Walk-in, curbless and roll-in

Walk-in and curbless showers in Ottawa

For anyone who has started to dread stepping over the tub, and for families who would like a parent to shower with confidence again. We take out tubs and build walk-in, curbless and roll-in showers, with a seat, a handheld shower and grab bars where they help. Every house is different; as a rough guide, our shower and bathroom projects have ranged from about $9,800 to $28,000. It starts with a free Home Safety Assessment, then a written quote. Request online or call 613.794.2040.

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A curbless walk-in shower with a glass panel beside a wood double vanity — A curbless shower in our award-finalist Split Level, Reimagined.

The words, explained

Walk-in, curbless or roll-in

The three names overlap, and you will also hear “barrier-free shower”, which usually means curbless. In plain terms:

Walk-in shower

Any shower you step into without climbing over a tub. Some have a low threshold at the entry, a small lip that keeps water in. For many people that low step is all they need.

Curbless shower

A walk-in shower with no threshold at all: the bathroom floor carries straight into the shower and slopes gently to the drain. Nothing to step over, and nothing to catch a walker or a foot.

Roll-in shower

A curbless shower with enough room for a wheelchair or a shower chair to roll in, and space to turn and to have someone help. It is the most open of the three.

Which suits you depends on the person who will use it, now and later, and on the floor and the space. We look at both with you and explain the choice in the written quote.

Tub to shower conversions

From a bathtub to a walk-in shower

Most Ottawa bathrooms were built around a tub, and stepping over its edge on a wet floor is often the first thing to feel harder. Replacing the tub with a walk-in shower is the bathroom change we are asked about most.

The tub comes out, the drain and supply lines are reworked for a shower, and the floor and walls are rebuilt and waterproofed before the tile goes on. Many conversions fit in the tub's own footprint. Where there is room, the shower can be made longer or wider, or fully curbless, which is when walls or plumbing may move.

We manage the plumbing, tiling, fixtures and waterproofing as one job, with one point of contact, so you are not coordinating separate trades. Planning a whole bathroom rather than just the shower? See accessible bathroom renovations.

What goes into one

The parts you see, and the parts you do not

Drainage and floor slope

A curbless shower works because the floor slopes to the drain. Getting there can mean lowering or rebuilding the floor where the shower goes, and moving the drain.

Waterproofing

Behind the tile, the whole shower area is waterproofed, floor and walls, so water stays where it belongs.

Blocking for grab bars

Solid reinforcement goes in the walls while they are open, so grab bars and a seat hold your weight today, or can be added later.

A seat

A fold-down seat, or a built-in bench, so washing can happen sitting down.

A handheld shower on a slide bar

The height adjusts for whoever is using it, and it helps when washing seated or when someone is helping.

Glass or an open entry

A fixed glass panel, a door, or a fully open entry, chosen for the space and for how the shower will be used.

Grab bars are placed with you, where your hand naturally goes. See grab bar installation for how we place and secure them.

Our work

Showers from our projects

A walk-in shower behind two glass panels, with a tiled bench, a handheld shower and a floor that runs level into the room — No ledge at the entry: the floor tile runs from the room into the shower.

A wood double vanity with two dark basins under a wide mirror, beside a tiled shower with a wall niche — The Split Level's shower wall, with a tiled niche for bottles.

A tiled shower with a handheld shower on a slide bar and a fold-down seat — A handheld shower on a slide bar and a fold-down seat, from a recent grab bar job.

Cost in Ottawa

What a walk-in shower costs

Every house is different, so there is no fixed price. As a rough guide, here is where our shower and bathroom projects have landed; yours is priced after the free Home Safety Assessment.

Work only begins once you accept the quote, and anything found along the way is quoted first, never added silently. We handle permits where a project needs them. Applying to Ontario Renovates? The City asks for two contractor quotes, and ours can be one of them.

A rough guide from past jobs

$9,800 to $28,000

before HST

What moves the price

Converting a tub, or rebuilding an existing shower
Curbless or a low threshold, and the floor work that needs
Moving the drain, plumbing or walls
The shower system, glass and tile you choose
Reinforcement and blocking for grab bars and a seat

Paying for it

Help paying for a walk-in shower

Walk-in showers are named in three programs that Ottawa homeowners use. Two must approve the work before it starts, so look at them before you book anything.

Home Accessibility Tax Credit

A federal credit for homeowners 65 or older, or eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, or an eligible family member who lives with them. For 2026 it is worth 14% of up to $20,000 in eligible expenses, up to $2,800, and walk-in showers are on the list. Renters do not qualify.

