Can you build a curbless shower in an older Boise home?

Often yes, but it depends on the floor structure. In a home over a crawlspace there is usually room to recess the pan between joists; over a finished basement ceiling the honest alternatives may be raising the bathroom floor or accepting a very low curb.

Our North End shower leaks into the room below. Can it be patched?

Patching a leaking shower rarely holds, because the failure is almost always at a junction inside the assembly rather than at the visible grout. We open it up, find where the barrier stopped, and rebuild the wet area as one continuous system.

Does a shower remodel in Boise need a permit?

If the work changes plumbing, drainage, electrical or structure, it commonly does. Confirm your specific scope with City of Boise Planning & Development Services before the work starts.

Ada County, Idaho

Shower Remodeling in Boise, Idaho

Idaho's largest city, and the widest range of shower conditions we work in — from North End homes where the shower was added into a former closet to foothills builds with oversized wet areas.

Short answer

Boise shower projects split roughly along the age line. In the North End, East End and Bench, showers were often carved into rooms that were never designed to have one, so the work involves correcting what earlier remodels left behind. In the foothills and the newer southeast and west subdivisions, the enclosure is usually sound but undersized or dated, and the project is a rebuild rather than a rescue.

What Boise bathrooms are built like

Pre-1940 North End and East End homes where the bathroom was added later, often with a shower squeezed into a chimney chase, closet or hall dead-end.
1950s and 60s Bench and Vista ranch homes with original 60-inch alcove tubs and single-handle valves added decades after the fact.
1990s–2000s southeast Boise and Columbia Village subdivisions with fiberglass primary showers beside a corner soaking tub.
Foothills and newer infill builds where the wet area is generous but the waterproofing detail at benches and niches is often the weak point.

Shower conditions we run into here

Older central-Boise bathrooms frequently sit above unheated crawlspace or a finished basement, so the drain relocation for a curbless entry has to be planned around what is under the floor.
Homes on the Bench and in the North End often reveal a previous shower rebuild once tile comes off — a second membrane, or none at all, is common.
Steep-lot foothills homes tend to have long horizontal drain runs, which affects how low a shower pan can be set.
Hard water is the norm across the city's supply, so mid-tone grout and larger-format tile keep spotting less visible between cleanings.

What we are usually asked to build in Boise

Replacing a 1990s fiberglass primary shower with a tiled walk-in
Rebuilding a leaking shower in an older home back to sound substrate
Curbless conversions for homeowners planning to stay put
Removing an unused corner garden tub to widen the shower beside it

Permits and inspection

Permit and inspection requirements for shower work are set by the local building authority and change over time. Anything that alters plumbing, drainage, electrical or structure commonly requires a permit. Confirm current requirements directly with the jurisdiction before work begins. In Boise, that is City of Boise Planning & Development Services.

Plan review and inspection for shower work in Boise go through City of Boise Planning & Development Services. Requirements change; confirm current rules with them before scheduling.

Areas of Boise we work in

North End · East End · The Bench · Southeast Boise & Columbia Village · West Boise · Boise Foothills · Downtown & Warm Springs

Shower services available in Boise

Shower questions from Boise homeowners

Service areas

Guides

Building a shower in Boise?

Tell us about the shower you have and the one you want. We will come back with questions, then arrange to see the room before anything is quoted.

Request a Shower Estimate Call (208) 891-1890