Curbless ADA Shower · Rocklin, CA · case study
Curbless ADA walk-in · Rocklin
Aging-in-place rebuild for a 1990s Rocklin ranch home. A fully enclosed frameless-glass shower with a wide, outward-swinging ADA glass door over a flush zero-threshold floor, linear stainless drain, solid-teak bench, and subtle brushed-nickel grab bars.
Days on site
11
Service
Curbless ADA Shower
Where
Rocklin
Scope tier
Mid-tier scope
The brief
What the homeowner wanted
The homeowners are planning to stay in the home another 25 years and wanted a primary shower they could actually walk straight into — no curb, no step, no scary transition — without the bathroom looking like a hospital. A true curbless build is a different waterproofing system than a curbed shower (the floor and the wall membrane wrap as one) and that's the detail that took the most planning. The result reads like a designer shower; the accessibility is invisible until you need it.
The scope
Exactly what we built
A scope checklist is how every Tanbark project starts. Below is the real list we worked from on this build — the same level of specificity goes into the itemized estimate you'll get after your in-home walk-through.
- Demo of existing curbed shower and tile
- Sloped mortar bed built to a flush, zero-threshold curbless floor
- Schluter Kerdi-Line linear stainless drain set at the back wall
- Continuous Schluter Kerdi waterproofing membrane (floor + walls as one system)
- Solid-teak floating bench on concealed stainless anchors
- Moen Home Care brushed-nickel grab bars (in-wall blocking added in framing)
- Slip-rated 12x24 porcelain floor tile (DCOF 0.42 or higher)
- Frameless tempered-glass enclosure with a 36 in.+ outward-swing ADA glass door
- Moen thermostatic valve + handheld on a 69 in. hose and slide bar
Materials + finishes
What we specified
We publish the actual material specs because finishes are what make a build feel custom — and because the cheap version of every line below is the difference between a one-year project and a twenty-year project.
- Schluter Kerdi-Line linear drain, brushed-stainless grate (Ferguson)
- Schluter Kerdi / Kerdi-Board waterproofing system (Ferguson)
- Moen Align thermostatic valve + trim, brushed nickel (Ferguson)
- Moen Align 8 in. rainshower head, brushed nickel (Ferguson)
- Moen Home Care slide-bar handshower, 69 in. hose, brushed nickel (Ferguson)
- Moen Home Care SecureMount grab bars, brushed nickel (Ferguson)
- Daltile porcelain 12x24, slip-rated DCOF 0.42+, warm taupe
- 3/8 in. frameless tempered glass enclosure + outward-swing door (custom-fabricated)
- Solid-teak floating shower bench with stainless hardware
Day by day
How 11 working days actually go
Visitors love seeing the schedule honestly. Below is how this project actually broke down. Your timeline will look similar; the exact day count lives in your written estimate.
- 1
Demo + framing
Day 1-2Existing curbed shower out, framing added for grab-bar blocking, subfloor inspected.
- 2
Slope + drain
Day 3-4Sloped substrate built to the threshold, linear drain set.
- 3
Waterproofing
Day 5Continuous Schluter Kerdi membrane wrapped from wall to floor as one system.
- 4
Tile + bench
Day 6-9Slip-rated porcelain floor + walls; solid-teak bench mounted to blocking.
- 5
Glass + fixtures
Day 10Frameless glass enclosure + outward-swing ADA door measured and set; Moen thermostatic + handheld trim installed.
- 6
Inspection + reveal
Day 11Placer County plumbing inspection, walk-through with homeowner, accessibility test.
Why this build matters
The details that took it from good to great
- Curbless is the right call for aging-in-place — but only if the waterproofing membrane is continuous from floor to wall. Otherwise you're betting on caulk.
- You can have a fully enclosed glass shower AND keep it ADA-accessible: a 36 in.+ frameless door that swings OUTWARD never blocks the interior clear floor space, and the flush zero-threshold floor lets a wheelchair or walker roll straight in.
- We add framing blocking for grab bars BEFORE the tile goes up; you can add bars later in any spot we blocked, with no patchwork.
- Fixtures are spec'd from Ferguson-stocked lines (Moen Home Care, Schluter) so parts are easy to verify and re-order years later — no proprietary trim you can't replace.
“It looks like a designer shower until you realize there's no step. That's the point — we'll never need to remodel again.”
— Rocklin homeowner
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Planning an accessible bathroom like this?
Grab the free Aging-in-Place Bathroom Planning Checklist — the clearances, curbless shower spec, grab-bar blocking, and fixtures we used on builds like this curbless ada shower in Rocklin.
- The clearances to lock down before anything else
- Curbless shower done right — and the door question
- Grab-bar blocking: do it now or regret it later
- Anti-scald valves, handhelds, comfort-height fixtures
- Lighting + slip choices that prevent the most falls
About the number on a project like this:
We don't publish project totals because the same build can cost very differently depending on the home, the existing conditions, the finish level you actually want, and how much custom millwork or stone the design calls for. The right number for your project lives in your itemized written estimate, which we deliver within 48 hours of your in-home walk-through.
On the walk we bring the same scope-checklist approach you see above. By the end of the visit you'll know exactly which line items are fixed scope, which are selections, and where the real budget pressure lives.
Articles about this kind of project
Sacramento-area context for a curbless ada shower like this — permits, timeline drivers, and scope decisions.
Article · Sacramento
Curbless ADA showers in Sacramento: planning an aging-in-place primary bathroom
What a real curbless ADA-friendly shower needs in a Sacramento home — continuous waterproofing, slip-rated porcelain, blocking for grab bars, and the design moves that make it look like a designer shower, not a hospital.
Keep reading
Article · Sacramento
Walk-in shower vs tub-to-shower conversion: 2026 cost comparison for Sacramento homeowners
Curbless walk-in showers and tub-to-shower conversions look similar on Pinterest, but the budget and timeline gap is real. Here is what each scope actually costs in Sacramento in 2026, and which one fits your bathroom.
Keep reading
Article · Sacramento
Sacramento bathroom remodel permits: a city-by-city homeowner's guide
Which bathroom remodels need permits in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills, and the surrounding cities — and what each jurisdiction actually requires for inspection.
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Next step
Want a build like this on your home?
Book a free in-home walk-through. A Tanbark Project Manager (not a salesperson) will measure, ask the right questions, and bring you an itemized scope-built estimate within 48 hours.
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