flooring, fixtures): $5,000-$12,000
- Full Bathroom Remodel: $9,000-$28,000
- Bathroom Vanity Installation only: $800-$3,000
If your shower needs replacement and the rest of the bathroom – tile, vanity, lighting – is dated, a full bathroom remodel scope often costs less per trade when the work is done together, because demolition, waterproofing, and plumbing inspections overlap. It’s worth having both numbers on paper before you decide which scope to approve.
What the Replacement Process Looks Like, Start to Finish
For homeowners in Fort Lauderdale who haven’t done this before, the sequence matters almost as much as the price. Here’s what a standard Rowan shower replacement looks like from first call to final photo record:
1. Written estimate and scope
Before any work is scheduled, you get a flat written price with the full scope described by line item – materials specified by brand and model, labor broken out, and any exclusions stated plainly. Under Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, no work starts without this document in your hands.
2. Permit pull, if required
If the scope involves plumbing changes, Rowan pulls the Broward County permit. You don’t manage that process. The permit number goes into your project file.
3. Demolition and substrate inspection
The existing unit comes out – carefully if it’s a one-piece fiberglass surround, which often requires cutting into sections. Once the walls are clear, the substrate (cement board, drywall, or wood framing) gets inspected and photographed. This is the step where hidden moisture damage shows up. If it does, it’s documented, quoted as a change order, and doesn’t proceed until you’ve signed off. No surprise invoices.
4. Waterproofing and substrate prep
New cement board is installed where needed. The waterproofing membrane – typically Schluter Kerdi or USG Durock in our Fort Lauderdale work – is applied to all wet surfaces, including the floor pan and at least 12 inches above the tile line. This step gets photographed as part of the standard documentation record.
5. Tile or unit installation
For prefab units: the Kohler, Sterling, or specified unit is set, leveled, and sealed at all transitions. For custom tile: field tile is set first, followed by accent rows, niches, and the floor mosaic. Grout and caulk joints are applied per the manufacturer spec for the tile type chosen.
6. Fixtures and enclosure
The valve, trim, and showerhead are installed. If a glass door or frameless panel is included in the scope, it’s hung and adjusted at this stage. Every transition point – where the tile meets the curb, where the door frame meets the wall, where the valve trim meets the tile – gets a bead of color-matched silicone caulk. That detail is what separates a shower that holds up for ten years from one that starts leaking at the base in three.
7. Final walk-through and photo record
The completed shower is photographed – finished tile, fixtures, door, floor – and those images go to you as part of the documented project record. This is a standard Rowan deliverable, not an upgrade. You leave the project with evidence of what was done and what materials were used.
FAQs – Shower Replacement Cost in Fort Lauderdale
How much does shower replacement cost in Fort Lauderdale?
Shower replacement in Fort Lauderdale costs $3,000-$8,500 in 2026, with the midrange for a same-footprint tile replacement landing around $4,500-$6,500. Prefab unit replacements come in at the lower end; custom-tiled showers with frameless glass and upgraded Kohler fixtures sit at the higher end. Call (754) 254-7676 for a written quote with line-item detail before any work starts.
How long does a shower replacement take in Fort Lauderdale?
Most shower replacements take 3-5 days, assuming no permit is required and the substrate is in sound condition. A custom-tiled shower with a frameless door typically runs 5-7 days because tile work requires cure time between the setting bed, the grout, and the final caulk. If a Broward County plumbing permit is required, add 10-15 days for permit review before the installation phase begins.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a shower in Fort Lauderdale?
Repair is cheaper upfront – regrouting and recaulking a shower costs $200-$600, and patching a cracked fiberglass pan runs $300-$800. But in Fort Lauderdale’s humidity, a shower that needs visible repairs usually has hidden moisture damage behind the walls. If the grout is failing, the caulk is pulling away at the base, or the pan flexes underfoot, replacement is almost always the more cost-effective decision over five years. A repair that masks a membrane failure leads to mold remediation – which costs more than the replacement you deferred. Call (754) 254-7676 and we’ll give you a straight answer in writing.
Do I need a permit to replace a shower in Fort Lauderdale?
Not always. A cosmetic replacement – same footprint, same drain location, no changes to supply plumbing – typically doesn’t require a Broward County permit. Any scope that moves or adds plumbing, changes the drain, or modifies the shower’s structural footprint does require a permit, which costs $150-$400 in fees and adds roughly two weeks to the start date. Rowan determines permit requirements as part of the written quote and pulls the permit when it’s needed.
What’s the difference in cost between a prefab shower and a custom-tiled shower?
A prefab shower unit (Kohler, Sterling, or similar) typically costs $600-$2,200 in materials, and installation labor runs $700-$1,400 – total of roughly $1,300-$3,600 for the unit and installation alone. A comparable custom-tiled shower uses $400-$2,800 in tile materials and $600-$1,800 in tile-setting labor, plus waterproofing membrane costs. In practice, prefab replacements land at $3,000-$4,800 total; custom-tiled jobs land at $4,500-$8,500. The custom tile option adds resale value in Fort Lauderdale’s competitive housing market and lasts longer when the waterproofing is done correctly – but the prefab route is a reasonable choice when the bathroom is functional and the timeline is the priority.
Can Rowan review a quote I already have from another contractor?
Yes – Rowan’s Free Second Opinion offer means we’ll review any written estimate line by line at no charge. Fort Lauderdale shower replacement quotes vary widely in what they include, and verbal or single-number bids make it hard to compare. Bring the written scope and we’ll tell you what’s in it, what’s missing, and what our number would be. Call (754) 254-7676 to set that up.
Key Takeaways
- Shower replacement in Fort Lauderdale costs $3,000-$8,500 in 2026; most projects land at $4,500-$6,500.
- The biggest cost drivers are prefab vs. custom tile, substrate condition (especially in older Fort Lauderdale homes), and whether any plumbing moves are required.
- Waterproofing membrane is non-negotiable in South Florida’s climate – it’s the line item that prevents a $5,000 shower from becoming a $10,000 mold problem.
- Moving the drain in a slab-on-grade home requires concrete cutting and a Broward County permit – factor that into the timeline and budget before deciding on a footprint change.
- Rowan provides a written price with a full scope before any work begins, a documented photo record when the crew leaves, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise on every project.
- If you already have a competitor’s quote, Rowan will review it line by line for free.
Get a Written Shower Replacement Estimate in Fort Lauderdale
Rowan Construction Group Fort Lauderdale has delivered written prices on bathroom projects since 2007 – across 4,000-plus jobs, not one of them started with a “call us for a quote.” Grant Rowan leads every estimate review, and the number you get is a flat price with a written scope, a written warranty, and no work proceeding on any change until you’ve signed the change order.
If you’re comparing options, bring any written estimate you have and we’ll review it at no charge. If you’re starting fresh, call (754) 254-7676 for a free estimate on your Fort Lauderdale shower replacement. The price goes in writing before anyone arrives with tools.
Pricing reflects the Fort Lauderdale market as of 2026. Rowan Construction Group Fort Lauderdale offers free estimates – call (754) 254-7676.
Written by Grant Rowan, Owner at Rowan Construction Group, serving Fort Lauderdale since 2007.
What Our Customers Say
"Final invoice was within two percent of the contract. Every change was priced and signed before anyone picked up a tool."
- Malcolm T."Talked us out of the larger scope we came in asking for, because it would not have added the value we thought."
- Emil R."Driveway replaced properly with a base that will actually last. They explained why the cheaper quote was cheaper."
- Reggie O.