What a Surround Install Includes
The full plumbing package: new shower valve (pressure-balanced, to current code), tub or pan set level and supported, drain and overflow assembly, supply connections, and the surround walls installed sealed and square. One crew, one scope, no handoffs between trades for a standard install.
Why Surrounds Instead of Tile
Honest answer: it's a different trade. Quality 1-3 piece surrounds have gotten genuinely good — seamless looks, faster installs, no grout to maintain, and watertight by design rather than by maintenance. For a working bathroom you want done in days not weeks, it's often the smarter money. When a project really calls for tile, we do the rough-in plumbing and hand off cleanly — we'd rather tell you that than fake a trade we don't do.
Tub-to-Shower and Shower-to-Tub Conversions
Swapping a little-used tub for a walk-in shower (or the reverse for a family that needs a tub) is one of the most common versions of this job. The plumbing moves are the same core work — valve, drain relocation if needed, pan or tub, surround — and we quote it flat-rate after seeing the space.