Read our HATC guide

Ontario Renovates, City of Ottawa

For income-eligible Ottawa homeowners who are 65 or older, have a disability, or live with someone who does: a forgivable loan of up to $15,000 that covers walk-in showers, plus a grant of up to $5,000 that lists bathroom conversions. The City must approve the work in writing before it starts.

Read our Ontario Renovates guide

Home and Vehicle Modification Program

Run by March of Dimes Canada for Ontario residents with a permanent disability that affects mobility, within its income limits: up to $15,000 over a lifetime. It funds zero-threshold roll-in showers with waterproof shower panels, with no tile or grout in the shower, and a wet room only when devices and adaptations cannot do the job. It needs an occupational therapist's assessment and written approval first.

Read our HVMP guide

If you plan to apply to the HVMP, tell us before the design is set: a shower it funds is built with waterproof panels rather than tile, and we plan it that way from the start.

For a person with a severe and prolonged mobility impairment, the Medical Expense Tax Credit may apply instead of the HATC; from 2026, each expense is claimed under one or the other. Our guide to combining grant programs and all our grant guides explain the rest.

Why Still at Home

One team, start to finish

It starts with a free Home Safety Assessment, with a written list and estimated costs
A managed service: one point of contact from the first visit to the final walkthrough
Permits handled where a project needs them, and every trade managed
CHBA Qualified Adaptiv Home Specialist, trained in accessible and adaptable home renovation
Finalist, 2026 GOHBA Housing Design Awards, for an accessible split-level renovation

More about the free Home Safety Assessment.

GOHBA 2026 Housing Design Awards finalist

Areas we serve

Ottawa and nearby

We build walk-in showers across Ottawa, including Barrhaven, Nepean, Stittsville, Gloucester, and in nearby communities:

Perth
Ottawa
Arnprior
Carleton Place
Kanata
Manotick
Orléans
Clarence-Rockland
Kemptville
Carp

Not sure if you are in our area? Call 613.794.2040 and ask.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a walk-in shower cost in Ottawa?+

Every house is different. As a rough guide, our shower and bathroom projects have ranged from about $9,800 to $28,000, before HST. Where yours falls depends on converting a tub or rebuilding a shower, a fully curbless floor, moving plumbing or walls, the shower system and the tile. Every project is priced in a written quote after a free Home Safety Assessment, and work only begins once you accept it.

Can I get help paying for a walk-in shower?+

Often, yes, if you qualify. The federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit lists walk-in showers; for 2026 it is worth 14% of up to $20,000 in eligible expenses. Ontario Renovates in Ottawa covers walk-in showers for income-eligible households, and the Home and Vehicle Modification Program funds zero-threshold roll-in showers with waterproof shower panels for a mobility disability. Ontario Renovates and the HVMP must approve the work before it starts.

What is the difference between a walk-in and a roll-in shower?+

A walk-in shower is any shower you step into without climbing over a tub; it may have a low threshold. A roll-in shower has no threshold and enough room for a wheelchair or a shower chair to roll in and turn. Every roll-in shower is a walk-in shower, but not every walk-in shower is a roll-in.

Can you convert my bathtub to a walk-in shower?+

Yes. It is the bathroom change we are asked about most. We take out the tub and build the shower in its place, managing the plumbing, tiling, fixtures and waterproofing as one job. Whether it can be fully curbless depends on the floor and the drain, which we look at during the free visit.

Do curbless showers leak onto the bathroom floor?+

A curbless shower is designed so they should not: the floor slopes to the drain and the whole shower area is waterproofed under the tile. Where the shower meets the room, a glass panel or a linear drain helps keep water in. Some splash outside an open shower is normal, which is why the layout and the glass are planned with you.

Can you add grab bars and a seat?+

Yes. In a new shower we add reinforcement in the walls so grab bars and a fold-down seat are solid. In an existing bathroom, our grab bar package starts at $329 plus HST for two bars, supplied and installed in one visit.

How long does it take?+

As a general guide, a bathroom renovation typically takes 2 to 4 weeks once work begins. Permits, and any funding program that must approve the work first, can add time before the work starts, so we plan the timing with you.

Which areas do you serve?+

Ottawa, including Kanata, Manotick, Orléans, Carp, Barrhaven, Nepean, Stittsville and Gloucester, and nearby Perth, Arnprior, Carleton Place, Clarence-Rockland and Kemptville. If your home is just outside these areas, call us at 613.794.2040 and ask.

A shower you simply walk into.

Request online, or call and talk it through. It starts with a free visit, then a written quote.