How long does a walk-in shower remodel actually take in Granite Bay?

The short answer

A standard tub-to-shower conversion in Granite Bay finishes in 8 to 11 working days when the plumbing rough-in stays in place. A full architectural walk-in shower (curbless, larger footprint, new floor tile) runs 12 to 16 working days. Both timelines assume the homeowner has picked finishes before the crew starts and that no significant subfloor damage shows up on demo day.

Below is what those days actually look like.

Day-by-day: tub-to-shower conversion (8-11 days)

This is the leanest scope — we keep the existing footprint, reuse the drain location, and rebuild everything inside the wet zone.

• Day 1 — Protection + demo. Floor protection from the front door to the bathroom door, the tub and surround come out, walls back to studs. Subfloor inspected and photographed.
• Day 2-3 — Plumbing + framing. Valve repositioned to ergonomic height (about 48"), thermostatic mixing valve installed, any soft subfloor patched.
• Day 4 — Waterproofing. Curbed pan formed, linear drain set, full membrane system (Schluter Kerdi or equivalent) wrapped from floor to wall as a continuous skin.
• Day 5-7 — Tile. Large-format porcelain set on the walls with mitered corners (no metal trim), floor tile set last.
• Day 8 — Glass + fixtures. Frameless glass measured, drilled, set. Rainfall + handheld fixtures plumbed in.
• Day 9 — Final + inspection. Sealer cure, deep cleanup, Placer County plumbing inspection, walk-through.

When everything cooperates (no subfloor surprises, fixtures arrive on time), this finishes inside 9 days. Two days of buffer is normal.

Day-by-day: full architectural walk-in (12-16 days)

Same waterproofing approach, but more of it. A curbless build adds substrate slope work; a layout change adds plumbing relocation; new floor tile across the whole bathroom adds two to three days.

• Day 1-2 — Demo + sub-floor. Full demo back to studs across the wet zone plus the floor. Any soft spots patched.
• Day 3-5 — Rough-in. Plumbing moves (drain, valve, supply), electrical for radiant heat or new lighting circuits, framing for grab-bar blocking if applicable.
• Day 6 — Sub-base + drainage. Sloped substrate built up to the curbless threshold, linear drain set, all penetrations sealed.
• Day 7 — Waterproofing. Continuous membrane system, floor to wall as one.
• Day 8-12 — Tile. Walls, niche, floor. Slip-rated porcelain on the floor (DCOF 0.42 or higher).
• Day 13-14 — Glass + fixtures. Frameless glass set, all trim installed.
• Day 15-16 — Final + inspection. Plumbing inspection with Placer County, walk-through, warranty paperwork.

What compresses the timeline

• Keeping the plumbing rough-in in place. Every drain, vent, or supply line you don't move saves roughly a day.
• Materials on site at start of demo. Tile, valve, glass shop drawings — all approved and delivered before day one. This is what most "we ran long" projects actually lost time to.
• Single trade per day. Demo day, plumber day, tile day. Stacking trades sounds fast on paper and creates rework in practice.
• Daily 5pm written update. Not a timeline saver in itself, but it forces the project manager to notice schedule drift on day two instead of day six.

What stretches it

• Galvanized supply lines discovered behind the tub. Common in Granite Bay homes built in the 1970s-80s. Re-piping in copper or PEX adds a day, sometimes two.
• Soft subfloor or rot under the toilet flange. Almost always the toilet flange. Plan for a one-day buffer in your timeline.
• Custom shower glass with non-standard angles. Standard rectangle: 4-7 day shop turnaround. Custom angle or notched panel: 10-14 days.
• Late selections. Switching tile after the project starts pushes the install by however long the new tile takes to ship.

Placer County permit reality

For any shower remodel where plumbing moves, expect:

• Permit pulled in your name with the licensed contractor as the contractor of record. Typically the contractor pulls it.
• Two inspections — rough plumbing and final. Both scheduled by the contractor.
• No drywall closure until rough plumbing passes.

If the contractor suggests skipping the permit "to save time," that's a red flag. At resale a Placer County buyer's inspector will flag un-permitted bathroom work and either knock the offer or require retroactive permitting.

When to start

If your timeline target is "done by Thanksgiving," plan to book the project manager walk-through at least 8 weeks ahead. Three of those weeks are typically design + selections + permit; the rest is execution.

Book a free in-home walk-through. A Tanbark project manager comes out, measures, walks the project with you, and brings back an itemized written estimate within 48 hours.